Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Clean Cloth on July 01, 2019, 09:11:16 pm
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The amount of customers that have told me their previous Window Cleaner "used to turn up when he pleased" "you never knew when he was coming" "he was unreliable" etc.
I am coming to the conclusion that at least some of the customers are the ones at fault.
A customer that I have been cleaning for about 16 months now every 4 weeks on a Monday morning usually leaves payment in an envelope in the coal bunker.
Today the envelope was empty so I left a detailed, polite note saying sorry I missed you and I would call in on the way home.
When I got there instead of admitting she had forgotten I was coming (which I always say "no problem") she said "I never know when you are coming", I said every 4 weeks, every 4th Monday morning, nothing has changed.
She said "so you are not coming in 4 weeks time then" Yes, every 4 weeks.
"But it is still July in 4 weeks and you have been in July". "That means you come 13 times a year instead of 12". Yes, every 4 weeks.
I still don't think the message got through to her.
I am starting to see things from another perspective when a customer moans about their previous Window Cleaner.
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What happens when you take a week's holiday? You can't keep a 4 weekly schedule for a whole year. Well I can't that's for sure.
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What happens when you take a week's holiday? You can't keep a 4 weekly schedule for a whole year. Well I can't that's for sure.
Send every customer on the round a text saying your away on holiday so the next clean will be a week or 2 later. It's no issue. Far easier to have a 4 weekly round. Also makes it easier to fit people in who want 8 weeks.
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I always take this sort of story off a customer with a pinch of salt. Give them a month or 2 and you can normally work out why the last window cleaner "didnt come back"
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yes some customers just can not grasp the simple facts - hey ho - head down and carry on!
Darran
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Fact number one....... Customers always lie.
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Fact number one....... Customers always lie.
I think that also applies to window cleaners ..... ???
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What happens when you take a week's holiday? You can't keep a 4 weekly schedule for a whole year. Well I can't that's for sure.
Send every customer on the round a text saying your away on holiday so the next clean will be a week or 2 later. It's no issue. Far easier to have a 4 weekly round. Also makes it easier to fit people in who want 8 weeks.
Bungle’s right though, due to holidays even though you work 4 weekly, customers will in all probability only get 12 cleans per year.
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What happens when you take a week's holiday? You can't keep a 4 weekly schedule for a whole year. Well I can't that's for sure.
Send every customer on the round a text saying your away on holiday so the next clean will be a week or 2 later. It's no issue. Far easier to have a 4 weekly round. Also makes it easier to fit people in who want 8 weeks.
No. Just go when your back off holiday next.
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9 times out of 10 the customer who moans about their last window cleaner or that he somehow just disappeared is the problem not their previous window cleaner.
Whether that's a late payer, didn't leave the gate open, not this time because it might rain, the dogs just been neutered etc etc etc.
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9 times out of 10 when anyone makes a sweeping claim about some sort of fact or another they've not got the research to back it up. They're simply making generalisations which have no substance or meaning.
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I always take this sort of story off a customer with a pinch of salt. Give them a month or 2 and you can normally work out why the last window cleaner "didnt come back"
Yep I’m already seeing this. Some of the customers I picked up while canvassing said “I had a window cleaner and he just stopped coming all of a sudden” I thought maybe he just packed up.
I’m now starting to see that there’s damn good reasons he stopped coming ;D
They were obviously dropped for being a pain in the ass
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Slacky - 9 times out of10 your right ;D
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I do have the evidence to prove it too ;) ;)
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9 times out of 10 when anyone makes a sweeping claim about some sort of fact or another they've not got the research to back it up. They're simply making generalisations which have no substance or meaning.
9 times out of 10, 99 times out of a 100, 99% of the time. Figures of speech rarely used literally but when dealing in anecdotal evidence.
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It's my OCD.....
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I always take this sort of story off a customer with a pinch of salt. Give them a month or 2 and you can normally work out why the last window cleaner "didnt come back"
Yep I’m already seeing this. Some of the customers I picked up while canvassing said “I had a window cleaner and he just stopped coming all of a sudden” I thought maybe he just packed up.
I’m now starting to see that there’s damn good reasons he stopped coming ;D
They were obviously dropped for being a pain in the ass
No you will find that the majority of customers who say their window cleaner was unreliable or just stopped coming will be telling the truth, if this was a thread about pricing many on here would be using that fact as a reason to charge more.
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https://media.giphy.com/media/3o7ZetIsjtbkgNE1I4/giphy.gif
My last window cleaner stopped coming....
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I always take this sort of story off a customer with a pinch of salt. Give them a month or 2 and you can normally work out why the last window cleaner "didnt come back"
Yep I’m already seeing this. Some of the customers I picked up while canvassing said “I had a window cleaner and he just stopped coming all of a sudden” I thought maybe he just packed up.
I’m now starting to see that there’s damn good reasons he stopped coming ;D
They were obviously dropped for being a pain in the ass
i would say the majority are because the the window cleaner charged too little for the job so it wasnt worth his while or hes in prison,died or got a proper job..... :)
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Once had a customer moan because I was a week late!
Told him I was on holiday (I don’t tell them I’m going away which was explained to him when I took him on).
He said you’ve broken your agreement and I’m not happy about it! I expect you here every 4 weeks!!
I said, I expect a holiday every now and then and you can expect to never see me again! Goodbye!
I’ve got no time for rude or stupid customers ;D
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In all fairness, this is a tough one.
I got a call today, 'last window cleaner stopped coming'.
But she did sound...normal...nice...so i'll have a look.
Get round there, last window cleaner charged 15 for regular clean, also did an fsg job that was so bad she asked them to come back and rectify.
Apparently they did. Then they stopped coming.
I said 22 and she agreed.
They also stopped coming across the road (friends)
That one is a bit of a bad access problem, but I quoted it and got it.
We'll see how this goes.
The only advice I can offer is:
1. Never, ever...ever be surprised about a customer, some are normal and will lie, some are mad and will lie, some are mental and will lie...but some have just had a bad window cleaner!
2. Always be polite, smile and be nice. This is important for your reputation and your sanity.
Also, have a back-up plan (sorry I'm really busy at the moment), generally works for me.
3. I have a guy who is starting up. He gets all my crap (and when you are starting up, crap is good). He gets lots of work (poo) off of me!
Unfortunately you are dealing with the 'general public' on a low level!
We are window cleaners, and you have to respect the fact that we 'aren't the most important people in their life'.
However, that works both ways. I clean every 8 weeks and if I am seven or ten days late no-one really cares.
Actually some do, but I have them sorted. ;D
I would go so far, as to say...'Once you know the rules of the game, this is a pretty good job!'
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As a generalisation I find the older, educated variety of customer is the more reliable.
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As a generalisation I find the older, educated variety of customer is the more reliable.
i agree...and i have a lot of these types of customers matt.... :)