[TVCS]

this is one of those topics where someone always tries to make out that others are TOO SOFT to work in the rain.  rubbish.   
Its a question of personal preference.  We all run our own businesses in a way we are happy with.  I personally love the freedom I have, being able to choose when I work is something I like the most.  when its pouring down is not one of those times.

[seandyer2003]

Exactly. I have worked in the rain, and do, like i said earlier, but only if im already out, but i dont go telling all my customers that i will clean no matter what, and even if they said hooray brilliant, which they wont surprise surprise, it still doesnt change the fact i aint gonna work all day in the rain when personally i dont have too:)

[gerard mcmanus]

iam off this week, but would have gone out. It raining here, not torential but not to far away from it either. it was fine this morning though, just started about 12.

gerard
west of scotland.

 

[seandyer2003]

iam off this week, but would have gone out. It raining here, not torential but not to far away from it either. it was fine this morning though, just started about 12.

gerard
west of scotland.

 

I suppose it rains too often there though not to go out in rain?? I was in Glencoe in feb for a week and didnt see the sun once, just rain rain rain, mostly torrential:)

[LSB]

i have worked from 8.30 - 3.30 today , with a few showers , nothing like the forecast i was expecting !
i dont like working in the rain if it starts to get heavy or just rains continually !
got away with it today ,
i think thursday is also looking wet !

[matt]

I know most of my customers dont want the windows cleaned in the rain.  im not saying that they rule me as some of you guys on here might be thinking but at the end of the day if you dont NEED the money that desperately why get drenched.  Commercial work I do because that is pre-booked in advance so come rain or shine they know that I'll clean.  Personaly, I dont feel you can get as decent a finish when it is really pouring down.  So I dont clean and I wont offer a 'rain guarantee' cos I dont want to clean the same house twice for one payment. 

I've been to the gym today and seen one of my custies ( that was due about 2 weeks ago)  and he waas fine with me being so late as he realises the weather is so shocking at the mo.

just about sums it up really

sums what up?

I know most of my customers dont want the windows cleaned in the rain.  im not saying that they rule me as some of you guys on here might be thinking but at the end of the day if you dont NEED the money that desperately why get drenched.  Commercial work I do because that is pre-booked in advance so come rain or shine they know that I'll clean.  Personaly, I dont feel you can get as decent a finish when it is really pouring down.  So I dont clean and I wont offer a 'rain guarantee' cos I dont want to clean the same house twice for one payment. 

I've been to the gym today and seen one of my custies ( that was due about 2 weeks ago)  and he waas fine with me being so late as he realises the weather is so shocking at the mo.

just about sums it up really

sums what up?

The fact that theres no point upsetting custys and getting soggy feet if you dont need too, you said yourself you have staff, if and when i have people working for me, they too will work in the rain because id rather lose 1 customer than pay wages for no work, but until them im staying warm and dry

I dont see why you need to keep arguing personally. what you trying to prove, that you work harder than everyone else?? Many earn enough to take the odd wet day off, big deal!!

exactly, it was pretty obvious what i meant

[NWH]

I wouldn`t worry about any customers wondering where you are at the moment what with all the bad weather that  we are having,enjoy the time off it`ll soon get colder and days off will be few and far between.You can end up getting paranoid about being late and when i look back i`ve never lost any fom being late even if it`s a month or so,customers are human they understand bad weather and the fact that we might want a holiday every now and again.

[Steve CM]

exactly, it was pretty obvious what i meant

of course!  :

[windowwashers]

70% of my customers complain if i clean in heavy rain,doesnt matter how
many times i explain in general they are not interested.its alright saying
replace these in general good paying customers because of extreme weather
conditions the reality is that replacing them doesnt happen overnight and i personally
cannot afford to dump custies willy nilly because things arent totally going
my way

I agree.

I've picked up plenty of customers who've dumped the last guy because he turned up in the rain.

i picked up a whole close of work, 14 houses, the guy used to do them all, he upset the "leader" of the close and she phoned me with 5 houses, by the time i got around to doing it, they all wanted it done, i dont like taking work off others, but he asked for it by cleaning in the rain and then ignoring his customers when they said they prefered him to not do it in the rain

does that mean when you do something wrong they will all do the same, I would perfer not to has coffee morning mafia customers anyway, been there done that. Never did like the t-shirt

[matt]

70% of my customers complain if i clean in heavy rain,doesnt matter how
many times i explain in general they are not interested.its alright saying
replace these in general good paying customers because of extreme weather
conditions the reality is that replacing them doesnt happen overnight and i personally
cannot afford to dump custies willy nilly because things arent totally going
my way

I agree.

I've picked up plenty of customers who've dumped the last guy because he turned up in the rain.

i picked up a whole close of work, 14 houses, the guy used to do them all, he upset the "leader" of the close and she phoned me with 5 houses, by the time i got around to doing it, they all wanted it done, i dont like taking work off others, but he asked for it by cleaning in the rain and then ignoring his customers when they said they prefered him to not do it in the rain

does that mean when you do something wrong they will all do the same, I would perfer not to has coffee morning mafia customers anyway, been there done that. Never did like the t-shirt

if i clean in the rain, then i must accept that they will not be happy and might find someone else

so your saying to me, i should have turned the "coffee morning mafia customers" away, thats not particually a good way to run a biz is it ? ? ? ?because if thats your idea of running a biz, then we have very different views on that ? ? ? ?  its over 150 quid worth of work ive cleaned them for over 1 years now, they are good customers, they didnt want it done in the rain, they told the other guy and he carried on

[pdale]

Well i got out for 1pm, had a couple of breaks when it showered. Torrential rain started at 5.30.

I have come back £69 richer and a bag of cooking apples from a customer! So it looks like it's apple pie tomorrow.

Paul

[matt]

Well i got out for 1pm, had a couple of breaks when it showered. Torrential rain started at 5.30.

I have come back £69 richer and a bag of cooking apples from a customer! So it looks like it's apple pie tomorrow.

Paul

so you really can have your pie and eat it 

[Dale Smith]

Worked all day, rained for most of it but luckily just steady, varying from light to medium downpour.

We had 1 custie say no thanks, and we offer the rain guarantee. No calls yet, and to date no calls ever.

As a lot have stated, its down to the person who works and who doesn't. For me, I must admit I hate working when its miserable but its the only way to keep the business going, as we are behind already (did not work when it was torrential rain, we dont bother then)....

[windowwashers]

70% of my customers complain if i clean in heavy rain,doesnt matter how
many times i explain in general they are not interested.its alright saying
replace these in general good paying customers because of extreme weather
conditions the reality is that replacing them doesnt happen overnight and i personally
cannot afford to dump custies willy nilly because things arent totally going
my way

I agree.

I've picked up plenty of customers who've dumped the last guy because he turned up in the rain.

i picked up a whole close of work, 14 houses, the guy used to do them all, he upset the "leader" of the close and she phoned me with 5 houses, by the time i got around to doing it, they all wanted it done, i dont like taking work off others, but he asked for it by cleaning in the rain and then ignoring his customers when they said they prefered him to not do it in the rain

does that mean when you do something wrong they will all do the same, I would perfer not to has coffee morning mafia customers anyway, been there done that. Never did like the t-shirt

if i clean in the rain, then i must accept that they will not be happy and might find someone else

so your saying to me, i should have turned the "coffee morning mafia customers" away, thats not particually a good way to run a biz is it ? ? ? ?because if thats your idea of running a biz, then we have very different views on that ? ? ? ?  its over 150 quid worth of work ive cleaned them for over 1 years now, they are good customers, they didnt want it done in the rain, they told the other guy and he carried on

I did not say that at all Matt please dont try and twist my words, I said: "does that mean when you do something wrong they will all do the same, I would perfer not to have coffee morning mafia customers"

My ideas and yours in business do seem quite different

[NWH]

Matt i can understand you wanting the work but i wouldn`t have let them dictate to me when i could do them no way.

[matt]

Matt i can understand you wanting the work but i wouldn`t have let them dictate to me when i could do them no way.

i dont feel that i have

they havent said, you must come only on wednesday etc etc

they have made it clear that they dont like windows cleaned in the rain, i accpet that, afterall they pay me, thus if they dont like them cleaned in the rain i will try and accommodate that request

oh and i didnt really need the work, just a close with all the houses was too good to pass

[windowwashers]

Matt i can understand you wanting the work but i wouldn`t have let them dictate to me when i could do them no way.

i dont feel that i have

they havent said, you must come only on wednesday etc etc

they have made it clear that they dont like windows cleaned in the rain, i accpet that, afterall they pay me, thus if they dont like them cleaned in the rain i will try and accommodate that request

oh and i didnt really need the work, just a close with all the houses was too good to pass

Thats fair enough MAtt,

my point was I do not like taking on a load of customers that will all cancel at the same time if you do something wrong.

[ps outthere]

I always found that if you tell them 'I clean windows in the rain' they usually say ok!
The odd custie said no, so I didn't do their windows.
I have only been cleaning again for 15months, and the new round is in town, and they don't like cleaning in the rain.
Not working many full weeks at pres.

[matt]

70% of my customers complain if i clean in heavy rain,doesnt matter how
many times i explain in general they are not interested.its alright saying
replace these in general good paying customers because of extreme weather
conditions the reality is that replacing them doesnt happen overnight and i personally
cannot afford to dump custies willy nilly because things arent totally going
my way

I agree.

I've picked up plenty of customers who've dumped the last guy because he turned up in the rain.

i picked up a whole close of work, 14 houses, the guy used to do them all, he upset the "leader" of the close and she phoned me with 5 houses, by the time i got around to doing it, they all wanted it done, i dont like taking work off others, but he asked for it by cleaning in the rain and then ignoring his customers when they said they prefered him to not do it in the rain

does that mean when you do something wrong they will all do the same, I would perfer not to has coffee morning mafia customers anyway, been there done that. Never did like the t-shirt

if i clean in the rain, then i must accept that they will not be happy and might find someone else

so your saying to me, i should have turned the "coffee morning mafia customers" away, thats not particually a good way to run a biz is it ? ? ? ?because if thats your idea of running a biz, then we have very different views on that ? ? ? ?  its over 150 quid worth of work ive cleaned them for over 1 years now, they are good customers, they didnt want it done in the rain, they told the other guy and he carried on

I did not say that at all Matt please dont try and twist my words, I said: "does that mean when you do something wrong they will all do the same, I would perfer not to have coffee morning mafia customers"

My ideas and yours in business do seem quite different

ian, i feel that when a customer wants something like " not cleaning in the rain " and its a nice little close , i will try and do what i can for them, i provide a service, if i do something wrong OR they find someone cheaper / prefered by them etc etc i accept that they could well move on, i clean there windows, they pay me, thats about it really

you may aspire to be the biggest window cleaner in the world, i dont really feel the need for that, i have a cracking life, my family want for nothing, holidays / days out etc etc, window cleaning is ok for me

but my biz idea's mean if a job has a profit in it, i dont care who the job is for, the "coffee morning mafia customers" are included in that

you clean in the rain, i know most of my customers would not be happy with that, i have asked a fair %, thats the way it is for me, i have a established round, its been worked as a round for more than 30 years, they accpeted WFP as it meant i was safe ( they know i have a family ) but i know they will be pushed to accept me cleaning in the rain

[Tosh]

I agree.

I've picked up plenty of customers who've dumped the last guy because he turned up in the rain.

Rubbish!  I've never-EVER been asked to quote for a potential customer because they said they sacked their last window cleaner 'cos he worked in the rain'; though I was once asked to quote because the woman said, 'my window cleaner cleaned my windows in the dark' (it was mid-Winter); and she sounded like she was up-her-own-jacksy.  I declined; I don't want customers like that.

And if any potential customer did say that they sacked their last window cleaner, for any reason, I ask if they spoke to them first.  If they say 'no', I say 'no', since they're obviously arrogant fools.

I can't abide bad customers.