[Ian101]

Let this "customer" mess me about just to see for the fun of it ... an experiment in human behaviour if you will.

The object of this experiment was to find out the following.

1. Can you train them to be better customers ?

2. Does the CIU myth of "once a messer always a messer" stand up to further scrutiny ?

3. Does being helpful and accommerdating bear fruit in the long run ?

4. The development of a polite response if the unfortunate stage of culling them does arise when the first 3 objects fail.




SUBJECT MATTER  (Names have been changed to protect the messer)


Mrs Jones first approached me in the spring with the ever classic customer line of "my last window cleaner just stopped coming" (this can be an indicator to problems further ahead) so a price of £12 once a month was agreed.

2 cleans in and the agreed payment method of a cheque in the post was not adhered to   so off I went to collect on a Saturday. got payment and stressed how important it was she sent payment in future. .... 1 clean later and no cheque in post so again off I went on a Saturday to collect payment ... again stressed how important it was she paid by cheque in post  : .... normally at this stage she would be culled but for the good of the forum I decided to start this experiment.

Object 1 nearly proven by now. (Can you train them to be better customers)

So another clean in and same old no cheque in post so off I went on another Saturday and this time offered a standing order but she declined ..... also offered to go bimonthly at no extra charge which she was happy to take me up on.

Another clean and no payment so off I went on another Saturday (things I do for this forum  ) .... unfortunately this time she was out so left a polite note and lo and behold a cheque did arrive in the post a few days later ... you can imagine my excitement at this point thinking I had successfully retrained an errant customer but alas upon looking at the date of said cheque I realised it was post dated for 6 weeks and a little post it note on the back asking me not to cash it early (ok the missus spotted it) so back down to planet reality I decided to conclude the experiment with the following proven.


1. Can you train them to be better customers ?  NO

2. Does the CIU myth of "once a messer always a messer" stand up to further scrutiny ? YES

3. Does being helpful and accommerdating bear fruit in the long run ? NO



All I had to do was the final objection

4. The development of a polite response if the unfortunate stage of culling them does arise when the first 3 objects fail.

The oppertunity to action this arose yesterday when cleaning the other houses in the road she came out as I was putting the gear away to enquire why I wasn't doing her 2 monthly clean as it was due in time for Christmas ??

So I replied with the following line "The system must have removed you from the round"

"Whys that" asks Mr Jones

"Well it does it for one of 2 reasons - either you've cancelled or its deleted you automatically for being a poor payer"

quite put out by my response she blurted out "BUT I DIDNT CANCEL ............ oh I see"

and with that the experiment was concluded with all 4 objects sucessfully carried out  

[andyM]

"Sorry Mrs. ...the computer says no!" 

[George P]

like it, nice one

[dazmond]

basically if a customer is a persistent late payer i dump them.i have in the past took them back on at a better price in a years time or so and again they were just the same.me having to chase payment all the time.so i never take them back on now and  tell them the reason why politely but firmly.

i do have some that seem to drag their heels with payment but thats usually because the window cleaning bill is not high on the list of priorities or they forget/busy.i keep them though if their on my compact runs of work as their very apolgetic when i do catch up with them.its the ones who never have any money,cant find chequebook,forget BACS i dump.

i get some to pay 1 clean in advance now so it evens itself out a bit.

[Small but perfectley formed]

Nice one i like

[Llaaww]

Good effort........

[Londoner]

One of the things I have noticed over time is that messers are often the ones who are most keen initially. I have a theory of my own that these are the sort of people who also send for special offers out of the newspaper or buy things off the shopping channels that they don't really want until they see the advert.

I don't know if they are more suggestable , maybe you ought to start suggesting some other more "personal" services and see what the take up on them is.

[AS Window Cleaning]

appreciate the hard work you've put in for us here ian.

good job and nicely put together report mate

[VSP Home Care]

Top post Ian 

Will you be running other human behavioural studies for us on said customers 

Possibly we should organise a list of subjects worth testing out.

[mister bit]

Nice report and a good effort

Although I would give it a B mainly because you haven't referenced any other peer reviewed material nor have you set a control subject for comparison ... and I would like to have read a little about any sexual problems the subject may have experienced

[Ian101]

Think your being harsh B+ at least :-)

[Pope vader]

once a messer always a messer, i have a 2 clean rule, and for some they dont get cleaned till they pay again,  and some i just dont turn back up

[tompoole]

I was asked only today why I hadn't cleaned , I politely said
Any late payer gets put to bottom of list and gets cleaned as and
When , pay on time and get cleaned on time simples 
It's every where though , I had a neighbour starting a new business
And needed AW and printing sorted , I offered to help, as I
Spent 22 years in print . I designed AW and ordered at cost
Through a trade supplier , paid for it and you guessed I'm still
Waiting for the money! One month on, I'm too soft.
 Got job done for a third of retail and the soppy
Mare wants a receipt! Some funny f***kkkkers about.

[Ian101]

AW .... Art work ??

[tompoole]

Yes sorry I did mean art work. Old fashioned term I know,

[bobby p]

      that made me chuckle "life cycle"   . 

[A & J Owen Window Cleaning]

always the same response "my last windy stopped coming" thats when it turns you off and the alarm bells start ringing "my response normally is and what pathetic life issues do you have then"

[AuRavelling79]

Thanks Ian - good stuff.

[GB Window Cleaning]

top post ian. A+ sir 

[Ian101]

top post ian. A+ sir 

yes thats more like it