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.

But she HAD to go out, she couldn’t wait around and ask him not to do them 🙄

I'm starting to think Mumsnet should have a basic reading comprehension test that members need to pass before they're allowed to post.

I mean if you'd cancelled and not mentioned payment or said you won't pay then whilst annoying can see his point. As you explicitly said you would pay and made several attempts to make contact yes I'd be annoyed! He is wild for not wanting money for nothing, there's a chance he didn't see the messages but unlikely given he responded quickly when you said no payment.

YANBU at all. Don’t pay!!

I would also consider not having a window cleaner at all if it upsets your dog so much… but I’m happy to never have super clean windows so may have very low standards!!

@SalmonKnicks the WC gave her his phone number ergo the phone he uses is for business. She therefore contacted him on it. Small business owners use their phones as mobile offices.

TBH he’s lucky that she’s not chasing him for damages caused by his behaviour.

@HugATwat I’m so sorry your ddog was so upset.

So if her dad died she has to track down the window cleaner in person and tell him not to come....😂"sorry all I've to leave the wake to track down the window cleaner"

Some response on a straight forward situation are bonkers

The bat shit in this thread! Pass the mop, OP! Don't pay him. It's not your fault he failed to follow instructions.

pp are hilarious giving this daft bloke all these excuses for clearly being unreasonable and putting a dog in such distress.

@HugATwat A certain person is determined to annoy you and everyone else who replied agreeing with you, ignore them don’t give them what they want. Obviously very bored today.

sorry for your loss

She said he comes monthly so no that wouldn't work.

What loss?

Why do people have neurotic dogs that can't cope with normal household activity? Is it really impossible to get a non-neurotic one?

She adopted a dog who can't cope with one scenario, which is easily avoided, if the bloke isn't a knob.

What a lovely compassionate response.

Ffs what is wrong with certain people on this thread?

Do you have some sort of brain injury? Because it’s the only thing that might account for you supposedly reading the OP and still asking questions that were answered in it, and then this blatant misunderstanding where another poster suggested you’re the Twat the op needs to hug (which you are) and are now accusing the OP of calling you a Twat.

if no brain injury, I guess you’re just stupid.

Read the replies-

This is the only thing that the dog is really scared of.

Some dogs don’t like lightening.
Some dogs don’t like rain.
Some dogs don’t like cats.

Some dogs don’t like people ……………

This has killed me.

What the fuck? 🤣🤣🤣

Read.the.fucking.thread

the OP said she would still pay him. She’s said it several times. She said it to us several times. She said it to him several times.

if you can’t be fucked to take in basic information in the OP why are you commenting?

@SalmonKnicks
They don’t run a corporate business with custom options for dipping in and out of the service (whether you continue to pay in the interim or not) or for bespoke communication with customers
They’re flipping window cleaners!!

I swear the middle classes working in corporate businesses and the likes of Uber/Amazon/JustEat etc in particular have given customers ridiculous expectations of local/basic businesses

Ive never had a window cleaner but did have a milkman. We used to put a note in an empty bottle to request no milk if on holiday, or more if needed. So this was both bespoke and dipping in and out of the agreed service. All perfectly reasonable and in keeping with working class expectations!

What? @SalmonKnicks I suggest you re-read. Bespoke communication was EXACTLY what he offered. It was on that condition that she engaged his services.
He elected to ignore his text messages. She was willing to pay a 'retainer' (at exactly the same rate) to keep his services.
I've no idea what her socio economic class is or what relevance that has to anything.
I wish my customers regularly had the 'ridiculous expectations' of OP. That would be paying me to not do work! I think the daft idiot was too lazy to read or tried to be manipulative and pretend he hadn't read it so he didn't lose out. How ironic. He's out the time and effort needed to clean her windows and he's lost a customer and his reputation.

Jesus some replies on this thread are hilarious. Contrarian fucks!

OP hold firm and don't pay, he replied soon enough when you said you weren't going to pay.

I'm belly laughing still at leaving the wake to earnestly explain to the window cleaner so he's not inconvenienced in any way 😂

Oh no, I feel bad.

My dad did die a while back but not a recent loss.

I was using a funeral as an extreme example to get to the heart of @SalmonKnicks absolute insanity.

BTW, the dog's absolutely fine. She took a while to calm down on Saturday. But after fish and chips and a snooze, she was totally fine in the afternoon Now its like absolutely nothing has happened.

but of he always texts before he comes, why didn’t he this time. Had he text he would have seen the messages. If he was going to be paid either way surely it would have been in his interest to just skip you and get the money.

You're saying the window cleaner is too thick to work out what windows to clean? Pretty fucking insulting of you.

Not badly paid either, my WC charges 40e and takes 45 mins...I can assure you I make a lot less than 40e for 45 mins!