Who's unreasonable - me or window cleaner?

[HugATwat]

My dog is petrified of the window cleaner.

The reason I started using my current window cleaner is because he always texts so I know in advance when he's coming.

On Friday evening, WC text to say he was coming on Saturday morning. But I was going to be out Saturday morning so I texted him back and said to leave it for this month because the dog would be home alone and wouldn't cope. I said I'd still be happy to pay but please don't clean the windows.

No reply.

I texted again first thing on Saturday morning. No reply.

I called him on Saturday morning. He didn't answer. I left a message. No reply.

I texted him again before we went out saying please don't clean my windows today.

I went out because I couldn't avoid it. I'd asked a couple of friends if they could sit with the dog but they couldn't, far too short notice. When I came back, the windows had been cleaned. The dog was in a right state and had pissed and shit all over the floor.

So I spent an hour or so calming the dog down. Then another couple of hours cleaning everything up. And the living room carpet will need a professional because the piddle has stained quite badly.

I texted the WC to tell him I wouldn't be paying because I'd specifically asked him not to clean the windows.
This time, he texted back. Quelle fucking surprise.

I'm holding firm and not paying. Needless to say I've told him to take me off his books for the future.

It's a weird situation because I was actually willing to pay him for NOT doing the work. But I'm not willing to pay for work that he's done that I specifically asked him not to do.

Am I being unreasonable here? I'm still so pissed off.

Actually legally the OP is right, you can not legally agree to a service by doing nothing. The OP has clearly stated within a short period of time that she did not want the service and has had other verbal discussions with the WC about needing the pre warning and why. It would be different if it was a set day/time and the need to cancel would very much be the OPs job to do, however by texting the WC was offering a service and the OP declined this. The WC has then completed the clean without consent for this to occur. Legally the payment for the clean is not enforceable. This is basic contract law.

So what did he use to send business texts if not a business phone line?

Apologies if someone already said but i have these windows. You fiddle a button in the hinge and the pane turns over.

Anyway wcs are annoying. We don't have one now. They used to chip the windowsills with their ladder, and leave the side gate to slam in the wind, getting broken.

They would come fortnightly and you were supposed to be able to ask them not to. One day we asked them to skip the fortnight as we'd be on holidays. They said OK but the next time would cost double because it would be twice as dirty. Unprofessional uns unpleasant, we said goodbye to him. Milkman went the same way, always commenting on what we were drinking/not drinking, are you on a diet etc etc etc. F off.

Oh, why not. In fact, OP, why don't you just move house to a house with approved accommodation to suit the window cleaner, maybe a disused prison would do the trick? It really is highly remiss of you not to have done this instead of telling the window cleaner not to turn up.

YANBU. You made every effort to contact him and he ignored you until you said you wouldn't pay. Funny that.

I am self employed and if a client cancels me then I don't turn up, simple!

The fact that you had offered to pay him anyway makes it absolutely ridiculous that he still turned up and cleaned them.

Any sensible business person checks their emails/texts at the start of each day to see if there are any cancellations.

YANBU to not pay and YANBU to not use him again.

OMG what is wrong with you?!!!

I can't be arsed cleaning my windows, cutting my hair, doing my nails, trimming down my own, or doing my own electrics/joinery work and plumbing.

Hey let's just decimate the service industries because you say so!

AND she's explained that he knew all about the dog.

Some very strange responses on here.

My window cleaner also texts before coming, but sensibly gives a couple of days' notice, so plenty of time to cancel if necessary because, sometimes people have to cancel.

I also like the texts beforehand because although my dog isn't nervous like yours OP, she doesn't like the scary brush on the windows.

You did your best to let him know it wasn't a good time for him to come. Not much more you could have done tbh, it's his fault he couldn't be bothered to pick up the phone or read the texts one of his customers sent. He doesn't deserve to be paid.

Find yourself a new window cleaner. One that is prepared to put some effort into keeping his customers happy, and preferably one that gives you more than 12 hours notice.

What now?! I'm stuck in work meetings but when I'm not I shall be investigating this.

Not that it'll make me clean my own windows of course

Yeah. It's more a tab that you pull down or a push thing. Mine are like yours and they do it but i found this article though the hinge is at the bottom rather than the side.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/15749360/secret-button-cleaning-windows-easier/amp/

Some of these replies have been batshit!
Op you are very much not in the wrong. You tried to contact the WC who for whatever reason didn't read or reply to them.
If he asks about payment I would just tell him that you were prepared to pay him for not turning up, but as he chose to ignore all your messages you now need to use that money to pay for your carpets to be cleaned after your dogs anxiety reaction to him turning up.

I would tell him that you're not sure how much clearer you could have made it that he was not supposed to come but fine, you will take his fee off the invoice you are sending him for the carpet cleaning, time spent and compensation which you expect to be paid in a timely fashion.

Your absolutely not being unreasonable! I have a window cleaner too that always txts the day before to tell me that he’s coming.

Theres a million reasons you might not want them to come and that’s surely the whole point in them txting you so you can say if it’s inconvenient!

For example once I cancelled because we were on holiday so the back gate would be locked and he wouldn’t be able to access the windows. Once it was my daughters birthday party and we were using the garden so it wouldn’t have really worked him trying to clean the windows with twenty 6 year olds running under his ladders!!

He’s just lucky your not charging him for the professional cleaning of your carpets!!

I’m here for the update on the OP’s secret button on her windows!

If she has one - I vote she trains* the dog to clean both the inside and out of the windows. It’s well known that a busy dog isn’t an anxious one.

Someone way upthread enquired rather delicately about how the dog did “it’s business”. How wonderful if rather than a euphemism for it shitting and peeing - it has an ACTUAL business.

*I may not have thought through the absence of opposable thumbs as a barrier to this business plan.

Is this the new "Cancel the Cheque"???

😆 😆 😆

Who on earth needs a customer for window cleaning with specific instructions on when they can clean?
Absurd.

He could have just called (or actually responded to the call / several messages) and raised any concerns then.
As a business, if you have a loyal and reliable customer who has explained their reasoning, apologised and even offered to pay out of their own pocket for any inconvenience caused (and even offered to pay for a service they won't be receiving) and on top of all that, a customer who has always prevously paid on time, it's always good business practice to retain those customers.

I got so invested in this thread, I was late for school pick up ffs 🤦🏻‍♀️

Problem solved op.
You just need a bike and sidecar...
And you and ddog are good to go..

If you had a cleaner, and told them not to come today because you were sick in bed, would you be ok with them just walking in and hoovering around you anyway? Of course you wouldn't.

Everyone providing a service has to do it when the client wants it done, and not when they don't want it done. This is pretty basic stuff. Everyone needs these customers,thats what customers are.

I don’t think YABU. But I just can’t work out what the guy gained by cleaning your windows against your will as you said you would pay anyway. It is most likely the case he just didn’t see/read the message rather than deliberately cleaning them without consent.

It doesn't matter which it is, he's not entitled to be paid either way.

Wrong, some customers ask for too much compared to what they're paying.
If the op wants a niche service because she has a bat-shit dog I suggest she finds a flexible window cleaner.

There are 2 types of customers.
Undesirable-Pain in the arse-the op.
Desirable-Profitable.

@Hurrahhurrah how is the OP not profitable when she's offering to pay a window cleaner for a service she didn't even want?

She's clearly not a pain in the arse. He's the problem.

You're definitely on a wind-up.