Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Who's unreasonable - me or window cleaner?

738 replies

HugATwat · 13/03/2023 10:51

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.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Zerrin13 · 14/03/2023 00:12

My husband has been running his own window cleaning business for 19 years.
We contact all of our customers the day before the clean takes place. If someone cancels they don't need to give any reason whatsoever. They are the customer and we are providing them with a service that they are paying for. That is the end of it. We have a huge round and we don't get many cancellations. We have a few customers with nervous dogs and we are more than sympathetic to this. OP tried repeatedly to cancel and her cleaner needs to understand that communicating with your customers is essential to the smooth running of his business. She has done absolutely nothing wrong. I wouldn't pay him and I would also tell him not to come back.

Pemba · 14/03/2023 00:25

A voice of sense! Thanks @Zerrin13
I am sure some posters are just on the wind up though.

countrygirl99 · 14/03/2023 04:52

JackadooJackadee · 13/03/2023 20:49

I reckon you're confusing Bailliffs and orders from the high court with debt collections. One has a legally enforceable right to payment or they can take your belongongs. The other has less legal recourse and relies on more creative methods.

I'd just pay.

Show quote history

Sounds like you know some very dodgy people. I have had experience of one of thise at work. Just called the police and they arrested him. (Makes note never to use a tradie known to this poster).

IWantToBeACat · 14/03/2023 07:07

Zerrin13 · 14/03/2023 00:12

My husband has been running his own window cleaning business for 19 years.
We contact all of our customers the day before the clean takes place. If someone cancels they don't need to give any reason whatsoever. They are the customer and we are providing them with a service that they are paying for. That is the end of it. We have a huge round and we don't get many cancellations. We have a few customers with nervous dogs and we are more than sympathetic to this. OP tried repeatedly to cancel and her cleaner needs to understand that communicating with your customers is essential to the smooth running of his business. She has done absolutely nothing wrong. I wouldn't pay him and I would also tell him not to come back.

Now, now, stop coming on here with all your knowledgeable common sense and calmly explaining how things actually work in the real world, rather than throwing wild conjecture, lack of comprehension and, well, random idiocy around! 😂

HairyMcHairyFace · 14/03/2023 08:41

IWantToBeACat · 14/03/2023 07:07

Now, now, stop coming on here with all your knowledgeable common sense and calmly explaining how things actually work in the real world, rather than throwing wild conjecture, lack of comprehension and, well, random idiocy around! 😂

Show quote history

Don't be silly. It wouldn't be AIBU without wild conjecture, lack of comprehension and random idiocy.

Original poster
HugATwat · 14/03/2023 08:48

Morning! Somehow this thread's still going 😂

Just confirming, there is no app involved. Just the man and his phone.
I met WC when he picked something up from Freecycle in his van. My former WC had gone AWOL. New WC confirmed he'd always text beforehand, totally understood about the dog and why I needed a text. So I hired him. That was three years ago. Last weekend was my first cancellation.

It's not an anonymous, giant enterprise. Just one guy with a van and a phone.

My regular window clean is £18.

OP posts:
Original poster
HugATwat · 14/03/2023 08:51

@JackadooJackadee Banging on the windows wouldn't make my dog shit herself. She'd bark but she wouldn't be scared. Certainly not scared enough to shit the carpet.

It'd just make WC look like an absolutely childish melt.

Not a great advert for his business.

OP posts:
lieselotte · 14/03/2023 08:56

JackadooJackadee · 13/03/2023 19:56

Collection agency auto add in region of £250+ vat fee if they buy the debt so will always be worth their while to chase any amount.

You're approaching this from a reasoned position but my experience is reason goes out the window when someone decides they want to make a point. If for a quiet life I'd pay the 26 quid.

Show quote history

You're not wrong that a lot of people aren't rational Grin

lieselotte · 14/03/2023 08:58

JMSA · 13/03/2023 20:38

YANBU but do sound like an inconvenient client (sorry).

I really can't see how it's inconvenient to add the OP to a different day.

Unless you lived somewhere very rural and they weren't likely to be in your area again for a bit. But then you'd just do without a clean until they next came round.

My side gate needs to be open, so if they wanted to come when I was away, there would be nothing I could do about it as I wouldn't be there to open it. Sad to say for window cleaners, we don't all run our lives around their convenience.

Sweepies · 14/03/2023 09:25

Any update texts from the window cleaner OP?

IhearyouClemFandango · 14/03/2023 09:33

Hurrahhurrah · 13/03/2023 23:21

Hi Wc please don't clean my windows because my dog may do a poo po.
🤣🤣

Show quote history

And? The OP could decide that she didn't want the windows cleaned because she was planning a day of naked yoga and that would still be perfectly legitimate. Shes a paying customer.

We run a business that services customers and charges a lot more than a window cleaner, a booking can cancel at any point for any reason and such is life.

There are some right contrary Marys on here.

Bettyboop3 · 14/03/2023 10:05

Hurrahhurrah · 13/03/2023 23:21

Hi Wc please don't clean my windows because my dog may do a poo po.
🤣🤣

Show quote history

You nasty piece of work. I hope to god you have no pets.

Rosula · 14/03/2023 10:09

Hurrahhurrah · 13/03/2023 16:40

The window cleaner could've said this.
'We’re seeing that you’ve got additional needs that are beyond the initial scope of what we discussed. We have a couple of options. We can upgrade you to our VIP level (Raise the price) or we can help you find a company that’s a tighter fit with the level of support you really need.
When annoying customers start costing you more than you make, getting rid of them is the smart financial move.
You might even find that the most annoying customer is one who doesn’t pay you a lot of money. In all of the companies I’ve built, I noticed this trend. Customers who are constantly complaining are never satisfied. They create unreasonable demands for you and your staff. They are toxic'.

www.morebusiness.com/annoying-customers/
Asking a window to make allowances for a dog is batshit.😂

Show quote history

Why on earth does asking the window cleaner not to come just once amount to such an incredibly high level of service in your eyes? Particularly given that OP is still happy to pay him to do nothing.

Rosula · 14/03/2023 10:16

JackadooJackadee · 13/03/2023 19:56

Collection agency auto add in region of £250+ vat fee if they buy the debt so will always be worth their while to chase any amount.

You're approaching this from a reasoned position but my experience is reason goes out the window when someone decides they want to make a point. If for a quiet life I'd pay the 26 quid.

Show quote history

They can only charge that fee to the window cleaner, not the customer. Given that he's only ever going to have one-off debts of around £25 or £50 at the most (because presumably he would just stop going to any customer who isn't paying) he would have to be insane to involve a collection agency.

Rosula · 14/03/2023 10:25

TheHateIsNotGood · 13/03/2023 21:33

I wouldn't expect my or any window cleaner to fit around my dog. Nor expect them to be glued to their phone, etc responding to ridiculous requests from clients. Because they're too busy cleaning windows. And because it rains hard sometimes it's not always possible to stick tightly to a schedule - a window cleaner comes when they can.

So your message didn't filter through, your windows got cleaned and your dog freaked out.

Such is life. It's already cost the cleaner money to clean your windows, its very UR not to pay them.

Surely you would expect your window cleaner to fit around you, if you have a valid reason not to want your windows cleaned one week? The reason is irrelevant. Why is asking them not to come one week and be paid anyway a "ridiculous request"? If you have a cleaner, is it ridiculous to ask them not to come when you're away, or ill or similar?

And do you expect your window cleaner to be cleaning windows 24 hours a day so they can't look at their phone? Because that is what this one would have had to be doing to be too busy to look at his and see OP's messages.

I'm genuinely astonished by the number of people on here who think it's totally unreasonable to ask someone providing a service not to do it on one occasion when they will be paid anyway. Not one of of them has been able to explain what's so dreadful about this.

JohnnyYenSetHimselfOnFireAgain · 14/03/2023 10:40

Hurrahhurrah · 13/03/2023 23:21

Hi Wc please don't clean my windows because my dog may do a poo po.
🤣🤣

Show quote history

So you're not denying that your posts are completely nonsensical? Well, it's a start, I suppose! 😂😂

adriftindenofvipers · 14/03/2023 12:55

ChilliBandit · 13/03/2023 23:49

@adriftindenofvipers - yes otherwise she might come and break your legs or whatever else Jackadoo was banging on about.

😂😂😂

A hitman maybe?!

Original poster
HugATwat · 14/03/2023 16:16

Just confirming that I have received no further correspondence from WC 😳

OP posts:
linsey2581 · 14/03/2023 17:52

Can’t you just close the curtains/blinds when the window cleaner comes around. That’s what I do when mine comes round otherwise my dog barks his head off

Toomuchtrouble4me · 14/03/2023 17:54

A sign on the door is a green light to burglars too. Presuming your would be the best of guard dogs? YANBU

IhearyouClemFandango · 14/03/2023 17:58

linsey2581 · 14/03/2023 17:52

Can’t you just close the curtains/blinds when the window cleaner comes around. That’s what I do when mine comes round otherwise my dog barks his head off

I suspect they've probably tried that. And it doesn't stop the noise.

Arniesleftleg · 14/03/2023 17:58

@Viviennemary but the WC wasn't going to lose out as she'd offered to pay for his service. In a way, that would have been financially better as he could have filled that slot doing someone else, ergo getting paid for two jobs rather than the one.

Margerine78 · 14/03/2023 18:00

If someone knowingly scared my dog to that extent I'd want to skin them alive, so no, you're not being unreasonable.

Also, what a twat for suddenly reading texts when you don't pay. Moron too - he could've had the cash without the work and the anger from you!

Keep all the exchanges in case he does anything twatty like threatens legal action - he hasn't a leg to stand on though

LoisLane66 · 14/03/2023 18:05

Suggest you take your dog to a behavioural therapist.

Mandyjack · 14/03/2023 18:07

Couldn't you have just closed curtains or blinds?