[Purecleanplus]

We've all had custies that just aren't worth the effort doing because they are such bad payers. We get over it, that's window cleaning, but has anyone had any deliberately bad payers, the type that don't come out with silly excuses and promises to pay? The sort that just tell you to eff off.
I got talking at a get together recently about this sort of thing and I told a tale of when I was a trad boy back in the 90's and there was a terrace I cleaned in Lancaster. I cleaned the windows at one particular house as I had done for months maybe a couple of years, never been a problem. This is the old days so the price was something daft like £3.50. I went to collect my money on Friday night and the guy came out and said that he didn't want to pay as I hadn't done the windows.
I asked him why he thought this and he told me to eff off. Obviously, I was a bit surprised so I tried to get at what the problem was. had I done a bad job etc. Told me he didn't want to talk so eff off. Don't come back, he's got another cleaner anyway.
Most likely cause of problem in first place.
Anyhoo, I still wants me money, so I tell him fine, but I did clean his windows, first class job so pay up.
Guess his answer.
Gets really shirty with me (brave coz I could pound him) and tells me for last time eff off, he's not paying and he says. "Tough s$%t mate, what you going to do about it?"
Wait there I tell him, I go to my car (wow, used to use a car!) and get my bucket and applicator, still half full. I dump loads of mud in the water and dip the applicator in. I approach his windows and say to him "Last chance mate, it's cool if you don't want to pay, but I have the right to undo the work I did."
I was sure he'd go mad, but he just slammed the door and went inside. I went round his whole house, but he just shut his curtains.
Next day I felt bad but he made me see red with his being so cocky. Couple of months after I got talking tohis new cleaner, who had been cheaper, he apologised, said the bloke told him his cleaner had stopped calling. He ended up having to pay new guy triple rate to clean them first time though.
Think I probably did overreact and my friend was horrified when I told her, but funny looking back.
Any better ideas?

[Perfect Windows]

Any better ideas?

Yes.  Forget them.

Vin

[A & J Owen Window Cleaning]

you take no s**t  mate good on ya. have done that a few times myself. got one that needs a good seeing to aswell. i like it when they try and hide. caught one last week she tryed to hide in the kitchen unfortunatly my wife was cleaning the back windows and caught her red handed.

[Blue Frog Systems]

Had a few... worst one is one of the mums at the school my daughter goes to.

Should have known i was going to have a problem when i knocked her door really. She's a chav, boyfriend looks like a smackhead, kids toys all over the unkept garden.

Cleaned her windows, no money.... come back tomorrow.... tomorrow..... not it..... next time... turned up and got a 'no thanks'.

Was bloody fuming that i asked her in the school yard infront of other parents and she turned round and said.... what you going to do, take me to court.

Left it at that... have come to realise that there are more important things than chasing people that wont pay. If they dont pay after 2 cleans, they dont get cleaned by me no more !!

[G Griffin]

Confucius say-

Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.

[dazmond]

 its not worth it mate!i probably had to write off over a grand over the years in total.


other trades have it worse though!ive heard of builders,plumbers/sparkys getting ripped off for thousands on just one job!!

[Londoner]

ive heard of builders,plumbers/sparkys getting ripped off for thousands

Yes, me too. Another one of the good things about this business is damage limitation.

[Johnny B]

Yes I have been knocked quite a few times over the years.

I have never exacted revenge and never will. They are not worth risking a good reputation which takes years to build, and seconds to destroy.

No, I cheerfully walk away and concentrate on doing the best I can for the other 99.9% of decent customers I still have.

John.

[Jackal]

i just drop them,no point getting upset about it,iv got a short fuse aswell but i just think if they dont want a window cleaner then fine see you later,after all its never realy that much cash to lose

[luther1]

I have a wonderfull collection of hosereels, plant pots and garden ornaments thanks to non payers.

[bobby p]

i got setup (i think) tother week .a new customer rang and asked me to clean her place + daughters house and as they were both out at work ,call later for my money.so i cleaned them both , but when i came to get my money the woman answering the door knew nothing about it ,although she had read my cleaned today slip pushed through the door

 it was all a bit shocking as she has a terribly disfigured face,must have been burned something shocking  and i couldnt tell if she was genuine or a liar .

[amayze]

I've had one tw@t recently. Cleaned his windows for the first time in years, didn't get paid. Cleaned them a second time and he called me to say that I hadn't done them.

When I told him that I had, and that his old neighbour was talking to me as I did them as well. coughed up.
Two days later he called to say that his sky wasn't working, and although he wasn't blaming me, I MUST have bashed his dish. I replied, well, then your neighbour would have noticed that I had hit the dish, as we were chatting at the time. He then repeated that he thought I hadn't done them and was going to cancel me !!

I said, look any working relationship is built on trust and if we don't have that, there is no point carrying on together. He said fine. Couple of days later called my phone, and left a message to say that Sky engineer had been. I haven't called back and he hasn't called me back.

BUT, when I'm there in a couple of weeks, I'm going to empty my special P bucket into his wheelie bin !!

[richard jagger]

Empty you pee bucket on his front door matt.I cannot think what will happen if nothing is down to recoup your money.These smart asses go on to screw the next windy.I am luck in a way most of my custies pay and are of a better end of the market if I just phone and pester them I am never rude to them but act dumb as if i don't understand why I have not been paid.But I do pee on there front door mates.I do push tooth picks in the key holes and think of doing what it takes to get my cash.I will get more creative in encourage them to pay me.My wife runs a salon and every so often a pykie will come in and have a lot of work down and then complain just before the end of the work so they can walk out without paying.So we made up some shampoo which we give free to the client half through the service if they pay we tell them we gave the wrong shampoo and give them the rite one if they walk out as a complainer and use the shampoo the blond in there hi lited hair will turn green, if they have a perm it will take out the curl out .

[G Griffin]

Empty you pee bucket on his front door matt.I cannot think what will happen if nothing is down to recoup your money.These smart asses go on to screw the next windy.I am luck in a way most of my custies pay and are of a better end of the market if I just phone and pester them I am never rude to them but act dumb as if i don't understand why I have not been paid.But I do pee on there front door mates.I do push tooth picks in the key holes and think of doing what it takes to get my cash.I will get more creative in encourage them to pay me.My wife runs a salon and every so often a pykie will come in and have a lot of work down and then complain just before the end of the work so they can walk out without paying.So we made up some shampoo which we give free to the client half through the service if they pay we tell them we gave the wrong shampoo and give them the rite one if they walk out as a complainer and use the shampoo the blond in there hi lited hair will turn green, if they have a perm it will take out the curl out .

You would urinate on someone`s front door? I thought you liked to think of yourself as professional  .

[Purecleanplus]

As I said 99% time I walked away, but some people seem to deserve a little reminder to stop being a tw@t.
I had another who was always shy about paying, but would be really upset if she thought  wouldn't clean though. She got 3 months behind and I was tired of excuses, on the final time when I decided to get payment before cleaning, (I'd walk away if not), she saw me down the road and she and her daughter jumped into their Mini Cooper, so not destitute and drove away. As she reversed out their drive I heard a something clatter and skid. When I went to check there was a shiny new iPhone on the floor, OUTSIDE the property, on the road. Must have left it on roof of car.
Had to wrestle my conscience with this one. Soooo tempting!
Later that day I waited till I saw her return and went up the drive.
Instantly she came out with excuses, so I said not to worry was actually there about a phone  had found. I said that if she could go in and find proof of ownership and my money i would be happy to return the phone. She opened her purse there and then and coughed up. Daughter came down with box for the phone so I handed it back. It wasn't until later i realised she'd paid me for that day when I'd not done them. No worries freebie next time, except that next month as I pulled onto the cul-de=sac, her husband came over to tell me leave them that time. And the time after. Really must get back there one day. Shame I don't live there anymore!!