To hire a new window cleaner

[HedgehogStew]

After more than two years of lurking I finally have an aibu to put to the Mumsnet jury.

We've had the same window cleaner for about two years now. However he hasn't been since August 2018 and I have no way of getting in touch with him. I've tried searching for him on the internet / social media with no luck. He only cleans two houses on our street, ours and the house next door. We owe him £12 which makes me feel as though he will be coming back at some point.

I was already considering looking for a new window cleaner (as our windows are getting pretty filthy now) when we had a card put through the door for a new service. My only hesitation in contacting this new company, is that I feel as though something must have happened to the current window cleaner for him not to come and at least come and collect his £12. If he does turn up in a few months having suffered a serious injury I will feel terrible.

What do you think I should do?

Why don’t you ask the other house if they have contact details for him?

If you've got no way of getting in touch with your old window cleaner then why are you worrying? Just book the new one in if your windows need doing.

Maybe the old window cleaner won the lottery and moved to Vegas. Let it go, book the new bunch. If OWC ever turns up, give him £12.

How long exactly do you think you should wait before you get someone else to do the job he clearly no longer wants.

If you haven't seen him for around five month I think you can safely assume you've waited long enough.

Thanks for the replies. I was half expecting to be told I should clean them myself lol. Personally I think 5 months is long enough. In that time my neigbours on the other side have had their windows cleaned at least 5 times that I've seen.The other house don't have any contact details for him either. But OH will double check with them that they haven't heard anything before booking this new window cleaner. I hope he is in Vegas. lol

My window cleaner last came in September and he used to come every 6-8 weeks. I emailed him just before Christmas to check when he was due to come again but haven't heard back, so I have just arranged for somebody else to clean my windows. I have also emailed my previous window cleaner again to say that I no longer require him to clean my windows, so that if he does decide to turn up I am not liable to pay him.

This is ridiculous. Having dirty windows isn’t going to make him magically reappear. If he turns up, give him his 12 quid - job done.

It must be a window cleaner thing because I owe one from 3 years ago £20, I texted him offering to send an electronic payment if he couldn’t come for it, I never heard from him again so I got a new one, he came once then kept making excuses about why he couldn’t come on the day we arranged, and he only wanted paying in cash so it had to be a day I would be in, so i got another one, again only wanted paying in cash then didn’t turn up at all so I’ve given up and I just do them myself every couple of months now. I’d like to pay someone to do them but it seems my money isn’t good enough

I could have written this!

Ours hasn't been since early November, tried contacting him and have had no response. In the last few days we have had a leaflet for another window cleaner and I am tempted to just go with them.

Is it a window cleaner thing that over winter they vanish?!