So 60 seconds ago I took my first complaint phone call in awhile. Apparently we bent some screens. I am on my way to the home to see just which screens, how many etc. I know at least 3 screens were bent prior to us arriving. I’ll see how I feel once I get back, but my intentions are to do what it takes to make this lady happy as she lives in a good area for us and I want to keep a good reputation. Might as well turn it into something positive.
I know the type of window it is and the screens will be bent on the bottom. Is there away to fix or will I be buying all new screens? Any links or youtube links on how to fix screens will be watched. Thanks.
Buy her new screens. you’ll never convince her that they were already bent and that you didn’t do it. Then go up on her price for window cleanng next year.
I would just try to replace the frame areas that are bent, might only be one side on each screen, pick up some frame material, cut and re-screen, pick up a can of spray paint to match the old with the new frames.
Well just returned. Do I believe we bent some of the screens, yes, do I believe we bent all the screens she pointed out that she isn’t happy with no. She pointed out 20 screens, some were not bent they just don’t fit as snug as the others. Two weeks ago when we did the work I presented her with the bill and informed her the price going forward. Frankly I believe she is getting her screens replaced and moving on to a different window cleaner, but like I said I want to keep my good name as we have 15+ homes on her street.
That being said we decided it was best for them to get the screens replaced and me to cut them a check. Now that I am home I see the risk I just opened myself up to, but at the time (15 mins ago) my thought was I could take these screens, replace the one bad bar (assuming I could find the matching color) and she still might have complaints. She has a screen repair company who she has used in the past.
Any guesses on how much 20 screens cost to repair? Aluminum frames, roughly 2 feet wide by 5 tall, it is the 2 foot bar which is bent.
I thought it was funny as we walked through the home, she pointed to single pine needle on her carpet and said we brought that in!!! I wondered if she had contacted her house cleaner about missing it for 2 weeks. It is what it is an opportunity to learn and prove we are a stand up company.
Been there. I KNOW we did not bend the screens when it happened to me…but I did not tell her before we did the job. There is not a chance she will believe you. You can’t just replace one peice of the frame. It is much easier to have a MOBILE screen maker get out there and do it ON SITE. Reason being, I have had the experience that when these bigger companies go out to take measurements THEY ARE ALWAYS WRONG and the customer gets pretty upset that they dont have screens for a couple weeks. Yes, weeks. A mobile guy can get it done for about 25 to 35 or 40 a screen. Eat the cost man, I still have that customer…you will too.
Dave,
I have been in your exact same shoes my friend. She has the same M.O. This former customer of mine said that she had several screens that were bent and was wondering what I was going to do about it. I remember that phone call just like it was yesterday (it happened about 10 years ago). I went over and inspected the screens and they were bowed out (pella casements). I called the pella service guy in my area and he told me that he knew the customer (His first words were oh GoD!) and that she would not accept anything but a new one. He then told me that she has complained about every single contractor that worked on their house. The pella guy looked up he window order and he told me that she has $2,600.00 in screens on that house and that she would most likely want them all replaced. I asked him about trying to straighten them and he said by the time you screw around with the frames, rescreen them, you would just about be ahead to buy new ones. The lady called me a few days later and told me that “her contractor” was able to straighten them and that he charged her exactly the same price as my window cleaning. What a coincidence? Sounds to me like shes trying to take you. If shes complaining about pine needles being on the carpet, thats a dead giveaway. Good luck
Though call man.
If you noticed that many screens bent, maybe you should have said something to help cover your butt. I guess maybe in this case you ought to buy the screens. Unfortunate for you and for her because some people will be never be happy. They just like to complain. Its like a huge insecurity problem they have. 20 screens pollo sounds pricey.
We just got a call yesterday about sreen damage. This lady told us that our guys put them in uside down?!?! She sadi they blew out in a storm and broke. only 2 of them. None of this makes sense but I am still going to drive 30 mins out there to check them out.
Sometimes, even if it isn’t your fault, going out and talking to her, maybe explaining what did happen is all they need. If you stand by your services then do it. DON"T BURN BRIDGES. You would rather have her tell 3 people you came out and tried to help then having her tell 10 people you didnt care.
So I was completely willing to pay for all of this and probably still will, but let me share some updates.
I’ve cleaned her windows for 5 years straight. In that time she always had bent screens. She told me she bought all new ones last year from a company. Well what do you know I know people at the company and she purchased ONE new screen. Do I believe we bent the screens at this point HELL NO. Does she believe we did YES.
My plan of attack is I am going to contact her tomorrow and share with her that in 6+ years of business we’ve had a total of 5 complaints for screen issues. Of those complaints the maximum amount of the screen we apparently bent was 3. The estimate for new screens totals $5 more than her new window/screen cleaning will cost next year. I am going to offer to do that work for free.
Of course if she balks I’ll pay the money. We shall see.
While I would never file a claim over this, it is the perfect example of why GL insurance is needed. Odd balls are out there.
Screens, people love to blame the bent screens on the window cleaning companies. They are easy to repair and replace. Just get good at it and carry screening material around with you. I always set aside all the screens that are bent, torn, broken etc and show the customer the ones that need to be fixed and most jobs I do end up being around 150.00 extra for screen repair
My intentions are to get into screen repair/replacement next year. Just seems like a logical complementary service. No time to learn at this time. We’re going balls to the wall until the slower season. At that point I will need to re-vamp our holiday lighting approach. So sometime around the end of Jan. I will investigate matter seriously. If you have any links to vendors I love to save them to a file for reference.
I like this thread… Im learning a lot here. Ive been in Business going on 4 years. Lucky to have only 1 complaint for a missed window. My question here is Why not let her know what YOU know. Why not ask her again how many of the screens were new…and if she says all…why not tell her your friend did the job…and it was only one. If you go thu the trouble to investigate about her window repairs…why not use the info. If you say nothing just to save face…or still keep here as a customer…She is now a Liar in your book…someone who took money out of your hand. now this is only if facts stated are true and not assumed. When i started up…I read lots on here…and remeber threads about this…which helped me establish one thing i do on every estimate and every job. Anything…and i mean anything that i find that a customer MIGHT complain about…I bring it to thier attention…a bent screen,rip,crack,scratch…anything. i will keep calling them back to point it out if I find things. im not a fighter, but i aint rolling over If I know Im right.
Had a client call for me to go back and wash a window she thought I forgot(after 2 weeks). It was a bedroom window(only 3 in the room and all connected). She said the bird **** on the window was in the same exact place as it was prior to the window cleaning. 2 funny
Sooooo I went back to rewash the window and screen. Came home and remembered I had taken pics of the house after I was finished and guess what? No bird **** in the pic! People, gotta love em man…
Dave, by what you posted, I would have bet money it would turn out this way in the end. Who in the hell complains about a frickin pine needle? Shes just pointing out all these little things so that it seems like she got the ****tiest service of a lifetime. I dont have space on my schedule for people that call me a liar. Its kind of odd that she’s flippin out after being a customer for 5 years. I stand my ground with people like that. Good name bad name, I dont repair things that I didnt break. Chances are that if she tells her friends, they probably already know shes’ like that with every service company that walks in the door. Her friends have most likely witnessed her getting a free meal several times when they meet up for lunch. Normal people dont behave that way. My 2 cents.
theres a percentage of society who love causing grief . ive only ran into 1 such woman since i started cleaning . alarm bells should have rang first time i met her-she was gushingly friendly,arms waving about,almost hugging me as she had found a window cleaner at last . she worked from home ,drove the latest Audi car and it was a flashy home . i cleaned and was told i was marvellous
but when i arrived to do the next clean she didnt answer the doorbell. so i just got on with my job and as i worked saw her flitting from room to room inside. at job end i rang the bell ,no reply,so just put one of my “job done” slips thru her door.
About 6 hours later i got a nasty phone call ,she had found a cobweb up above a window frame,“what kind of cleaner are you???” , so i said ,give me twenty minutes and i will return and sort it out. in those twenty minutes she started texting me furiously ,i didnt reply.
back at the house i got straight on with the cobweb and decided to do every single frame for a second time,just in case .
she then came outside and said she could see a streak on a window- “where?” so hurried over and with my face screwwed up an inch from the glass there was no streak,nothing. it then hit me,she had no intention of paying either .
i looked her in the eye,she was Trouble with a capital T ,the sort that may cause untold grief ,i realized i didnt want her custom and must get away quickly so i left . it taught me a lesson,if alarm bells ring in my head for ANY reason , walk away,dont clean
I agree, present the facts and watch her shut up! You dont want customers like that anyway, leave her for the low baller. If you didn’t bend any then don’t replace them. If you did bend some only pay for the ones you bent. As for her telling others, she most likely wont, she might complain to family and a close friend and even then they are not going to remember your company name when they go to get their windows cleaned. Most people tend to tune out complaints of other people but nod and respond in polite recognition. Complaints are like a fart in the wind! Here one second gone the next.
It’s crazy how someone can lie straight to your face, and it’s socially unacceptable to call them out on it. A friend of mine was looking to purchase a motorcycle a few months back, and I went with him to look at it. The left side of the bike had some serious damage on it. It had been in a high speed wreck. The owner of the bike told us the bike had fallen over while in his driveway. I looked and my friend, and just rolled my eyes. We both knew the guy was full of it, but neither one of us called him out on it. I wish I would have.
I’ve been cleaning windows for 17 years, and I have owned the business for 10 years. 7 or 8 years ago I was talking to my Dad about a few customers that I had that were driving me nuts. He asked me how many customers I had. At that time I had close to a thousand. He asked me how many of them gave me problems. I answered 3. He said well there you go then. Drop those 3 customers, and drop 99% off your headaches. It was good advice then, and it’s good advice now.
