Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Matt_Benton on December 23, 2006, 04:44:21 pm
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Hi there,
So i caught a customer being "intimate" for the first time today. It was Saturday at 11am and i thought that most decent people would be up and about by then. Coupled wth the fact that i knocked beforehand, i really didn't expect to see anything. Obviously, when it happened i stopped immediatly and prepared for the inevitable backlash.
The guy comes out really ped off and starts to tell me off for coming round so early on the weekend without knocking. I assured him that i did, in fact, knock, but he wouldn't believe me. Anyway, after a few minutes moaning about how disrespectful i was and threatening legal action if i did it again (?), he offered to give me one last chance and went back inside.
I continued the job, but then his wife came out and said essentially the same thing. Again, i apologised and she retreated back into the house, quite obviously not very happy. My question is, should i now drop them? It's not a big place (£9) and i'm really annoyed about how they spoke to me, because it was a genuine accident. Having said that, i can understand that they'd be a bit shocked and disgruntled.
My reasoning is as follows: i did knock beforehand, and it's not my fault that they didn't hear me; if i refrained from doing every house that didn't answer the door, i'd ean about £50 a week! Plus, 11am isn't that early on a Saturday, bearing in mind that i'd been working since 9am and i was trying to catch up before Christmas.
Thoughts? ???
Cheers, Matt
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sorry, you have lost me. Why on earth do you knock? ???
They want their windows cleaned every 2,4,6,8 weeks or whatever so they get cleaned.
The bin men don`t knock before emptying your bin and the postman doesn`t knock before delivering your mail so why do you?
Turn up, do the clean, leave an envelope and calling card if they are out and go to your next house.
ANY moaners at this tried, tested and traditional process get DUMPED big time!
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Hi there,
So i caught a customer being "intimate" for the first time today. It was Saturday at 11am and i thought that most decent people would be up and about by then. Coupled wth the fact that i knocked beforehand, i really didn't expect to see anything. Obviously, when it happened i stopped immediatly and prepared for the inevitable backlash.
The guy comes out really ped off and starts to tell me off for coming round so early on the weekend without knocking. I assured him that i did, in fact, knock, but he wouldn't believe me. Anyway, after a few minutes moaning about how disrespectful i was and threatening legal action if i did it again (?), he offered to give me one last chance and went back inside.
I continued the job, but then his wife came out and said essentially the same thing. Again, i apologised and she retreated back into the house, quite obviously not very happy. My question is, should i now drop them? It's not a big place (£9) and i'm really annoyed about how they spoke to me, because it was a genuine accident. Having said that, i can understand that they'd be a bit shocked and disgruntled.
My reasoning is as follows: i did knock beforehand, and it's not my fault that they didn't hear me; if i refrained from doing every house that didn't answer the door, i'd ean about £50 a week! Plus, 11am isn't that early on a Saturday, bearing in mind that i'd been working since 9am and i was trying to catch up before Christmas.
Thoughts? ???
Cheers, Matt
I wouldn't touch that job again myself. If I felt generous I might write to them to explain but I doubt it.
Didn't get a Christmas tip at that one then? :)
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Hi there,
So i caught a customer being "intimate" for the first time today. It was Saturday at 11am and i thought that most decent people would be up and about by then. Coupled wth the fact that i knocked beforehand, i really didn't expect to see anything. Obviously, when it happened i stopped immediatly and prepared for the inevitable backlash.
The guy comes out really ped off and starts to tell me off for coming round so early on the weekend without knocking. I assured him that i did, in fact, knock, but he wouldn't believe me. Anyway, after a few minutes moaning about how disrespectful i was and threatening legal action if i did it again (?), he offered to give me one last chance and went back inside.
I continued the job, but then his wife came out and said essentially the same thing. Again, i apologised and she retreated back into the house, quite obviously not very happy. My question is, should i now drop them? It's not a big place (£9) and i'm really annoyed about how they spoke to me, because it was a genuine accident. Having said that, i can understand that they'd be a bit shocked and disgruntled.
My reasoning is as follows: i did knock beforehand, and it's not my fault that they didn't hear me; if i refrained from doing every house that didn't answer the door, i'd ean about £50 a week! Plus, 11am isn't that early on a Saturday, bearing in mind that i'd been working since 9am and i was trying to catch up before Christmas.
Thoughts? ???
Cheers, Matt
I wouldn't touch that job again myself. If I felt generous I might write to them to explain but I doubt it.
Didn't get a Christmas tip at that one then? :)
No but she got a Christmas tip ;D
I'd keep the job but next time go with a camara ;D
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Drop them.
Every time you do it in the future there'll always be this incident in the back of your mind, and theirs.
If I'm "tradding" I reckon the sound of the ladder bashing against the wall is warning enough, so they should have heard you and at least have drawn the curtains.
Legal action? What utter c**p. What do they want you to do? Clean windows wearing a blindfold? I once had a customer accuse me of invading his privacy, some people keep their brains in their a**s.
If they'd been reasonable people they would have apologised for embarrassing you.
As a precaution I have printed on the back of my quotation all my terms and conditions, one which is: Hours of work: Monday to Saturday 8.00am to 6.00pm. Every customer get a written quote so there's no argument ;)
Cheers
Ian
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i dont get the "knocking before", i didnt do it when i was on the ladder, and i dont do it now with WFP
i have been asked by 1 house to knock the door before i start, i did it twice, once the wife came down in some sexy little number underwear ( which of course entertained me, as the whole idea was i didnt see that )
the 2nd time she said " not today " im expecting rain
so i didnt bother to knock again ::)
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Drop them immediately. Who wants ignorant morons like that? They should lick your boots for being so diligent as to clean their windows on the Saturday before Xmas. Loads of non-customers would have paid you at least double for that alone.
If that'd happened to me (I mean if I paid for a window cleaner and he caught me at it then I would have found it quite amusing - Mrs. Malc would've been embarrassed but would've seen the funny side of it.) I would have given a sheepish grin and said I'm glad the shock didn't make you fall off your ladder!
As Ian Lancaster said - if anything they should've apologised for embarrassing you!
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hi i would drop them they sound like they thought they were doing you a favour ! I would not let anyone speak to me like that. They should have had curtains drawn??? ::)
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Firstly, if I was you, I wouldn't bother ringing the doorbell or knocking, just rattle and bang your ladders when you start! Secondly, if you had fallen off your ladder surely they would have been liable for your accident as the sight of a couple banging bones together at a window is enough to give anyone a frightful shock, especially if it's an old couple.
Tell the customer that you're dropping them because you are having repetitive nightmares of the event and that you need counselling and may even possibly have to give up this career because of the shock!!
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Perhaps the poor fella thought he was santa who only comes once a year. ;D ;D
Bin him he didn't give you a present, as Ricky Tomlison said Christmas my A**e ;D ;D
Happy Christmas Guy's and Gal's, Have a good one and don't get court with your pants down. ::)
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Hi,
Drop & send tham these postings.
WINDOLENE.
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I have a mental carding system i use! ;)
If someone is cheeky/ cocky they get a yellow card (mental note)on the first offense ,next time its a red card.
sometimes customers think they are doing YOU the favour.
always thought to myself i would be rather amusing to carry a yellow and red card in my pocket and show it if need be ;D
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window wonder... you think like me as ive got that idea aswel, yellow/red card..
As soon as i get a moan its a yellow (in my head) as long as ive done nothing wrong and like i got the other day "can you leave it this month as there is rain in the air" and thats a straight red....i wouldnt mind but it was only cloudy..
Bazz...
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As for knocking i never do it...
Bazz...
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drop them .no body would talk to me like that.
:-*
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Binned mate, no one talks to me like that, >:(.
Macc
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If you really want to wind them up, buy one of those greetings cards that play a stupid electronic song, change the words inside to state that you'll no longer be cleaning their windows and put it through their door. You need a card with a pathetic tune. Something a chav would buy.
I did that to a lady who accused me off 'peering' through her windows to see what was worth stealing (which was utter rot and not true) and she phoned me up and went berserk.
It made me smile.
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Geez you guys are slack, not one of you asked what exactly were they doing. ;D
Was she a good looker etc etc.
In the TV service industry a few years ago while doing a job this absolute stunner in a mini skirt bent down to pick up some shoes from the floor. She wasn't wearing any pants. what an eyeful that was. Dragged the job out for 2 hours but never got another peep :P :P By the time the job finished I was crawling on the floor on my back but all to no avail.
Had a stripper lying on a matress in front of the tv wearing a G string at 9:00am, great body and didn't mind showing it off. Oh the joys of the service industry. Funny how you forget the dead mice and the cockroaches etc.
John
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what court action
"court in the act"
tell two stroke charlie where to stick his windows, just because he finished before you did!! :-[
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Cheers guys, just wanted to check that i was in the right! I guess it's cos i'm pretty new at this game and am desperate to hold on to all the customers i possibly can. You're right though, gotta hold on to your self-respect, cos it's all you have at the end of the day. I don't usually knock, but for some reason i did this time (must be psychic)!
Matt ;D
PS. They were both between 40 and 50, so not really very nice to see!
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Cheers guys, just wanted to check that i was in the right! I guess it's cos i'm pretty new at this game and am desperate to hold on to all the customers i possibly can. You're right though, gotta hold on to your self-respect, cos it's all you have at the end of the day. I don't usually knock, but for some reason i did this time (must be psychic)!
Matt ;D
PS. They were both between 40 and 50, so not really very nice to see!
Cheers mate. (I'm 49) ;D
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;D ;D ;D
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matt
you are totaly in the right my friend, i agree with the others. ;)
tony
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ha ha, just as i posted that i thought exactly the same thing! apology to those that fall into that age bracket!
;D
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And so you should be sorry ;D ;D us oldies arn't past it yet you know ;D
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ha ha, just as i posted that i thought exactly the same thing! apology to those that fall into that age bracket!
;D
They say us older guys are more considerate. We have to be in case we can't manage seconds ;D
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ha ha ha Some of the "youngsters" on here actively go looking for
pensioners slightly older females....its called granny bashing around here ;D
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i had something similar happen once ,they called me a peeping tom and were quite rude.
i didnt take thier comments to heart and told them they shouldnt be at it at thier age ,and that i would now need therepy.
when i got home i had a message of apology.
but if they hadn"t apologized i wouldnt have gone back.