Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: S Ball on July 04, 2006, 10:46:52 pm
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wot would u do if 1 of your customers came out saying not this month for 3 months on the trot then wot would u do just stop doing them all together or wot???
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3 month they have wasted your time , i would get another customer who valued my service , unless there was a good reason ie redundancy where i would try and help out by doing them less until they got back on there feet
gary
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reply not this life time[my life time] will Iclean your windows darling,so you will have to wait till a nother w/c starts in the street cus everyone else says they wont do them ;D and make sure other w/cs know what youve said.
gaza
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may be the wfp is cleaning windows to good, staying clean longer,
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wot would u do if 1 of your customers came out saying not this month for 3 months on the trot then wot would u do just stop doing them all together or wot???
It wouldn't happen. Unless there's a very good reason, once is enough. If it's a great job and a nice earner I might let it go to twice.
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I would assume that they were either too chicken to tell you to stop calling, so i would stop, OR they are just messing you around in which case I would also stop calling.
Bet if you did the windows after 4 months & took longer to do them they wouldn't even think about offering you anymore money. So my attitude would be find yourself another wcer I'm afraid.
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Its a tuff one , i have a customer who has just started this , the husband has just gone self employed and i have been put off 3 times already , today they were due again so i missed them out , what im gonna do is wait for them to ask me , when they do i will tell them "As its an as and when clean its going to cost double your old price " , he will have to understand as i am self employed also , if he doesnt, then hes gonna be doing his own windows in his quiet times !
Rich P @ F
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i would be polite and say to them "for now i will take you of my list and you can just give me a ring when you need me next" who knows..they may phone when they can have you regular again, or if they ARE trying to get rid of you then its easier for them, and less embarrasing for you this way. and there is always another customer round the corner to get :D
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After 3 times its what customer. ;D
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may be the wfp is cleaning windows to good, staying clean longer,
I do hope that's a "jouk" ::) ;D
3 months? Forget it.
My customers get 2 chances....ever!
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Personally I think what matters is how much work you have. If you don't need the customers money then be polite but dump them.
If you need the money then keep calling back until such time as you are more finacially secure.
I can remember a few years ago having a day where every customer said ' not today'. Me and my mate earnt nothing that day and it changed our attitude.
The best resindential customers to have are those who say just turn up every month and just do the windows and I'll send a cheque. Simple, hassle free, and usually 'never a a problem'.
Cheers
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I never let my customers go 3 months with "not this month".
The first time they say it I always ask if there is a particular reason.
If it's not blisteringly good (like "oh, my hubbie died and they're coming for his still-warm body in ten minutes :D) like the builders are putting in new windows as I drive up, I say "I hope you don't mind me saying but I don't work on that basis - we agreed a regular service at the outset."
If they get funny it's the substance of "You need to find another window cleaner!"
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I dunno
They walk all over me..........
sometimes 8)
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I dunno
They walk all over me..........
sometimes 8)
It's a balance between being money orientated and being human.
I sometimes still have the same dilema. :-[
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If a customer says not this time to me i get rid of them unless they are having some work done or another good reason then i don't mind.
But you get some people that are just a pain and are trying to save a few quid they are not the customers i want.
You can normally tell the customer as they usually start doing it by the third clean and then they will just keep doing it.
I don't have none of that and i let the customers know from the outset but in a nice way.
I don't really get any problems from anyone as i filter the bad customers out all the time.
Paul
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what i normally do is wait until the customer is drowning,then when he asks for help,calmly say "not this time"
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i would be polite and say to them "for now i will take you of my list and you can just give me a ring when you need me next" who knows..they may phone when they can have you regular again, or if they ARE trying to get rid of you then its easier for them, and less embarrasing for you this way. and there is always another customer round the corner to get :D
Yep, good one.
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I always charge extra when they do have them done and tell them the previous price included a loyal customer discount which they now don't get.
rgards mal
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wot would u do if 1 of your customers came out saying not this month for 3 months on the trot then wot would u do just stop doing them all together or wot???
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Explain that this is not how you oeprate and you have many customers that you need to get to clean each month. Therefore if they cannot agree a frequency i.e 3 x monthly or less you will have to let them go.
The time wasted is made up by cleaning a regular customer and earning money!!
Trev
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i would be polite and say to them "for now i will take you of my list and you can just give me a ring when you need me next" who knows..they may phone when they can have you regular again, or if they ARE trying to get rid of you then its easier for them, and less embarrasing for you this way. and there is always another customer round the corner to get :D
I like this one, it gets you out of sounding rude and it makes things easier for the customer.
I do have a couple of customers where you know that money is tight for them, every penny counts, and sometimes they simply cannot afford to have the windows cleaned even if they really want them done, so I am usually sympathetic to their situation.
But I will certainly use Dennis's solution on persistant 'not this time'ers'.
Oh, and if they say, 'Nah, no thanks mate, not worth it, its going to rain'.
Well that will be the last time I call, I won't discuss it with them, just smile and walk away...never to return 8)
If they collar me in the street some months later and ask why I haven't been around I find it easy to tell them I don't do 'if in' work, which is what it the comes down to if you have a customer that continually looks at the sky and uses his or her judgment as to whether or not it is window cleaning weather...
Ian
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I politly say that will be ok this time, explain to them as its a 4 week price next time it will be 50% extra but it wont happen again. It cost time to turn up to be told "not this time" & time is money.
If i get a comment back i make the comment back asking how they would feel if the old man turned up for work & the boss walked out & said not today mate, see you tomorrow. :o
Its not very often it happens but after my response get told to carry on. ;D
If they are having work done or windows replaced etc, thats fair enough.
Macc
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how would they like it if when they got to work was told that was not needed today, i think most would walk if could get another job , so same for us the service agreed was priced monthly or whatever! it effectivlly cost you when they say not this month please, time and time again
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After a spate of 'Not this month, mate' last year I got a 'cob on', and printed on my chits my terms and conditions of service, which basically says I come once per month, unless they have arranged other terms and conditions.
It's rare I get someone who says 'Not this month, mate', now, and if I do they're normally new customers who haven't had our chit.
If anyone ever says the equivallent of 'not this month'; we drop them. I sometimes discuss this with the potential ex-customer, but usually, I just drop them.
I think it's really cheeky, when you've previously agreed your terms and conditions and then the customer attempts to change them in their favour.
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Sometimes the customer has a genuine reason for not wanting a clean i.e work in garden etc etc or frames being repainted, but if they just come out with sorry not this month i just say sorry you,ve just been crossed off my list and bid them good day.
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After a spate of 'Not this month, mate' last year I got a 'cob on', and printed on my chits my terms and conditions of service, which basically says I come once per month, unless they have arranged other terms and conditions.
I do the same, I also give an approx next due date (ie; the earliest i will next visit) in some cases, and my chit also states I need a min. 24 hr notice of cancellation , no notice = I turn up, clean windows and expect to be paid, afterall you'd be expected to cancel a dental or doctor appointment if you werent going to be able to attend would'nt you? ;)
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If its a case of can you do them later, I will call back and do them provided I have the time.
If its a don't do them this month because I just don't want to pay you, there's a 25% surcharge on the next month.
If it happens more than twice in any 12month period they end up looking for a new wc.
It happened a couple of times but in one way its a good thing as it encourages me to get rid of bad customers in exchange for good customers
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thanks guys me and my boss will give them 1 more try and if the same reply wiil BLACK list them lol!!!!!!!!!