[Steve Newres]

Any customer that mucks me around gets dumped. I am fairly tolerant and open minded, however, at the point she said about her neighbours work and she'll contact you when she's ready...she's dumped!
I never ever contact custies to tell them they are dumped, I just don't turn up.
These people aren't stupid, they know they have p155ed you around and know full well why you haven't turned up.
If they ever phone and ask why I haven't been, I just say 'I didn't think you wanted me to clean any more' because of...(reason goes here).
I don't ever want to have a customer where I am wondering 'IF' they want their windows done this time (8 weeks). I can't build a business on that!
There are so many good customers out there, I really can't be arsed to waste my time and effort on people who muck me around.
I clean windows because it is supposedly simple and stress free! As soon as anyone starts to upset the 'apple cart' I may as well go back into working in an office.
Aaaaaaaand reeeeeelaaax! 

Succinctly put.

[AuRavelling79]

Thanks Soupy ...

At the moment she is a dumpee ... if she enquires why, I can give her the Soupy lecture and see if she is trainable. For now I  don't have to wonder whether she'll have her windows done and if and when I train her it's win - win.

Thankfully there are at least two other window cleaners in the road so hopefully she'll go to one of them and mess them about which ties them up and leaves me to prune my round into even better shape. That's win-win too.

[lee_dewing]

Explain that your books are nearly full and you're turning away work, work that wants doing every time. Tell her that you schedule a certain amount of work each day for the area you're in and her turning you away messed up your timetable. Tell her you offer an ad-hoc service but it's 5x your standard monthly price. You could even tell her the truth; you take it personally when she asks you to miss her windows. My point is, tell her something. I don't see what you have to lose and I see no point in messing her about.

Hi Soupy not trying to be sarcastic as that all makes sense what you said there and well put.

But your earlier comment about customer not interested in how a window cleaning round works and it's all quite boring to her is probably true and she would have the Same enthusiasm for anything else said.

If your full up.... why suffer messers.

[Walter Mitty]

You get the hump, then you dump.
Who would have believed that Humpty Dumpty was a window cleaner?

[Soupy]

Explain that your books are nearly full and you're turning away work, work that wants doing every time. Tell her that you schedule a certain amount of work each day for the area you're in and her turning you away messed up your timetable. Tell her you offer an ad-hoc service but it's 5x your standard monthly price. You could even tell her the truth; you take it personally when she asks you to miss her windows. My point is, tell her something. I don't see what you have to lose and I see no point in messing her about.

Hi Soupy not trying to be sarcastic as that all makes sense what you said there and well put.

But your earlier comment about customer not interested in how a window cleaning round works and it's all quite boring to her is probably true and she would have the Same enthusiasm for anything else said.

If your full up.... why suffer messers.

If you're full you're full, that much is true. It's easier and cheaper to sort the customers you've got than to get new ones. At least it should be.

It's not a case of suffering messers, I have my fair share, believe me, but to me the issues Gold's customer had weren't that big a deal. One two minute conversation and it's done, come what may.

[P @ F]

I dont do messers at all , they all get one chance , if its a good reason that is .
In fact i already have a list of 12 or so that are getting the boot in the new year , am i going to tell them , am i feck .
Why ?
Because they didnt tell me that they were going to hold my payment off so they could have a nice Christmas , they didnt tell me that they were having electric gates fitted , they didnt tell me that after i had set all gear up that they were going to pressure wash the patio later and that i should come back the day before Crimbo eve .
I clean your windows but im not a retarded feckin lacky .
Shame but i really cant be arsed with the likes of that , and to be honest they will probably have done me a favour !   

[Johnny B]

This is where I differ from the norm.

I offer a service giving the customer the frequency they want,  and I have a good number who will phone me when they want an ad-hoc clean.

I now have a fairly large customer base, so if I do get a 'not today', I dont care what the reason is, I'll see them next time and just go to the next job pn my list. If they do it 2 or 3 times in a row, I just ask them to call me when they need me and I'll schedule them in for when I'm in their area the next time. I still make money from having them on the books so there's really no issue to deal with as both parties benefit.

John

[Shrek]

This is where I differ from the norm.

I offer a service giving the customer the frequency they want,  and I have a good number who will phone me when they want an ad-hoc clean.

I now have a fairly large customer base, so if I do get a 'not today', I dont care what the reason is, I'll see them next time and just go to the next job pn my list. If they do it 2 or 3 times in a row, I just ask them to call me when they need me and I'll schedule them in for when I'm in their area the next time. I still make money from having them on the books so there's really no issue to deal with as both parties benefit.

John

But that defeats the object of having different frequencies unless they’re payments change when they skip cleans. Some people like skipping cleans because they don’t want to pay the monthly payment and don’t want to pay extra for an 8 weekly clean either.
I had 2 customers txt me back this month saying they want to skip this months clean, so I txt them both back saying yeah that’s fine it’s an extra 50% for every other month service.
1 customer said yeah that’d be great il go 8weekly from now on, the other didn’t bother replying- and she’s the 1 who has 15 chickens in her back yard so it’s difficult enough cleaning it 4weekly with all the crap the gets all over the back door and she expected me to skip this month because she can’t be arsed- so Iv dumped her, I don’t run a business like that

[lee_dewing]

Gold's customer had weren't that big a deal. One two minute conversation and it's done, come what may.

Hi Soupy, yes that's true good for you if that works.

I have tried explaining and even sent letters but find messers are messers, I just don't have the energy to go through it all how a window cleaning round works when their turning me away.

I don't think it's difficult I call monthly, clean, you pay...job done.

The only success I've had converting a messer is missing them out and then when they have to know, I tell them straight, to the point but polite.

If they come back it's mainly on a standing order basis, I show the day after, onwards I see their money in my bank.

I'm more than happy to be turned away with their money in the bank.

I find standing order not perfect for me as I'm not on time 100%
 
But credit and refund if nessercary.

Merry Christmas 🎅 Soupy!

[AuRavelling79]

When I used to give talks I would sometimes use the illustration of the pearl in the oyster.

How does a pearl get formed? Because an irritant (sand) is covered over with a secretion (pearl) and something beautiful and valued is formed.

This particular customer isn't worth the secretion to me. But to someone else she might be.

[lee_dewing]

Hi Granville, merry Christmas 🎅

I see my round as a beautiful lawn of grass,

I've worked very hard to get it to it's current state.

I'm not letting the weeds creep in to spoil it all
😲😁

[Soupy]

When I used to give talks I would sometimes use the illustration of the pearl in the oyster.

Surely no one in their right mind would deliberately sit and listen to your pearls of 'wisdom'?

[lee_dewing]

1 customer said yeah that’d be great il go 8weekly from now on, the other didn’t bother replying- and she’s the 1 who has 15 chickens in her back yard so it’s difficult enough cleaning it 4weekly with all the crap the gets all over the back door and she expected me to skip this month because she can’t be arsed- so Iv dumped her, I don’t run a business like that

Hi Shrek merry Christmas 🎅

15 chickens😲

Do you do that job Saturday afternoon? go there with a sack and hatchet, for free Sunday lunch😁

Does she ever give you any eggs?

You could egg her windows with her own supply 😁

[Shrek]

1 customer said yeah that’d be great il go 8weekly from now on, the other didn’t bother replying- and she’s the 1 who has 15 chickens in her back yard so it’s difficult enough cleaning it 4weekly with all the crap the gets all over the back door and she expected me to skip this month because she can’t be arsed- so Iv dumped her, I don’t run a business like that

Hi Shrek merry Christmas 🎅

15 chickens😲

Do you do that job Saturday afternoon? go there with a sack and hatchet, for free Sunday lunch😁

Does she ever give you any eggs?

You could egg her windows with her own supply 😁

Merry Christmas 🎄  lee

No , I used to do it through the week lol , one of the first questions I ask all my customers is ‘ do you have any dogs ?’ .... she said no but never mentioned the flipping chickens when I quoted online ffs .
Iv only cleaned a couple  of times and although it’s an easy mid terrace (Iv got to drive round to the back alley to do the back) , she forgot to clean all the chicken 💩 up last month so started doing it when I arrived . Kind of glad I dumped really 

[davids3511]

To save any confusion, I always explain to a customer why I wont be cleaning their windows any more and that they would be best to source another cleaner and its always said in a professional manner.
Saying yes and not turning up is never a good idea.

He didn’t say yes. He just factually stated..... I’ll be in your road in a few hours. (Truthful statement) he didn’t say “I’ll get YOUR windows cleaned
In a few hours” 

Hasn't an MP been sacked for being misleading in his statements recently 
Haha i know its not on the same comparison but it was implyining  a yes and so it is misleading compared to saying something like;
Im sorry I wont be able to continue my service with you, as we agreed at the onstart............ (explain)

This wouldn't course an argument in front of the good customer but it would also reinforce to them that your a man of your word. Especially if they were thinking of trying it on in the furture.

No way should you have that conversation in front of another customer. Not professional at all.

[Walter Mitty]

I suppose it comes down to the question, "Would my round/business be more profitable if I replaced this customer with another?"

[P @ F]

I suppose it comes down to the question, "Would my round/business be more profitable if I replaced this customer with another?"

I have lost some real good paid jobs through operating the way i do , but i do feel im better off replacing them even if with lower paid jobs , no job is worth the money if you have to chase the payment , or when you do get to do them they are minging .

[AuRavelling79]

When I used to give talks I would sometimes use the illustration of the pearl in the oyster.

Surely no one in their right mind would deliberately sit and listen to your pearls of 'wisdom'?

Yes Soups. They would take the irritant (me) and make a pearl from it! 

[Walter Mitty]

When I used to give talks I would sometimes use the illustration of the pearl in the oyster.

Surely no one in their right mind would deliberately sit and listen to your pearls of 'wisdom'?

Yes Soups. They would take the irritant (me) and make a pearl from it! 

The ones that were still awake, anyway

[Slacky]

I would just like to pick Mr Gold up on his use of grammar.

Are you sure the noun is 'Dumpee'?


Shouldn't it be something a little easier that rolls of the tongue, maybe 'Dumpstress'?

Likewise a noun for a group of customers that have been dumped really needs to be settled on. Maybe a 'Drown' of Dumpstress's.

Just thinking aloud here, but really I'm perturbed with your original use of the word. More homework, please, an hour a night extra, for a week, including tomorrow night too, so you don't make the same mistake twice.