Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: tom2009 on January 27, 2010, 11:56:11 pm
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just read on another thread about customers having to give 7 days notice if they want to cancel or miss a month. Do any of you use contracts with your customers? I'm assuming that if you don't have a contract then if they say 'not this month' you can do nothing but come back the next?
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You do not need a contract as such only terms of Business and the best place is a t the back of your quote which says by accepting this quote you accept the terms of .......... Business name ( talking on demestic ) just draw there attention to them.Just say have you seen my terms of buisiness on the back of my quote and also put the same on the back of invoices.
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Your statement is true if noagreement you cannot expect they to abite by then. The word contract is very word can it an agreement or just the understanding or agreement. Domestic custies do not like contrac and will not sign.
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what else do you cover in your terms of business wizard? bad weather etc i'd imagine. any chance of seeing a copy of yours?
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I have been is window cleaning a year and am about to compile mine.this business I have many years in business in general. But needed to see what this industrial will through at me.
Will put it on the forum when it is finished.
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i'd be interested to read them. cheers
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I ahver some custies that pay late and this throughs my cash flow out so I have desided to chasrge 1 pound leavy if the payment is overdue by the next clean if it is nit paid by the next clean I will not clean and will demand 2 pound extra.I will jus word it in a more acceptable way.All this needs thought.I already have a basic frame work of what I need to stop a few bad practices by my clients.
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contracts with domestics WILL NOT work,dont waste your time,if they dont want u they wont have u.Sorry to be blunt but its true
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Having a contract with domestic customers is a crazy idea in my opinion.
How many times have you looked at a service and thought "I like that but no way am I getting into something which ties me to a contract"
That’s why Pay as you go mobiles are so popular.
So what if the odd customer says "not this month". Move onto the next one, It’s not going to bankrupt you for goodness sake.
How important is it really!!!!!!
But If it really does affect your business to such a degree then perhaps you should look a bit closer to home for the problems and stop blaming the customers.
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I agree that signed contracts are not necessary with small value work but as already mentioned I think its good practice to state your terms of business on the back of quotes. This is what I have used for many years, feel free to borrow it:-
TERMS & CONDITIONS
1. Service Quality
Elfords take pride in the quality of their work and offer a 100% Customer Satisfaction Guarantee. If in the unlikely event that our services have not met your expectations, Elfords will ensure that a mutually acceptable outcome is achieved.
2. Frequency
Elfords offer a range of options in terms of frequency for our cleaning services and seek to reward customer loyalty. We guarantee to clean/complete your windows/services all year round, “come rain or shine” and will carry out the work during an agreed week each month. Our normal working hours are Monday to Saturday 08.00 to 18.00. At times of illness or holiday this period may change slightly for operational reasons.
3. Notice of Change to Service/Cancellation of Service
In order to be able offer a cost effective service, Elfords undertake to provide their regular service during normal working hours/days during the agreed week and at the agreed frequency, and regardless of weather, unless it is deemed unsafe by ourselves to continue working. In the event of the need to temporarily change this arrangement a minimum of one week’s notice will need to be given by yourselves, verbally or in writing. Apart from extreme emergencies, all Abortive visits will be charged at the agreed regular rate for the property. To operate a cost-effective service, it is essential that our work is carried out in accordance with the agreed schedule, otherwise it may be necessary to withdraw our services. In the event that you may wish to cancel our services a minimum notice period of ......... month/s is required in writing only.
4. Access
To offer a cost effective service, it is essential that unhindered access be provided to your property (where applicable) to enable your windows/services to be cleaned in accordance with your needs. We work to a four weekly timetable and unless advised to the contrary, seek to clean/complete your windows/services during a predetermined period each month (e.g. weeks 1 – 4). This avoids the need to make repeat visits due to the inability to gain full access to your property.
Ideally, arrangements need to be made to provide Elfords with access to your property (where applicable) when you are not in. This could include providing us with duplicate keys for your side gate or door or any access codes if these need to be accessed to get to the rear/interior or grounds of your property (For reasons of safety/insurance we are unable to climb over locked gates etc. to gain access). Alternatively, if you would prefer to leave a key in a safe place, please advise us accordingly. Please note that Elfords have a Key Insurance Policy. References are available upon request.
In the event that on a scheduled visit to your property Elfords are unable to gain full access, we will endeavour to clean as much of your property as possible although the full price will need to be charged. Otherwise, we will be happy to arrange a special visit but the pricing structure for this service falls within our premium price bracket, which includes a call out charge.
5. Prices & Payment
The contracted prices are subject to a periodic review and you will be notified accordingly in advance.
Elfords offer a variety of different ways of paying your account, which includes the following:
• Payment when the service is carried out (Cash or Cheque)
• Cheque to be sent to Elfords at the Richmond Dene address within five days of completion.
• Invoiced for payment to be sent within 14 days (subject to status)
6. Acceptance of Terms & Conditions
You are deemed to have accepted our terms and conditions upon commencement of our services.
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I agree that signed contracts are not necessary with small value work but as already mentioned I think its good practice to state your terms of business on the back of quotes. This is what I have used for many years, feel free to borrow it:-
TERMS & CONDITIONS
1. Service Quality
Elfords take pride in the quality of their work and offer a 100% Customer Satisfaction Guarantee. If in the unlikely event that our services have not met your expectations, Elfords will ensure that a mutually acceptable outcome is achieved.
2. Frequency
Elfords offer a range of options in terms of frequency for our cleaning services and seek to reward customer loyalty. We guarantee to clean/complete your windows/services all year round, “come rain or shine” and will carry out the work during an agreed week each month. Our normal working hours are Monday to Saturday 08.00 to 18.00. At times of illness or holiday this period may change slightly for operational reasons.
3. Notice of Change to Service/Cancellation of Service
In order to be able offer a cost effective service, Elfords undertake to provide their regular service during normal working hours/days during the agreed week and at the agreed frequency, and regardless of weather, unless it is deemed unsafe by ourselves to continue working. In the event of the need to temporarily change this arrangement a minimum of one week’s notice will need to be given by yourselves, verbally or in writing. Apart from extreme emergencies, all Abortive visits will be charged at the agreed regular rate for the property. To operate a cost-effective service, it is essential that our work is carried out in accordance with the agreed schedule, otherwise it may be necessary to withdraw our services. In the event that you may wish to cancel our services a minimum notice period of ......... month/s is required in writing only.
4. Access
To offer a cost effective service, it is essential that unhindered access be provided to your property (where applicable) to enable your windows/services to be cleaned in accordance with your needs. We work to a four weekly timetable and unless advised to the contrary, seek to clean/complete your windows/services during a predetermined period each month (e.g. weeks 1 – 4). This avoids the need to make repeat visits due to the inability to gain full access to your property.
Ideally, arrangements need to be made to provide Elfords with access to your property (where applicable) when you are not in. This could include providing us with duplicate keys for your side gate or door or any access codes if these need to be accessed to get to the rear/interior or grounds of your property (For reasons of safety/insurance we are unable to climb over locked gates etc. to gain access). Alternatively, if you would prefer to leave a key in a safe place, please advise us accordingly. Please note that Elfords have a Key Insurance Policy. References are available upon request.
In the event that on a scheduled visit to your property Elfords are unable to gain full access, we will endeavour to clean as much of your property as possible although the full price will need to be charged. Otherwise, we will be happy to arrange a special visit but the pricing structure for this service falls within our premium price bracket, which includes a call out charge.
5. Prices & Payment
The contracted prices are subject to a periodic review and you will be notified accordingly in advance.
Elfords offer a variety of different ways of paying your account, which includes the following:
• Payment when the service is carried out (Cash or Cheque)
• Cheque to be sent to Elfords at the Richmond Dene address within five days of completion.
• Invoiced for payment to be sent within 14 days (subject to status)
6. Acceptance of Terms & Conditions
You are deemed to have accepted our terms and conditions upon commencement of our services.
Do you always enforce para 3, and are the customers happy to pay full price for "not today"
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No I have never had to enforce it and it has rarely been an issue, but when it has propped up I have refered them to our terms and the reasons for such a policy and that usually does the trick. Its all about setting out at the beginning how you mean to go on and it is up to you to effectively bring your customers around to your way of doing business and not the other way around.
On the odd occassion that a customer has messed me about and I have refered them to the above I may let it go the once and that usually does the trick to ensure it does not happen again. Again here this is about knowing your customers and thats why I mention in extreme emergency situations it is acceptable to be messed about. i.e. if someone has had a recent bereavement it goes without saying that you have to show understanding as they probably won`t want to have to deal with anyone at that time, thats clearly acceptable, but simply because they choose not to have you that month for no good reason is not acceptable.
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Gary
Thanks for info
Neil
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Well down Elfords very professional. What I have in mind is very much the same with a few tweaks to suit my area in which I work. They are very clear and specific. I think you will find with this type of agreement as you said you hardly need to enforce them because clients know what to expect and also know what you expect of them. It creates the right impression and show you are dealing with a professional company. I cannot under stand how businesses can work without terms. Again well down.
To the fellow who said pay as you go does so well. Even Pay as you go has terms and conditions all good business operate with them. It is for this and a few other reason we are and will not be able to ourselves a professional.
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Thanks Gary, very useful information.
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i'd be interested to read them. cheers
sounds good mate - be a good and handy read.
we wait to see it ;)
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It is basically covering all bases. So with key holder insurance, they can happily let us have a duplicate key for there side gate etc. in the safe knowledge that should there be any consequences from us losing it there covered. Plus if they would rather not do that they can arrange to leave a key in a specified place for us to gain access, this of course assumes that the lock is on the front of the gate or it is a railing style gate so you can reach the lock. One other method which I have yet to add to the above terms is that we can text them the night before so they can leave the gate open. This is quite popular. As for phoning as some people do, no thanks, after getting home the last thing I want is to be doing is phoning around a load of customers, what with all the small talk it takes ages, and I also believe the customers prefer not to be disturbed, so text is a win win solution.
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you can get it with most public liability policy`s just ask
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I ahver some custies that pay late and this throughs my cash flow out so I have desided to chasrge 1 pound leavy if the payment is overdue by the next clean if it is nit paid by the next clean I will not clean and will demand 2 pound extra.I will jus word it in a more acceptable way.All this needs thought.I already have a basic frame work of what I need to stop a few bad practices by my clients.
Don't you think that putting a pound or two on the price, and offering a £2.00 discount for prompt payment would go down better?
If someone wanted to charge me £2 extra, because I was away on holiday when he last came round, I would cancel him there and then.
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contracts with domestics WILL NOT work,dont waste your time,if they dont want u they wont have u.Sorry to be blunt but its true
I agree 100% Just be nice to them it works much better. What are you going to do if they don't stick to the contract? Sue them? The customer will have just two words for you and the second word will be "OFF"
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contracts with domestics WILL NOT work,dont waste your time,if they dont want u they wont have u.Sorry to be blunt but its true
I agree 100% Just be nice to them it works much better. What are you going to do if they don't stick to the contract? Sue them? The customer will have just two words for you and the second word will be "OFF"
I cant disagree more Vince, maybe your getting hung up on the word contract. Your simply setting out your working terms so that there is no confusion for all concerned which leads to a smooth working relationship thereafter, for the most part
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i agree with vince , if you provide a regular , reliable quality service then you wont get too many not todays , but when you do , no problem just move on to the next customer !
if however you have travelled some distance just to their property to be told not today , then i may say something !
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Of course your not going to sue them unless its a high value commercial contract. But when you do come across an issue and you have not previously set out your simple straight forward terms of doing business from the outset, how can you possibly expect the customer to understand why your not happy.
From the start you do a quote, explaining any relevant points about your terms of business on the quotes rear and thereafter its rarely mentioned again as they will read it themselves and understand exactly what you expect of them, no ambiguety(spelling!) what so ever. Then on the rare occassion that you may have an issue, you have this as a back up if you need to remind them why your not happy about something. Without it you leave yourself open to a customers own version of what they expect which as we all know can vary greatly. So why make your life more difficult by leaving whats expected from them to to much mis-interpretation for the sake of a simple statement of your terms of business.
In my 18 years in this business this has been a very useful tool for getting my customers trained to my way of working from the outset and has never caused any kind of negativities what so ever, quite the contrary it has helped sell my services by showing that I am very professional in my approach.
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contracts with domestics WILL NOT work,dont waste your time,if they dont want u they wont have u.Sorry to be blunt but its true
I agree 100% Just be nice to them it works much better. What are you going to do if they don't stick to the contract? Sue them? The customer will have just two words for you and the second word will be "OFF"
very true remember you dont own them they can cancel whenever they want.
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contracts with domestics WILL NOT work,dont waste your time,if they dont want u they wont have u.Sorry to be blunt but its true
I agree 100% Just be nice to them it works much better. What are you going to do if they don't stick to the contract? Sue them? The customer will have just two words for you and the second word will be "OFF"
very true remember you dont own them they can cancel whenever they want.
where does anyone say because you state your terms of business you own them, quite a rediculous comment, this is a service business, and you need to state whats expected from them & what you will provide in simple terms. Whats the matter with some of you, you seem to think that your in a business that does not warrant taking a professional approach to such things, well I do think my business deserves such an approach and thats why all my customers are of a high caliber that apppreciate such an approach. Some of you that don`t think this approach is warranted clearly don`t mind what type of customers you take on, which is fair enough, and thats why there are all different types of window cleaning companies to suit the customers you are aiming at. So I guess you need to decide who is your target customers before deciding the approach you take to terms etc. I still believe it works for more customers than it does`nt
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Just use some grey stuff. Dont have address tag on the keys only a code EG, 32 h.with a key book and keep them locked in a safe place at home not in van,Same as estate agents do .
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I have been toying with the idea of this service contract for my domestic customers as I believe it will strengthen the relationship between customer an myself.
Service Agreement
Dated / /2010 between AMR Window Cleaners and:
Name
Address
_______________________________________________
Postcode ______________________
Window Clean 6-8 weekly price outside £____________
12 weekly price outside £____________
Inside windows cleaned £____________
Conservatory roof £____________
Terms and conditions
• By signing this service agreement you are accepting our terms and conditions
• You agree to give 6 weeks notice of termination of our services.
• We require 3 days notice for a cancellation of a clean.
• If we have arrived to work then we are unable to accept a cancellation of service, unless work is being carried out at the property. 50% will be payable if we have not had 3 days notice.
• We will endeavor to clean all windows, but if we deem windows to be inaccessible, these will not be cleaned.
• Safety is of paramount importance. So we request that small children and pets be enclosed in the safety of the house for the duration of the clean.
• Price we strive to be competitive but our prices may increase from time to time. 6 Weeks notice will be given before a price increase.
• Insurance we are covered for public liability and personal injury.
• Payment is due upon completion or up to maximum of 10 days after completion.
Customers Signature __________________________________________
AMR Representative Signature __________________________________________ AMR Window Cleaners
Moorcroft
18 Victoria Road
Exmouth EX8 1DL
www.amrwindows.co.uk
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used a slightly amended version of Elfords terms tonight with a now new customer. Not a contract more that we have a mutual understanding of how things will happen. He was very happy. Seemed to give the whole process a more professional edge. Thanks again Elfords. Good stuff. ;D
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Endevor is spelt vour other wise it looks good I woulld not call is a service agreement.just put your terms on the back of your quote saying if you accenpt our qoute them our terms apply.Does not put your client off.People do not like to sign, its more to tell them how you work and what you expect from them I dont think you would go to court , or would you.
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I agree its not necessary for small value work to have a signed agreement, its a bit to serious and could cause a barrier to them agreeing. Different if were talking about a high value contract etc.
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Just use some grey stuff. Dont have address tag on the keys only a code EG, 32 h.with a key book and keep them locked in a safe place at home not in van,Same as estate agents do .
My approach to this is to keep them in a locked key cabinet in the van, with an identity tag showing the data base number. That way there always to hand, and in the unlikely event they get lost, the number means nothing to anyone else. Its only ever happened once, and that was ironically enough to an insurance company head quarters!! However they new my procedures and had no problem providing me with a duplicate as the risk was negligable to them.