[AuRavelling79]

So I get a call from a lady who says she has had me recommended by one of my customers in X road. A bit out of my way by about a mile but I think it's worth considering.

The spidey-senses went from zero to  100 over the next fortnight ...

1. Name of lady meant I thought she might be from a "hard-to-please" culture.
2. She has to be there at a certain day and time for me to give a price so she can unlock the gate.
3. So I agree to go round last week on Wednesday afternoon between 2 and 3 on my way back from some work but I'm told she has a "severely disabled son" who needs collecting from school - so I mustn't be "any later".

Then I get a call asking to rearrange which I do.

4. Arrive at agreed time and lady comes out and shows me round. I say the price will be more for the first clean as they haven't obviously been done for a long time. She says they were done six weeks ago. I say they haven't been done for longer than that in my opinion.

5. I see a large crack on an upstairs window above the extension and point it out. She tells me that her last window cleaner did it when he climbed on the roof and hit it with the end of his "wiper thing" which is why she wants wfp and she is very miffed because he didn't admit responsibility and she will have to pay £200 for a new unit.

6. I say the first clean will be £30 and subsequently £20 every 8 weeks. She says "is that your best price because my friend who recommended you only pays £15 and she says her house is bigger than mine".

(I am now looking for a way to politely decline and walk away)

6. (continued) I say her house isn't as big as yours and her price is £16 not £15. (this customer is a bit highly strung with a kid with some sort of undefined anxiety "illness"but is OK and been on board for over 10 years)

7. She asks what I will do for the money and I say let me be specific. Glass, frames, doors, rooflights ... not that plastic curved ornate architrave/capping/moulding  thing above the bay (that looks like it's never been cleaned). "Oh, why not?" "Because your last cleaner obviously didn't do it." "How much will that be?" "£10 every time you ask me to do it but it might not come up perfectly as it has been neglected for years."
"Will you include that?""No."

8. Her. "Hmmm I'll think about it." Me. "Fine, I'll be off then." Her. "Wait a minute I'm thinking ... I always let my customers think. " Me. "Mrs. S - it's only window cleaning - it's not a hard decision, it's only £20 or £30, what do you want to do?"

9. Her. "OK then." Me "I only take on line payments or cash if you are in. First clean is cash up front." Her "I don't do online payments - the internet is why people don't communicate, that's why my son is autistic."

10. (I've gotta get out of here!) "It's not a method of communication in this situation Mrs. S. - it's a method of payment." Her. "Well I'll leave cash out under a plant pot but you can't clean when I'm not in."

11. "I'm sorry Mrs. S. I cannot manage your expectations, good day and thanks for your enquiry."
   

[Tosh]

Was she a suicide bomber?

[JandS]

I got an Asian women wanted her house doing she actually  saw me cleaning about half a mile from where she lives I said fine I'll call round when I've done here.....her window cleaner was hit and miss and had not been round for 6 months through winter.
When I got there it was a council cul de sac but looked after.....she said I have got you 7 others all in here so I stuck £2 on the old w/c prices and she said go on then if your doing all the frames as well.
Because there was 7 virtually in a row I didn't charge a first clean price and knew once cleaned up they would take no more than 90 mins for £56 as there was nothing to them and were on my route.
Did the first clean which took nearly 4 hours, everybody paid on the day and were happy.
Then she texts me the next day to say they don't want me no more, the cleaning was fine but I am too expensive.....they will carry on with the old w/c.
There were all from the "hard to please" can you "just do that while your here" culture.

[robbo333]

I had about 6 new enquiries last week from my website and walk ups. In my opinion, all messers so didn't clean any of them. Perhaps i'm a bit harsh 

[Stoots]

Best to just walk away isnt it.

I had a similar call last week, hi can you give me a quote to clean my windows.
No problem ill call in when passing and have a look.
oh i need to be in as access is through the side garage.
 I said are you normally in?
no im usually at work weekdays.
i said in that case it would be front only if you are not in.
no , she says ill want the whole house doing everytime.
well it wont be possible if you are not in will it?
can we arrange you to do it on days i am in?
nope im only that way once a month and if you are not it when im in the area then i cant come back for one house so i guess you should call someone else. thanks

[nathankaye]

This is why regardless of situation, always stick extra on for first clean.

Lol, liking the new term for these cultural types.
I had one a couple of months back. A chap just moving into private house to rent on a street which i clean the majority of and know most of people on street. Hes with a dark african friend and as both are talking im not sure which one was actually going to live there. Normal price would be £12 and i said first clean is £20 then £12 every 4 wks. He said he needs to speak to his wife (but no rings on finger) first and so left him card and said to call when he knows what hes doing as im in area for next 4 days. Then he ask why higher for first clean and so told him i normally get requests to sign up but cancel after first clean and as i dont know you  (no offence) i cant take that chance. Plus i was last person to clean these windows over a yr ago. They spend 5 mins or so trying to knock price down (whilst im still cleaning neighbours windows so im not loosing out on time). Ok sign us up for regular cleans i said great, but taken from today i dont know if you will cancel next month and so the first clean charge stands. They then say ok, if we get you next month do you knock off the extra £8 charged today from the next clean. I laughed and said NO, we are taking it from face value how it stands today!!!
After i finished the house i was on, he popped round to give go ahead to clean them. Which i did but i took payment upfront first!

Next day, well night i was in town with my mrs and friends in a club. Guess who should be going round in clubs selling tackie flashing lights n roses.........yep same guy trying to sell me a rose for wife for £5 saying i should as i ripped him off for windows....i laughed and said hes ripping us drunken fools off for some tackie flashing lights 

Needless to say i havent been asked to clean them on a regular basis

[Og]

All the awkward types on my round are white British.

[DeLuce]

Enjoyable thread to read! Lol.
Funny isn't it, how our sub conscious picks up subtle attitudes and inflection. Makes an inner judgement and then thinks.................let's give them the benefit of the doubt 
Then, we get cues that seal our initial judgement as correct and want to get out of the situation. It's called 'thin-slicing', based on years of dealing with people. Your mind picks up the signals, we get 'a feeling' something isn't quite right.
Most of the time it seems we're better off going with our initial feeling.
Malcolm Gladwell - Blink

[AuRavelling79]

Rigsby - take your point about Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink" ideas.

However I still went  and analysed ...

In Think!: Why Crucial Decisions Can’t Be Made in the Blink of an Eye (Simon and Schuster, 2006), Michael LeGault argues that "Blinklike" judgements are not a substitute for critical thinking. He criticises Gladwell for propagating unscientific notions ...

[Stoots]

All the awkward types on my round are white British.

Mine too, but thats probably because i only have 4 "cultural types" on my round anyway.

Actually i found the typical council estate "benefit types" to be the worst offenders. Hence i no longer work on council properties except the odd exception to the rule.

[P @ F]

To be honest , i would have been walking away by the time point 2. was uttered ,  they just aswell call me a thief from the outset , as to put the slightest doubt of trust issue on the table , i dont have to earn trust from anybody , hell i would have gone back in 6 months and robbed her for her cheek !!

[Dry Clean]

To be honest , i would have been walking away by the time point 2. was uttered ,  they just aswell call me a thief from the outset , as to put the slightest doubt of trust issue on the table , i dont have to earn trust from anybody , hell i would have gone back in 6 months and robbed her for her cheek !!

Agreed there was no need for the spidey senses on that one, the ones that get mine going are the too nice promise the earth types who for some reason have never been able to find a decent reliable shiner.

[P @ F]

Had a walk up last week , seemed nice as pie , worked from home , then tells me his cleaner only lives 6 houses away but hardly ever turns up , i tell him i will go around to price it up .
Then that night i get a text saying that i can go to price but he dont want them doing until the weather gets a bit better , it was a mini heat wave for British weather at the time .
Needless to say , i aint been round yet , and fear he has a long wait to boot ....ETERNITY springs to mind 

[robbo333]

Unfortunately it's the 'Silly Season' and everybody wants their windows cleaned and they'll tell you anything to get them done.
I think of it like this:
You know when you're driving around and most people on the road are ok, but then you get the odd one that does something completely stupid and you think 'what a pr4t'!  Maybe in a week you'll meet 4 or 5 of those types of people? I think these are the people that have been phoning me to do their windows! 

[tony day]

This is why regardless of situation, always stick extra on for first clean.

Lol, liking the new term for these cultural types.
I had one a couple of months back. A chap just moving into private house to rent on a street which i clean the majority of and know most of people on street. Hes with a dark african friend and as both are talking im not sure which one was actually going to live there. Normal price would be £12 and i said first clean is £20 then £12 every 4 wks. He said he needs to speak to his wife (but no rings on finger) first and so left him card and said to call when he knows what hes doing as im in area for next 4 days. Then he ask why higher for first clean and so told him i normally get requests to sign up but cancel after first clean and as i dont know you  (no offence) i cant take that chance. Plus i was last person to clean these windows over a yr ago. They spend 5 mins or so trying to knock price down (whilst im still cleaning neighbours windows so im not loosing out on time). Ok sign us up for regular cleans i said great, but taken from today i dont know if you will cancel next month and so the first clean charge stands. They then say ok, if we get you next month do you knock off the extra £8 charged today from the next clean. I laughed and said NO, we are taking it from face value how it stands today!!!
After i finished the house i was on, he popped round to give go ahead to clean them. Which i did but i took payment upfront first!

Next day, well night i was in town with my mrs and friends in a club. Guess who should be going round in clubs selling tackie flashing lights n roses.........yep same guy trying to sell me a rose for wife for £5 saying i should as i ripped him off for windows....i laughed and said hes ripping us drunken fools off for some tackie flashing lights 

Needless to say i havent been asked to clean them on a regular basis

Why mention his skin colour? (Dark) How do you know he's African?

[nathankaye]

Why not ??!
How do i know he was from Africa, cause we got talking whilst cleaning the house.

[tony day]

I got an Asian women wanted her house doing she actually  saw me cleaning about half a mile from where she lives I said fine I'll call round when I've done here.....her window cleaner was hit and miss and had not been round for 6 months through winter.
When I got there it was a council cul de sac but looked after.....she said I have got you 7 others all in here so I stuck £2 on the old w/c prices and she said go on then if your doing all the frames as well.
Because there was 7 virtually in a row I didn't charge a first clean price and knew once cleaned up they would take no more than 90 mins for £56 as there was nothing to them and were on my route.
Did the first clean which took nearly 4 hours, everybody paid on the day and were happy.
Then she texts me the next day to say they don't want me no more, the cleaning was fine but I am too expensive.....they will carry on with the old w/c.
There were all from the "hard to please" can you "just do that while your here" culture.

She probably didn't want a fat British racist cleaning her windows.

[tony day]

Why not ??!
How do i know he was from Africa, cause we got talking whilst cleaning the house.

Would you of said a white chap from Poland?

[Tom White]

All the awkward types on my round are white British.

North Walians, living in the South are my crosses to bear.

[nathankaye]

Why not ??!
How do i know he was from Africa, cause we got talking whilst cleaning the house.

Would you of said a white chap from Poland?

Mate you need to get off your high horse.  My comments are not racist. Infact many of my dark skinned friends hate people saying coloured etc.