[Londoner]

Went to see a new customer yesterday, someone recommended me. Good house, apparantly a good customer (who ever knows?), good price.

Now here's the bit I am getting to, the previous window cleaner, (van mounted WFP) just stopped coming a few months back. Not just to him but to the whole street apparantly. This is after doing them for a couple of years at least. This is a good street in a North West London suburb, theres a lot on here that would kill for a few streets like that.

Its a story I have heard so many times over the years in various forms, the disappearing window cleaner. Most of the time I just put it down to being a casual or a part timer  but a van mounted WFP system and several customers in the same street? Thats not some casual

He obviously was getting on OK and the customer liked his work enough to want another WFP cleaner. You do wonder what the story was. I suppose some will say he just couldn't hack it but on first impressions he was hacking it very well. And he packed in during the best part of the year.

Anyway, I will probably never know. Has anyone got any stories of similar?

[bumper]

a few window cleaners went to jail round near me picked up quite a lot from the dole brigade when they go on 6 month courses

[Pope vader]

just becasue a window cleaner has one godd street, the rest might be crap,  plus not every love this, job     hell if i got offered a decent full time job, i would jack it in

[Londoner]

Yes we have had a few mysteriously disappear and then just as mysteriously reappear over the years. I wouldn't be at all suprised if this one didn't turn up at some stage with a cock and bull story.

I have had a few cases where three or four cleans in with a new customer they say "Oh my old window cleaner is back" to which my stock reply is "Yes I had heard he was out of prison" then if I am feeling grumpy I add "But I am suprised they let him still clean windows after what he done"  

[Londoner]

just becasue a window cleaner has one godd street, the rest might be crap,  plus not every love this, job     hell if i got offered a decent full time job, i would jack it in

My general impression is if he is good enough to get jobs like that in a street like that he is good enough to get decent work elsewhere.
But you are right, his heart may not be in it, many many of these vanmount systems are sold to people who have been made redundant. I think some of the firms actively target such people.

As for the decent full time job its a myth, there is no such thing anymore. Absolute Hell on a short term contract is about as good as you are going to get. I don't see how you are going to get a job this easy earning this kind of money  anywhere else.

[Dave Willis]

What I never understand is that with stories like this - the customers never think to phone the guy up?
I leave my card with every customer and yet the ones I dump never phone me when I fail to turn up.

[Pope vader]

As for the decent full time job its a myth, there is no such thing anymore. Absolute Hell on a short term contract is about as good as you are going to get. I don't see how you are going to get a job this easy earning this kind of money  anywhere else.

and that is why i am still window cleaning  lol

[Mike_G]

It might well be down to the customers, they could be a lot of "not today thank you's," and he decided enough was enough, you'll soon find out if that is the case.

[Londoner]

What I never understand is that with stories like this - the customers never think to phone the guy up?
I leave my card with every customer and yet the ones I dump never phone me when I fail to turn up.

You do and I do but many don't. I had a similar version of this story about two or three years ago where I picked up a load of houses. The old cleaner had just vanished after TWENTY YEARS, they didn't even know his surname or where he lived. One of the houses in particular was really concerned about him and were worried something had happened to him.

[John F]

It might well be down to the customers, they could be a lot of "not today thank you's," and he decided enough was enough, you'll soon find out if that is the case.

yep who knows. i bet you find out soon enough though

[windowswashed]

I had 8 out of every 10 in one street that kept messing me about constantly with regularity,...... so one day I dropped the whole street never to return despite them asking 6 months afterwards. only interested in reliable , regular work and no one offs.