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.

Absolutely I expect a company that wants my business to have arrangements in place for phone calls to be answered whilst their staff are in meetings. If they don't have employees on site to do so - which is the norm - there are offsite phone answering services available.

Of course customers only think of themselves. A business which provides services to customers is making money out of that fact. If business people don't understand that, they won't last long in business.

Because he isn't obligated to check his messages at night when he is with his family, or in the morning before he goes to work, or while driving. He's not sitting in an office. He's on the road and running up and down ladders. He can look at and respond to messages when it suits him. And he's probably like most people, doesn't think about work when he's not at work and puts his phone on silent at home.

I've been in his position (not a window cleaner, but an active job which involved a lot of driving) and you'd be surprised at the number of people who think they are entitled to contact you when it suits them and expect you to respond immediately just because they have your mobile number. "I've been calling you all day!" I've been driving all day, Susan. Contact me during work hours, if I'm too busy to take your call I'll get back to you when I get the chance. And yes sometimes that might not be until the end of my day.

Personally, I would have checked my phone in the morning because I love a late cancellation as I still got paid. But he didn't check. That's his choice. No one knows his reason.

@BadNomad well then the window cleaner needs to send out his messages in a more timely manner, if he doesn't want to look at his phone in the evening.

He maybe needs to consider a 36 hour notice system and then build into his day 15 minutes to review any texts received. When my WC messages me, I'll often respond with, great can you do the roof lantern as well this month, if he wasn't going to view his texts, he wouldn't receive that and would lose ££££. By not being efficient this WC has lost money and a client and not going to get further recommendations, which of course WC rely on.

Having an active job, doesn't mean no admin, he needs to build that into his working day.

Incidentally I don't think this WC, is running up and down ladders, he seems to use the pole system, it's quite modern a bit like mobile phone communication.

@Hurrahhurrah I work in financial services, the FCA has a directive which is called treating customers fairly. This means that whether I am the president of the USA or not, if I'm a paying customer I have an agreed level of service. If the customer does not reach the required level for us to profitably deal with them, then we will either disengage or not engage in the first place.

What we don't do, is ignore their communication. That's rude and not treating them fairly.

To be honest, the high handed attitude of well I can get work elsewhere may well come crashing down around your DH soon,

Also, "he's told the staff" is he Lord Grantham? He seems to run his business in a very lax way, with insufficient staffing levels. poor customer service, so busy (with meetings on two days of the week 😂), that he is potentially losing work. Has he considered increasing the workforce to make the company more efficient, increase turnover or is this something he can't cope with? In which case he needs to advise potential clients of that.

Let's hope the office doesn't burn down whilst he's off Monday. he's told the staff not to contact him, on a phone that will be switched off anyway 🤷‍♀️ if he doesn't check his phone before setting off, he could have a wasted journey if they've dared to text to let him know 😂!

I think @Hurrahhurrah is just a bit dim given their DP doesn’t appear to be very good at running a business either but they seem to think he’s the second coming.

Especially since he has to spend 4 hours a day in meetings touting for business. Perhaps if his communication skills were up to par or he answered client messages he’d have more repeat clients.

I think she's just being totally obtuse! I'm also shocked at the amount of knowledge she had if his work, he was in meetings for 8 hours, got an email about another job. Turns his phone off, tells "the staff" this.

Sounds so boring to have to listen to his every move each evening!

💤

@Hurrahhurrah a pompous insufferable bore, is that your DH, who "tells the staff", relates his entire working day and is so up his own arse ignores his phone?

I mean he gives a number out and then.... ignores it.... where is the logic in that?

Makes sure "he tells the staff" to work jolly hard when he's off until Tuesday!

I expect they'll all be saying

CU next Tuesday...... we won't ring your already turned off phone, but thank you for telling us to kit ring your already off phone, or we might have tried to ring your turned off phone.

Hold yout nerve OP.

Services rendered that you specifically requested that hr dkd not carry out.

Its like someone delivering a take awah i didn't ask fkr and still expecting payment...

Have you told him he's lucky yoire not asking him for payment of professional cleaning of carpets as a result of his actions??

@Hurrahhurrah is almost like your DH thinks his time is more important that those trying to get hold of him.

This reminds me of a landscape gardener I tried to contact years ago by email, the email address from his website. I thought it would be easier for him.
I got no response and did eventually phone him. When I asked why he hadn't answered my email he said 'Oh, I never look at emails'.
I went elsewhere with my business.

It's not a question of what he's obligated to do, it's a question of what he needs to do to keep his customer base and maintain his reputation. He's giving his customers considerably less than 24 hours' notice that he plans to come, it's only common sense that it won't be convenient for all of them or they may have particular instructions (e.g. where he can find the key to a back gate), therefore he needs to keep an eye on his phone to check for responses. It's likely to take him all of 10 minutes before starting off in the morning, and it's just common sense. It's also common sense to check between jobs.

As for the "outside working hours" thing, if you don't text someone till the evening to tell them you're coming the following morning, when the hell else can they contact you to tell you not to?

It's not as if OP was committing the heinous crime of expecting him to respond immediately. He didn't necessarily need to respond at all, though it would have made sense to send a quick acknowledgement, which again would have taken only a few seconds. What she was asking was that he shouldn't do the work, which is hardly onerous, especially given that he was going to be paid anyway.

So now he's lost a good customer and the prospect of more, given that OP is never going to recommend him to anyone else.

Smart move! If you can't get them when you're offering business, can you imagine what it's like if you've a problem!

Because if brains were taxed, she would be getting a rebate!!

Does your dog act like this everytime someone comes near the house. Postman? A person delivering leaflets?train your dog better

No. It's just the window cleaner. Like the OP has said one million times. Because the dog doesn't like the pole. And is fine when OP is there.

Train yourself to read better.

If you read the first line of the OP, you'll have the first answer. If you read the next you'll have all your answers.

Amazing what you can learn by reading a post!

Another thicky joins the chat. 🙄

So you text Susan to say "I'm coming tomorrow" then ignore your phone and turn up at her house and get pissy at her?

Absolutely refuse to pay.
You gave him plenty of notice in numerous messages.
It's his responsibility.

Would you are to explain exactly how you've drawn this conclusion from OP's posts? It would be fascinating to hear where this fantasy comes from.

Has this thread made the papers yet.?😂

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/woman-refuses-pay-window-cleaner-29454299.amp

Certainly has!

As the WC is a self-employed sole trader whose house is his 'base', rather than having separate business premises, of course he should check all his messages before he leaves that house every day. Similarly, he should be checking them at regular intervals between customers. That is both basic common sense and basic business practice for anyone in this type of self-employed job.
No one expects him to be checking them all through the night - that would be ridiculous - but absolutely he should at the beginning and the end of each working day.