[PurefectWindowCleaning]

Im not one to normally ask for advice regarding how to deal with customers etc, as I am experianced enough to make my own decisions, but this curious to see how some of you would play this situation...

So, we are cleaning the window for a regular customer, the neighbour comes out and asks us to do his.

We agree on a price, but he says I dont get paid till tomorrow, can we still do them and he will drop the money round.

Now, id normally say no chance, but this was a flat for £8.00, 4 little windows, easy.

As he seemed a sound and genuine chap we cleaned them and left a bill.

Tomorrow came, and no money got dropped round, so called round to his house on 3 sepreate occasions... no answer.

By now, 2 weeks have passed so I typed a letter out demanding payment as arranged and sent it to him.

I get a text message, saying he was sorry, and he will drop it around the following morning. The reason he hadent done it sooner was becuse of 'family problems'

Since that message, 5 more days have passed and still no money.

Now, I have to give him the benifit of doubt that he is having family problems, but he has made 2 promises and I still havent been paid.


At what point do I phone him and say 'look, fully appreciate your situation, but I want my money'?


Im thinking ill give him till Monday, then phone as that would be a week since his text message.


I know its only 8 quid, but im not having some little pri*ck get away with it, as in the past I have been had over by a few and let it go.


Never again am I trusting anyone... not even a 60 year old little old lady 

[bobplum]

once a c**t always a c**t
this just proves your sound business sense of payment before clean or at the time of the clean
go and put dirt on the windows

[dd]

It is only £8. Not a nice thing to happen but not worth stressing over. Just look at it as a lesson learned.

The way I look at it if people want to treat you that way it is their problem as it is not a nice way to go through life and they will not be a genuinely happy person.

[Ian101]

If its local just go and knock ..... my favourite time used to be 8am on a Saturday morning.

Tell him you got family problems as cant feed the kids cos not getting paid

[PurefectWindowCleaning]

If its local just go and knock ..... my favourite time used to be 8am on a Saturday morning.

Tell him you got family problems as cant feed the kids cos not getting paid

Im sure he was in when I went round knocking the last couple times... I also took the car instead of my van so that he did not know it was me 

[richard jagger]

pee in a bucket and empty it at his front door.

[C o z y]

You've been in this game long enough to know what to do mate   Annoying innit? I still let it happen to me!!! It's not the 8 beer coupons, it's the thought of someone taking the P that bothers us. Have fun getting up his nose. Make a hobby of annoying the tw@  

I had a soldier here in one of our areas, that owed 3 cleans!!!! That was over 40 quid. My mistake letting it go to 3 cleans   Anyway, he didn't feel like paying and would hang up when I called him at work etc. So we dragged him off to court and won, so with costs etc the whole bill came to over 300 quid.

Anyway, at one point, after he got the first letter from our solicitor, he wanted to know how I found where he worked!!! 95% of our Brit custies are soldiers, so we know where the work in what town etc. So when I saw him after the court case, I told him how we found him. I said that all I had to do was go onto Google and type in the town he lived in and "tosser". His was the first name and address that came up.

Should have seen his face. So Enjoy the trip mate!!  

[tlwcs]

Let it go mate.
I had one similar a few years ago, upstairs flat, had no cash but would drop it off. It never came and I never did him again. However a year or so after i was working next door when he came out of his flat, the door shut behind him and now he's locked out. He looks across and asks he can use the ladder to gain access through an upstairs window. I remind him about the fiver he owes me, he pulls a tenner out I give hime the change and in front of a few people that had gathered told him to "jog on"
I was worried about the van for a few visits after though.
Karma, will repay you even if it takes a while.
Tony

[C o z y]

Let it go mate.
I had one similar a few years ago, upstairs flat, had no cash but would drop it off. It never came and I never did him again. However a year or so after i was working next door when he came out of his flat, the door shut behind him and now he's locked out. He looks across and asks he can use the ladder to gain access through an upstairs window. I remind him about the fiver he owes me, he pulls a tenner out I give hime the change and in front of a few people that had gathered told him to "jog on"
I was worried about the van for a few visits after though.
Karma, will repay you even if it takes a while.
Tony

Nice one!!!

[Michael Peterson]

James its one of those mate, drives me mad, could sopa up the windows but whats the point, let the neighbor know what he did if you like :-) personally i would delete all records of ever having done it and forget about it, im in the precess of dropping an 80 house because they p me off so much in trying to get the money,

[king marko]

Sorry to say this mate but... 4 little windows, easy - £8 - just let it go - you've overcharged IMHO and nearly got away with it but its not like you've done a whole minging house now is it?

[Johnny B]

I have been caught a few times by those who want clean windows, then don't want to pay.

I had one wheelchair bound old lady who had me do her bungalow inside and out. She promised me faithfully that she would pay (two of her daughters had previously stuck me for cleans as well), but I never got paid.

I actually clean another of her daughter's (lives opposite her, she is sound) and I heard the old girl talking about me, and that I wouldn't do them because she hadn't paid, and the daughter not wanting to get involved.

I feel aggrieved when I realize I have been stiffed, then I feel much better when I have dumped them.

John

[ben M]

Sorry to say this mate but... 4 little windows, easy - £8 - just let it go - you've overcharged IMHO and nearly got away with it but its not like you've done a whole minging house now is it?

overcharged?? i think the customer agreed to pay £8.I do a minimum charge of £10, even for 3 or 4 windows so Doesn't matter if it is £8 or £4 or £50, if you do a job, you need to be paid!

[PurefectWindowCleaning]

Def didn't overcharge, should have been £16.00 really seens as it was a first clean/oneoff 

[ben M]

you should charge £16 now for late payment 

[robbo333]

You should be paid (go round saturday early) but don't judge everyone by him. Most people are decent and honest and you shouldn't let one person cloud your judgement of the majority.

[David Kent @ KentKleen]

Just a thought, but how bad would you feel if he has just lost a close family member and the last thing on his mind is your £8

[PurefectWindowCleaning]

Just a thought, but how bad would you feel if he has just lost a close family member and the last thing on his mind is your £8

Read my original post - I did say I have to give him the benefit of the doubt, at what point should I phone him!


Gutted for him if he has lost a family member, but in a nutshell, he is still taking the pi*s and I still havent been paid.

[colin purewater]

DON'T LET IT GO!!!

Wet bush
Floor bed
Paint the window black mate 

[mark turton]

dont think you overcharged especially for 1st clean not worth doing for less.

in any case he agreed to clean and price - he happens rarely for me - i get angry but just right it off - still bump into them now and again, they dont mention the money - but thier faces struggle to hide embarrassment.

perhaps we should tell custies who are messers they go on a window cleaners register and whic could mean all kinds of problems for them securing future window clean services.