Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: stay white n bright window cleaning service on March 19, 2009, 05:56:48 pm
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Is this normal ,this is the third time ive been theatened in the last 3 months.1st told to go and post somewhere else ,2nd by the local w/c where i live, took a job from him as he left bird poo on a window he had just cleaned and again today .My friend is on the sick and offered to post some flyers for me ,a couple of hours later a voicemail this angry scottish bloke threatening me to stay off his round .
Ive been a w/c since jan 09 fully insured and work dam hard, dont undercut ,and most of my customer base is from people you cant get a window cleaner ,all first cleans and im totaly knackered when ive done 5/6 in a day .Iwant to stick at it but the wife dont like the threats and wants me to pack it in ,she thinks i will come home one day beaten up .
II read the post on here about every other car as ladders and pionts on the roof .im a newbie but this
made me laugh ,sitting at the lights today and this little blue clapped out fiesta old D reg with 14 foot ladders and a pionter strapped to the roof ,ladders longer than the car
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Just carry on mate. If custie has asked you to clean their windows then whats the problem? Its not nice to tread on other wcs rounds etc. But as I say if custie has asked you then why are you bothered about these threats?
No one has any rights to any house its up to the custie who employs you.
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ive had this a few times years ago, just carry on, dont undercut, go find him, be polite but firm and just tell him straight that you dont undercut but you dont want any problems and make it clear you aint goin anywhere, leave it at that and walk off. any more probs call the fuzz. this isnt the sopranos so dont take any cr ap but dont give ya business up. hang tough
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Not such thing as area's...no window cleaners secret handshake codes...
Just carry on...don't underprice, dont deliberatly find out someone elses price and try to beat it...just go to work, do an honest job...go home.
I had threats when I first started...in the 1st couple of months when I put out about 10,000 leaflets...never heard anything else....
Don't take it all to heart...when you do see some other w/c ...introduce yourself or just nod....sometimes that is all that is required.
Cheers and good luck
Dave.
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Carry on mate, i have had this its a pain. No one owns an area, tell them to feck off and stand your ground.
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The same has happened to me. How serious do you think the threats were?
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Is this normal ,this is the third time ive been theatened in the last 3 months.
Oh, and that could be a compliment! You're obviously marketing yourself well!
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Log this threat with the police, your mobby service provider should also be able to trace the blokes number. Also turn this thing around on him by mentioning his behaviour to your custys, word my spread that he is a undesirable and you may get a few more of his jobs lol
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never give in never surrender, its just not British. :)
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Log this threat with the police,
I also agree with this. We phoned the police and they came round and had a chat with us.
This is what they said:
Because we've been threatened (bricks through windows and stuff), if any further threats were made, then that could be classed as harrassment; and they could be charged with said offense. Two or more 'confrontations' count as harrasment.
They also said they could go and speak to the 'bell end' involved who threatened us; but that could either calm everything down; or inflame the situation further.
We opted for the quiet option!
Personally though; I wish I hunted the idiot down and smashed him over the head with a hammer; but I am a Geordie! ;D Wor Lass was adamant that I behaved myself!
Both the idiots who threatened me stopped cleaning windows a few years ago; but one of them has started up again recently.
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Log this threat with the police,
I also agree with this. We phoned the police and they came round and had a chat with us.
This is what they said:
Because we've been threatened (bricks through windows and stuff), if any further threats were made, then that could be classed as harrassment; and they could be charged with said offense. Two or more 'confrontations' count as harrasment.
They also said they could go and speak to the 'bell end' involved who threatened us; but that could either calm everything down; or inflame the situation further.
We opted for the quiet option!
Personally though; I wish I hunted the idiot down and smashed him over the head with a hammer; but I am a Geordie! ;D Wor Lass was adamant that I behaved myself!
Both the idiots who threatened me stopped cleaning windows a few years ago; but one of them has started up again recently.
you better see him tosh and tell him to keep off your patch ;D ;D
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You would think this garbage only happens in the uk: Tonight I had a phone call at 7.30 from a WC that cleans in some of the Army quarter areas I do. I have opened a couple of new areas to clean where he already operates. Call went something like this:
Him, Is that the other WC?
Me, RPG Service, what can I do for you?
Him, Stay away from my custies.
Me, Who are your custies?
Him, just stay away.
Me, So how do I know who your custies are? Do I look for little stickers in the windows?
Getting bored by this time. So over about 5 mins discussion he says, Look why don't we meet up? I say ok,Monday morning 9am so and so street.
Now this guy charges 35% more than me as a rule. I earn a very good wad at my prices so someone is taking the P*** here.
I will meet him Monday to hear what he has to say but only out of goodwill on my part. It's a big world and loads of custies to go around, not just squaddie custies but millions of Guurmans too. I have heard he has been running about 2 years or so, I've been running 20 but who cares, I know the "code" is the same over here as in UK, live and let live, but I am looking forward to Monday! :)
Like Pingu said, there are no "patches". You build your biz and that's that. Don't let people dictate Where you run it or HOW you run it. Welcome to the real world of business.
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Ive had death threats and threats to break me legs, but nowts happened. If a custy doesnt like the windy they've got and they get a flyer or a knock on door, they will eventually get someone else, so stuff the other guy
Hope its been a help Lots of love.
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Log this threat with the police,
I also agree with this. We phoned the police and they came round and had a chat with us.
This is what they said:
Because we've been threatened (bricks through windows and stuff), if any further threats were made, then that could be classed as harrassment; and they could be charged with said offense. Two or more 'confrontations' count as harrasment.
They also said they could go and speak to the 'bell end' involved who threatened us; but that could either calm everything down; or inflame the situation further.
We opted for the quiet option!
Personally though; I wish I hunted the idiot down and smashed him over the head with a hammer; but I am a Geordie! ;D Wor Lass was adamant that I behaved myself!
Both the idiots who threatened me stopped cleaning windows a few years ago; but one of them has started up again recently.
tosh do you want me to sort this for you ;)
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well in scotland years ago so iv been told people died through window cleaning wars and i wouldnt be suprised if we see a full circle and some threats are carried out.
iv been attacked b4 from a window cleaner, and i know of people who have a had houses and vehicles damaged, but i wouldnt let this stop me it only make me more determined
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well in scotland years ago so iv been told people died through window cleaning wars and i wouldnt be suprised if we see a full circle and some threats are carried out.
iv been attacked b4 from a window cleaner, and i know of people who have a had houses and vehicles damaged, but i wouldnt let this stop me it only make me more determined
hi ronnie
good on you bud
lets just say ime from lossiemouth tosh is going to be so shocked :o
had one local windowcleaner come to my house and threaten to run me out of town ;D
ime still here and he is long gone ;)
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Thanks for the offer, Mike, but it's sorted. That aside, Ian_Giles at the time all this happened, gave me his phone number and told me to phone him if we were threatened again; which I thought was nice thing to do. We didn't know each other very well at the time.
Simon G also offered his assistance.
I'll bore you with the story the next time we meet; if Wor Lass is about, she'll rant on about it for ages! It still really narks her; especially because one of the idiots said, 'We've done our homework; we know where you live, we know about your daughter; we know what school she goes too...'.
But these guys were proper 'bell ends'; I think they were trying to be 'gangstas'; which really made me laugh.
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god tosh
what creeps
you have to give me these guys names
fancy threatening your mrs and kid >:( >:( >:(
you got my no mate anytime
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Scumbags. >:(
Call the police in, that's their job. You can set your home phone not to take calls from withheld numbers if you like, so you'll have a number...
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Scumbags. >:(
Call the police in, that's their job. You can set your home phone not to take calls from withheld numbers if you like, so you'll have a number...
hi sparklebright
how do you do that then
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You just phone your local police station.
We did when we were threatened; the police were really good; honest!
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we know about your daughter; we know what school she goes too...'.
This kind of threat would make me really mad!! I'm not sure that I would be able to stop myself from doing them some serious harm!!!!!!!!! They are SCUM!!! >:(
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You just phone your local police station.
We did when we were threatened; the police were really good; honest!
tosh
i will be down there next week we will have to have a chat
give you a bell ;)
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Anytime, Mike, but all this happened about seven years ago! I was just offering advice and sharing what happened to me when I first started up.
All my local window cleaners are great; even the one's from the 'Forest' (even the inbred ones with pointy heads that're married to their sisters (usually)).
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god i hate my sister tosh ;)
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Scumbags. >:(
Call the police in, that's their job. You can set your home phone not to take calls from withheld numbers if you like, so you'll have a number...
hi sparklebright
how do you do that then
Sorry I don't know :-[
Mate of mine did it on his home phone, I think it's a BT thing, I'm sure all phone operators do it if you ask.
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Scumbags. >:(
Call the police in, that's their job. You can set your home phone not to take calls from withheld numbers if you like, so you'll have a number...
hi sparklebright
how do you do that then
Here are the service codes for bt.
http://www.telephonesuk.co.uk/network_codes.htm#BTCDIV
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cheers mark
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I have had some threatening calls after leaflet drops, but not bothered, it makes me laugh, im not a big guy, but i aint scared of anyone so i just laugh and besides i got a big irish family, so wed all go after em haha
Best way like ronnie says is just keep on with your business, and you will grow and they will shrink with there bad business acumen, anyone who tries to build by threatening people is never going anywhere , they are too small minded too, take all his custies :)
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I had loads of threats in the beginning too but nobody ever wanted to meet up with me to discuss it.
The way I look at it is that if they are crazy enough to do you serious harm then they are unlikely to be window cleaners. They would be drug dealers, loan sharks or bank robbers (hopefully anyhow).
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I had loads of threats in the beginning too but nobody ever wanted to meet up with me to discuss it.
The way I look at it is that if they are crazy enough to do you serious harm then they are unlikely to be window cleaners. They would be drug dealers, loan sharks or bank robbers (hopefully anyhow).
lol ;D ;D ;D
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Christ i must be lucky or most of the window cleaners on here live in the wild west.
I have never had any problems.
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Had this happen once by phone and once in person while out working (both times about ten years ago) never since.
It is increasingly rare but always be prepared:-
Verbal on the phone:
1. Use "we" or "us" instead of "me" or "I" and give the impression there are more then one of you.
2. Be polite and firm but take no nonsense.
3. Tell them you have noted the exact time and date of the call and will report it to the police as a threat.
Face to face:
As above and if they don't back down immediately then do call the police.
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Both the idiots who threatened me stopped cleaning windows a few years ago; but one of them has started up again recently.
Blimey, wasn't him was it?
I'm surprised by that. :o
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Hi Mate,
Don't let the threats scare you mate. I have leaflets that I post every 12 months round a massive business park in my area. Last time I did the leaflets drop a guy telephoned me threatening me saying it was his patch, my honest opinion is I think he's scared of my water fed pole system on the leaflet as he has the most dangerous looking old ladders that I have every seen.
I'm waiting for the day I turn up to leaflet and all the units are dirty because his ladders have collapsed on him!
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Blimey,I'm shocked by this thread I must admit,especially by the things Tosh said happened to him.Being a newbie (christ I hate that word) I expect a quiet word by any existing guys working in the same area but I never imagined actual physical violence could be a real threat.I just started in the leafy villages near where I live so I'm not expecting to be kneecapped just yet but it's an eye opener.Can't help but picture two window cleaners facing each other with their fingers twitching by their holstered squeegees,spaghetti western style.
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I had one once where I told him to mark the doors of his customes with a big red X. He said 'noI can't do that, that's just stupid', it never dawned on him I was being sarcastic.