[frames to panes]

Been doing an old peoples home for the last year but am getting less and less work (they have to pay to have their flats cleaned). Turned up today to be greeted by one old bat who went berserk because i get her windows wet whilst cleaning above. Another walks past and refuses to speak?? Turns out they seem to have a ringleader who's stirring them all up. To top it all it pees down just when i'm collecting and the old moaners start grumbling about it being a waste of money. Really wouldn't care if i lost the job. 

[windowwashers]

Been doing an old peoples home for the last year but am getting less and less work (they have to pay to have their flats cleaned). Turned up today to be greeted by one old bat who went berserk because i get her windows wet whilst cleaning above. Another walks past and refuses to speak?? Turns out they seem to have a ringleader who's stirring them all up. To top it all it pees down just when i'm collecting and the old moaners start grumbling about it being a waste of money. Really wouldn't care if i lost the job. 

speak to the ring leader and be nice I call them the coffee morning mafia (and these are the ones I try to avoid in business

[frames to panes]

Think he's the idiot who opens all the windows up in the communial areas when i turn up. Did one flat today whilst the one above her opens her windows and shakes the rug out! Honestly they're worse than kids they really are.

[Clive McDonald]

The one above? Worse than kids?

[johnny_h]

do you really need them?

[Ian Curtis]

Harold Shipman, come back, all is forgiven!

[007 or what]

Hi DJW your job, its not in poole is it (canford heath)

[jeff1]

I went to quote a old peoples home last year, the manager told me that the last w/c was using wfp and now H&S and there insurance company were only allowing wfp to be used.

I walked around with the manager to do the quote and on my round with her I had a few comments of O not that horrible new system is it?

I knew from then on I would be getting hasstle from a few of them and I withdrew my quote explaning to the manager why I had done so, she then admitted to me that the last w/c had nothing but arguments with a few of the residents.

I don't need this sort of customers, If they can't move on with the times  and a few of them can't, its just in there nature and find it difficult to think that just water and a brush can do a good as Job as the old shammy and when you leave them wet, they begin to think your ripping them off.

I have a large bungalow I do and I aslo do both sides of this old dear, she is so stuck in her ways, she will not convert to wfp, so I continue to do it Trad, if she's not home I wizz around with wfp and several times she has mentioned how clean they were last time I did them I don't have the heart to tell her I used wfp on them, I just know she'll throw a plant pot at me

[peter holley]

i will do residential care homes where the care home pays ....but those complexes where the residents pay are awaste of time...it takes longer to collect the money than doing the job

[AuRavelling79]

I've got one of these "sheltered accommodation" thingy's where they all pay their own and I almost view it as charity work. Some have been a right pain, others are lovely.

I do about 12/15 (depending who's died  ) out of 18 flats on two floors.

The "outside" I do wfp, the insides along two landings trad.

I've had warring neighbours playing their music louder and louder until the warden intervened.

I've the "nutter" from Cornwall who thinks he's a cross between MI5 and the local bobby and he tells me he "helps the police with their enquiries!".

Then there is the old dear who is on a zimmer because some chav ran her over in a stolen car (hang 'im, I say) who is lovely but takes ten miutes to get her money, so I knock the door, do her flat and hold my hand out.

The deaf old girl who pays for about five of them but falls out with one and says " I ain't payin' 'ers!".

The loon who despite being informed I only do monthly tries to get me to come back every six months ...

Linda, the posh one who is ashamed to be on the council housing and a bit snobby and doesn't like that pole thing.

Olive with 10 kids who's 83, makes lewd comments to me and asks me to get me shirt off ...

Then Mrs wossername at no 14 who's as sweet as sugar and got me a good paying doctors surgery on recommend.

I reverse my van onto the central grass area so that my hose reaches all parts of the complex. In January I got stuck in the mud and had to call the RAC! 

[elite mike]

Harold Shipman, come back, all is forgiven!

lol

[Tosh]

I reckon if you clean an old person's complex and they have to pay individually, you'll have some whingers; they won't have a lot else in their lives but to complain about stuff, and the window cleaner would be an easy target.

I clean one where I'm paid 'centrally', they all pay through a service charge, and my lot are lovely; I haven't one problem customer; apart from a few 'drinkers' who try to entice me into joining them; or the odd elderly nutter who tries to chat up Wor Lass (and they must be a desperate nutter at that  ).

[Paul Coleman]

Been doing an old peoples home for the last year but am getting less and less work (they have to pay to have their flats cleaned). Turned up today to be greeted by one old bat who went berserk because i get her windows wet whilst cleaning above. Another walks past and refuses to speak?? Turns out they seem to have a ringleader who's stirring them all up. To top it all it pees down just when i'm collecting and the old moaners start grumbling about it being a waste of money. Really wouldn't care if i lost the job. 

speak to the ring leader and be nice I call them the coffee morning mafia (and these are the ones I try to avoid in business

Just mind you don't get into bed one night and find that one of them has decapitated your pole and left a brush in the bed.     

[Londoner]

A while ago when I was looking for work I took on some old peoples flats in a moment of madness. Five minutes to clean the windows on each flat, twenty minutes to collect the money.
One old girl, Annie, takes ten minutes to get to the door then ten minutes to go back and get her purse. Each time I say "you should bring it with you" but she never does.

She's the only one left of the originals but as each of the others has died they have been replaced but an old Asian person ( the area is becoming very Asian) and none of them want to have their windows cleaned. This to me is a blessing because once poor old Annie goes so do I.

[frames to panes]

Just had a call - i missed one flat. Zipped over to have a look and sure enough i had missed it, gave her money back and apologised but she wasn't happy "when are you doing them again?" another five weeks i told her. Access is a nightmare it would take me half an hour just to set up for one flat. I asked her when the last time i cleaned her window and it turns out she didn't want it done since last October.

[stevekennedy]

Easy solution to the problem. Offer a choice. You can clean them from the outside using the system £4 (or whatever) or from inside for £6 (or whatever inflated price you need to charge)

In my experience, they will not want to wait in for you and move all their ornaments etc etc etc and will reluctantly accept the pole system.

I always offer a quality guarantee.

Definitely get the chairperson, warden, house manager on your side. Offer to do the chairpersons windows for free for a couple of months so they can assess it's worth. Perhaps privately offer them a discount as a thanks for helping you organise the works. I did this with one difficult lady at a sheltered home. I offered her a deal. If she helps me organise the works I will do her windows for free. She ended up collecting all the money for me. Best £2 I ever spent!

[Londoner]

Old people just have too much time on their hands and moaning is second nature to most of them.
When I was on the taxis I worked for ComCab who have the taxicard contract for London. The taxicard allows disabled people to have two free taxi rides a week. It was introduced by Ken Livingstone and it costs millions so it was good business for us.

Most of the people on the scheme aren't even disabled, a lot of them are just old people who shouldn't really have a taxicard.

The point is, if you think they are trouble as far as window cleaning goes you want to try picking them up in a taxi. They complain about everything all the time. You are either too late or too early, the taxi is too high, its too hot or too cold, bumps in the road etc. The list is endless.