Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: AuRavelling79 on April 16, 2010, 08:39:35 pm
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Just had a phone call from Mr H________ who owns a small farmhouse in Gloucestershire which I cleaned today.
Basically he seems to think I've not done his windows, left a bill and I'm trying to "have him over" - which I'm not and so I said I'd go back tomorrow and sort out any issues.
I told him I was genuinely non-plussed and that I couldn't understand it and he said well I've just come home, found your ticket and I'm looking out of the kitchen window and it's filthy.
I asked him to check some other windows in case I missed one and he said he wasn't going to traipse all round the house. I asked if it was spots (thinking ash cloud or builders dust and a windy day) or smears or on the inside and he said it just looked like it hadn't been done at all.
So I'm gonna go back tomoz.
Anyway - thinking it through, the only thing I can think of (if it's me) is I've missed out two windows "round the back" as I do the tops and then go back and do the bottoms and may have simply forgotten to do the ones tucked between the conservatory and the kitchen - which is where he would be standing.
I had also turned up last week and was told by his wife - oops sorry I should have told you but the builders are here, can you come back? Sure says I and did. So if I've forgotten them and they've left dust everywhere then he'd notice it.
We shall see in the morning.
Now if it's me missing out these two windows, should I?:-
1. Clean them apologise and take his dosh.
2. Clean them and say have the whole clean on me cuz I shouldn't have goofed up.
3. Clean them, take his dosh and say "We all make mistakes; just like you did by your Mrs. sending me away last week and not letting me know the builders were coming."
4. Something else.
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answer number 1
Maybe knock a couple quid off as a gesture. Certainly wouldnt be giving him the full clean for FREE :o
we're only human, we all make mistakes.
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Number one of course.
I did the same - washed the top frames then the guy popped out of the door below to pay me and I forgot the glass. Had that very same phonecall and sure enough they weren't cleaned. Went back and corrected and apologised. Took me two days to work out exactly how I had missed them. ::)
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1... always
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i'd go back and if it has been missed by accident just take the dosh and appoligise, after all everyone makes mistakes :D
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number 1 m8 ;) sorry goes a long way ;D
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Fix the offendning window and take the cash with a small apology. I think you have not down anything wrong even if you missed windows it’s a simple enough mistake. Not worth a death sentence.
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Number 2, you missed them...and need to gain there trust. and show them it will not happen again.
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A small farmhouse. It would not have taken you long I would imagine.
No 2 for me, although if he has or has had a certain I am it, you are sh it attitude, just walk away with your head held high.
Good custies though, mean I would go that wee bit extra to keep them.
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Number 1.
We all know you are a honest person and you wouldn't miss a window on purpose.
We all get distracted occassionally and miss a window. But it's not like one windy I knew who would never do a bathroom window unless he could see it was dirty from the ground - especially one that only had a top opening window.
With me it seems to be the lounge window and I have missed 3 of them in the last 5 years that I know of (customers have pointed them out to me). I have noticed a couple of others I have missed on the final quick glance around before I packed my stuff up.
We are all human and make mistakes. Apologise, clean them and take your money - after all you were prepared to go back and rectify the situation.
I would also stay away from No 3; "the wife also made a mistake by forgetting to tell me the builders were in today, please come back next week". It's a bit like Adam blaming God for creating Eve.
If they despense with your services over this then you will be the loser by doing another clean for nothing. I also wouldn't knock a couple of quid off as that cheapens your service. Take a box of chocolate biscuits instead. If you find the problem windows are dirty inside, then keep the biscuits and eat them on the way home. ;D ;D ;D
We would be interested how this turns out tomorrow.
Spruce.
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1. Clean them apologise and take his dosh.
but dont make a big thing of the apology, explain that you are human and can make mistakes and move on
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If it were me i would apologise and refuse the money. Nine out of ten times they insist on paying you though, if ever any of my customers have an issue i re-clean for nothing or dont charge, i still havent had to do any re-cleans yet (touches wood).
i did have a very good and long time customer ask me if id cleaned them the other day when i went to collect, i reminded her that she has had her driveway layed since i was there and that i told her at the time that if it dirtied the windows to let me know, she never until i knocked for my money, i still went round the next day and re-cleaned for nothing even though it want my fault they were dirty, i did this because she has been with me for over 7 years, she is nice and polite, i also clean her daughters house and basically cos if you cant do the odd free re-clean then your not running you business properly.
ALL IN MY OPINION OF COURSE ;D
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I have had this once or twice over the years, genuine mistakes each time. I always say to custy that I'm really sorry, and don't want to take the money until they are completely happy with my work. Have never had any refusals to pay, and in addition has resulted in the custy affording me much (undeserved) respect. :)
We all make mistakes Malc. Eat some humble pie and the custy may eat some with you. :D
John.
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take the money but refund his phone call ;D
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I would go back and see if it is just the one or two windows before you make your mind up.
If so clean them and ask for payment. I would be nice and polite but I would not return after his attitude ''I'm not traipsing round the house''.
You charge him to clean his windows once, your bad for missing a couple but no reason to clean windows that you have already cleaned.
If there filthy from builders mess you will be able to see straight away, Point it out and show him windows that are still clean and he should see he has made the mistake, I doubt he will apologise but if you take my 1st bit of advise you wont be going back again anyway.
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Mr Gold i looked up to you as a perfect human being without fault.
Now i realise your only human after all , and even you can make mistakes ;D
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Go and see first.
There is a good chance (especially with the kitchen window) that this is on the inside.
I have been called back by irate customers many times over the years only to discover that the offending muck is on the inside.
If this is the case make a joke of it, "I'm good but I'm not that good".
If it is your fault, re-clean the whole lot and take his money (for 1 clean not 2).
Apologise and explain that YOU want his windows perfect MORE than he does.
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Number 1 Malc, let us know how it went though.
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So this is what happened:-
I told him I'd be there at 9am and I was about ten minutes early, so I waited on the old Aust Ferry road (which is half a mile from the custy's house) watching the high tide under the Old Severn Bridge in the glorious sunshine. (I saw a plume of smoke over Chepstow's Beirut Sedbury estate so perhaps Tosh is doing some DIY today? ;D)
I timed my arrival so I was chapping his door as the Radio 4 pips were sounding on the radio in my van. Out he comes from around the side of the house and immediately says:
"Hi, first of all I want to apologise for last night, I had a long drive home and was out of order in what I said to you."
Well that diffused any tension and so I had a gander and it was obvious that I had missed the end windows at the bottom on the end of the gable and the rest were spotless - yay!
So I explained I had done the tops, gone back and missed those bottom ones and that I was sorry and I would put them right. He made me a coffee and we ran away together holding hands, all luvvy-duvvy.
I did a bit of "faffing" and "checking" and cill wiping and thanked him for the coffee and he says aren't you going to wipe them off (aaaaaaarrrrrrrgh! I've been doing his windows for five years wfp and he asks that!) and then wipes one of the windows with his hand.
I explained that they would evaporate fine and that I would have to do that window again now to which he apologised again! It was a bit like two people going through a door and saying "after you" and both going for it at the same time and then saying "sorry", "no after you" ... and doing it again! ;D
So I ended up saying "look I want these windows to be right more than you do Mr. H" (thanks for that one Cozy oops sorry; Form B - brilliant!) so don't send me a cheque unless you think they've dried out fine.
So we shook hands and all is well in Goldland!
That bit in red wasn't true BTW! ;D
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So this is what happened:-
I told him I'd be there at 9am and I was about ten minutes early, so I waited on the old Aust Ferry road (which is half a mile from the custy's house) watching the high tide under the Old Severn Bridge in the glorious sunshine. (I saw a plume of smoke over Chepstow's Beirut Sedbury estate so perhaps Tosh is doing some DIY today? ;D)
I timed my arrival so I was chapping his door as the Radio 4 pips were sounding on the radio in my van. Out he comes from around the side of the house and immediately says:
"Hi, first of all I want to apologise for last night, I had a long drive home and was out of order in what I said to you."
Well that diffused any tension and so I had a gander and it was obvious that I had missed the end windows at the bottom on the end of the gable and the rest were spotless - yay!
So I explained I had done the tops, gone back and missed those bottom ones and that I was sorry and I would put them right. He made me a coffee and we ran away together holding hands, all luvvy-duvvy.
I did a bit of "faffing" and "checking" and cill wiping and thanked him for the coffee and he says aren't you going to wipe them off (aaaaaaarrrrrrrgh! I've been doing his windows for five years wfp and he asks that!) and then wipes one of the windows with his hand.
I explained that they would evaporate fine and that I would have to do that window again now to which he apologised again! It was a bit like two people going through a door and saying "after you" and both going for it at the same time and then saying "sorry", "no after you" ... and doing it again! ;D
So I ended up saying "look I want these windows to be right more than you do Mr. H" (thanks for that one Cozy - brilliant!) so don't send me a cheque unless you think they've dried out fine.
So we shook hands and all is well in Goldland!
That bit in red wasn't true BTW! ;D
That's my line !!!!
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Oops sorry Form B - I've corrected it for you now! :-[
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I once had a situation where the custie wasn't happy with the job. She didn't want me to clean for her again. I had been cleaning for her for a few years and I did them just the same way as always. She wouldn't pay me. These were my ladder and squeegee days.
In the end we agreed that she pay the money that I would normally have received to a charity. We were both happy that the other hadn't gained I think and we left it at that. She could be a bit of a PITA at times if truth be told.
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No:1. Then knock off a couple of quid for his inconvenience. imo. ;)
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As he said sorry straight away I understand you keeping him on. In that situation I'd of to.