Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: jay moley on April 21, 2022, 05:36:35 pm
-
It seems to me that customers are trying more and more to get you to come when they want on a day and time that suits them.
I think it's to do with other services/companies offering specific days to deliver stuff or make appointments.
I had to a degree tried to accommodate people but now im knocking them back. Funny how suddenly they make arrangements for you to come when you say you'll have to come in 8 weeks or do front only. Others I just dump if it persists.
I explain from the get go that I can only clean when in the area but I guess some just dont get it.
Anyone else find this?
-
Tell them it's double the price for a bespoke service
-
yes . i do find its becoming a trend with some .
I tend to know the ones that do this and I am one step ahead of them .
I do try to accomodate a time on a day IF, and only IF im in the area .
other than that they will have to be missed until I am in the area again. they soon learn or get dumped .
I tell them that I am like the bin collection .
im around a certain day and thats it.
of course I do make exceptions for good long standing customers , it they are having a wedding , party or funeral, but thats a different matter
-
my way or the highway
-
Depends what kind of work it is some you have to arrange,I wouldn’t do it if I was turning up to do 10-20 houses in a road or Cul-de-sac
-
I just tell them ill be round when im round normally 8 weeks unless its a big job that pays very very well then i don't mind arranging a day
-
If they aren’t in then front only they’ll soon leave the back gate open.
-
It's only window cleaning I get there when I get there, I've got a life aswel and things that I need to do. If they are that demanding then they need to get a different window cleaner. I say from the outset I will be there at the scheduled date give or take a week or two to allow for weather, holidays etc.
I used to do commercial etc that were cleaned exactly on time and after a while I thought chuff that I might as well go back and be employed jumping through hoops for people ;D
-
It seems to me that customers are trying more and more to get you to come when they want on a day and time that suits them.
I think it's to do with other services/companies offering specific days to deliver stuff or make appointments.
I had to a degree tried to accommodate people but now im knocking them back. Funny how suddenly they make arrangements for you to come when you say you'll have to come in 8 weeks or do front only. Others I just dump if it persists.
I explain from the get go that I can only clean when in the area but I guess some just dont get it.
Anyone else find this?
No...this never happens to me.they wait until I can fit them into my schedule.👍
-
Domestic customers are done 4 or 8 weekly if we get behind due to bad weather or holidays that’s just a fact of life it's window cleaning it’s not going to kill them if the windows are dirty for a bit longer , we will not book jobs in for specific times to many variables but will do jobs on very large properties by booking a time and date but only jobs that run into hundreds of pounds per clean . Commercial is different we do do jobs on specific dates ,especially hotels, nursing homes , care homes , schools, etc but again theses are large jobs and very profitable,
-
I always set out my stall beforehand. I don't pre notify. I ask for gate codes or combination lock numbers.
I have a couple of larger properties that have doors in walls for rear access which I will pre notify but in February I dropped one of those when they did a 'leave it this time'.
I ruthlessly weed them out and so only get a problem once a year or so and they get dumped too.
-
Domestic customers are done 4 or 8 weekly if we get behind due to bad weather or holidays that’s just a fact of life it's window cleaning it’s not going to kill them if the windows are dirty for a bit longer , we will not book jobs in for specific times to many variables but will do jobs on very large properties by booking a time and date but only jobs that run into hundreds of pounds per clean . Commercial is different we do do jobs on specific dates ,especially hotels, nursing homes , care homes , schools, etc but again theses are large jobs and very profitable,
That's how it should be, otherwise your going to stress yourself out.
-
not me personally but I have noticed another thing happening mainly with asian customers, they want you to do cheap one offs for their relatives.....
I did it few times (end up making less money) but definate no more!
-
not me personally but I have noticed another thing happening mainly with asian customers, they want you to do cheap one offs for their relatives.....
I did it few times (end up making less money) but definate no more!
I personally won't take on Asians, nothing but bartering messers.
-
Asia is a large continent. Which bit causes the messers?
-
not me personally but I have noticed another thing happening mainly with asian customers, they want you to do cheap one offs for their relatives.....
I did it few times (end up making less money) but definate no more!
I personally won't take on Asians, nothing but bartering messers.
I know what you mean but here's a tip that worked well for me. Use Gocardless only approach, it will filter out all the messers because they hate committing to a service. I have 14 Asian customers on Gocardless, none of them gives me any headaches
-
I find a theme dealing with the prospective customers from the sub-continent which is that unless it is spelled out very specifically they try to change the frequency or terms.
I have a couple of well trained customers from this area but have encountered difficulties.
-
not me personally but I have noticed another thing happening mainly with asian customers, they want you to do cheap one offs for their relatives.....
I did it few times (end up making less money) but definate no more!
I personally won't take on Asians, nothing but bartering messers.
That is a sweeping statement. Maybe set out your stall politely and firmly beforehand rather than pre decide?
-
not me personally but I have noticed another thing happening mainly with asian customers, they want you to do cheap one offs for their relatives.....
I did it few times (end up making less money) but definate no more!
I personally won't take on Asians, nothing but bartering messers.
That is a sweeping statement. Maybe set out your stall politely and firmly beforehand rather than pre decide?
I have set out my stall, when they ask i say sorry too busy...
-
I will also say that a lot of Asian customers are hard to deal with. Im talking Indian and Pakistani origin. Always try to barter on price and get extra freebies on the day. I do have some that are good as gold but more have been trouble than not. I never discount my service for anyone tho.
-
not me personally but I have noticed another thing happening mainly with asian customers, they want you to do cheap one offs for their relatives.....
I did it few times (end up making less money) but definate no more!
I personally won't take on Asians, nothing but bartering messers.
That is a sweeping statement. Maybe set out your stall politely and firmly beforehand rather than pre decide?
I have set out my stall, when they ask i say sorry too busy...
That isn't setting out your stall unless you say that to every new enquiry.
-
not me personally but I have noticed another thing happening mainly with asian customers, they want you to do cheap one offs for their relatives.....
I did it few times (end up making less money) but definate no more!
I personally won't take on Asians, nothing but bartering messers.
That is a sweeping statement. Maybe set out your stall politely and firmly beforehand rather than pre decide?
I have set out my stall, when they ask i say sorry too busy...
That isn't setting out your stall unless you say that to every new enquiry.
I made the decision years ago not to take them on as 9/10 times they are just after a cheap one off..if your happy to take them on then crack on son.
-
not me personally but I have noticed another thing happening mainly with asian customers, they want you to do cheap one offs for their relatives.....
I did it few times (end up making less money) but definate no more!
I personally won't take on Asians, nothing but bartering messers.
That is a sweeping statement. Maybe set out your stall politely and firmly beforehand rather than pre decide?
I have set out my stall, when they ask i say sorry too busy...
That isn't setting out your stall unless you say that to every new enquiry.
I made the decision years ago not to take them on as 9/10 times they are just after a cheap one off..if your happy to take them on then crack on son.
Then I call it what it is. A prejudicial decision without treating people as individuals.
It's not hard to weed out a messer whatever their accent, skin colour, nationality or even the continent they come from.
-
not me personally but I have noticed another thing happening mainly with asian customers, they want you to do cheap one offs for their relatives.....
I did it few times (end up making less money) but definate no more!
I personally won't take on Asians, nothing but bartering messers.
That is a sweeping statement. Maybe set out your stall politely and firmly beforehand rather than pre decide?
I have set out my stall, when they ask i say sorry too busy...
That isn't setting out your stall unless you say that to every new enquiry.
I made the decision years ago not to take them on as 9/10 times they are just after a cheap one off..if your happy to take them on then crack on son.
Then I call it what it is. A prejudicial decision without treating people as individuals.
It's not hard to weed out a messer whatever their accent, skin colour, nationality or even the continent they come from.
Think you are trying to say he's racist. It's not if its the majority of people in that demographic. It's a trend. Too many people want to call everyone racist these days. Its pathetic. It's his experience and mine, thats facts not racism.
-
not me personally but I have noticed another thing happening mainly with asian customers, they want you to do cheap one offs for their relatives.....
I did it few times (end up making less money) but definate no more!
I personally won't take on Asians, nothing but bartering messers.
That is a sweeping statement. Maybe set out your stall politely and firmly beforehand rather than pre decide?
I have set out my stall, when they ask i say sorry too busy...
That isn't setting out your stall unless you say that to every new enquiry.
I made the decision years ago not to take them on as 9/10 times they are just after a cheap one off..if your happy to take them on then crack on son.
Then I call it what it is. A prejudicial decision without treating people as individuals.
It's not hard to weed out a messer whatever their accent, skin colour, nationality or even the continent they come from.
I don't want to weed out a messer to begin with so i don't take them on in the first place..
-
People from certain backgrounds do only want irregular cleans and always try and knock you down on price , I had a restaurant owned by a family from an Asian country after much discussion they agreed to the price on the second clean they offered me food instead of payment whilst a kind offer I cannot pay my staff or mortgage with food , so they have been dumped due to this fact not beacause of there nationality or skin colour I would have done exactly the same if they were white British .
-
It’s fairly easy to spot a messer from day 1 really.
-
What if they have brown skin and a British accent? Or maybe they’re half Asian?
-
not me personally but I have noticed another thing happening mainly with asian customers, they want you to do cheap one offs for their relatives.....
I did it few times (end up making less money) but definate no more!
I personally won't take on Asians, nothing but bartering messers.
That is a sweeping statement. Maybe set out your stall politely and firmly beforehand rather than pre decide?
I have set out my stall, when they ask i say sorry too busy...
That isn't setting out your stall unless you say that to every new enquiry.
I made the decision years ago not to take them on as 9/10 times they are just after a cheap one off..if your happy to take them on then crack on son.
Then I call it what it is. A prejudicial decision without treating people as individuals.
It's not hard to weed out a messer whatever their accent, skin colour, nationality or even the continent they come from.
Think you are trying to say he's racist. It's not if its the majority of people in that demographic. It's a trend. Too many people want to call everyone racist these days. Its pathetic. It's his experience and mine, thats facts not racism.
Not at all. It's judging on appearances. It could just as easily be a younger white male with kids and I might prejudge they haven't got enough money after their mortgage or after their rent and so they will mess me around.
I too have refused to take on Indian or Pakistani people but it has been after they query my terms and try to change them. This happens more with these groups but I have some good customers who have been trained.
-
In my experience I've found that the Asian customers can often be a bit troublesome as well. Specifically I mean more often than other nationalities they have a tendency to be more frugal and not want to pay a fair price. On top of that they can also request extras on the day that they don't really want to pay a fair rate for (or not pay for altogether). They're perhaps a tad more likely to request a clean for their relatives as well as someone else mentioned.
Not to say of course that British Caucasian customers can't present similar issues but I have noticed it occurring more frequently with those from Asian backgrounds.
In regards to the original topic I do things a bit differently than most in that I always give my customers the exact date that I'll be returning on next time. I'll then stick to it with the only exception being very heavy rain/snow or an unforeseen emergency.
I'll try and be flexible to an extent though if a customer requests a different date for a legit reason. Plus I've got a handful of customers with no set spot on the round that I contact every 8 weeks or whatever to set things up. These can sometimes be a bit of a hassle fitting in.
Generally speaking however I stick to my schedule as much as I can so I always know exactly who I've got due on a given day.
-
I've just had one where a long standing customer (5+ years) has suddenly tried to get me to come on a specific day. Gates have always been left open before and I cant believe she's been in every time in the past as I haven't seen her on most visits.
I've asked for a key to the gate. Will see what happens.
By the way she's white!
-
All the restaurants I’ve seen where I live get the staff to clean the windows nearly all the English run places use a window cleaner,and that’s a fact.
-
All the restaurants I’ve seen where I live get the staff to clean the windows nearly all the English run places use a window cleaner,and that’s a fact.
Ground floor windows yes I would agree a lot do now , but they cannot do the top 2 floors
-
Without knowing what other people did I always try and accommodate clients. Obviously if they want their insides cleaned, it’s normally first thing as the sun is low.
I let clients know about a week in advance that we are coming. I always get an extra job or two which helps with the turnover!
In reality very few clients ask and if it do ones not work for you just get rid of them or pass them on to a window cleaner mate that’s what I do
-
I don’t cover Asia so it’s never been a problem.
-
I've just had one where a long standing customer (5+ years) has suddenly tried to get me to come on a specific day. Gates have always been left open before and I cant believe she's been in every time in the past as I haven't seen her on most visits.
I've asked for a key to the gate. Will see what happens.
By the way she's white!
A customer has to fit into my schedule.not the other way round.as for locked gates.she would get a text the night before.
If she wouldn't except this then its goodbye I'm afraid.👍
-
I'm black and I won't take on single white chav mothers. I must be racist.
-
I've never regretted dumping a PITA customer....Any slight drop in my income is barely noticeable and is replaced within a few weeks....
Don't hang onto jobs that you dread doing...your round will become easier and much more pleasant to get around when you ve not got these types pecking your head... ;D
-
I agree don’t hang on to jobs you hate doing that if anything is what can make this job depressing,years ago I had a bunch of jobs that took all morning one day I saw a guy nearby and gave em all to him he was happy and so was I,I felt like I’d instantly got rid of a migraine.
-
I don’t mind giving time slots as I kind of know how my day is going to go within an hour or 2! but asking for a more precise time! He was lucky to get an hour slot as I normally give 2 hour slots
(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1650963828_F737B2BF-18E4-4CE5-B33A-FB39ED899E27.jpeg)
-
I don’t mind giving time slots as I kind of know how my day is going to go within an hour or 2! but asking for a more precise time! He was lucky to get an hour slot as I normally give 2 hour slots
(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1650963828_F737B2BF-18E4-4CE5-B33A-FB39ED899E27.jpeg)
some people need their head checking ::)roll
Window cleaning works - given a set day
other works - set day/date and rough time for arrival unless its first of day then told its 8.30 AM
Darran
-
If I get asked I give a time then proceed to turn up when I want. Soon stops them asking.
One asked last night, I said a bout 11. Well I'm sat here having my lunch then I've 2 jobs to do before his so....
-
time slots? no way, when I send a text to tell people I'm due I put at the bottom of the text "sometime tomorrow"
-
I rarely do times, but if I'm asked I say 'would you prefer am or pm?'
-
not me personally but I have noticed another thing happening mainly with asian customers, they want you to do cheap one offs for their relatives.....
I did it few times (end up making less money) but definate no more!
I personally won't take on Asians, nothing but bartering messers.
That is a sweeping statement. Maybe set out your stall politely and firmly beforehand rather than pre decide?
I have set out my stall, when they ask i say sorry too busy...
That isn't setting out your stall unless you say that to every new enquiry.
I made the decision years ago not to take them on as 9/10 times they are just after a cheap one off..if your happy to take them on then crack on son.
Then I call it what it is. A prejudicial decision without treating people as individuals.
It's not hard to weed out a messer whatever their accent, skin colour, nationality or even the continent they come from.
Think you are trying to say he's racist. It's not if its the majority of people in that demographic. It's a trend. Too many people want to call everyone racist these days. Its pathetic. It's his experience and mine, thats facts not racism.
He sounds racist to me. Given your OP have you stopped taking on new customers because they're all messers ? ;D
When you say :
I will also say that a lot of Asian customers are hard to deal with. Im talking Indian and Pakistani origin. Always try to barter on price and get extra freebies on the day. I do have some that are good as gold but more have been trouble than not. I never discount my service for anyone tho.
It seems they treat you like the rest of your customers who you have been complaining about !! ;D
My Favourite in this thread is this fella.... Amazin :
not me personally but I have noticed another thing happening mainly with asian customers, they want you to do cheap one offs for their relatives.....
I did it few times (end up making less money) but definate no more!
He never noticed messers "personally", but when he did they where "Asian" ;D ;D
Not only that, he must of cleaned them because when he did , they recommended him to their relatives !! ;D
Some of you wanna listen to yourselves sometimes. My recommendation to anyone is always use a Proffesional Window Cleaning Company, not Cowboys who don't like Indians.............. ;D ;D
-
I'll second that Cleanclear...
Darran
-
'Cowboys who don't like Indians' Love it :)