Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: AuRavelling79 on March 10, 2020, 11:54:20 pm
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I do some small blocks of flats for a property management guy that looks after a few landlords. One of these is four flats in a four storey 1860's house at No. 5 __________ Road in Clifton, Bristol. I've been doing them for over 5 years on a quarterly basis.
Parking is sometimes difficult with a narrow road and permit only parking. As I only take 30 minutes or so and if you are genuinely there working the residents understand, I always take my chances.
Yesterday I turn up and there is half a space plus a neighbouring (No. 6) driveway next to the property and I pull into the half-space with the rear of my van about one third of the way across the neighbour's driveway but with room for the small car in it to get out if I close my van doors.
There is a "worker" loading the car and I explain that I will only be thirty minutes or so but that at anytime I can move to let him out if "it's a bit tight."
With that the owner and his wife come out and I politely explain my predicament and ask their permission to park there with the assurance I can move at any point.
The wife says "Who are you cleaning the windows for?" and I tell her that it's her next door neighbour. (No. 5)
Her: "Oh no! I'm not letting you clean their windows they're awful neighbours!"
Me: "Sorry????"
Him: "We've got history with them - I'm not letting you park there!"
Me: "Well actually I'm doing it for the landlord's agent; I'm not going to be long and I can move at any point."
Him: "No. Sorry. I won't allow it."
Me: "Well that seems rather unreasonable, I'm only trying to do my job."
Him: "You don't know the history."
Me: "Okay ... do you know whose car that is because if I ask the owner to move forward a few feet I won't be in your way."
Him: "I own that car; I've put it there so my worker can get into the garden with his car and I'm not moving it.
Me: (Getting exasperated.) "You won't let me park across your drive and you won't move forward?"
Him: "I'll park where I F***ing well like outside my own house!"
Me: "Well up until now I pegged you as an educated man but if you need to use language like that as an intensifier in front of a window cleaner I'm beginning to doubt my initial judgement of you."
Him: "Don't you patronise me!"
Me: "Well, I've not particularly enjoyed our conversation so as you are not being reasonable and cooperative I'll just crack on and get cleaning. Like I said - if anyone needs to move I'll be at the end of that hose - just ask."
Him: "I'm going for a walk to get a coffee and if you're here when I get back I'll call the Police."
Me: "Do it now!"
Him: "No. I won't do it now but if you're here when I get back ..."
Me: (Petulantly) "Go on - here - use my phone if you like. You're going to look a right chump especially as I have offered to move at any point. Do you think they'll be interested - what with just having to look after Greta Thunberg and managing the consequences of Coronavirus?"
Him: (Marches off)
About twenty minutes later his "worker" says he's going and I shut the van doors and he easily drives out.
Just after that matey boy comes back, all "pret-a-coffee" and croissant and flounces past me without a word and into his house.
I finish up and go shortly afterwards. So I decide to call my contact and explain the incident just in case a complaint is forthcoming. I'm part way through explaining and he says ...
"It's not the bloke at number 6 is it? Mr. ________? He's a right numpty. Please tell me you decked him!" And he explains various incidents he has had with other contractors. ;D
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That is a great story malc and well dealt with.....I probably would ve squirted him with water from my WFP...... sometimes I just want to hurt people like that....I'd love to be able to get away with punching an idiot like that in the face really hard like the old days...(1970s)....I would get immense pleasure out of it.....
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I like how you keep calm and destroy him with words.
I'm with daz I would just lose my rag and try to fight the urge of beating him to death with an slx.
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I like how you keep calm and destroy him with words.
I'm with daz I would just lose my rag and try to fight the urge of beating him to death with an slx.
Well, using my "broad brush" to stereotype - he's a typical "Cliftonite" - (think downmarket "Bath-ite") irritated with the fact that most of the houses around him are let out to students - the guy I liase with for next door was explaining how he (No. 6) complained - not about the tenants but about the fact that the landlord was cutting back an overgrown tree which "reduced the shade when he and his wife were relaxing on their patio".
Apparently the tree-pollarders had a little sixteen year old lad with them and this "bully" guy reduced him to tears. When the business owner got back he knocked the door to remonstrate with him and although he was obviously home "No. 6" hid and wouldn't answer the door!
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It's an unfortunate fact of life that you'll meet "little people" like him wherever you go. Well done for handling him in just the right way.
Just as an after thought - all parking problems are now dealt with by the local council and most of them contract it out to private companies. If there isn't a potential fine (income for them) in the offing, they won't want to know.
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Yep I’m afraid I would have reduced to swearing back at him and getting irate myself, which wouldn’t be very professional, but I wouldn’t be able to help myself.
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Waste of time jobs like that if the neighbours aren’t compliant,I do probably a dozen good money for 6-7 minutes each.
Some of them are 30ft and the 1st and ground floor underneath get soaked lol,they could always have there’s cleaned if they wanted to pay while I’m there.
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Waste of time jobs like that if the neighbours aren’t compliant,I do probably a dozen good money for 6-7 minutes each.
Some of them are 30ft and the 1st and ground floor underneath get soaked lol,they could always have there’s cleaned if they wanted to pay while I’m there.
Well for 5 years the neighbours had been 'compliant' and this time they were forced into being so.
But I take your point. If the hassle repeats itself I shall review.
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They are hassle if the people that are there at the time aren’t the next people that move in might be,I’ll be honest with you it would pee me off if it was happening to me but I would have you clean mine as well as it makes sense.
Some people will do it moan that is just to get a free clean,like I say I can see there point but my advise would be to have work that is as hassle free as possible obviously we all have the odd niggle from customers but most of the time it is easily dealt with.
When it’s ever happened with me I’ve said sorry you’ll have to talk to the owners-tenants in flat X.
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They are hassle if the people that are there at the time aren’t the next people that move in might be,I’ll be honest with you it would pee me off if it was happening to me but I would have you clean mine as well as it makes sense.
Some people will do it moan that is just to get a free clean,like I say I can see there point but my advise would be to have work that is as hassle free as possible obviously we all have the odd niggle from customers but most of the time it is easily dealt with.
When it’s ever happened with me I’ve said sorry you’ll have to talk to the owners-tenants in flat X.
I take it you didn’t bother reading the OP? The issue is over parking, nothing to do with windows getting wet from the flat above.
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The issue is about cleaning flats parking making a mess below the list goes on so without reading anything about it just by someone saying problem with cleaning flats I could write you a list,the short answer is get rid be it parking or any other reason.
When you clean flats although you may clean 1 you have 4-5-6 other personalities to deal with,the ones you splash on the ones you look like you are staring through there windows,the noise you make the list goes on.
Flats unless they are all done at once as a complete job most of the times are ball ache.
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The issue is about cleaning flats parking making a mess below the list goes on so without reading anything about it just by someone saying problem with cleaning flats I could write you a list,the short answer is get rid be it parking or any other reason.
When you clean flats although you may clean 1 you have 4-5-6 other personalities to deal with,the ones you splash on the ones you look like you are staring through there windows,the noise you make the list goes on.
Flats unless they are all done at once as a complete job most of the times are ball ache.
The job is a set of four flats all done as one.
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Whatever it is have you had hassle yes parking etc,if that person you’d come to clean lived in a house you would have parked on the drive or main road next to the house so you wouldn’t have had a problem,far easier to pull up somewhere when it’s the loud noise of birds tweeting getting on your nerves rather than people lol.
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Whatever it is have you had hassle yes parking etc,if that person you’d come to clean lived in a house you would have parked on the drive or main road next to the house so you wouldn’t have had a problem,far easier to pull up somewhere when it’s the loud noise of birds tweeting getting on your nerves rather than people lol.
Would Gold have found the parking easier if he was using hot water?
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Lol yeah blimey it’s like getting through a concrete wall with a toothbrush sometimes lol,I don’t need to clean a job to see it’s hassle when I pull up and look I can smell it’s hassle.
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Lol yeah blimey it’s like getting through a concrete wall with a toothbrush sometimes lol,I don’t need to clean a job to see it’s hassle when I pull up and look I can smell it’s hassle.
I can always smell something pungent with your posts ;D
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Nicely dealt with.
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Lol yeah I’m full of it you know what I mean though,you pull up speak to them and all your senses kick in at once.
When you’ve been doing this job a while it’s like instant attraction it takes seconds before you know I like em or I don’t.
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Lol yeah blimey it’s like getting through a concrete wall with a toothbrush sometimes lol,I don’t need to clean a job to see it’s hassle when I pull up and look I can smell it’s hassle.
Says the man that does a lot of insides😂😂 .......and before you waffle on about what you make per hour doin insides, I don’t care, I would rather stick Bombay mix in my eyes than do customers inside windows😜
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Lol do you know how much I get an hour though do ya do ya do ya lol.
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Lol do you know how much I get an hour though do ya do ya do ya lol.
Fiver?
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Insides are easy and provide a complete service imo if you keep on top of em,so many so called window cleaners out there that haven’t got a clue how to use traditional tools.
They should have half a window cleaner written on there vans.
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Insides are easy and provide a complete service imo if you keep on top of em,so many so called window cleaners out there that haven’t got a clue how to use traditional tools.
They should have half a window cleaner written on there vans.
It’s ‘their’ btw 👍
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It’s ‘their’ btw 👍
Love it! ::)roll
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I don’t really watch my spelling on err due to piple that veiw itt.
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That is a great story malc and well dealt with.....I probably would ve squirted him with water from my WFP...... sometimes I just want to hurt people like that....I'd love to be able to get away with punching an idiot like that in the face really hard like the old days...(1970s)....I would get immense pleasure out of it.....
I thought you were born in the 70s Daz.
You must have been a real handful at kindergarten/primary school.