10/11/2025
Story time:
I had an incident recently, where a customer signed up for 4 weekly cleans.
They asked if I could clear the algae and moss from the back of their house and conservatory. It was a huge job, but I liked the idea of a challenge and genuinely wanted to help the customer as they seemed lovely.
Over the span of two cleans, I got their house looking like new and left every window, facia, door, piece of guttering and window frame, sparkling clean. As a one off job this would have been over £100, but as a gesture of goodwill, and because reputation means more to me at this point, I included this clean in their monthly charge of £14.
I messaged the customer to confirm they were pleased with the work I had done and they said they were, but that they had spoken and decided they no longer needed regular cleans and would be in touch if and when they wanted their windows doing again… knowingly cancelling their service and therefore underpaying massively for the service they had received.
A week later I got a message from a good friend, who said ‘your brother just told me you have picked up ###XX as a customer… be careful, they will rip you off given the chance!’.
Turns out, they had done something very similar to my friend but for another service.
I know it’s all part of the job, and that some people do not think twice about taking advantage of the kindness of others, but I would be lying if I said it didn’t really upset me. I think honestly, I was more annoyed at myself for being so trusting and for allowing myself to get ripped off this way…
I think some people forget, that when you employ the services of a tradesman, this isn’t a hobby to them, they are not doing this work just because they enjoy it…. they are doing this because they have families to support and bills to pay.
Luckily, for both my confidence and my faith in humanity, 90% of my customers are absolutely lovely and I truly enjoy interacting with them and ensuring that they are pleased with the work I have done.
They pay on time, provide great feedback, refer me to friends and family, and genuinely seem to care about how my family and I are doing when we catch up.
I’m so grateful for every single one of these customers and hopefully they know who they are.
Every day they provide me with confirmation that I made the right decision when I took a risk and started this business ❤️