Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: TonyD on October 29, 2009, 09:30:30 pm
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Just thought I'd share something that had me smiling today...........
I've been doing a road for a couple of monthly visits now, and when I first canvassed, after getting a customer, he said "don't bother knocking next door - polish ;) " ohh, right, I say.
On looking, the windows where filthy, but so where a lot of others on the road as the old cleaner was rubbish, never did frames or even sills, and loads had sacked him off months ago. Anyway, I didn't knock the "polish". Other side of them said the same too.
Cleaning the house next door to "the polish" today, a polish head pops over the fence "how much for windows ? " £7 say I. (the going rate for the others, and much more than the last cleaner before anyone says that's too low, it is St.Helens, and only small houses)
" That's fine, can you please do ours"
He comes back a few minutes later with a £10 note. I try and give him change from my pocket, and he says "no, take the £10, they are filthy"
Then, while doing the work, he offers me tea or coffee, THEN "would you like a beer then" THEN " do you need water, or toilet ? "
I'm not racist myself, so wasn't suprised, especially as I've worked with people from all corners of the world and know they aren't much different from anyone else. BUT, just goes to show how ignorant and wrong some people are. I'd love to have knocked on the neighbours either side (ohh, and across the road too) and told them that "the polish" are much better customers than them, and my best customers in the road.
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There have been loads of times in my life where I have have been warned off people by others but when I've met them couldn't have been nicer.Always best to meet somebody first before making an opinion of them.
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What a nice 'human' story...
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1st cleans ... all smiles and generosity but see what happens on the 2nd or 3rd clean ...... oh and by the way i am polish!
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1st cleans ... all smiles and generosity but see what happens on the 2nd or 3rd clean ...... oh and by the way i am polish!
Asians are the same nice as pie first tyime then a right pain, ive just kicked 4 on the same street into touch after the 2nd clean, dont get me wrong i have others i have cleaned for years no problem
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People are just people most of the time, and you get good, bad, whatever. It just made me smile thinking how some people have this narrow view when they've never spoke to, or even seen them some of the time, and can be so wrong.
Having worked in London on and off, and all over the UK for all of my 20 years of working life so far (think I know London better than my home town) , I just take people as people.
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People are just people most of the time, and you get good, bad, whatever. It just made me smile thinking how some people have this narrow view when they've never spoke to, or even seen them some of the time, and can be so wrong.
Having worked in London on and off, and all over the UK for all of my 20 years of working life so far (think I know London better than my home town) , I just take people as people.
You dont have much choice working in London!
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Hi Tony
Im in cronton mate - Where in St helens do you clean?
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Just thought I'd share something that had me smiling today...........
I've been doing a road for a couple of monthly visits now, and when I first canvassed, after getting a customer, he said "don't bother knocking next door - polish ;) " ohh, right, I say.
On looking, the windows where filthy, but so where a lot of others on the road as the old cleaner was rubbish, never did frames or even sills, and loads had sacked him off months ago. Anyway, I didn't knock the "polish". Other side of them said the same too.
Cleaning the house next door to "the polish" today, a polish head pops over the fence "how much for windows ? " £7 say I. (the going rate for the others, and much more than the last cleaner before anyone says that's too low, it is St.Helens, and only small houses)
" That's fine, can you please do ours"
He comes back a few minutes later with a £10 note. I try and give him change from my pocket, and he says "no, take the £10, they are filthy"
Then, while doing the work, he offers me tea or coffee, THEN "would you like a beer then" THEN " do you need water, or toilet ? "
I'm not racist myself, so wasn't suprised, especially as I've worked with people from all corners of the world and know they aren't much different from anyone else. BUT, just goes to show how ignorant and wrong some people are. I'd love to have knocked on the neighbours either side (ohh, and across the road too) and told them that "the polish" are much better customers than them, and my best customers in the road.
the question then arises, why did you not chap that door when you first went round ???
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I think the moral of this story is that if someone tells you no to bother doing something, wonder why? And do it anyway. ;D
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I live in s wales where there are very little asians etc...I have one west indian woman that is a pain , but pays £22 a month.... I have an asian doctor (indian I think) excellent payer ... I am ashamed to say that i was a little bit worried about taking him on ...
I also have an egyption custie ,,,, who is excellent, freindly, and pays on time...
I clean our family doctors windows
(sri lancan)....she is tight, but once the price is agreed , pays on time !!
I clean a care home, my best job, I wont say how much ,but they pay on the day, they are from sri lanca ....I also clean their house windows...£40 and they pay on time.... wots more they treat me like a hman unlike some of the other middle class on my rounds....
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i worked with a guy for a few weeks in rainford - They where mostly doctors and chemists up there and they where great until winter come and they didnt want there window done until summer lol
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funny that no one ever needs to start with " I had this moaning white middle class cust"
It's just " I had this cust"
white, black, and shades between. a problem cust will be a problem where ever they are from
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funny that no one ever needs to start with " I had this moaning white middle class cust"
It's just " I had this cust"
white, black, and shades between. a problem cust will be a problem where ever they are from
so true...I have some right white middle class whingers... they annoy me so much I get my employee to deal with them :o
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funny that no one ever needs to start with " I had this moaning white middle class cust"
It's just " I had this cust"
white, black, and shades between. a problem cust will be a problem where ever they are from
I work sometimes in Whitechapel in London's East End. The whole area is a heartland of immigrants and 1st and 2nd generation non indiginous peoples. I also have a flat here. I was bought up in this area also.
Like you, I think that there is absolutely 100% no difference between races and every one pays up and everything is hunky doory.
I won't for one minute dissagree with you.
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I would have knocked on the polish guy's door in the first place. I've had good and problem customer's from all over. Although I've found that people from Asian based cultures are more prone to haggling the price, I don't have to join in with that. In fact I've had more problem with (a few) posh sounding white customers who think they own my time while I'm there.
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im becoming more racist agenst the upper middle class elderly (white) . these retirees are often sour . theyv got the block-paved drive and the silver merc and the big koi pond ,but you never see em smile . i dropped one last week, for the third month running they said "who are you?" when i arrived .
ive got a few custys who call me by a different name every time i turn up, why would they remember me, im only cleaning windows for them, they prob forget there kids names, so long as they pay up they can call me shirley if it makes em happy
:)
some of the excuses for dropping custys on here, im surprised anyone has any work left :)
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I had to laugh at Bobby's post about the old git forgetting who he is, but Im sure Shirley is right about the excuses some of us use when we dump some of our mouldy custards.
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as long as they don't suss out how much more an hr I get than them, I don't care if they call me Mary ;D ;D ;D
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I had to laugh at Bobby's post about the old git forgetting who he is, but Im sure Shirley is right about the excuses some of us use when we dump some of our mouldy custards.
it makes you happy then matt :)
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I had to laugh at Bobby's post about the old git forgetting who he is, but Im sure Shirley is right about the excuses some of us use when we dump some of our mouldy custards.
I sometimes say, I'm sorry, but due to demand .. I only clean larger properties..... this really confuses them especially if they are well to do :D
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i suppose as im still building my work and trying to get staff on board, i need all work i can get and put up with more than i would if i had the choice ie loads of work and one man band, but one day soon there will be a cull and i will remmeber every lil annoyance :)
i have cut loose alot of work in the past though from evrything from bad payers, too them annoying me...
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There is no need for racism but unfortunatly it does exist, mainly in the older Daily Mail reader type. The job I have recently parted from I employed quite a few foreign workers. There was Indian, Pakistanie, Poles, German, Portugies and French and on the whole they were far more respectfull towards customers and Management than the local guys.
But I lost count of the amount of customers who as soon as they heard a foreign accent asumed they were thick and inferior for some reason and if truth be known these were highly educated workers who were working to fund there education and better there grasp of the English language.
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are the polish a race then ? ?? ? ? ?
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There is no need for racism but unfortunatly it does exist, mainly in the older Daily Mail reader type. The job I have recently parted from I employed quite a few foreign workers. There was Indian, Pakistanie, Poles, German, Portugies and French and on the whole they were far more respectfull towards customers and Management than the local guys.
But I lost count of the amount of customers who as soon as they heard a foreign accent asumed they were thick and inferior for some reason and if truth be known these were highly educated workers who were working to fund there education and better there grasp of the English language.
That's what happened here, I didn't knock the house because I thought there was another reason because 3 neighbours said don't knock at that house with polish in it, I thought maybe they where a bunch of partying louts or something, or didn't speak any english at all. Turns out it was just ignorance, and because they spoke a different language and came from a different culture /country they somehow wouldn't want to pay for window cleaning it seems ::) Narrow minded is all it is.
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At least no one has mentioned the Irish,... :)
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as long as you have a potato you're happy ;)
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Only problems we have are asian or posh people
Asian always try to negotiate and lower price, often unhappy with work(want free window cleaning)
Cleaned windows on big mansion house over 40 windows and huge conservatory. We charge about £140 other places and she said if we do it for £70 its our house every 6 weeks. Asking for barging and paid over 5 million for house
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once got asked to quote a c****ey takeaway , inside and out ,including the blinds - now i was GREEN and very desperate at the time but was told my price of a fiver (every 2 weeks) was RIDICULOUSLY HIGH.
all those step forward who have been paid top dollar by a pure bred chinese ???????
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I was born in the Uk spent all my life living in South Africa, in general people treat me well. But some times customers expect more for nothing because they think I am from another country. The ignorance of some people is astounding.
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i find asian familys want them done for next to nothing or not at all!!quite a few of them dont mind having minging windows!!i usually steer clear for the simple reason they dont want them done more than twice a year and for 50p!only my experience in 15 yrs of WC. ;D ;D
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Some of the nicest custy's I have are Chinese, always happy to see you, always offer a drink, always pay more than you asked for and I was even offered a meal at one of them and all of them are always polite.
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Some of my best customers are Polish. I always get greeted with a smile, always very appreciative of the service, more often than not they slip an extra €5 into my hand, and very trusting too. I cleaned a house for a Polish lady this morning, charged €25 as it was a first clean and she tried to pay me €40!
Another first clean 3 weeks ago, who has never met me and only communicated via text or e-mail, hid her back door key and asked me to clean the insides too, and left payment on the dining room table for me!
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Think the moral here is no matter what your race or where your from, some people are just awkward no matter what walk of life there from. Im sure everyone on here has had a bad experience in work or life in general with every race there is, and im sure we have had good ones with each type to. For me the most awkard people are the middle aged middle classes but thats just my experiences. We will all have had different im sure.
Theres good and bad in everyone. (except Tottenham fans, there all bad) Just Joking ofcourse
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I find the English the worst ;D
Its the foreigners I like, so long as they have a foreign accent or cant speak the lingo then Im happy.
I put the phone down on someone last week cos he was called John Smith and spoke with a cockney accent ;) Cant be working for em ;D
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Some of my best customers are Polish. I always get greeted with a smile, always very appreciative of the service, more often than not they slip an extra €5 into my hand, and very trusting too. I cleaned a house for a Polish lady this morning, charged €25 as it was a first clean and she tried to pay me €40!
Another first clean 3 weeks ago, who has never met me and only communicated via text or e-mail, hid her back door key and asked me to clean the insides too, and left payment on the dining room table for me!
That's mad. Not for one second am I saying your untrustworthy, but this person doesn't know you at all and they are leaving a key for you to enter there house unacompanied. Mind you we will all have done it with trades men that have done work on our holmes, but I normaly meet them and discuss the job with them first and I would always go with one who was well established.
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i find asian familys want them done for next to nothing or not at all!!quite a few of them dont mind having minging windows!!i usually steer clear for the simple reason they dont want them done more than twice a year and for 50p!only my experience in 15 yrs of WC. ;D ;D
ive had a good few of them, stay well clear of some streets where they are massed,the ones mixed in with whites tend to be ok
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I find the English the worst ;D
Its the foreigners I like, so long as they have a foreign accent or cant speak the lingo then Im happy.
I put the phone down on someone last week cos he was called John Smith and spoke with a cockney accent ;) Cant be working for em ;D
That was me you plonker! ::)
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Better to work for a Pole than against one! There's a Polish guy round my way pricing fellow window cleaners out the market, £6 for a 88 window stately home ;)
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Better to work for a Pole than against one! There's a Polish guy round my way pricing fellow window cleaners out the market, £6 for a 88 window stately home ;)
he aint pricing no one but himself out of the market.