Clean It Up

UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: matt jones on November 09, 2006, 01:21:41 pm

Title: Anyone else find this???
Post by: matt jones on November 09, 2006, 01:21:41 pm
Lady phoned up the other day wanting a quote for 4-5 bedroom carpets. We booked a day for me to go give her a quote on the morning of the day arranged she has to cancel as her husband was really ill ok i said so booked her in a couple of days later. (By the way she obviously had abit of wonger) Anyway qoute day finally came turned out in the end it was 3 bedroom carpets and some spots and stains in their "games room" posh gits lol. Anyway i quoted £160 all in, then she tells me she had already been giving a cheaper quote by a franchise comp at £140 she asked if i would drop to £150 i said ok considering it was a largish job. Anyway made a note in my diary when iasked what price it was again we agreed on she said oh don't worry stick with your original price its only a tenner so i said only if your sure madam. Anyway get a phone call couple of days ago saying the date we had arranged was no longer any good so we decided to bring it foward by a day she then goes on to moan about my measurement's saying oh you have measured out the intire rooms without deducting the beds which she said i could just go around, i told her a cant deduct every piece of furniture in the bloody room to make it exact. 10 secs after sorting her moaning out and putting down the phone. She phones back oh my husband doesn't want one of the bedroom's doing now he thinks it doesn't need it so that you deduct of the original quote. I tell i came pretty close to telling her to shove her f***ing carpets up her a**e.

Anyway my moral to my story is why are rich posh snobs so bloody tight with thier money they are all same a complete waste of time!
Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: steve cardy on November 09, 2006, 03:44:54 pm
I think you find all sorts of people can sometimes test your patience.
I have lots of clients who live in million pound houses who are great to work for.
Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: cleaning co on November 09, 2006, 03:54:09 pm
ive had a few like this booked in whole houses to clean  ,alowed days work etc   only to turn up and they say i only want one carpet cleaned now  !!! grrrrrr   i walk away from them cause they av really -issed me of  >:(
Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: homenclean on November 09, 2006, 04:00:24 pm
I had a call earlier this week from a lady whose friend had recomended me, arranged to quote the job large house brand new Merc, husband owns a large construction firm, wanted 2 bed, hsl, & 1 lounge doing quoted £110.00 and she cut me dead, too expensive only wanted to pay £75.00 these people want to drive Mercs and pay Skoda prices.

I Got the Job when we compremised at £95.00 and not moving beds got there to do the job and as usuall the old can you just run me this rug over, then the door mat appeared. They drive you mad and no offer off tea or coffee.

Going to ask her husband to build our extention for the price of a garden shed, you all know what the answer will be.

John
Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: Kev Loomes on November 09, 2006, 04:32:29 pm
Know what you mean, thats how their rich - they dont bloody spend any money! I think the really posh ones (mansions) cannot understand or get to grips with the fact that we are professionals. They see us as mere 'cleaners' (who they normally pay £5.00-£15.00 per hour), subsequently they would rather run it into the ground and then go and buy new, than pay our prices!

I have to add that on the whole this seems to be the case - they are incredibly hard to educate (dont like being told by a manual worker), although we have a few that are actually ok.
Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: DUTCH on November 09, 2006, 04:43:43 pm
DRUGS? ;)
Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: dave401uk on November 09, 2006, 06:34:02 pm
isnt it strange,how the rug allways appears just as your about to pull down, the other day while doing an empty house the client rtnd with 3 rugs in his boot,and said could you just wiz over these for me! yes no prob at £35 each i replied, magic carpets flew back in to the boot ;D

Dave
Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: cleaning co on November 09, 2006, 06:41:25 pm
lol  ;D
Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: Mike Halliday on November 09, 2006, 07:00:28 pm
the 'little stain in the bedroom' always pees me off >:( >:(

pulling all the hose up the stair just to find out they just don't reach, so I have to fit another 50ft.

Mike
Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: spindle on November 09, 2006, 07:37:25 pm
if the richer people dont like my quotes then i dont do the job...................

haggling is to be expected but when they try to knock 25/50% off that is taking it a bit far i dig my heels in my price is non-negotiable

how do think these people got their money.......by not spending it!! ;) ;)
Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: Neil Grainger on November 09, 2006, 07:39:13 pm
The problem with the Rich and Wealthy is that you have to work to get money out of them.

Most are very bright and run businesses of their own so you need to be a good salesman as well as Carpet Cleaner.

The reason they own the big house and lots of flash cars is they are tight or manage their money very well.

No more difficult than the middle classes in my mind just need to be that more proffesional.
Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: Doug Holloway on November 09, 2006, 07:48:48 pm
Hi guys,

If someone starts to mess me around I usually walk, I'll give one chance but thats all.

In my experience if they think they can keep changing things they will.

Cheers

Doug

Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: Terry_Burrows on November 09, 2006, 08:01:37 pm
people with money are all the same,Tight,they can have it but you cant,attitude thats how they get it,I will never be rich cos I cannot be tight ;D
Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: Matt Read on November 09, 2006, 08:18:58 pm
Do you do this on refrerred jobs doug ?

I would worry that it would offend my regular customer.

Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: Macarthur on November 09, 2006, 08:20:59 pm
Can you just give the rug a run over, yes I get plenty of these.

Once got into an arguement with an iranian guy who kept throwing in all these rugs.
The final straw came when he asked me to quickly wip over his bathroom. Said that I would have to make a further charge, its just a small piece of carpet he said, I then somehow end up in a big arguement with him about prices, I had already given them a good discount on my usual price at the time, what do you do?

Nigel.
Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: Neil Grainger on November 09, 2006, 08:27:03 pm
If you give Terms and conditions include this in the copy of your quote that any additional items added to the job will be charged for.


Stop it staight away but also make the call you in advance to add additional things to the Job
Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: matt jones on November 14, 2006, 11:04:44 am
Hey everyone,
Don't believe it the customer which i wrote about at the top of the page has phoned up this morning and left a message on the answer phone telling me her and her husband are ill so will have to cancel yet again but as they are moving house will pass my details on to the next owners. Why do people do this complete bloody time wasters. >:( >:( >:(
Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: Neil Grainger on November 14, 2006, 11:15:04 am
Take a letter round today demanding payment for wasting your time.

Be strong with them and threaten legal action if the dont pay. You dont need these type of customers.
Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: calmore on November 14, 2006, 11:44:48 am
I *think* you can only demand payment for expenses you have incurred on their behalf, such as buying in of special chemicals etc..as he's boss of a firm you can be sure he knows the law!

Try a post on usenet: uk.legal and they will let you know what you can charge for and what you can't.

Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: calmore on November 14, 2006, 11:45:37 am
If you give Terms and conditions include this in the copy of your quote that any additional items added to the job will be charged for.

Does anyone have an example T&Cs that I could adapt to my own use?
Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: murky on November 14, 2006, 02:28:01 pm
Allegedly!!!!!

I think I remember this from a very early edition of the NCCA magazine.
Once upon a time somebody contacted a plumber to come out and fix a stuck valve on a rad or similar the pluimber said he couldnt get there
for a couple of days as he was busy, he turned up as appointed but  the customer said I couldn't wait fore you I have had it fixed by someone else now.
 The plumber said  you owe me the callout fee of £60 as you didn't cancel the appointment.
She said she wouldn't pay it because I'm a Magistrate and I know the law.
Plumber said you will be hearing from me in due course then.

Evidently a week later he received cheque in the post for the callout fee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Supposedly it's because she had entered into a contract even though verbal, it's a contract.
Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: cleaning co on November 14, 2006, 03:27:45 pm
i hav charged custys for not cancelling jobs before, a booking over the phone for your services is a legal contract, therefore if u hav booked in a mornings work for say 100 pounds then if 90 pounds of that was your labour charges and petrol expences you are within your rights to charge them this amount for loss of earnings as u hav no way of filling these 3 or 4 hours as your work is booked inadvance and they not u hav broken thier verbal contract

a firm i used to know ,not trading anymore but was all over the country,  used to charge custy the cost of job if they turned up and thought it was uncleanable  :o in there opion the custy shoudnt hav wasted thier time making a booking for something what wanted throwing in the skip
Title: Re: Anyone else find this???
Post by: steve cardy on November 14, 2006, 03:37:03 pm
I think you will find the contract with the customer is only binding if you have been around and spoken to them face to face. So trading standards tell me.