[tonyoliver]

had a big job on today dod 6 cons plus roofs.
got to my next job and thg tank was dry.
hooked up to the custy tap and cleaned away.
custy comes home and he sees the hose and rips it of my connector and asks what am i doing stealing his water.
i apologose and tryd to explan  but he insists i am stealing from him as i didnt ask permission to take the water .
strictly true i pulled off his front and went back to tell i resented being called a thief.
not a good word in our game and mud does stick.
he then said i was lucky he didnt call the police.
i then apologised again and askedf if he still wanted me to clean his windows he said no and i asked for my previous two invoices to be settled £16.00 he said sneeringly send them in
 still calling me a thief, i the said forget the invoices and well call it quits
 i now supose i have brought the water although it rater expensive for 10 liters or so
has this happened to any of you?

 how did you handle it?

am i a thief?

[East coast window cleaning Services]

Look at a previous post couple of days ago.
Mind you the thief bit is a little strong

[Rob.Hall]

I always ask permission first out of tact.
They never bat an eye lid normally.

Never come across this before.

[windowwashers]

had a big job on today dod 6 cons plus roofs.
got to my next job and thg tank was dry.
hooked up to the custy tap and cleaned away.
custy comes home and he sees the hose and rips it of my connector and asks what am i doing stealing his water.
i apologose and tryd to explan  but he insists i am stealing from him as i didnt ask permission to take the water .
strictly true i pulled off his front and went back to tell i resented being called a thief.
not a good word in our game and mud does stick.
he then said i was lucky he didnt call the police.
i then apologised again and askedf if he still wanted me to clean his windows he said no and i asked for my previous two invoices to be settled £16.00 he said sneeringly send them in
 still calling me a thief, i the said forget the invoices and well call it quits
 i now supose i have brought the water although it rater expensive for 10 liters or so
has this happened to any of you?

 how did you handle it?

am i a thief?

lesson there is take you own water with you, this is what they are paying you for, the guy IMO over reacted dont beat yourself up about it, just try not to use peoples taps or ask first.

[Moderator David@stives]

I always ask first if i need to fill up at a customers, never a full tank just the occassional top up.

lesson here , ask first.

dave

[Paul Coleman]

had a big job on today dod 6 cons plus roofs.
got to my next job and thg tank was dry.
hooked up to the custy tap and cleaned away.
custy comes home and he sees the hose and rips it of my connector and asks what am i doing stealing his water.
i apologose and tryd to explan  but he insists i am stealing from him as i didnt ask permission to take the water .
strictly true i pulled off his front and went back to tell i resented being called a thief.
not a good word in our game and mud does stick.
he then said i was lucky he didnt call the police.
i then apologised again and askedf if he still wanted me to clean his windows he said no and i asked for my previous two invoices to be settled £16.00 he said sneeringly send them in
 still calling me a thief, i the said forget the invoices and well call it quits
 i now supose i have brought the water although it rater expensive for 10 liters or so
has this happened to any of you?

 how did you handle it?

am i a thief?

OK, so you were wrong to do it but it looks like the guy was looking for an excuse to cancel anyway.

[pingu]

A bit over the top but then again he does have a point....both sides will see it different but as has been said...it is better to ask so no 'issues' can occur...

Perhaps this was just the excuse this chap was looking for...

Anyway...move onwards and upwards.

Dave.

[simon knight]

"custy comes home...." In other words he wasn't there to ask!

He sounds like a small-minded tight-fisted little w#nker.

I'd drop him like a red hot brick.

[Nathanael Jones]

"custy comes home...." In other words he wasn't there to ask!

He sounds like a small-minded tight-fisted little w#nker.

I'd drop him like a red hot brick.

I'd second that!

[LWC]

i dont have a system in my van just a tank

but ill go to places and most people say if you run out, theres a tap here, help yourself...dear me pathetic

your no theif mate.

[windowwashers]

just like to point out, that taking some thing from someone without consent is stealing. That is a simple fact.
I do feel sry for the guy that it was said to as cant have been nice, and the other guy may have over reacted but at the end of the day it was not the windows cleaners water to take even though I find it a little sad that I person would go off on one about using a little water to clean their house for them.
If they say you can use it fair enough.
Some people like to pick on people and it seems this was the case or he could have had a real bad day saw you filling up water from his tap and took it out on you.
 : : :

[elite mike]

 i allways ask. but this guy needs 2 get a life??
best of luck ,
mike

[Ian_Giles]

Mmmmm.....was it stealing?
Did you take it off the premises??
You used his water, not quite the same as stealing it....
This guy sounds a total moron, I would have remonstrated somewhat with him, and I'd have told him to call the police too, Id have loved them to turn up...
And one way or another I would have made sure I got my £16 off him too.

In close to 25 years as a window cleaner I've never argued with a customer...I'd have made an exception in his case.

Ian

[M & C Window Cleaning]

Nearest I came to that was when I had to walk across a custie's nieghbour's fully paved fornt garden to clean the side of his porch. It would have shown respect to ask permission but in my youthful enthusiasm I didn't think it mattered too much as the garden was fully paved and they were nieghbours that got on. However, after several years of cleaning this window they suddenly took exception to it and gave me a right tongue lashing. There was no need to be so rude but it did teach me a lesson in respect. My only regret is that they had probably seen me do it many times and not said anything and hence had stewed on it. In a way I wish they'd spoken to me sooner.

[Paul Coleman]

just like to point out, that taking some thing from someone without consent is stealing. That is a simple fact.
I do feel sry for the guy that it was said to as cant have been nice, and the other guy may have over reacted but at the end of the day it was not the windows cleaners water to take even though I find it a little sad that I person would go off on one about using a little water to clean their house for them.
If they say you can use it fair enough.
Some people like to pick on people and it seems this was the case or he could have had a real bad day saw you filling up water from his tap and took it out on you.
 : : :

Actually, I think the legal definition of stealing is about taking something with the intention of permanently depriving the person of the use of it.  I suppose you could have given him an equivalent amount back at a later date.  They would not have been exactly the same hydrogen and oxygen molecules as the ones you took but would have been similar enough to have been acceptable.
Perhaps they could have been returned via the letter box (just joking on that one BTW !! )

[AuRavelling79]

Let me get this straight - he owes you for two cleans totalling £16.00, you use ten litres of his water to conscientiously finish a job as you have run out (or was that a mis-type?) and he "goes off on one" when you try to explain?

Yes - for all the pedants out there you have technically taken his water without permission.

So go and get a 25 litre barrel, fill it with water, put it on his front lawn at daybreak. Knock loudly on his door and say in a loud voice "I've brought your water back with interest. Please would you settle your account immediately?"

If he doesn't pay make a scene so that his neighbours hear everything.

But don't connect his tap to a hose and put it through his letterbox in the middle of the night:- that would be wrong and criminal.  


Modified to add - Blimey Shiner, we must have similar backgrounds!

[macmac]

I think this guy has totaly over-reacted & full credit to you for letting him keep his teeth!

tony

[simon knight]

Let me get this straight - he owes you for two cleans totalling £16.00, you use ten litres of his water to conscientiously finish a job as you have run out (or was that a mis-type?) and he "goes off on one" when you try to explain?

Yes - for all the pedants out there you have technically taken his water without permission.

So go and get a 25 litre barrel, fill it with water, put it on his front lawn at daybreak. Knock loudly on his door and say in a loud voice "I've brought your water back with interest. Please would you settle your account immediately?"

If he doesn't pay make a scene so that his neighbours hear everything.

But don't connect his tap to a hose and put it through his letterbox in the middle of the night:- that would be wrong and criminal. 


Modified to add - Blimey Shiner, we must have similar backgrounds!

 

[mark dew]

it's always better to ask 1st as there are lots of fickle moments about.
But as he owes you for 2 cleans already (and that one as well??) it does appear he is trying something on.
Knock 50p off the bill for the last clean for the water used.

it would make me feel uncomfortable to be in this situation with any customer and i would at least make one more attempt to go and see him and try to sort things out.
Now that the dust has settled a bit, he might be feeling a bit of an idiot.

If that didn't work i would take great pleasure in sending a registered letter asking for payment within 7 days or i would make a claim against him.

[Paul Coleman]

Let me get this straight - he owes you for two cleans totalling £16.00, you use ten litres of his water to conscientiously finish a job as you have run out (or was that a mis-type?) and he "goes off on one" when you try to explain?

Yes - for all the pedants out there you have technically taken his water without permission.

So go and get a 25 litre barrel, fill it with water, put it on his front lawn at daybreak. Knock loudly on his door and say in a loud voice "I've brought your water back with interest. Please would you settle your account immediately?"

If he doesn't pay make a scene so that his neighbours hear everything.

But don't connect his tap to a hose and put it through his letterbox in the middle of the night:- that would be wrong and criminal.  


Modified to add - Blimey Shiner, we must have similar backgrounds!

 

To really rub it in you could ask to pay in instalments and leave a one litre bottle of water on his doorstep on the first of each month with a signed I.O.U. stating the remaining balance.  I really know how to p someone off don't I?