[matt]

I have cleaned this house for over 6 years

about 2 years ago, they had a conserv built with a glass roof

i cleaned them all the time every 6 weeks

they then decided it was too much so went, conserv glass roof every 3rd clean, conserv every other clean and the house all the time

i get a phone call today, she says : you cleaned the lot last time, it was 32 quid

yes i say

well my husband jet washed the conserv and roof the weekend before, so it was clean

i reply, i could tell you had the hosepipe on the go, as the water marks were fairly bad

well i will send you a cheque for the house and thats it

me : but i spent ages getting all the hard water marks off

her : well they were cleaned, so i am not paying

she hangs up

[johnny_h]

not really much you can do  do you intend to keep them?

[R W C]

Id be sending that cheque straight back and not returning  

[martinsadie]

Id be sending that cheque straight back and not returning  

why ,keep the cheque and dont return 

[matt]

no, i am afraid to say, i will not be going back

its a shame as i do 14 houses on that side of the road all 1 after the other ( missing just 1 )

i will cash the cheque and when she asks me why i havent been back, i will explain why

[johnny_h]

i would cash the cheque too get the forms from the small claims court fill them out send her a copy and see what happens has she got the bottle to front you out? are you willing to go that far? mind you if the street find out your an easy touch it may snowball

[borg]

i had 1 like that i ended up loosing an other 3 they where all pals.

[matt]

i had 1 like that i ended up loosing an other 3 they where all pals.

to be honest all the rest in the street are good as gold and all retired, this house in question do not really fit in with the rest, they have 2 dogs that bark all the time, he drives a big double cab pick-up ( he is a builder ) and parks it anywhere, even on the grass outside houses )

[windowswashed]

When customers start changing the intervals and what needs cleaning on specific visits. alarm bells start ringing. Same as when customer starts using three or more different chequebook account numbers to pay the bill. KISS Keep It Simple Stupid. Start getting messed around and being inconvenienced and it normally ends one way. 3 chances and they're out.

[Tosh]

me : but i spent ages getting all the hard water marks off

her : well they were cleaned, so i am not paying

she hangs up

I'd be cross!!  That would be two-handfulls of carpet tacks thrown all over their drive time!

[tomy jackson]

no not the drive but the verge

[ftp]

That's verging on criminal.

[martinsadie]

no not the drive but the verge

Blue Peters badge to Tomy for reading all the post  

[martinsadie]

That's verging on criminal.

time to get your coat 

[Lee Pryor]

I hate things like this i find it un acceptable.

at the end of the day you did the pre arranged work, they should have let you know in advance. you should send them a proper invoice in the post. and say on it that they have untill such a date to pay or debt recovery proceedings will begin for which they will be liable for any legal costs. dont accept a lower cheque in the mean time.

Trust me i have done this many times, just watch how quick that check arrives! If you do have to take it to the next level then they wont have a leg to stand on. just keep a copy of the letter you send.

[Handyman Window Cleaning Services]

could you put egg in to a bottle of mineral water and spray it on her conservatory, call it a refund for the dirt you took away

I hate things like this i find it un acceptable.

at the end of the day you did the pre arranged work, they should have let you know in advance. you should send them a proper invoice in the post. and say on it that they have untill such a date to pay or debt recovery proceedings will begin for which they will be liable for any legal costs. dont accept a lower cheque in the mean time.

Trust me i have done this many times, just watch how quick that check arrives! If you do have to take it to the next level then they wont have a leg to stand on. just keep a copy of the letter you send.

i done the similare approach to a custie who wouldnt pay me 'cos i done them when she was away from the property.  she did pay but she thretened that she was going to tell the trading standards pplm cos you should carrie out work when the homeowner isnt there.

she was bonkers

[cozy]

If she thinks it was clean after a jet wash, offer to clean ALL her windows with a jet wash next time. Save all that time.

I would drop her Matt but having said that I wouldn't go to war for the rest of the money.

If she's been on the books for 6 years though I would try to find the real reason for her reaction, if you know what I mean.

[Tosh]

If she's been on the books for 6 years though I would try to find the real reason for her reaction, if you know what I mean.

It could be just a case of familiarity breeding comtempt!

[SherwoodCleaningSe]

To be honest, you would probably get your money with a threat to take it to the small claims court, but at the same time depending on the type of person you are you may get very, very stressed about it at the same time.
The way Matt's chosen to deal with it is stress free. In the long run they may come out and ask again and he can explain the situation, I would probably not ever want to take them back TBH.  It might be as well that they have hardly any money at the moment and the husband is a bit of a tyrant in the house and making life hard, still no way to act.  I'd be as worried about getting a reputation amongst the neighbors of damaging property, if any of the aforementioned tricks were to be employed.

Matt's right though they don't deserve a good window cleaner, just an overpriced bad one.

Simon.

[Londoner]

Id be sending that cheque straight back and not returning  

No way! Bank the cheque and walk away.

I don't have bad customers anymore, just ex-customers. Life's too short.