[Mr. S]

I knocked at a £9 house for past 3 months payment, she swears blind she has not had them cleaned or had a leaflet through door saying they been cleaned!

She paid this last clean which she knew about as she saw me clean them and opened the rear gate. she said i couldnt have cleaned them before because the rear gate was locked (top bolt) and she wasnt there to open gate for those supposed cleans.

I know i did them and even gave her the dates showing her my paperwork.

Where do i stand? What action can i take? (Non aggressive please).

I must add i was very calm and said i will not b cleaning her windows in future and would pass the word around all the window cleaners in Stevenage.

I explained i ran a very respectable business and that i myself had done the cleans..........to no avail.

[NWH]

If it`s only £9 i would drop it.

[davey c]

Couldn't you call her bluff and say you had witnesess to say you had cleaned them (members of staff maybe) and that youll take action against her.

Then again it's only £9 so is it worth the hassle.
Personally I would put it down to experience or maybe start to collect on an evening maybe

[Peter Fogwill]

I knocked at a £9 house for past 3 months payment, she swears blind she has not had them cleaned or had a leaflet through door saying they been cleaned!

She paid this last clean which she knew about as she saw me clean them and opened the rear gate. she said i couldnt have cleaned them before because the rear gate was locked (top bolt) and she wasnt there to open gate for those supposed cleans.

I know i did them and even gave her the dates showing her my paperwork.

Where do i stand? What action can i take? (Non aggressive please).

I must add i was very calm and said i will not b cleaning her windows in future and would pass the word around all the window cleaners in Stevenage.

I explained i ran a very respectable business and that i myself had done the cleans..........to no avail.

People don't realise how quickly the time passes, and probably genuinely thinks she is in the right.  This is the problem you are going to get when you let it mount up, it is always better to collect after every clean.

Peter

[chris@c.m.s]

3 months payment is £27.00 and oddly enough I'm in the same situation   though I had an irate phone call claiming I had invaded their privacy when doing the last clean after gaining access to the rear via a bolted gate. I'm considering action agains them not because of the amount oweing but the way I was spoken to over the phone.   

[Mr. S]

Problem is this lady hasnt been in when ive tried to collect.

My line of thinking before i started this post was just put it down to experience, as this is the first time its ever happened to me. She is a fairly new customer, last year.

My long time regulars wouldnt even question it!

So this woman although i didnt bite at the time really P****d me o**.

Its not a question of the £18, but a case of not trusting me!

Why would i need to waste my valuable collecting time trying to rip people off, it wouldnt earn me any new customers.

Oh well, Just have to go out and get an even better paying customer, me thinks!!!!

[Mr. S]

Sorry Chris i posted this b4 reading your comments.

[chris@c.m.s]

Sounds almost like the same person, Mine I did 6 cleans in total I think the second and third clean she was out and even though I had put notes through the door she still questioned dates when I eventually caught her in, I have stopped collecting now though.
   

[chris@c.m.s]

Oh well, Just have to go out and get an even better paying customer, me thinks!!!!

Yes exactly I now do next door both sides and with better prices.
Whats her chances of getting a new w/cleaner   

[M & C Window Cleaning]

I've had this or something similar happen many times in my thirty years in this trade. Now I never clean more than twice before making sure I get my money.
In the early years poeple seemed more trusting, so much so I didn't even leave cards. Everybody  budgeted for it. So no matter what they owed you it was always there even if it was three cleans they owed you for.
There are still a few like that, but sadly many are less trusting. I find now that even though I leave 'windows cleaned' cards, if they owe me more than one they're more inclined to question it. If they genuinely seem to believe that they don't owe me then I might give them the benefit of the doubt. But they won't get away with it twice. This seems to sort out the genuine ones from the mickey takers.
Also, I let them see my records. Sometimes I've made a mistake and my record keeping proves them right. If so, I let them see that too as I believe it may help them trust my record keeping at a later date if necessary.
People's memories are funny things. I've had at least two customers who after faithfully paying me my price for many years have suddenly tried to pay me much less, swearing the've never payed me more and that my so called 'new price' is ridiculously high. When I tried to point out that they were now effectively paying half what their nieghbours were they still wouldn't have it. Needless to say I didn't carry on doing them.

"Ther's nowt so strange as folk"

[Mr. S]

Oh well, Just have to go out and get an even better paying customer, me thinks!!!!

Yes exactly I now do next door both sides and with better prices.
Whats her chances of getting a new w/cleaner   

Well, not The Best WC anyway!!!!

[Londoner]

I bet she's done it before. You were probably just the latest in a long line of window cleaners she has ripped off in the past.

You go out canvassing and you get a new customer. You always believe the best but really you have no idea what they are going to be like or the true reason why she lost her previous WC. Most new customers are somebody else's reject at the end of the day.

You are lucky its only a few quid, although thats annoying I know. My mate is a plumber / heating engineer and he has been hit for thousands.

[choice.clean]

i have learnt over the years to keep my mouth shut in these situations, stay calm and insist they pay. then leave with your dignity if they refuse to pay and wait, sometimes for years you'd be amazed how many will come back to you years later and ask you if you could clean theres. then i give a big grin and say SORRY I CAN'T and when they ask why i say you let me down before so i wouldn't take you back on.
ALL YOU NEED FOR THIS TECHNIQUE IS A LONG MEMORY AND BELIEVE ME ITS WORTH FAR MORE THAN £18 i have seen some customers nearly on their knees begging for me to clean for them again. because they can't get a window cleaner. I speak from experience over 20 years of window cleaning jst remember leave these rubbish ones for the fly by nights and they will eventually realise there not as clever as they think and for years they will see there neighbours shiny windows and know they can't even ask you to do theres.

[LWC]

little bit different, but i had a elderly couple tell me that i have never cleaned their windows before, even though they sent me the payments, twice!

mind you i think it was because of wfp more than anything

[PaulTh]

as a window cleaner ive met allsorts over the years to the down right rude and nasty to some of the most wonderful kind caring people you could wish to meet,my advice is this customer service should be at the forefront of your priorities if someone upsets you just grin and bear it,if you dont want to clean her windows again thats fine,id just stay away and if she asks you to do them again say youve put the prices up since and add a couple pound extra on,that way youll recoup your losses,mind dont give anyone any reason to spread rumours about you being rude itll only hurt your business,if someone pes you off just grin and bear it.

[Tosh]

I've not had this problem, I aways leave notes when I clean showing what they owe me for previous cleans, and another note (with an envelope) when I collect and they're not in, stating what they owe; for when.

However, I did read a post here from a guy in a similar situation.  He was non-threatening, but did ask how much the customer's excess was for his car insurance! 

He was paid.

I'm not saying this is the right way to go about doing business, but if you think they're taking the mick, then it's worth considering.

[dai]

I have had the same thing happen to me, I guess most of us have. I used to get really hacked off over it. Now I just write it off. I have just dropped 3 bad payers that live within 200 yards of me. They know they owe me, now I have suddenly become invisble as I walk passed them.
No matter, It's worth losing the money to get rid of them. I will of course tell their neighbours why I dropped them.
Dump, forget, move on. No major achievment for them in putting one over on me.
I am far too trusting, which makes me an easy guy to con. Dai

[Paul Coleman]

No matter, It's worth losing the money to get rid of them.

That's the way I view it too Dai.  I even said that to one of them as well.
It was £15 that was outstanding.  When I tried to discuss it and they wouldn't, I came out with something like "It is costing me £15 to get rid of a very awkward customer.  I regard that as a bargain."  I think he was after an argument but you can't really argue with a comment like that.

[Russell Macdonald]

I would dump her & she can keep it if it means that much to her.

I had something simular the other month, a long time custy too. She asked me to do the roof on her con as an extra. I told her a price, not a problem but when i was done she questioned it.  :

She thought if she waved a cheque in my face what she paid 18 months i would take it, NO WAY  . I would rather nothing than getting told what i'm getting paid. The best bit she thought i would still clean her windows.

While i was on the round this month she had a trad guy turn up to quote, 4 windows there is no way he could do. When he came out he came over to say hi, i had to clue him up what happened to me  , even better he went & knocked on her door & turned her down, i was well happy.

Macc

[dudek]

I have had this happen many times partly because im too trusting and partly cus im a lazy git not collecting frequently enough.

Every time it happens to me i consider paying my young bruv and his mates going over armed with eggs and flower and letting em have it but i always cool off and realise not a wise move!