[tonyoliver]

i have found that over the years the people who mess us  around can almost be defined by a stereotype......................

they are rude even at first contact ..

they are rude during and after the work has been done..

they pay poorly or not at all..

they will drop you leaving you wondering what the hell you did wrong..
they make flimsy and often conflicting excuses as to why you are no good..

are defined by class and  sometimes race (not a racist comment)..
they belive you are a lower order and can be treated accordingly

they change the goalposts randomly " I thought(an unpaid extra) that was included in the price........

beware of jobs that havent been cleaned for yearsthey
will trick you into doing a one off /  inspect the work with a microscope/ critique the standard / leave you hanging around for ages and then say call later to collect...
then  tell you well call you when we need you again.

rely on your window cleaners sixth sense do the job. thats what we do price accordingly if proved wrong treat them as all your other custys with respect ect ... if proved right let em go and dont ever go back this forum is full of foaming windys who have been hacked off by these people i just wish we could blocklist them so they dont snare anothe unsuspecting honest tradesperson ever again



we need ...............NO WE DEMAND A BETTER CLASS OF CUSTY

[windowswashed]

I rarely clean a new customer's house as soon as I obtain the new 'regular' work. I inform them I will fit them in as soon as I'm back in their area again. The genuine ones are understanding and will happily wait to be fitted onto my round, unless they have a planned wedding or similar before I am next due.

The new customers who are persistent that they want there windows done like yesterday when it looks like they've never attempted to clean their own windows in years with their gardens a tip I charge the double rate and fit them in when the weather is bad. I half expect them to waste my time in being a one time only customer despite telling me they want their windows cleaned regularly. Occasionally they prove my sixth sense wrong and turn out to be good, long lasting customers.

I've also found customers who are persistently late paying and query if the windows have been cleaned previous times, making up excuses that a 'windows cleaned' bill wasn't left, etc, to be more hassle than they are worth and dropped by me as soon as they have settled their account.

Being offered a cuppa by a new customer is often a good sign.

[pingu]

People who mess me around...are used a 'test' subjects for me to try different techniques, brushes, speed. etc.....Some of my worst paying customers now get their windows cleaned very, very quickly.

Cheers
Dave.

[jefftemperley]

ive often thought as an industry we should have our own blacklist which we could put problem custys on , might make em behave better when they knew no -one would touch them if they were on it!

although cant see it being easy for a website to run like that cheaply and then there's the problem with data protection, although experian etc have my details and give them out to creditors

[Londoner]

Then there are the type who believe it is their duty to "keep you on your toes" by pointing out stupid details or querying whether you have cleaned the hall window when it is obviously dripping wet.

The really grating thing is the tone of voice that is adopted by these people when they talk to you. I have to bit my tongue sometimes but in reality they are just demonstrating their own insecurities by trying to lord it over you.

Always remember the old advert on the telly "Its the fish John West rejects that makes John West the best"   well round here "Its the Customers Vince Green rejects........."

[TonyD]

Good post, and very true.  You can usually tell straight away from the manner and tone how the relationship will progress.
I've just started, but being a car valeter for many years before, I have advantage over someone new to dealing with customers in that valeting customers sound exactly like window customers.........you're just a cleaner..  :

Although, as said, you can be proved wrong....  I though I had my first time waster just 2 days ago.  The windows hadn't been cleaned for a long time by the look of them, when I initially canvassed they said no, but stopped the day after when they seen me doing a neighbours windows and asked me to call.  I duly did the work, the chap kept watching me through the window as he said the last cleaner cracked the gutter on the garage -  you need to climb over it to get to the rear.
Anyway, he came out and said great job, gave me a quid extra and said book us every 2 weeks.     Not what I was expecting 

Although saying that...............it's usually that the sixth sense is right and they're a ****  :

[gerard mcmanus]

tony you made me laugh with the(not racist comment)

Jeff I have kept a blacklist for my own record, but I often surprise myself, as they tend to be the ones you remember years later.

the john west quote is one I will have to remember as well, thats a good'n.

[tonyoliver]

ladder we often confuse class with race and react accordingly but boy o boy do some of them fit the profile it is traditional in some cultures to give tradesmen a hard time, caste issues and these transfer to the new location but with the added twist of ive got a .............on his hands and knees working for ME piwer trip
i often think of george orwells down an out in london and paris when an indian tramp calls him mate  and touched him  something he would have been flgged for when george was a burmese police inspector. i supose old ideas change slowly and we are low lifers after all i jus wish the could see my old jag and my house

[Niall McAllister]

I think being an ass is a universal constant in some people, in that,  no matter the race, colour, or creed, you just know that anywhere in the world the person you met would still be an ass
as long as they're looking down on me, they're not wondering if window cleaning is worth trying

[drwindows]

yes good post and sooooooooooooo true.

Don't forget the type that will always try and underpay you and then quickly disappear back into the house. no matter how many times you tell them the correct price.

"Oh I thought it was only £12!" with a feined horrified look on their face.

"No you didn't, because we've had this ridiculous discussion every month for the last year.

Makes me think.
"You are the weakest link.  Goodbye."

Does my nut in that.