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NBwcs

  • Posts: 1048
Re: Same old chestnut but I have to ask
« Reply #20 on: Today at 03:04:40 pm »
Worst winter in my 21 yrs shining... It doesn't help that the forecasts are so unreliable, if you could trust that it was going to pee it down all day you could  mentally relax and make the most of the time off but instead your looking out of the window every 10 mins thinking "it's stopped, I ought to be out there". Cleaning in the rain round here is a surefire way to lose customers, I'm in the driest (usually) part of the counrty and  theres  little sympathy for turning up  when it's raining. I will ask sometimes if they mind in light rain before starting but  you can tell in their voice that even those that do  say yes aren't overjoyed. I totally get wc on the west side of the country having to be bit  more hard faced about it, you have to earn a  living, but round here there's usually plenty of dry days to catch up on. But not so far this year, wettest I've ever known it.

dazmond

  • Posts: 24695
Re: Same old chestnut but I have to ask
« Reply #21 on: Today at 03:56:30 pm »
Worst winter in my 21 yrs shining... It doesn't help that the forecasts are so unreliable, if you could trust that it was going to pee it down all day you could  mentally relax and make the most of the time off but instead your looking out of the window every 10 mins thinking "it's stopped, I ought to be out there". Cleaning in the rain round here is a surefire way to lose customers, I'm in the driest (usually) part of the counrty and  theres  little sympathy for turning up  when it's raining. I will ask sometimes if they mind in light rain before starting but  you can tell in their voice that even those that do  say yes aren't overjoyed. I totally get wc on the west side of the country having to be bit  more hard faced about it, you have to earn a  living, but round here there's usually plenty of dry days to catch up on. But not so far this year, wettest I've ever known it.

This is not the way to run a window cleaning business IMO.

Just go out and get it done whatever the weather and only have days off in the very worst of weather.

You ve got to be firm but polite with your customers. The weather is changing all the time.

You shouldn't be asking them either just crack on.
price higher/work harder!

deeege

  • Posts: 5172
Re: Same old chestnut but I have to ask
« Reply #22 on: Today at 04:07:14 pm »
Has it really been that bad? I won’t work in sideways rain but get on with it in all other weather. I’ve lost less than 2 days to the weather this winter so far, 2 half days due to morning temperatures and a couple of afternoons due to storms.

If you’re packing up and heading home every single time it rains then this probably isn’t the right line of work for you imo.
"....and it's lend me ten pounds, I'll buy you a drink, and mother wake me early in the morning."

Stoots

  • Posts: 6457
Re: Same old chestnut but I have to ask
« Reply #23 on: Today at 04:13:27 pm »
Worst winter in my 21 yrs shining... It doesn't help that the forecasts are so unreliable, if you could trust that it was going to pee it down all day you could  mentally relax and make the most of the time off but instead your looking out of the window every 10 mins thinking "it's stopped, I ought to be out there". Cleaning in the rain round here is a surefire way to lose customers, I'm in the driest (usually) part of the counrty and  theres  little sympathy for turning up  when it's raining. I will ask sometimes if they mind in light rain before starting but  you can tell in their voice that even those that do  say yes aren't overjoyed. I totally get wc on the west side of the country having to be bit  more hard faced about it, you have to earn a  living, but round here there's usually plenty of dry days to catch up on. But not so far this year, wettest I've ever known it.

The issue isnt that no one will have them done in the rain its that youve had 3 or 4 people moan and you see that as no one wants them doing. Youve taken the opinion of a few customers and got it in your head that you will lose all your work.  So now you dont work in the rain and this makes it worse with customers thinking you wont be out if its raining. 

You asking for their permission compunds this even more, you arent sure so they arent sure. You dont ask customers if you can clean their windows you tell them you will be round tomorrow to clean them . If they question the weather you explain why it wont affect them and they can leave the round if they arent happy. Youve basically created your own problem.

If you only clean 90% of your round this month and the rest skipped or you dumped them isnt that better than cleaning only 50% of it because you were too scared to work in the rain, explain to people, offer a rain guarantee and ultimately start replacing the ones who moan.

You cant run a reliable, regular window cleaning round in the UK like that, it rains something like 160 days a year on average!

Slacky

  • Posts: 8491
Re: Same old chestnut but I have to ask
« Reply #24 on: Today at 07:19:29 pm »
Asking?

You’re setting yourself up to lose work.

Show up, crack on, earn. If they turn you away you will have been turned away from one but cleaned 9.


NBwcs

  • Posts: 1048
Re: Same old chestnut but I have to ask
« Reply #25 on: Today at 07:59:49 pm »
160 days a year? I lost just 2 complete days and 2 half days through the whole of 2025,there really isn't any excuse for me to be cleaning in the rain (without customers blessing) and trust me, it's not about 3 or 4 customers moaning and me running my business around it. You simply wouldn't get away with running your business cleaning in the rain round here. Windys have an understanding amongst ourselves locally, you can finish a job in the rain but don't start one in it, unless customer doesn't mind. None of the local lads clean residential in the rain, there's usually no need to. As I said, tolerance levels are understandablly different in wetter areas and I get why wc clean in the rain in other areas but  I certainly wouldn't want to pay for a windy who cleans in the rain. Alot on here have  convinced themselves cleaning in the rain makes no difference to the result and alot /most of the time it won't but it's undeniable that rain has the potential to bring down bits off the roof, drop dirty water off dirty facias, and likewise bounce dirt off the ground onto the bottoms of French doors, let alone the risk of dust in the atmosphere after drier weather. And given a choice, who the hell wants to clean in the pouring rain, I used to do facias in the  rain and got to loathe the thought of doing them.