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.

YANBU. You made several attempts to contact him and he was left messages he chose to ignore. You were still willing to pay so he wouldn't have lost any money. He's completely in the wrong here! I've no idea why he showed up?

She did ring, he didn't answer, she left a message.

Honestly I swear to God there are people on here who are beyond delusional.

Your WC was actually trespassing when he cleaned your windows when you specifically told him not to. And that trespass caused a lot of (foreseeable) damage to your home.

Tell him he is bloody lucky you are happy to leave it with just non-payment and not a claim for the damage caused by his trespass

OP you couldn’t have been more reasonable. Don’t know is he just forgot what you said and did his round without thinking but he should be apologising profusely not pissing you off further.

It’s entirely reasonable that a service provider follow a simple request. You weren’t messaging him asking could he clean every second pane with rose infused micellar water FFS.

Don’t clean is easy to follow. Don’t clean and I’ll pay you anyway is even easier.

Don’t back down. Sorry your house is a mess. And the people giving you gip for having a window cleaner. Words fail. As would an entire industry if everyone did their own windows.

By that weird logic I should pay the guy who decided to clean my car windows in a traffic jam, despite me telling him NO quite clearly!!

Worrying that posters with such poor comprehension or thinking skills have the vote!

I think it’s obvious that the WC didn’t read your messages and maybe the phone was in his van when you rang. That is rubbish, but I can just about see how it would happen.

Whilst absolutely reasonable for you to ask him not to come, it’s something that probably doesn’t happen often. The WC possibly has the notifications on auto post and wouldn’t routinely go back to check.

It’s very unlikely that he read them and deliberately ignored. Why would he?

I think, on balance, I’d pay him.

Glad doggy is ok. Give him a kiss from me.

I think it explains a lot.

This thread is SO entertaining! Thanks very much to all the mentalists 😂

OP, you went above and beyond what I’d have done to contact WC and ask him not to clean. Don’t pay. As you were.

Frustrating as OP's posts are very clear. 🌹

Awww, poor doggo. 😢 Hope he/she is OK now. Yep @HugATwat YANBU to ditch this window cleaner. Obviously an inconsiderate git!

He needs to apologies to you and say, this is on the house.
In the end you could give him the cleaning bill for shit clean up.
He needs to apologies and you need to forgive. Then he can go back to cleaning your windows.
My window cleaner texts before he comes and is a darling. If I need to defer it for a week no problem, no drama.

"Services rendered" seem to have included ignoring all your communcations, causing you & your dog grief, costing you extra money for professional cleaners, & making you do extra cleaning work.

To paraphrase my favourite line from 'Third Rock from the Sun', that's not services rendered, that's an invitation to an arse-kicking.

I have a similar set up with a window cleaning company whereby they come roughly once every 6 weeks and do most of the houses on the road. They only let me know the night before and it's basically a text to say we're coming, please leave side gate unlocked.

If I couldn't cancel by return that would be ridiculous.

If there was a standing agreement to come last Friday of the month or on the 28th that would be different, but they frequently give me less than 12 hours' notice that they're coming. It's totally fair enough to respond and say no thanks.

OP YANBU and I am with you on the requirement for a window cleaner. I can't believe how many people on this thread are up in arms about it.

It's a service. Some of us use one and some don't. In any case youo weren't asking whether you were BU for having one!

My dog is not at all neurotic, he is super chilled and loves everyone - except window cleaners. You can have the most zen creature in world and window cleaners freak them out. I think it is the ladders (and hell - who in their right mind likes ladders ?)

This thread is amazing

OP, I agree with most posters YADNBU. Stick to your guns!

And I've seen salmonknicks appear in a few threads recently with hilarious contributions along the same lines as this one-I suspect one of the hairy hands is among us.

How many more times? SHE RANG HIM. Jeez.

Oh and my dog is the most calm animal ever to. Unless he sees somewhere wearing a red baseball cap (and only red...) Dogs are weird 🤷🏻‍♀️

"If my dad's funeral is scheduled on the same day that the WC plans to show up (with 12 hours notice), is that just tough tits?
Just carry on the wake as usual, ignoring the WC and trying not to get deionised water on our heads as we walk from the hearse to the house."

🤣🤣

He's going to clean those windows whether you like it or not 🤣

Nothing to do with the question, but if you put the dog in a small room with, say, a single window and no carpet, would that perhaps reduce the stress/mess? Then you could employ any window cleaner, not just one that texts in advance?
What do you do when there are fireworks?

OP was paying him not to come, hardly running his business round a dog, it was free money for him but he came and now OP has a big cleaning job.

I mean, I can see the potential that I get free window cleaning forever now 😅

YNBU.

When I read the start of the thread, I thought you were billing the window cleaner for the cost of the carpet cleaning .

If he has a procedure in place that he texts the day before, shouldn't he also have a procedure on how he deals with responses from those texts?

There could be a variety of reasons someone doesn't want windows cleaned on a specific day. He should be prepared on how to deal with that- eg response by a certain time, if payment is still required etc. He is after all running a business. It may be a small one, but it is still a business. If he expects to be treated as a professional he should treat his customers in the same way.

In this case I don't see how you could have tried any harder to contact him, and were still offering to pay. Ynbu after what happened to want to use his fee towards the cost of the cleaning you ending up having to pay for.

I know the funeral/wake scenario wasn't the reality on this occasion, but the suggestion that op could have said at the previous clean is ridiculous. It can take a while before you even know when a funeral is going to take place so of cleans are monthly there is a good chance you wouldn't know at the previous one.

Those who mentioned the dog being neurotic and needing to be trained obviously have no empathy. Lots of people take in rescue dogs, that due to previous treatment have behaviour issues. Not all things can be completely resolved by training -some just need understanding and support. Sounds to me that is exactly what the poster is providing.

I can understand any dog being scared in that situation when by itself. We know and understand what is causing the noises, the dog doesn't and is frightened by them. ( I have jumped when the window cleaners pole hitting the window myself, and I knew he was there).

Or the WC could just not come when he's been told not to come?

I wonder, HugATwat, is it possible that your WC can't read?
Have you ever sent him a message before and received a 'bespoke' reply,
or had any messages from him other than the monthly one saying he will be coming the next day which could be a sort of standard template that is used with every single customer before every visit? Even his "You have to pay for services rendered" response sounds a bit like a stock response rather than something he has drafted himself.

I'm not trying to excuse him - I think you are being perfectly reasonable to be furious and not to pay him - but I've been trying to think of reasons why he totally ignored your messages and as unlikely as it is, this is the only one I can come up with!