Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: supernova77 on August 14, 2007, 04:07:15 pm
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The other day I got the letter below from a customer.
It was only the 2nd time we had cleaned their house... And I had agreed with them when I took them on that it would be every 8 weeks, all year round.
(http://www.scs.uk.com/muppetletter.jpg)
Muppets! They are now dropped.
Andy
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That is unbelievable.
It takes all sorts. ??? ??? ::)
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I know it really winds me up.
I was going to write a letter back, but really can't be bothered... So I just won't bother going back.
Andy
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I was going to write a letter back, but really can't be bothered... So I just won't bother going back.
Andy
Your time will come Andy. I bet they give you a call in a couple of months time & ask when your coming.
The reply with a big smile, " each time i think about it there's a chance of rain, i'll come when they gaurntee no rain for a couple of weeks." ;D
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I am sooooooooooooooo happy...you got this letter...... ;D ;D ;D makes me feel good and that I do not have the silliest customers on the planet ;D ;D
Onwards and upwards..
Dave.
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What Wayne Kerrs! But I wouldn't drop 'em....for £240 a year I'd put up with a little bit of poo.
£240 goes half way to paying for my miserable little holiday on the Costa Del Sol....I'm not proud ;D
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What Wayne Kerrs! But I wouldn't drop 'em....for £240 a year I'd put up with a little bit of poo.
£240 goes half way to paying for my miserable little holiday on the Costa Del Sol....I'm not proud
I know what you mean mate... But if they want me to ring them every 8 weeks to check that they want them doing then I'll probably only ever get to clean them 3 / 4 times a year... So it's really not worth it I don't think.
Anyway... Spent all day yesterday canvassing and got £193 worth of new work every 8 weeks. ;D
Andy
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Why to go Andy...why to go ;D ;D ;D
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I would not continue to do such a job either. I would write and explain to them that if window cleaners only worked in ideal conditions then there would not be any window cleaners. Or if there were, they would have to charge a small fortune to make it profitable.
Alternatively, you could write to inform them that because customers won't let you work, you are so poor that you cannot afford a television set with which to check the weather forecasts. ;D
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Hi Andy,that letter is not a bad thing mate.There simply telling you that there not the type people you need on your books.I like to turn up and know that there pleased to see me,none of us need customers like that, don`t lose any sleep mate.
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I'm sure we've all had stuff like this, but isn't it annoying?
You're straight with your customer, explain your terms and conditions and they then subsequently attempt to change them too much in their favour without a proper explanation.
Buggers they are.
I had one last Thursday who after we did the 'spiel', came to pay me and asked that I leave him a card so he could phone me when he wanted his windows cleaned next. I had told him prior to washing his windows that I clean once-per-calendar month for our agreed sum.
Luckily enough I'd only cleaned two 'top openers' on a conservatory (it's a bungalow) and had dribbled soap all over the lower windows.
I just stopped, told him I'd rather not clean them at all and explained that people have done the same to me before after I've cleaned six-years of filth from their windows and I end up feeling ripped off.
He looked away when I said, 'ripped off'; so I guess that was his game; he knew.
He explained that he'd only just moved into the property and wasn't sure what he wanted! (Yeh, right! It's in a posh location; he knows okay; he's obvously not stupid; but assumes I am).
Given the location, he won't get another window cleaner and I won't be back; I'll be too busy.
There's plenty of good customers out there; don't take any poo from the bad ones.
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I dropped one last year. She said to leave them if it's going to rain.
I got ripped off too. A guy agreed to a £20 every month clean. I did the first clean taking ages to remove silicone, cement, and general muck. When I finished he said,"arn't you going to do the con roof? I'll have a word with the mrs and let you know if I want them doing again". I'm still waiting for that call. Dai
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Alright Andy
I agree mate they needed binning off no one needs morons like that, do they forget we live in England where it regularly P$$$$S it down! CLOWNS!!
Matt
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Your right to bin them Andy.
I'm just waiting for the same to happen to me. Phone call last week to come and price a big house complete with a 4 bed holiday home next to it.
It wasn't until I priced it she told me her previous W/C only charged her 70p per window and all the frames included, I told her my price was £1 per window and not in so many words take it or leave it ::)
She said she had another 2 W/C's coming along to price that day ::) and would be intouch (Yer right) she then began to tell me how to gain access to the windows above her conservatory and were I had to walk :o :o No way I said, I use wfp and no need to walk on any roof? she looked Startled at me and said..... 'Well that means my bottom windows will get wet with dirty water won't they?'......YES! I replied but I'll clean the bottom ones last.....NO NO NO she said, I only wont the top ones done, as to have it all done will cost me a fortune ::)
The problem I faced was its right by a lot more I do, and this one alone doing tops only is worth £40 ;D
She phoned me yesterday saying I could start today ::) I told her I could start when I do the rest in that area and not before, So I can see I will be having problems with this one. and the lid of the bin is already open for her, I'm just waiting for her to jump in. ;D
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Andy .... forget them, you explained your terms, they went against them,
ive had people do that to me and i drop em like a sack of poo.
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I have had a few over the years, my advice what be to explain to them about the rain (dont just sack them, they pay your bills) but if they do it after you have explained them I would say to them you will be canceling there services because of this (5/10 will say they want you to stay) then you are the one running your business and not the customer.
I had to do this today to a customer (and today it rained for most of it) in the end he agreed with me totally now I can clean them in the pouring rain ;D
for anyone that does whaat to clean in the rain read this link below and then use it on your customers that say it, you could just save half of the sacking ;)
http://www40.brinkster.com/rukaluka/rain.asp
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Jeff1 that comment about the lid being off the bin made me LOL. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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I think Andy had already laid out his T & C's, so no matter what he explains to this customer now, it probably won't make a difference. As for contacting first, we just explain when we take on new that this service is ONLY to arrange access and not to confirm that they want them cleaned as the regular cleaning terms are set out in their conf letters. I agrre with Andy that if he kept these customers on the books each time he called he would get a different comment "oooh that date is no good for us" " ooh we won't be in so please don't clean that day" "oooh there are not that dirty" etc etc and then they just become a nuisance customer and wind you up every time you speak to them. Yes we all get them and we all should get rid of them! ;)
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The other day I got the letter below from a customer.
It was only the 2nd time we had cleaned their house... And I had agreed with them when I took them on that it would be every 8 weeks, all year round.
(http://www.scs.uk.com/muppetletter.jpg)
Muppets! They are now dropped.
Andy
from that letter all it says is that it seems to be a waste of money (makes you need to explain, why bin when you could just say to her about if it rains a fussy customer can sometimes workout to be one of the best) and for a £40 house (how long does it take you?) as binning a bonus job is not good.
I do agree with what others are saying about stopping cleaning if she does it again, as no one wants a customer that does this as it annoys you for the whole day(does me anyway).
p.s calling your customer a muppet is not very business like is it lol.
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''the lid of the bin is already open for her, I'm just waiting for her to jump in.''
Excellent jeff!
what a cracking comment! :)
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p.s calling your customer a muppet is not very business like is it lol.
They're not a customer anymore, so I can call them what I like!
:D
Andy
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we just explain when we take on new that this service is ONLY to arrange access and not to confirm that they want them cleaned as the regular cleaning terms are set out in their conf letters.
Helen,
If possible would you mind sending me a copy of the confirmation letter you use? I only ever verbally set out my T&C's at the moment.
My email address is andy@scs.uk.com
Thanks,
Andy
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or you could post the letter on here so we can all see it ;D
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At the end of the day we all get the ar$e with 'certain' customers....one day they'll do something and they will get binned and if they did that same things another day...we may just think a little differently about our next course of actions.
Personally after recently making a couple of knee jerk reaction type sackings (which were wrong)...I have vowed not to make any decision of this nature until 'tommorow'....as this gives me a chance to cool down as I can throw my toys every now and again especially when I feel belittled....
But Andy...you come over as a very level guy....sounds like you have made the decision the next thing is easy...replace them with another customer. ;D ;D
A what makes this forum so good is we can all learn from each other...
Dave.
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Personally after making a couple of knee jerk rection type sackings (which were wrong)...I have vowed not to make any decision of this nature until 'tommorow'....as this gives me a chance to cool down as I can throw my toys every now and again especially when I feel belittled....
Dave,
I know what you mean... I got the letter last week actually, and only just deleted them from my George database today! ;)
Andy
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But whatever...this jobs beats the sh*& out of IT anytime ;)
Dave.
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But whatever...this jobs beats the sh*& out of IT anytime
Dave.
Yeah definately!!!
I was in IT for 10 years... Never ever ever again!
Andy
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But whatever...this jobs beats the sh*& out of IT anytime ;)
Dave.
i'll second that (or third after andy) IT SUCKS as full time
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Just ask the customer politely to give you a call when the weather is suitable for window cleaning so that you can arrange to do theirs, then tell them it's impossible to fit them in as you're too busy.
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Some people have nohting better to do than moan!
Plenty more customers out there who don't.
Steve ;)
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Just ask the customer politely to give you a call when the weather is suitable for window cleaning so that you can arrange to do theirs, then tell them it's impossible to fit them in as you're too busy.
Lol that sounds like a very good idea, I may use that next time they say it to me, just to see what happens.
Is hard enough getting motivated in the rain as it is, this can only brighten up my day :)
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I honestly don't think some customers see it from our point of view. Thats why you will always hear that they used to have a cleaner but he hasn't turned up. In their eyes they just can't see what they have done wrong and don't understand the problems we have with them.
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I honestly don't think some customers see it from our point of view. Thats why you will always hear that they used to have a cleaner but he hasn't turned up. In their eyes they just can't see what they have done wrong and don't understand the problems we have with them.
I trhink you have a point about previous window cleaners.
I had one today, second month i have cleaned them and he asked for the con roof done, just a quick brush off 15 mins work, i told him 10 quid he said comeon sort me out? he said my last window cleander done it cheap,i said where is he now? he said he never came back, i said exactly he didn't like doing the job for nothing, would you?
some people are idiots ::)
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I agree with what people are saying about mucking the last wc about,i would say to them just that did you upset him in anyway ie weather did`nt look to good so you told him to come another day and all those different excuses.Normally if they know your no push over and you politely tell them you won`t be mucked around it usually shocks them into silence,but if the wc just up`s and leaves the job it`s normally the difficult customer 9 times out of 10.It dosen`t take 3 strikes and there out,if they start mucking you around just don`t go back and wait for them to ring,when they ring tell them the reason why you stopped calling from then onwards there be as good as gold. ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
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We did a house a month ago, first time and it was raining - they said not to bother, we explained that the rain doesnt affect the overall outcome of the windows and they said just do the front. we did this and they paid for the front and told us to come back next time (today) if it's dry. and when we turned up today they seemed very surprised that we came back. and when talking to the guy who lived there he said "we've had a few window cleaners, they just seem to not come back after a while" i thought 'i wonder why, we have to work in the rain...' but said nothing as i dont want to upset customers so soon after setting up. need more not less.
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I agree with what people are saying about mucking the last wc about,i would say to them just that did you upset him in anyway ie weather did`nt look to good so you told him to come another day and all those different excuses.Normally if they know your no push over and you politely tell them you won`t be mucked around it usually shocks them into silence,but if the wc just up`s and leaves the job it`s normally the difficult customer 9 times out of 10.It dosen`t take 3 strikes and there out,if they start mucking you around just don`t go back and wait for them to ring,when they ring tell them the reason why you stopped calling from then onwards there be as good as gold. ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
if they ring you back..... I got a call today with a new customer for that very reason, but i put in plain english what they should expect from me and also what I expect from them, I always now say that I work in the rain to any customer I speak to, none have said anything and all see happy with it, explaining does help.