Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: LWC on January 23, 2008, 06:48:06 pm
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i know we've had these posts before, but people are really annoying me, 4 people did it today and boiled my blood, it hasnt rained all day here
theyre just like "ah theres no point"
im like, well im still cleaning, if there any problems ill come back and do them again
"nah, no point is there"
>:(
and what tops it even more is the fact that these 4 people are people who didnt send the money last month, so they paid me for lat months windows and said leave it till next time, so theyve made me wait 5 odd weeks for my money, then stopped my money for another 5 weeks, great that is
i tried to make the last one feel bad and said, well ive still got my bills to pay...that didnt work
for example a £10 house, 10 people who havent sent the money or tell you "not this time" thats £100 out of pocket, not on at all this aint >:(
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You know the score, we all get it from time to time.
I work on the two strikes system, if they cancel twice for no good reason thats me finished with them. ;)
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Matt, if you can, try and replace them in time with more reliable, regular customers. Sounds like they may be dealing with the credit crunch ;D
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as daft as this sounds, i dont like cancelling...probably hence the reason im being walked all over, to me, money is money where ever i earn it.
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i know its a bummer.
i recon i lose 5 to 10% of my round each month with people on holls or the builders in, hospital and the not today idiots.
what works for me though is the time gained on the day by being numptybed off, i canvass real close by to replace them. when they see you working locally and say you havent been for weeks, its great to see their faces when i tell them im working for these people now as they dont mess me about
tony
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I bought alot of my work and i find 99% have not said not today its been raining or its going to rain,or other excuses
the ones i have had problems with are the ones (not all) that i have picked up myself in and around the
rounds i have bought i dont bother going back waste of time these ones i think are the ones the previous window cleaner has dropped in the past
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as daft as this sounds, i dont like cancelling...probably hence the reason im being walked all over, to me, money is money where ever i earn it.
Matt, make a point of leaving them mentioned customers until you've caught yourself up from Xmas and wait until you are ahead of yourself to clean them when you have absolutely no more work elsewhere to do. If they mess you around, either; mess them around to suit your convenience or increase their prices because 9 out of 10 times these type of customers end up cancelling within the year anyway. I had one mess me around 3 times. The 3rd time I stopped them. 6months later they asked me back and I told them the T&C and increased the price by 50%. They are as good as gold now :)
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tell them they are off the regular list and onto the gypsy list you will do them when you can fit them in or they catch you in the street but you always put regulars first
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I have a simple pricing struture, on 1st cleans I charge double the rate.
So if a customers cancels without a good excuse (like they are dead ;D) then I charge them double the next time, in my eyes its a first clean again, with all the dirt that is now back on them.
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This is something I'm worried about when I start. After reading many posts over many months the advise i was given is to have differen prices for different frequency of cleans. ie £10 4 weeks £12.50 8 weeks and £20 12 week. If they say not today then the next clean will be more. If they cancel twice on the bounce then service terminated. I will not be turning up all the time and seeing if they want me.
If they want a regularly and reliable window cleaner, then they need to be reliable.
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I have a simple pricing struture, on 1st cleans I charge double the rate.
So if a customers cancels without a good excuse (like they are dead ;D) then I charge them double the next time, in my eyes its a first clean again, with all the dirt that is now back on them.
Hi Williamx, I'd like to see that. You getting 3 times the clean owed to you when they're dead but can't inform you of this ;D You must be able to get blood out of a stone ;D
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If they want a regularly and reliable window cleaner, then they need to be reliable.
i alway ask new customers what happened to their last cleaner.
i get some that tell me they can not get anyone reliable, i joke with them and tell them either they were not paying enough or they messed them about. i like to think they are then expecting me to be dear and will not be messed about.
for an 8 weekly clean i charge 1/5 time the 4 weekly and dont do any 12 weekly
good luck for when you start,
tony
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I don't think I will offer anything other than 4 and 8 weeks with 25% more for 8. I will make it known in the T and Cs that if they say NTDT for a 8 week clean it willl be double the 4 week on the next 8 week clean. I will lose a few cos of thgis and it will take me longer to build the round up but I'm not turning up all the time to be turned away half the time. >:(
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i always canvass to replace the bad custies, i don't always drop them unless they realy annoy me....bad payers get dropped... they are a waste of time....
i always like to have more than enough work so that it makes no difference financialy if a custie doesn't want it done..... however it does realy annoy me because for all they know i could really need the work and they couldn't care less >:( what really gets me wound up is when youv got all the gear out and your just about to start and they sop you >:( >:( >:( >:( AAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHH
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that happened to me monday.......6 custies came out and said you aint doing them today..its raining....gave them the speel about windows wet etc...tried to explain further.....no no way.......i said ok i will leave it..........can you come back during the week when its dry?......erm no....today was your slot........so you will need to wait till your next slot..next month..........then they complained that i was a cowboy window cleaner, doin them in the rain and not gonna come back for a month.......so i excused myself........got in the van......went home......onto the computer and scored em off the list.........6 custies i cancelled......not taking that rubbish from anyone....not for 60 quid or 600 quid......no way. >:(
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This time of year there can be alot of, 'leave it this time.' I start cleaning out of sight of main rooms, so the job is almost done before they can come out and say "the weather's going to be awful" etc. I never knock first and ask their permission to clean....afterall they have agreed to have their windows cleaned evey 6 weeks and have my phone number (card) if not convenient.
Mark
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Same here, i think money is tight at the moment and it's all doom and gloom on the tv.
I had one tonight "we don't want them done anymore - maybe we'll phone you up when the weather gets better - we've got your number. Another (nice) lady accused me of filling her patio unit up with condensation (seals gone). ::)
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that happened to me monday.......6 custies came out and said you aint doing them today..its raining....gave them the speel about windows wet etc...tried to explain further.....no no way.......i said ok i will leave it..........can you come back during the week when its dry?......erm no....today was your slot........so you will need to wait till your next slot..next month..........then they complained that i was a cowboy window cleaner, doin them in the rain and not gonna come back for a month.......so i excused myself........got in the van......went home......onto the computer and scored em off the list.........6 custies i cancelled......not taking that rubbish from anyone....not for 60 quid or 600 quid......no way. >:(
I would have added in that when I do them next time there will be a 50% increase as this is the 2x clean surcharge, thast would really havce got to them,
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im gonna do what my mums w/c'er does ..he walks upto the living room window covers it with suds then starts the rest of the windows if he gets a not today he would just walk away leaving a window drying full of suds ;D
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This is my whole argument over cleaning in the rain, guarantee or not, no-one would pay to have it done given the choice. I did a few in-between the really bad days and still feel guilty when i collect. They ALL have dirt on them when i went round tonight and thats only after a week. ::) Just got to stick it out untill the spring.
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im gonna do what my mums w/c'er does ..he walks upto the living room window covers it with suds then starts the rest of the windows if he gets a not today he would just walk away leaving a window drying full of suds ;D
I do not knock on doors, I start cleaning if they do come our they are charged for the front only if they say not today all I say is I have already started.
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I have been discussing the rain guarantee thing with some custies todayand to my surprise they all thought it was a good idea.
As for the not today brigade. If they have a good reason (other than the weather) I am usually flexible. Other than that I say see you next month. If in a month the same thing happens I say bye bye then and drop them.
Quite amazingly not too many people have complained so far. Apart from the manager at a golf club we do. He booked us before xmas to go last friday as they had a wedding on the saturday. when we arrived he asked if we could leave it due to the rain. I said no, you booked us for this day and if you were worried about the weather you had a long time to cancel us. Anyway he moaned abit and said that if they dried badly could we pop back REALLY early on the saturday morning to make sure they looked good for the wedding. S
Some idiots live in a different reality to others I swear.
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Funny, I knock on some but never others. Had a custy ask me to leave the other day, gave her a talking too), very pleasantly, think she understands the need to be regular now.
Peter
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sorry to go against you lads, but I thought we were out there to clean their windows because they want them clean. We are in a service industry and if the customer doesnt want that sevice till next time, so be it. You dont get slung out of tesco's cos you didnt buy any dog food this week, or banned from the shell garage for not buying fAgs today so why get rid of someone who just doesnt want a clean this time round. Surely they dont make up that much of your income.
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For me its their attitude.
If they come out saying 'Oi, no no no, not today pal!!' I take it worse than if they come out saying 'Oh, really sorry, but would you mind not doing them today'. Ive had that because the incontinent/senile/half-dead relative has come to convalese for a week and theyve only just got them to drop off in the guest room.
It would also depend on their reason, as Id ask; if they said 'Well, were going on holiday today' my response would be 'Im glad all my customers dont ask me not to do them when they go on holiday, otherwise Id have no income in the summer' they usually come round. Not always though.
Its as dissapointing as customers that sneak off without paying when youre halfway through doing their place that angers me.
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yeh i wouldnt drop them, but as said the attitude, theyre like "as if" when you say you can clean in the rain, and the "no point today is there" boils my blood
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sorry to go against you lads, but I thought we were out there to clean their windows because they want them clean. We are in a service industry and if the customer doesnt want that sevice till next time, so be it. You dont get slung out of tesco's cos you didnt buy any dog food this week, or banned from the shell garage for not buying f*gs today so why get rid of someone who just doesnt want a clean this time round. Surely they dont make up that much of your income.
Steve, I understand your point, but if you let a few do it when you get to a scale where you have alot of customers doing it and you have to pay wages it is not on (not saying you dont have as I dont know your busijness), if they are having building work done or similar then thats no problem if they let you know before hand again no problem. if my customers say not today when i get to the door they are charged a 2 monthly price on the next clean, i dont just cancel them as that would not make good business sence, but sometimes and most people that have been cleaning a while will know when people are just wasting your time and that is what it is. they would be price increased first to cover time loss then canceled if they carry on doing this, may to say not many do thing at all, just saying what i do, would be interested to know what others do when this happens to them.
Ian
Ian
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so what do you do, drop them and then go find punters to replace them or replace then dump??. Or look at it another way, dump enough of them and they'll all go and find another w/cer to do their windows, he'll undercut you, they'll tell their neighbours and then they'll dump you
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Its annoying and I have had a few myself. What was refreshing was the lady who came out and said she's got no money. Post Christmas cash crisis and bills droppiing on the mat.
I can understand that, been there myself, so we made a joke about it. Thats OK with me, I respected her honesty.
There is no point dumping a customer if its going to leave you short. If they do it all the time then sure but if all you have lost is the time it takes to knock on the door its no big deal.
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had a great one yesterday as well,
she hasnt sent me a cheque because of the christmas post...ermmmm ok ???
lol
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so what do you do, drop them and then go find punters to replace them or replace then dump??. Or look at it another way, dump enough of them and they'll all go and find another w/cer to do their windows, he'll undercut you, they'll tell their neighbours and then they'll dump you
if it got to a point where I had tried hard to bring a customer inline to my terms of service I would cancel them yes, I am not worried about people undercutting me many have tried and guess many will continue to try, thing is a we are reliable and trusted by my customers and that counts for alot now if they want to change that for say a £1 saving thats their choice and what ever I do that could happen anyway. I have been running the same way for years, it seems to work for me yes you get the odd few that do cancel to get it cheaper, to be honest the cheap window cleaner that undercuts does me a favour of cutting down on un loyal customers (customers that I cant expand my business on)
Ian
p.s steve I hope you didnt take my first reply the wrong way just saying what works for me ;)
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sorry to go against you lads, but I thought we were out there to clean their windows because they want them clean. We are in a service industry and if the customer doesnt want that sevice till next time, so be it. You dont get slung out of tesco's cos you didnt buy any dog food this week, or banned from the shell garage for not buying f*gs today so why get rid of someone who just doesnt want a clean this time round. Surely they dont make up that much of your income.
But, we are not supermarkets or petrol stations!!!
My business offers a REGULAR service to its customers... If a customer no longer requires a regular service (by missing cleans habitually) then they are binned.
Andy
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no I didnt take it the wrong way sorry if I made it sound thet I did. And no, were not supermarkets or petrol stations, but like them we provide a service and its up to them whether they want the service or not, they are the ones who pay. Sometime when I'm on here and read it sound like some w/cers seem to think that the customer is there to please us rather than the other way round.
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sorry to go against you lads, but I thought we were out there to clean their windows because they want them clean. We are in a service industry and if the customer doesnt want that sevice till next time, so be it. You dont get slung out of tesco's cos you didnt buy any dog food this week, or banned from the shell garage for not buying f*gs today so why get rid of someone who just doesnt want a clean this time round. Surely they dont make up that much of your income.
indeed
the customer will allways dictate what we do, sure, its great if you can cancel everyone who is a slight problem ( not today, access issue, just dont like them ), but work is work
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Normally the only reason I would drop a customer is non payment, I agree with the sentiment about being in a service industry. Because most of my customers are not regular, I find it a bit easier to accept a no.
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EXACTLY!!! it pays the bills. If I dumped all the ones with the " Not this time" or " It looks like it'll rain" , over time I probably wouldnt vae a window cleaning round. Out of the five hundred or so customers I have I probably get ten or so say it so I politely explain that they pay for my time and cos they will be dirtier next time it will cost slightly more
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Don't get it too often - thankfully!
Peter
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We use a terms and conditions sheet for all new customers, it plainly states that if a customer wishes to cancel a clean or postpone a clean they must give us 3 working days notice, if not they will be subject to a 25% charge. We have found that the number of not todays has fallen dramatically.
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You make an agreement with the customer to come every 6-8 weeks etc not to call and be told not today thanks,these people are called awkward customers and i don`t have any on my books these days.