Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Klean07 on March 14, 2009, 03:05:20 pm

Title: Lost a custie. Then regained him.
Post by: Klean07 on March 14, 2009, 03:05:20 pm
I had a text message yesterday from a £25 customer saying that he didn't like the way I did his windows and that some of them were streaky, so he said not to come anymore because hed got someone else. So I sent him 5 consecutive texts explaining how wfp works etc 2nd cleans and 3rd cleans etc and asked him to look at my website for more info. I also pointed out that I wish hed have phoned first before employing someone else etc.
Anyway he text back this morning asking me to come back. Said he never read my leaflet explaining wfp facts. Said sorry too.
Do you think I was right to grovel to him?
Title: Re: Lost a custie. Then regained him.
Post by: Jimmy1 on March 14, 2009, 03:17:55 pm
Personally, I wouldn't have, but at least you got the job back and he'll  feel that guilty now, I bet he won't swap again.
Title: Re: Lost a custie. Then regained him.
Post by: Niall McAllister on March 14, 2009, 03:25:49 pm
£25 is £25  :D
Title: Re: Lost a custie. Then regained him.
Post by: ZaNo on March 14, 2009, 03:31:20 pm
I dont need to say this but if you dont have him someone else will and in this climate a jobs a job worth having!
Title: Re: Lost a custie. Then regained him.
Post by: tonylee on March 14, 2009, 03:36:51 pm
Hi
Did you not charge some extra for the first clean and do them twice on the day? I always charge more for the first clean and always do them on a Friday (I only work Fridays for catch up's, con roofs or first cleans.) when I can give them a bit more time, this tends to give a perfect result.
Well done for not giving up on the business though.
Tony
Title: Re: Lost a custie. Then regained him.
Post by: AuRavelling79 on March 14, 2009, 04:13:27 pm
Klean07 - you weren't grovelling you just explained it properly. Well done.

I would have probably got stroppy and lost the custy and patted myself on the back about it and regretted it for not behaving as you did. You didn't cut your price and as Jimmy said "he's unlikely to swap now!"
Title: Re: Lost a custie. Then regained him.
Post by: Oakley Windows on March 14, 2009, 05:15:46 pm
You did the right thing.

To me thats better than gaining a new customer. Not only does he want you to clean his windows you also changed his attitude about WFP.
Title: Re: Lost a custie. Then regained him.
Post by: john tomkins on March 14, 2009, 05:29:02 pm
So he sacked you, got another window cleaner, sacked him before he's even cleaned anything and started you again. Sounds like he could be a right one ::)

Saying that I don't think you grovelled, £25 is £25 ;D
Title: Re: Lost a custie. Then regained him.
Post by: ccmids on March 14, 2009, 07:15:01 pm
you did right ,end of the day its  £25 never be to proud, infact i would have gone back next day and day after until they were clean .
he is paying you to clean windows at end of the day . some saps on here will say dont bother but your the one with £25 in your pocket.
Title: Re: Lost a custie. Then regained him.
Post by: Clive McDonald on March 14, 2009, 08:01:18 pm
You did the right thing.

It's a business and you shouldn't take rejection personally. If you were an employee your boss would have expected this from you, and been annoyed if you hadn't even tried.

Some customers cost you money, constant complaints, bad access, can you leave it this time, and these you have to walk away from. You can never be sure you did the right thing, but you can try.
Title: Re: Lost a custie. Then regained him.
Post by: NWH on March 14, 2009, 08:29:38 pm
I think you did the right thing and because he came back to you it proves you did.
Title: Re: Lost a custie. Then regained him.
Post by: Klean07 on March 14, 2009, 09:23:09 pm
£25 is £300 a year. First clean was also a gutter and facia clean.
Title: Re: Lost a custie. Then regained him.
Post by: simbo on March 14, 2009, 09:26:59 pm
if the subject of "window cleaner" ever comes up in any conversation that customer has with anyone i am sure he will sell you well, so well done mate. ps if a bad customer never grovel though
paul
Title: Re: Lost a custie. Then regained him.
Post by: bwoofie on March 14, 2009, 09:57:44 pm
Well done my man ;D although some on here might have got on their high horse and spit the dummy out you found a way around your problem and resolved it, in this sort of climate, you will survive with that attitude!
Title: Re: Lost a custie. Then regained him.
Post by: windowswashed on March 14, 2009, 11:06:49 pm
Well done for customer relations. Personally I think he was using you for a one off as he wanted gutters and fascias cleaned as well as windows on first visit and was too quick giving you the elbow once the initial wash of 'everything' was complete. Time will tell.
Title: Re: Lost a custie. Then regained him.
Post by: Window Washers on March 15, 2009, 02:51:57 pm
I had a text message yesterday from a £25 customer saying that he didn't like the way I did his windows and that some of them were streaky, so he said not to come anymore because hed got someone else. So I sent him 5 consecutive texts explaining how wfp works etc 2nd cleans and 3rd cleans etc and asked him to look at my website for more info. I also pointed out that I wish hed have phoned first before employing someone else etc.
Anyway he text back this morning asking me to come back. Said he never read my leaflet explaining wfp facts. Said sorry too.
Do you think I was right to grovel to him?
I dont think you was grovling, explaining maybe and it worked so result there  ;)
Title: Re: Lost a custie. Then regained him.
Post by: Klean07 on March 15, 2009, 03:30:14 pm
Well done for customer relations. Personally I think he was using you for a one off as he wanted gutters and fascias cleaned as well as windows on first visit and was too quick giving you the elbow once the initial wash of 'everything' was complete. Time will tell.
That's exactly what my mate said.
Title: Re: Lost a custie. Then regained him.
Post by: Klean07 on March 15, 2009, 03:39:43 pm
I did lose one for good though on Friday, there was no way on this earth I was going to grovel up to this one.
Well this blokes wife asked me to clean her front windows every month for a fiver, no probs I thought seeing as I did a few in street anyway. Well I was doing them for the 3rd month last month and this bloke pulled on drive, gets out and asked me "what I was doing on his drive etc. I replied your wife told me to clean your windows. He replied "well I don't want a wc. I replied "don't you talk to your wife then? At that he told me to pee off. Which I did but on Friday I went back for £10 he owed me. He opened door and said hed got no money. Ok I said then went and sat in van with my mate. I decided to write an invoice for amount. Was just about to get out of van and he came out with a cheque. I told him straight " look mate I'm trying to run a business here not a charity. Aint some people got the cheek of it.
Title: Re: Lost a custie. Then regained him.
Post by: LWC on March 15, 2009, 03:43:39 pm
Go trad