[geefree]

I had 3 of these today.... i would not mind but its the last clean before xmas....
so you would think they would want them clean for xmas,

anyway, i was not too happy, but i understand its the customers choice, but its so annoying sometimes.

do you get a lot of this.

how do you deal with it?

[Sir Squeaky]

I'll quite happily say ok and leave it until next time, as long as they don't make habit of it.

Once or twice a year, no problem, it's not like many do it.

Twice in a few months and I still say ok, but they don't see me again.

[LWC]

i remember a couple of years back, a woman said not today the house was £6 it when the "not today" people used to bother me. now i just go "ok" and im off

anyway, she said not today but this is for you...£10 in a envelope and i hadnt even cleaned the windows 

[Dean Aspects]

Same as squeaky with the current climate i am trying to accomodate customers more dont cut your nose off.. and all that

[windowwashers]

option 3 for me, if they do it again they are offered option 2 and are chraged a different rate, it takes longer to clean so they are charged more really is that simple

[Chris Galloway]

Its common to for this to happen in the winter. I know i have a business to run but they may not really want them done so i will let it slide. If however its in the summer when the spiders and birds and insects are against me, then i'll have to see how im feeling towards them with the route i take.

So thats why im looking at other avenues aside from window cleaning to help out during the winter months.

[Mick (UHPS)]

Ive only had 1 thats said this at the moment and I just said OK see you after Christmas. I reckon theres a chance a few more are going to want to do this so I think we're going to have to be understanding in the current climate.

[cbcs]

I had one today, £10 it is, its in the middle of 10 surrounding houses that I clean so I said, no problem. If it was one on its own and wasn't a good price I'd probably tell em to shove it where the sun doesn't shine.

[geefree]

I had 3 of these today.... i would not mind but its the last clean before xmas....
so you would think they would want them clean for xmas,

anyway, i was not too happy, but i understand its the customers choice, but its so annoying sometimes.

do you get a lot of this.

how do you deal with it?

if today was your last clean they would be dirty for xmas anyway

but not AS dirty for xmas.... its the 24th today so i cant get back again... and they were dirty today....

you would think they would say that , maybe in January.

[windowwashers]

I had 3 of these today.... i would not mind but its the last clean before xmas....
so you would think they would want them clean for xmas,

anyway, i was not too happy, but i understand its the customers choice, but its so annoying sometimes.

do you get a lot of this.

how do you deal with it?

if today was your last clean they would be dirty for xmas anyway

but not AS dirty for xmas.... its the 24th today so i cant get back again... and they were dirty today....

you would think they would say that , maybe in January.

anything we can in the next week will be cleaned again up till the 24th dec 

[Tosh]

I'll quite happily say ok and leave it until next time, as long as they don't make habit of it.

Once or twice a year, no problem, it's not like many do it.

Twice in a few months and I still say ok, but they don't see me again.

I wouldn't!

Are you telling me that you'd drive upto a house, unreel your hose, and just before you're about to start work, your customer sticks their head out of the front door and says, 'Not this month, mate'?  So then you've got to pack up and move on.

And then you'd return to clean them again?

No way... no ruddy way.

I've had ONE 'Not this month, mate' this year, and I dropped them.  It rarely happens to me, because I've always binned the customers who've tried this.

I've even binned a £100 domestic account (which Ian_Giles does now) because she did the same to me (but Ian and I did a bit of 'price discussion' on that one, so she's paying even more now.  That'll teach 'er

If you agree terms and conditions, stick to them; don't let your customers treat you like 'rubbish', or you'll end up with a naff load of work.

In previous years, some customers have approached 'Wor Lass', thinking she'd be a 'softer touch' than me, and when they've said, 'Can you leave us this month?', unless they've had a good reason, Wor Lass says, 'So you don't want your windows cleaned by us anymore?'

They've always relented; this is one of my pet hates.

Be firm with your customers when they're being unfair to you.

[geefree]

well i cant get around to them 2-3 days before xmas.... as i will be flat out with the customers who fall on that week prior to xmas.......in other words...... last weeks calls......... and it falls on a thursday xmas day..

 

[windowwashers]

well i cant get around to them 2-3 days before xmas.... as i will be flat out with the customers who fall on that week prior to xmas.......in other words...... last weeks calls......... and it falls on a thursday xmas day..

 

Fair play, we clean 4 weekly as min, but due to xmas shut down some will be cleaned a day or 2 early will work long the week leading to xmas, then have time off without me losing money

[Tosh]

i will only be doing oaps on the mon/tues to save collecting,just running down off to Cyprus xmas eve for a week in the sun

You've just got back from Cuba you git!

I bet you're mortgage free!?

Git! 

[seandyer2003]

well i cant get around to them 2-3 days before xmas.... as i will be flat out with the customers who fall on that week prior to xmas.......in other words...... last weeks calls......... and it falls on a thursday xmas day..

 

Fair play, we clean 4 weekly as min, but due to xmas shut down some will be cleaned a day or 2 early will work long the week leading to xmas, then have time off without me losing money

Same here, im putting mine a couple of days early the next 2 cleans (6 weekly) so as to squeeze them in as close to crimbo as poss, more money for me, clean windows for them Any that arent happy i will let them wait till next time as i understand its sooner than usual, but normally im a few days late anyway so they dont mind to much.. But staying on topic....
I hate the not this month brigade and if it happens i let them off once but i discuss why i do not tolerate it - cant run a business like that etc, then i dont let it happen again, if they are struggling money wise and tell me i gladly change the frequency just so long as i know when to call, i hate planning a day and then a job drops and you end up with less work!! Dropped one tonight for it , picked one up smaller and better price round the corner Not felt credit crunch yet, fingers crossed, but phone ringing at least once a day at the minute

[Paul Coleman]

I had 3 of these today.... i would not mind but its the last clean before xmas....
so you would think they would want them clean for xmas,

anyway, i was not too happy, but i understand its the customers choice, but its so annoying sometimes.

do you get a lot of this.

how do you deal with it?

If the job is an OK one I usually let it go if it's just the once.  Do it a second time and I introduce T & C's that require the customer to pay 50% of the clean for a "not today" without reasonable notice being given (up to a maximum of £10).  Obviously T & Cs can only refer to subsequent cleans.  If they feel insulted by the introduction of T & Cs and decide to cancel, that suits me fine because they were starting to become a liability anyway.

[johnny_h]

tell them ok but if someone asks me to start them i will give them their place so be warned i doubt i will be back and thank them for their past custom

[Oakley Windows]

I had a £45.00 account that required a phone-call the night before to be sure the front gates were open.  Anyway, their payment record was abysmal and the back lawn was always covered in dog-doo. The last time I rang to arrange the front gate I got 'Can you leave them this time, as Ill be in' 

It was the last straw to be honest what with the payment record and dogs habits. Not going there again. Im half expecting a phone call.

I had a £28.00 account as well where I turned up and she said 'can you leave it this time as the woman who clips the dog is coming soon and you were here the last she did him !!'  She seemed rather taken aback when I suggested we cancel the agreement 

I know we're entering a recession and my attitude isnt normally so clinical and harsh as with these last 2 but when someones having a laugh at my expense I tend to turn the tables.

[Sir Squeaky]

I'll quite happily say ok and leave it until next time, as long as they don't make habit of it.

Once or twice a year, no problem, it's not like many do it.

Twice in a few months and I still say ok, but they don't see me again.

I wouldn't!

Are you telling me that you'd drive upto a house, unreel your hose, and just before you're about to start work, your customer sticks their head out of the front door and says, 'Not this month, mate'?  So then you've got to pack up and move on.

And then you'd return to clean them again?

No way... no ruddy way.

I've had ONE 'Not this month, mate' this year, and I dropped them.  It rarely happens to me, because I've always binned the customers who've tried this.

I've even binned a £100 domestic account (which Ian_Giles does now) because she did the same to me (but Ian and I did a bit of 'price discussion' on that one, so she's paying even more now.  That'll teach 'er

If you agree terms and conditions, stick to them; don't let your customers treat you like 'rubbish', or you'll end up with a naff load of work.

In previous years, some customers have approached 'Wor Lass', thinking she'd be a 'softer touch' than me, and when they've said, 'Can you leave us this month?', unless they've had a good reason, Wor Lass says, 'So you don't want your windows cleaned by us anymore?'

They've always relented; this is one of my pet hates.

Be firm with your customers when they're being unfair to you.

You let it bother you way too much mate.
They pay your wages.
Terms and conditions? You're not a Sky salesman.  :

If they just stuck their head out and said "Not this month" I wouldn't go back, but if they apologise and have a reason there's no problem.

If you were my window cleaner I'd sack you purely for your self-importance.

[Tosh]

Fair enough, but as I say, I've only had a 'not this month, mate', ONCE this year, and they were dropped.

Oh, and I'm still cleaning those four houses you used to charge £6 for, yet I'm charging them £12; nice customers too.