[matt]

right

i arrive at a house ( its most prob worth about 500 K )that never has any1 home, either school / uni or work, fair enough

they are very poor payers, once it got to 4 cleans

i arrive, start the upstairs, did the front upstairs, the guy comes running out shouting at me

We have cancelled you, go away

i reply you havent

yes we have, i phoned you on your mobile

you havent, as i wouldnt be here , would i

i must have e.mailed you

well i can promise you, i havent had a e.mail

i must have wrote you a letter

also not received by me, did you include the cheque for the 66 quid you owe me for the last 3 cleans

Hmmmmmm, no

oh i see

i will tell you why we dont need you, it because we had sold our house and were due to move end of august

oh right, and my 66 quid ?? ? ??

well we thought we would have moved by the next time you were around

so you didnt need to pay me

he smirked, which made me see red, and struggle with the thought of laying into the puney little man

good job the sale feel thugh then, i will have my 66 quid

i will post a cheque

nah, i think i will have it now, no infact i will have the cash, as you might cancel the cheque

what do you take me for

well you were prepared to move without paying me, you knew what you were doing, so i guess  dont trust you

i dont think i have the money in the house

well i will do nextdoor, you can go and get the money and i will be back then, if you dont get it, i will be around tonight, as im not happy

oh hang on

guy goes and get me the money

i take the money

bye

[jeff1]

Matt, this is why, as soon as a for sale sign goes up, I make arrangements with the custy (unless I trust them) to clean only if they are there, Had to many do a runner on me once there house was sold.

[Ian W]

People like that make me so mad

Well done Matt. Glad you got your money.

[drakestar!]

well done for getting your money! had these type of people before & i hate them, mostly ive got my money but not always

[matt]

Matt, this is why, as soon as a for sale sign goes up, I make arrangements with the custy (unless I trust them) to clean only if they are there, Had to many do a runner on me once there house was sold.

thats the thing, no for sale board, its not that type of house, its a house that'll be in the "exclusive estate agents" who do fancy  glossy brochures

[Village Gleam]

Well done Matt.

[edd]

nice one Matt I was going to come down with my bat I fu..ing HATE people like this
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[simbo]

this is the one thing i hate about this job, to some you mean nothing they would not even know your name and resent the fact that they even use your service because they are lazy. Each time i have thought about jacking its been because of this sort taking the p**s, and then i get a really lovely customer that treats me like a real person and its forgotten until next time.
 simbo

[matt]

this is the one thing i hate about this job, to some you mean nothing they would not even know your name and resent the fact that they even use your service because they are lazy. Each time i have thought about jacking its been because of this sort taking the p**s, and then i get a really lovely customer that treats me like a real person and its forgotten until next time.
 simbo

indeed, i was really angry, i used to have a anger issue ( as i get older, i can now control it ) i phoned my wife to help me calm down, then i got in the car and went to a little old dears house who i allways do last job, i cleaned her bungalow and she as allways, asked me in for a slice of cake and a cuppa and a chat, i had calmed down by the time i left 

[simbo]

Matt i will be honest, i have let go of more customers than i really should have lately, some have really got to me though, you know "not this time" sort of stuff so no pi**ing about just leave well alone or i would end up packing in. I said to my wife the other day about lack of motivation and stuff as it seems to be just like any other job after a while ie same thing over and over again and realised i only really enjoy when i get new work as it gives a buzz so thats what i will do
simbo

[Wayne Thomas]

I never clean a third time unless paid up to date by cheque in the post and I drop a very big hint that they owe if i'm phoning to arrange access the following day.
As soon as a house goes on the market I also stop cleaning straight away unless I'm cleaning next door or across the road and they come out to pay me prior to cleaning as I've been caught out in the past and make it my policy to stop cleaning as soon as the 'For Sale' sign goes up unless I'm going to clean their new house (if it's local) once they've moved.
I know what you mean about the expensive houses being sold in the glossy mags like country life, etc that's why it pays to have a cuppa and a chat with your customers as they know whose on the move

[groundhog]

Only £22 a clean for a £500k house!! Thats a bit cheap mate! 

[matt]

Only £22 a clean for a £500k house!! Thats a bit cheap mate! 

im all heart me

this was a house i had off some1 else, it used to be 18 quid, but in 3 years ive got it upto 22

if i pick it up again with the new people, it'll be 25 - 30 quid

[groundhog]

Try £45! you can always lower it if they say no, thats what I do.

[mark dew]

i always try and get the names of the people i'm cleaning for because of this type of thing. It winds me up just reading how skanky some people can be.

[Trevor Knight]

right

i will tell you why we dont need you, it because we had sold our house and were due to move end of august

oh right, and my 66 quid ?? ? ??

well we thought we would have moved by the next time you were around

so you didnt need to pay me

he smirked, which made me see red, and struggle with the thought of laying into the puney little man

That is unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Adam Boss]

Hey Groundhog, read the post and accept it, don't make it an opportunity to have a go !!
Banging on about money again.   

[AuRavelling79]

Well done Matt for sticking to your guns to get your money.

I'm getting tougher now - I was working in a posh neighbourhood in April when this guy - all SAAB convertible, personal number plate and plummy accent - pulls up and asks me to do his on a regular basis. I set out my terms and he agrees. I go round (he's not in) about an hour later and I quote £25 for a modernish 5 bed detached. I get a phone call half an hour later saying yes please we'll send you a cheque and I fit it in at the end of the day and leave a ticket.

A week later - no dosh so as it's only half a mile away I swing by - no reply and I leave a reminder. Another week same again. Another week same again - stronger reminder. Three days later I call round at 6pm (all for £25 mind!) Mrs. answers says oh we meant to pay you but one of the windows still had marks on it - I said so why didn't you tell me three and a half weeks ago? No reply.

So I say which window was it? The Bathroom - show me I said - oh it's not there now. I cleaned it myself. Yeah right.

So she pays me. I dropped them but didn't tell them. A week ago hubby pulls up again and asks where I've been. Unprofessional I know but I said:-

You agreed to pay me as soon as the job was done - you didn't and I had to call three times to get my money - when you live up to your surname you might get a decent window cleaner!

His surname? - Manners. 

[windowwashers]

Well done Matt for sticking to your guns to get your money.

I'm getting tougher now - I was working in a posh neighbourhood in April when this guy - all SAAB convertible, personal number plate and plummy accent - pulls up and asks me to do his on a regular basis. I set out my terms and he agrees. I go round (he's not in) about an hour later and I quote £25 for a modernish 5 bed detached. I get a phone call half an hour later saying yes please we'll send you a cheque and I fit it in at the end of the day and leave a ticket.

A week later - no dosh so as it's only half a mile away I swing by - no reply and I leave a reminder. Another week same again. Another week same again - stronger reminder. Three days later I call round at 6pm (all for £25 mind!) Mrs. answers says oh we meant to pay you but one of the windows still had marks on it - I said so why didn't you tell me three and a half weeks ago? No reply.

So I say which window was it? The Bathroom - show me I said - oh it's not there now. I cleaned it myself. Yeah right.

So she pays me. I dropped them but didn't tell them. A week ago hubby pulls up again and asks where I've been. Unprofessional I know but I said:-

You agreed to pay me as soon as the job was done - you didn't and I had to call three times to get my money - when you live up to your surname you might get a decent window cleaner!

His surname? - Manners. 

good on your for that, I would have charged them a late payment fee, had the same yesterday, I cleaned a house 4 weeks ago and did not get the payment. I was driving past so I put a bill in with a £2.50 late payment charge included, I got a phone call 15 mins later (she never answered when I knocked and her car was outside and three year old in the window) well she said i didnt pay you because the kitchen window was dirty, I said I cleaned every window as i have done for the last 5 years, she said "does not look clean" I said why wait 4 weeks to tell me? her reply was errrrrrrrrr.

I said then give me 10 mins and i will come back and clean it free (holding it in at this point) I get there and she points out the windows from the inside I agree yes mrs ***** they look very dirty, so I get stuff out of the van and start to clean them noticing that the dirty is not moving, I call her out and say these windows are not dirty and cleaned one infront of her, the insides were bad so say the least at this point I carry on cleaning the windows and say to mrs **** I will do all of these ok, she agrees, I finish then give her a bill £20 for the clean she did not pay me £2.50 late payment charge and £10 for cleaning the windows... Her face was a picture as she stuttered why is this bill this?? I then told her I have come back to solve a problem with my work and it was not me, I cleaned these windows for you today, and you payment is late, she didnt like it and she said sorry. I said i will always come back and fix any problem with work we do, but please first check and reprt this in 48 hours, and payments later than 21 days are charged £2.50.

I am always straight with my customers so we both know where we stand, I do a good job and like to get paid for it, I do not have the time to go back to collect and they know this as I tell them right from the start, some do try it on.

Glad I got that of my chest, the lady is a good customer but always pays late, will not happen again 

[Helen]

sometimes pays to have a look in Estate Agents windows as you walk by and the local rag, can see then if your regulars are moving and also.... see what new may be available soon.