[Steve_Richardson]

Just got back for lunch and had the strangest phone call. Went something like this (capital letters deliberate to show shouting..can you see where this is going!):

Me - hello how can I help?

Customer - we were a bit surprised you cleaned our windows today.

Me - yes it's 6 weeks as arranged and they are due.

Customer - WE DIDNT ARANGE SIX WEEKS, I ASKED FOR A ONE OFF CLEAN WHATS GOING ON I DONT WANT MY WINDOWS CLEANED YOU JUST TURNED UP AND CLEANED THEM HOW DID YOU OPEN TEH LOCKED GATE etcetc (he repeated this about 5 times shouting louder and louder, when he eventually finished)

Me - Well, when I first met you to discuss....

Customer - I DIDNT WANT THEM CLEANED, I WASNT HAPPY WITH THE FIRST CLEAN EVEN THOUGH WE POSTED THE CHECK TO YOU. WE SAW A MESS EVERYWHERE, I THOUGHT YOU WAS USING PURE WATER NOT TAP WATER AND THE DECORATOR WORKING HERE SAID THEY WERE A MESS HOW DID YOU OPEN THE LOCKED GATE....(again repeated for a few minutes at full volume, I had to hold my mobile well away from my ear...)

Me - I left a text message and a voicemail message on youe mobile as arranged.

Customer - SHOUT SHOUT SHOUT

Could I please speak....

Customer - SHOUT SHOUT SHOUT.. ETC ETC ETC. (waited until he stopped).

Me - I am sorry you are unhappy but when we first spoke I said to call if ever you are unhappy with a cleacn & we made arrangements for 5 or 6 weeks and I never take on one-off cleans so I wouldn't have arranged that with...

Customer - SHOUT SHOUT SHOUT SHOUT SHOUT SHOUT.....(etc etc - you get the idea.) I WILL POST YOU THE CHECK BUT I DONT WANT YOU TO TO CALL AGAIN. I WAS UNHAPPY WITH THE FIRST CLEAN, YOU USED OUR TAP WATER NOT PURE WATER. SHOUT SHOUT.

Me - by now already decided not going back so just decided to see if I could get him to let me finish a sentence without SHOUTING over the top of me....Every time he interrupted me I just said: "Excuse me, excuse me" until he stoped talking then said "please let me finish as I have listened to you". I must have gone through that with him easily 8 or 9 times....I had to do it to take my tension away a bit as he really annoyed me.

Well, will see if he does send the cheque....must say I am very surprised as he seemed such a nice guy when I first met him - but now I've seen him as he really is..but I can't post that here!!

Tomorrow I will get 2 better customers to replace him. I just feel for the decorator who was there today, he was such a nice chap and I bet he gets it in the ear too at some point...!

[simon knight]

You showed more restraint that me. I would have let him have it with both barrels.

Unprofessional?....probably, but I don't care

[SherwoodCleaningSe]

Shame you couldn't of taped the conversation and then left it as a voicemail for him and his family. I honestly think that some people have personality problems and don't realize it. Better off with out them.

Simon.

[Ian_Giles]

So long as he wasn't built like the Hulks big brother I would have politely told I was on my way over to discuss this with him face to face.
I'd have been ultra polite too and would then have gone straight around to see him.

People aren't as brave face to face, or perhaps I'd have written a very detailed letter.
Whatever, I would make sure that he heard me and took note of what I had to say.

Ian

[C.C.S.]

i would have sent him the cheque back, with a message on it, please put this towards a course of anger management classes, as your need is greater than mine! kindess regards, kiss, kiss, kiss, not a very nice person! C.C.S.

[Captain Scarlet]

I had a similar phonecall which I posted on here a few months back. She was shouting and saying she had never asked me to clean etc etc ( she wasnt complaining about the job though ). It was a horrible experience but I remained polite, Luke

[SonOfFormby]

Once you know you've lost the job just put the phone down and laugh

Lee

[Dean Aspects]

I had a new customer ranting and raving to me down the phone even though he phoned at 11.30 at night i remained proffesional the whole time that was until i realised to myself their was no way i was going to go back and do his windows so i just put the phone down while he was mid rant
Some people will not be swayed once they start  move on theirs plenty more good customers

Dean

[Ian Curtis]

Hopefully this man is well on his way to an heart attack. Pig.

[danny taylor]

you should have gone straight around there, bullies like him dont like face to face confrontation. I would have scared the living daylights out of him. You must be a mild mannered guy.

[Ian Curtis]

Post his name and address here.

[cat9921]

next time don't use tap water 

[Steve_Richardson]

I've had a laugh about it since but at the time I was boiling. To be honest we needed the money so I wanted to make sure he was going to post the cheque and really tried to keep my calm. But mind you, if he doesn't pay I will certainly be using one of those collection websites to get back my losses!


Just hope he doesn't manage to find another window cleaner as most guys around here are full up - now to finish off that chocolate bar :-)

[Tosh]

next time don't use tap water 

Yeh!  And how'd you get over that gate anyway?

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

That aside, I clean the windows of some friends of Wor Lasses from her running club.  One is a school teacher, her husband has some top job in the patent office; both intelligent university types; top runners too.

Anyway, I cleaned their windows last week and left a SAE with payment instructions.

I received the envelope through the post today, still with the payment instructions hanging out the back of the envelope; the envelope not stuck down (it's a self-sealer; you have to peel the bit off to make it sticky), AND NO RUDDY CHEQUE.

Stupid or what?

[Ian Lancaster]

THE DECORATOR WORKING HERE SAID THEY WERE A MESS

Somebody should have a quiet word in that decorator's ear.....perhaps along the lines of:  "MIND YOUR OWN B****Y BUSINESS"

[windowcleaninginessex.co.uk]

......... I cleaned their windows last week and left a SAE with payment instructions.

I received the envelope through the post today, still with the payment instructions hanging out the back of the envelope; the envelope not stuck down (it's a self-sealer; you have to peel the bit off to make it sticky), AND NO RUDDY CHEQUE.

Stupid or what?

I left the same type of self seal envelope at one of my customers, it came back stuck down with sellotape with cheque and also a very rude note saying next time leave a new envelope that will stick down as i had to go out to buy sellotape...
As you say stupid or what

Darren

[johnny_h]

steve do as i do inform every w/c'r you meet in the area warn them and us quality cleaners will keep well away from him all he will get is the part timers / dole boys , angry people like that die young

[Ian Curtis]

THE DECORATOR WORKING HERE SAID THEY WERE A MESS

Somebody should have a quiet word in that decorator's ear.....perhaps along the lines of:  "MIND YOUR OWN B****Y BUSINESS"

Put sand in his paint pot when he's not looking. Teach him a lesson he wont forget.

[elite mike]

So long as he wasn't built like the Hulks big brother I would have politely told I was on my way over to discuss this with him face to face.
I'd have been ultra polite too and would then have gone straight around to see him.

People aren't as brave face to face, or perhaps I'd have written a very detailed letter.
Whatever, I would make sure that he heard me and took note of what I had to say.

Ian

dont think i would be as polite as ian   

good luck with the rest of your custys

[Paul Coleman]

Just got back for lunch and had the strangest phone call. Went something like this (capital letters deliberate to show shouting..can you see where this is going!):

Me - hello how can I help?

Customer - we were a bit surprised you cleaned our windows today.

Me - yes it's 6 weeks as arranged and they are due.

Customer - WE DIDNT ARANGE SIX WEEKS, I ASKED FOR A ONE OFF CLEAN WHATS GOING ON I DONT WANT MY WINDOWS CLEANED YOU JUST TURNED UP AND CLEANED THEM HOW DID YOU OPEN TEH LOCKED GATE etcetc (he repeated this about 5 times shouting louder and louder, when he eventually finished)

Me - Well, when I first met you to discuss....

Customer - I DIDNT WANT THEM CLEANED, I WASNT HAPPY WITH THE FIRST CLEAN EVEN THOUGH WE POSTED THE CHECK TO YOU. WE SAW A MESS EVERYWHERE, I THOUGHT YOU WAS USING PURE WATER NOT TAP WATER AND THE DECORATOR WORKING HERE SAID THEY WERE A MESS HOW DID YOU OPEN THE LOCKED GATE....(again repeated for a few minutes at full volume, I had to hold my mobile well away from my ear...)

Me - I left a text message and a voicemail message on youe mobile as arranged.

Customer - SHOUT SHOUT SHOUT

Could I please speak....

Customer - SHOUT SHOUT SHOUT.. ETC ETC ETC. (waited until he stopped).

Me - I am sorry you are unhappy but when we first spoke I said to call if ever you are unhappy with a cleacn & we made arrangements for 5 or 6 weeks and I never take on one-off cleans so I wouldn't have arranged that with...

Customer - SHOUT SHOUT SHOUT SHOUT SHOUT SHOUT.....(etc etc - you get the idea.) I WILL POST YOU THE CHECK BUT I DONT WANT YOU TO TO CALL AGAIN. I WAS UNHAPPY WITH THE FIRST CLEAN, YOU USED OUR TAP WATER NOT PURE WATER. SHOUT SHOUT.

Me - by now already decided not going back so just decided to see if I could get him to let me finish a sentence without SHOUTING over the top of me....Every time he interrupted me I just said: "Excuse me, excuse me" until he stoped talking then said "please let me finish as I have listened to you". I must have gone through that with him easily 8 or 9 times....I had to do it to take my tension away a bit as he really annoyed me.

Well, will see if he does send the cheque....must say I am very surprised as he seemed such a nice guy when I first met him - but now I've seen him as he really is..but I can't post that here!!

Tomorrow I will get 2 better customers to replace him. I just feel for the decorator who was there today, he was such a nice chap and I bet he gets it in the ear too at some point...!

I know it's not very professional but I would probably told him to keep his money and told him where to shove his cheque.