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Blue Frog Systems

  • Posts: 3813
Loosing customers to the guy in the sky
« on: January 21, 2010, 09:58:51 pm »
Found out today that one of my favorite customers died xmas eve.

She was one of my favorites and I will miss her.

Always smiling, always chatty, always made me a drink, great payer.

One thing she told me when I quoted her was that she was insistant on clean windows (dirty windows were her pet hate and the guys before me did a crap job so she told me)

Second time round she told me how happy she was to find a good window cleaner.

Her daughter told me that I cleaned the windows the day before she died and she commented that she was glad the windows were cleaned when they were. Think she knew her time was coming.

Mrs Saville you will be missed

Only those who risk going too far will truly know how far they can actually go

cozy

Re: Loosing customers to the guy in the sky
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2010, 12:18:39 am »
You have a point there mate. For years, I used to clean this lovely old biddies windows. She was only up the road from me. Used to arrange an appointment to have me tip up and clean her windows. She ordered lovely cake, had the coffee ready and allways made sure I had a break during the cleaning to sit down for a chin  wag.

Would always argue about the price, it was about 35 quid and would always say that it was too cheap etc etc. She was the absolute perfect old granny really. That wasn't work, it was actually fun I suppose. Shame to lose custies like that. Know how you feel mate.

This service industry can get personal.

Londoner

Re: Loosing customers to the guy in the sky
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2010, 08:56:47 am »
I have lost quite a few customers in the past few years. Mainly because the average age of my customers is so high, I know.

Its sad when it happens but what is worse to see sometimes is the after effects of people dying. I had one customer called Jackie, not old, I'd say late 50s, but she was a drinker and a bit erratic. She died suddenly from a heart attack.
A few weeks later a skip appeared and all her stuff, pot plants, pictures, towels, clothes and everything went into the skip. Everything that couldn't be sold quickly.

Turns out a neighbour told me later that although she had a daughter and a grandson she had left everything to her waste of space scrounger boyfriend  and he just sold the house and set about drinking himself to death on the proceeds.

Pole 2 Pole

  • Posts: 1051
Re: Loosing customers to the guy in the sky
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2010, 09:12:47 am »
Alot of my "ex" customers are alcohlics. Notice the emphasis on ex. My dad died at 51 from alcohol and i do have every sympathy with and for them but they just don't see a fiver as a fiver. They see it as a 4 pack or half a bottle of cheap stuff. They don't part with that easily, unfortunately.

dazmond

  • Posts: 24449
Re: Loosing customers to the guy in the sky
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2010, 10:54:17 am »
ive lost quite a few nice good custys over the years.one woman great laugh,always made a brew,good payer etc.found out she had cancer and was dead 6 weeks later! :o :o.her husband is great and always makes me a brew now.very sad.thats why we all should never take our lives and businesses for granted and make the most of the here and now.

regards

dazmond
price higher/work harder!

Re: Loosing customers to the guy in the sky
« Reply #5 on: January 22, 2010, 11:02:42 am »
Found out today that one of my favorite customers died xmas eve.

She was one of my favorites and I will miss her.

Always smiling, always chatty, always made me a drink, great payer.

One thing she told me when I quoted her was that she was insistant on clean windows (dirty windows were her pet hate and the guys before me did a crap job so she told me)

Second time round she told me how happy she was to find a good window cleaner.

Her daughter told me that I cleaned the windows the day before she died and she commented that she was glad the windows were cleaned when they were. Think she knew her time was coming.

Mrs Saville you will be missed



Did she leave you anything in her will.... ;D

Sir Squeaky

  • Posts: 8341
Re: Loosing customers to the guy in the sky
« Reply #6 on: January 22, 2010, 11:32:54 am »
I hate it.
I did a block of flats for the elderly for many years. Some of them I'd known from the start, and I always spent a lot of time there. It was no longer a good earner, but I didn't care.
And I always popped in at christmas to say hello and drop cards off.
But suddenly they all seemed to go, month by month almost. It was horrible, and the ones who replaced them were never such nice people.

When I went wfp it was no longer a feasible job and I let it go, but I do miss it. Just don't miss the deaths. :(

A & J Owen Window Cleaning

  • Posts: 2192
Re: Loosing customers to the guy in the sky
« Reply #7 on: January 22, 2010, 07:11:30 pm »
its nice to have good customers i have a few reliable tea makers myself but i seem to get all the moaners aswell