[windymiller]

I would drop and replace. You still have to pay your mortgage,  bills,  food etc over winter.  The customer doesn't care that it's your full time job and whether you can pay your bills so I wouldn't care about cleaning it.  

[Pro-Poler]

Tell them Grittish Bass won't let met cancel all fuel bills till next march

[P.C.S.]

It does bug me a little but tbh I don't mind having a little less work when the days are shorter & the weather is usually a lot more unpleasant.

[SPE]

Tell them Grittish Bass won't let met cancel all fuel bills till next march

to be honest i think we may see more of this down to the hike in fuel bills , especially over the winter, the luxury of clean windows or being warm ?

[johnny bravo]

ive been cleaning 2 asian peoples houses,   last window cleaner charged them £20,     they asked me i lowered the price to £14,   as its on my route home.
been doing them 4 3 months now,     yesterday they watched me empty car of gear,   got to door   he says have you got a card,   give him one.       i will call you when i need them doing again.      same as neighbour,     i said ok   fair enough.        swearing to myself.         i wont be back,        i will @ £20 a clean.    

[windymiller]

If you let them do it once they will keep doing it.  If you put price up they will do it more often.  I find it a inconvenience as I could be cleaning another house instead I just drop them.

[Positivity]

ive been cleaning 2 asian peoples houses,   last window cleaner charged them £20,     they asked me i lowered the price to £14,   as its on my route home.
been doing them 4 3 months now,     yesterday they watched me empty car of gear,   got to door   he says have you got a card,   give him one.       i will call you when i need them doing again.      same as neighbour,     i said ok   fair enough.        swearing to myself.         i wont be back,        i will @ £20 a clean.    

Hi Johnny
I live in a predominantly Asian area looks like they caught you and the previous cleaner!!
IMO You shouldn't have taken them on at £14 when the last cleaner did them for £20.
We have lots of enquiries and walk ups along the lines of "How much do you charge. I have a window cleaner already but wonder if you can do them cheaper."
We always refuse to play the game.
I know several windies here and most wont deal with Asian customers 'cos of too much messing.
I have a few and they are O.K. but ALWAYS first clean price a favourite trick is get them on the promise of a regular clean then next time "Oh they're not dirty enough yet. I'll give you a call when I want them done."

P.

[Ian101]

Well in true CIU got 2 new customers today 5quid and 12quid monthly - other customer was 16quid monthly - decided when she calls me in march will charge extra for 1st clean and increase by 3quid

[Ian101]

ive been cleaning 2 asian peoples houses,   last window cleaner charged them £20,     they asked me i lowered the price to £14,   as its on my route home.
been doing them 4 3 months now,     yesterday they watched me empty car of gear,   got to door   he says have you got a card,   give him one.       i will call you when i need them doing again.      same as neighbour,     i said ok   fair enough.        swearing to myself.         i wont be back,        i will @ £20 a clean.    

certain customers I wont take on unless there prepared to pay 6 cleans in advance - funny enough never had em take me up on the offer - this was after getting caught out in the early days by the local corner shop - live and learn

[AuRavelling79]

I had an off licence a few years ago. If I had refused to serve all the customers who decided not to use me for a while it would not of made as much money as it did. 

I thought the customer is always right.

Which is why you don't run an offy anymore? 

I love the guys on here who tell me I can't do this and I can't do that - can't clean in the rain, can't put them on BACS, can't tell 'em I'm not putting up with them breaking our agreement, can't do the other cuz they'll tell their neighbour and someone else will take 'em on.

Reminds me of the line in the song - "The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one he said; but still they come!" 

[Spruce]

I think in 8 years I have only had one phone me back up again. I always say to just give us a ring next year when you are ready. Then make a decision if they do phone back as to whether you want them or not. If you are bursting at the seams with customers then the decision is easier.

I just feel its an excuse for another problem - they don't like you, they don't like the system, they don't like the price, they can't afford it any longer, grandson wants to do it for all that money, they are scared of what their gas and electric bill is going to be if its a bad winter (no different for us), etc.

In fact I saw a trad cleaner cleaning one of them a couple of months later. Customer's lie -  fact.

We work in a very close knit community. Although we know some of the families we don't know them all. Upset one and the word soon spreads. No good comes from being rude to anyone, no matter how they mess you around.

Window cleaning is a 2 way street. We benefit from their employment but they benefit from our services. They are entitled to do what they like, but we are equally entitled not to provide our services. Its actually not very complicated.

[Spruce]

ive been cleaning 2 asian peoples houses,   last window cleaner charged them £20,     they asked me i lowered the price to £14,   as its on my route home.
been doing them 4 3 months now,     yesterday they watched me empty car of gear,   got to door   he says have you got a card,   give him one.       i will call you when i need them doing again.      same as neighbour,     i said ok   fair enough.        swearing to myself.         i wont be back,        i will @ £20 a clean.    

Hi Johnny
I live in a predominantly Asian area looks like they caught you and the previous cleaner!!
IMO You shouldn't have taken them on at £14 when the last cleaner did them for £20.
We have lots of enquiries and walk ups along the lines of "How much do you charge. I have a window cleaner already but wonder if you can do them cheaper."
We always refuse to play the game.
I know several windies here and most wont deal with Asian customers 'cos of too much messing.
I have a few and they are O.K. but ALWAYS first clean price a favourite trick is get them on the promise of a regular clean then next time "Oh they're not dirty enough yet. I'll give you a call when I want them done."

P.

One of the local lads does the Indian in town. They are continually trying to renegotiate the price down - looking for a cheaper quote. But they won't budge on the price on their menu - its non negotiable. 

[JackieW]

I fully understand and sympathize with a customer who doesn't want them cleaned when the weather is bad and through the winter. I'd  probably want the same service from my window cleaner if I was them.

However, that isn't the service I provide.

I would say that most customers would much prefer  it if a window cleaner only came around when the windows were dirty and the weather looked sunny for the next week.

If I was to allow this to happen with one customer I dread to think what would happen once their neighbours found out.

[Pro-Poler]

ive been cleaning 2 asian peoples houses,   last window cleaner charged them £20,     they asked me i lowered the price to £14,   as its on my route home.
been doing them 4 3 months now,     yesterday they watched me empty car of gear,   got to door   he says have you got a card,   give him one.       i will call you when i need them doing again.      same as neighbour,     i said ok   fair enough.        swearing to myself.         i wont be back,        i will @ £20 a clean.    

Hi Johnny
I live in a predominantly Asian area looks like they caught you and the previous cleaner!!
IMO You shouldn't have taken them on at £14 when the last cleaner did them for £20.
We have lots of enquiries and walk ups along the lines of "How much do you charge. I have a window cleaner already but wonder if you can do them cheaper."
We always refuse to play the game.
I know several windies here and most wont deal with Asian customers 'cos of too much messing.
I have a few and they are O.K. but ALWAYS first clean price a favourite trick is get them on the promise of a regular clean then next time "Oh they're not dirty enough yet. I'll give you a call when I want them done."

P.

don't do Asians

[cleantech-westmids]

I agree bud. MOST asians are a nightmare. I clean 2 now. Was 4 but dumped them.

[roundbuilder]

March/april must be the daddy few months to canvass with all the customer dumping going on for the sake of missing a few cleans out!!!.
I dont see it as a big issue at all! I clean 4 weekly so 12 cleans a year if a customer asked in november to leave it untill march then the 12 cleans a year go down to 8 cleans per year which is still 2 cleans better than 8 weekly cleans and also bang on with 6 weekly cleans.. There realy isnt that much a big deal at all especialy if you run 4 weekly but even if it is 6/8 weekly your only missing them out 1 clean(jan).
How i see it is Having us clean there windows is an extra people have if they can afford it. If they want 12 cleans a year happy days, if its 8 cleans a year still happy days.

[windowswashed]

I had one ask me to leave until spring, clean nearly everyone in street so explained verbal cleaning agreement and reason why I was dropping him. Word of mouth spreads and I would rather lose one customer completely then be messed about by all in street for the sake of 4 months worth. Wont take hassle from awkward or penny pinching customers anymore, learnt from past that's it's better to drop awkward customer then be taken for granted by everyone else in local area.

[AuRavelling79]

I had one ask me to leave until spring, clean nearly everyone in street so explained verbal cleaning agreement and reason why I was dropping him. Word of mouth spreads and I would rather lose one customer completely then be messed about by all in street for the sake of 4 months worth. Wont take hassle from awkward or penny pinching customers anymore, learnt from past that's it's better to drop awkward customer then be taken for granted by everyone else in local area.

Oh yeah! +1