[Carl2009]

Well, the last 5 weeks or so have seen a marked rise in the number of customers wanting to 'leave it for the winter', 'miss this month' or go to two-monthly over the winter.

Today a custie called me as I was driving to the area I was to clean in and left a mobile fone message saying that I should miss her today as her hubbie had done them yesterday, this despite me confirming the clean by fone last night. This hacked me off because she cancelled October's clean as they were going on holiday. I called her back and said i'd be removing her from my round. She seemed flabbergasted. I asked her why her husband cleaned them yesterday when she had a window cleaner and she said 'cos they were filthy'; I said that's because you cancelled me in October! I explained that I need to work year round and left it with her to discuss with her husband - she can have me on a regular basis year round or pay more for an ad hoc service.

But am I cutting off my nose to spite my face? Being objective I may have just lost £200 p.a. and i've lost at least £2000 p.a. of work in the last 5 weeks from deaths, people moving house or - in the main - 'can you leave it over the winter'. Last year I lost quite a few but by April was frantic with work, wondering how I was going to cope. Also, i'm not toooooo worried - yet - as these dark days come in and rainy winter weather restrict just how many I can get through in a day.

So, when spring comes round should I take back the people who binned me over the winter, or should I take on new custies? Well, i've had a think and i'm going to take on the old custies, but put their price up, explaining they are not year round business; if they don't like it then that's fine, i'll drop them. I'm also going to: a) move more people to 8-weekly, freeing space and reducing the number of 'oh is it a month already' comments we all get, b) canvass to fill any spare spaces, c) run at over capacity (by which I mean have so much that I have to clean 4 weekly's calender monthly or at 5 weeks). I am also going to get some terms and conditions printed up to distribute when I get a new custie so there is an understanding of my terms of business.

Anyone experiencing a similar larger than usual winter drop-off? and if so, what do you put it down to?

[darren clarke]

t and c, i think are a waste of time,  how are you going to enforce them,  take people to court for cancelling early,  the likes of vodafore, can do it as they are a big company,

think about it,  what would you do if u had a gardener and u wanted to cancel him and he said i will take u to court as you signed a contract for a min of 6 months and it has only been 3,   u would laugh at him and walk off


the ones who are cancelling, just put a mark against and replace,  i have some that want it done as and when they want it done,  just say ok, repalce them and when they ask can u do them, say sorry cant  got to get home, will try next week

[Carl2009]

Mmmh, good point about enforcement, however it might be a psychological barrier to them feeling like they can mess you around. Notwithstanding this it's professional to have them. Ultimately though, you are right I guess.

[darren clarke]

dont let it bother you,  if you lose a custy, go out and knock for 2 hours and pick up more,  then forget about them,  otherwise it will annoy u, i use to let them annoy me,  now i just replace them

[Ian101]

Had 1 call me today ... due a clean tomorrow and says they need to cancel as their saving up for a conservatory and need to watch the pennies  

She then said "dont worry I will call you in the spring"   

Not a massive problem as at least they called me the day before and will be too busy to fit them in next year or if I do it will be at a higher price as not a regular customer   ... then again cant be arsed with messers anymore

[Paul Coleman]

Had 1 call me today ... due a clean tomorrow and says they need to cancel as their saving up for a conservatory and need to watch the pennies  

She then said "dont worry I will call you in the spring"   

Not a massive problem as at least they called me the day before and will be too busy to fit them in next year or if I do it will be at a higher price as not a regular customer   ... then again cant be arsed with messers anymore

Funnily enough, one of my customer's surnames is actually "Messer"  .
She's a really good reliable customer too.

[prestige cleaners]

i havent noticed more than usual cancellations, but messers dont let them get to you, dont rely on them, just do them if you have time, i usually give people a few chances, then drop.


i dropped 2 x £25 ones today, nightmare access and parking, and final straw today dog mess all up the back, just packed up and drove off. might sell them on.

[A & J Owen Window Cleaning]

ad two today one wants a 2 mth clea instead mthly and one in the new year they are dumped  now got 2 new ones tonight "wasters" so whats the chance they will ring up in the new yr and wanting a clean 

[darren clarke]

done a first clean the other day for this old lady, as her other wc would never turn up unless she phoned him,  wfp then asked for payment, paid, and then said she wasnt impressed asked why and chatted for a bit, turn out she wasnt impressed as i  never went up ladders and washed the window and dry them off,  but what really annoyed her was i never got up a ladder to scrub her frames by hand, and i think this is why some people dont liek wfp as they want you to earn your money,

[mileslake]

Not lost any lately but picked up 6 in last 2  months.. It is very very  quiet though. No enquiries, all the new ones were  neighbours or recommendations.

[dai]

Should be plenty of work coming up for Dial A Clean shiners by the sound of it.
Write "We clean when you call" on the side of your van and sit by the phone.
Of course the premium rate needs to be charged, but they will pay it if it's only every 6 months.

[james44]

Should be plenty of work coming up for Dial A Clean shiners by the sound of it.

[♠Winp®oClean♠]

In my experience it's the 4 week thing- it just comes round so soon!

It might sound daft but just 1 week later i.e. 5 weekly seems to stop all the "you again" , "is that 4 weeks already?" etc. etc.

I went to 5 weeks & it worked a treat. I've so much work now that it's not uncommon to be 8 weeks! still get no complaints though even if It's 8 weeks.

Any monthlys now I just say "no sooner than 5 weeks"  5 weeks if I'm on time but more like 6 & could be up to 8 In bad weather etc.

I never have any gaps as I have quite a lot of large quarterly & two month jobs, even they seem to come round in no time.

Try going to 5 weeks mate, it might slow the rot.

[AuRavelling79]

Far from it.

[NJWindowCleaning]

Well its one way to sort out the dead wood custy's or you could call it a winters clean 

[Carl2009]

What do you mean Gold? Don't you agree. It's not something I considered till I read a thread on here sometime recently.

[Paul Coleman]

Should be plenty of work coming up for Dial A Clean shiners by the sound of it.
Write "We clean when you call" on the side of your van and sit by the phone.
Of course the premium rate needs to be charged, but they will pay it if it's only every 6 months.

I did allow this some time back with a couple of new custies.  One never rang again.  The other rang after 8 months.  She postponed it the night beforehand after I had made arrangements around it (poor access).  A few weeks later she tried to re-arrange.  She stuck the phone down on me mid sentence when I politely tried to explain why I wouldn't be doing the windows.
An admittedly very small sample of people but enough to put me off any dial a clean scenario.

[Helen]

Had 1 call me today ... due a clean tomorrow and says they need to cancel as their saving up for a conservatory and need to watch the pennies  

She then said "dont worry I will call you in the spring"   

Not a massive problem as at least they called me the day before and will be too busy to fit them in next year or if I do it will be at a higher price as not a regular customer   ... then again cant be arsed with messers anymore

Funnily enough, one of my customer's surnames is actually "Messer"  .
She's a really good reliable customer too.

Used to have one called "hassle"   and he was too! didn't last long

[Carl2009]

Well, i've just had a good look at the figures and it seems I might have been a tad negative on the losing custies front. I have lost some but in the last month (since 2 Oct) i've also gained a few - a dozen actually at a value of £130.18 per month.

I see that I have only lost 4 to the 'can you leave it till spring' brigade (around £60 per month) - the rest have been to moves (I do an army estate and the guys regularly get posted to other camps) - 3, death - 1, to the cost of having a clean  - 2 ("the recession" x 1 & "i've been made redundant" - 1), and 2 that i've dumped.

I have removed from my active list a holiday let I clean for £20 every two weeks March to Sep which has an effect too, but they will be back next year I have no doubt.

So, all in all I think I was perhaps concerned a bit unnecessarily.

[Scrimble]

the people who give you "not this time" or mess you about jack the price right up on them, more risky they are the more you should charge, thats what i do and it works,

everything you do you should charge for! your running a business not a charity

and if they cancel? so what you have lost a crap custy no big deal