[RO-Sheen]

 I popped over to a customer that just lives a few doors away from me, Waved at her through the window and started to clean her windows. When I finished I rang the doorbell to collect money but there was no answer. She has a new born baby so maybe she might have been in the middle of feeding/nappies/putting baby to bed so thats fair enough.
I then went back to my van to get a bill to pop through her door and when I got back to the door she was coming out with a load of xmas presents to put in her car.
I said that will be £16 please and she asked me to come back later when hubby is home cos she was busy packing the car!!!!
This annoyed me cos I have better things to do in the evenings than popping out to collect money.
What should I have said???

[mark dew]

tell her you are too busy to come back and that she is rude to even suggest it when it would take no more than a minute of her time.

[ronnie paton]

some people live in the old days mayb HE is in charge of the money but she is to embarrassed to say.

[NWH]

I would have just got double next time,i don`t think a lot of WC`s realise that by constantly collecting it really bugs customers on the whole,it seems that your coming to often and it`s just as easy to dump you on the doorstep,i give them time to send me a cheque or pay me next time.Do this and all your get from custies is a smile,it probobly seems to some of them that your coming round to clean every 5 minutes if you don`t go collecting in the evenings and wait for payments your keep em all happy,it`s only the ones that don`t like to owe anyone money that won`t lik it but there soon get used to it.

[mark dew]

i dump any work where paying me when i have finished isn't the customers priority. I don't mind them posting cheques though or if they are short at the time, no problem.

[windowwashers]

I popped over to a customer that just lives a few doors away from me, Waved at her through the window and started to clean her windows. When I finished I rang the doorbell to collect money but there was no answer. She has a new born baby so maybe she might have been in the middle of feeding/nappies/putting baby to bed so thats fair enough.
I then went back to my van to get a bill to pop through her door and when I got back to the door she was coming out with a load of xmas presents to put in her car.
I said that will be £16 please and she asked me to come back later when hubby is home cos she was busy packing the car!!!!
This annoyed me cos I have better things to do in the evenings than popping out to collect money.
What should I have said???

I would have said fair enough, please post a cheque within 48 hours 

Ian

[Tim Rose]

I'd of offered to help loading the car with presents then hid one under my coat in the hope that it was something valuable and gone home.

Collect the money later whilst grinning inside at thier misfortune.

[simon knight]

I'd of offered to help loading the car with presents then hid one under my coat in the hope that it was something valuable and gone home.

Collect the money later whilst grinning inside at thier misfortune.

  naughty girl 

[Alex Wingrove]

or just get on with it, what you gonna do beat her up take her to court?

did you think she might not have money on her at the time and she might be busy?

[Jon-scwindows]

I would have just left her a prepaid self addressed envelope with a preprinted note with amount owed, date of cleaning, how to pay, with a first class stamp so they can just post a cheque, this is what i do if theyre not in, but i wouldnt mess about if there busy just post the envelope with the note in it through their door.

[AuRavelling79]

I would have just left her a prepaid self addressed envelope with a preprinted note with amount owed, date of cleaning, how to pay, with a first class stamp so they can just post a cheque, this is what i do if theyre not in, but i wouldnt mess about if there busy just post the envelope with the note in it through their door.

I just put a preprinted note through - no envelope, no stamp either

I never collect - except when custy hasn't paid and is messing me about - and then when I've collected I drop them.

[Feen]

As you said yourself, it's only a few doors away

[AuRavelling79]

As you said yourself, it's only a few doors away

Aha! I didn't spot that!

[cybersye]

yes like said, only a few doors away, and a new born and car load of pressies, she's probably stressed and rushed off her feet. I'd have just asked her to pop it over to yours when she had a moment or gone back later to collect (with no spare change) you never know she may even apologise hand over a 20 note and say "keep the change, happy xmas", not uncommon this time of year!

[RO-Sheen]

Thanks for the comments, I know it is just a few doors away but it still annoyed me. I personally hate to keep anyone waiting and would have stopped what I was doing to pay my bill.  It takes 2 minutes to write a cheque and she was aware i was there from the moment I arrived.
Should have mentioned that a while ago when I went to collect money the hubby answered the door and asked me to call back later as he was eating his dinner!
Strike 2!!!!

PS: And the prize for the best reply goes to............................ROSY!!!!

[Ian W]

I would have left her the bill and waited for her to pay. Not much use stressing over these people as long as you get your money fairly soon afterwards.

[alanwilson]

I'd just call back later, at the end of the day some people are plain odd, but their £16 is everybit as good as the next persons so just ignore it, its only a few doors away.

I've got a customer who just doesn't speak to me, ever.

a complete door handle if you ask me but there you are!!

[xxmattyxx]

Its down to the custys attitude IMO.

Are they dismissive, apologetic, or something in between?

Assessing the indiviudal situation generally depends on how to take these situations as they arise.

But sneaking off without a word or nought whilst your round the back finishing off annoys the crap out of me.

[Tosh]

I've got a customer who just doesn't speak to me, ever.

a complete door handle if you ask me but there you are!!

I've had one like that; it was her daughter who asked me to quote for her Mother and organised it all.  Her Mother was ALWAYS in and when I knocked for payment the door would open a fraction, and this bone-white chubby hand used to pay me; always in the correct money - no need for change.

Then the door would shut!  I never saw what was on the end of the hand; thankfully.

--------------------------------

But if a customer hasn't the social skills or the tact to explain properly why she/he can't pay when I'm there, I'd seriously consider dropping them.  I've done this since I started and I'm chuffed to say that on the whole I've got a nice bunch of customers.

I'd consider how long she's been a customer and what her 'previous' is for how she's treated you.  

She's probably just hormonal, tired, and skint.  Babies aren't cheap!

[brummie tom]

part of window cleaning is collecting on an evening but if there in juring the day and dont pay i let them mount up to 4 or 5 months they will soon be chasing you down the road to pay you