# Is it okay if I rant?



## GeorgiaXplant (Nov 25, 2013)

As I've mentioned, I'm a cleaning lady. This time of year, everybody wants a piece of me, which is fine, but once my schedule is full, it's full. People will call and ask if I can clean for them on whatever day, and I'll have to turn them down. As in, "I'm sorry, I just can't take another job before the holidays." After much weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth and pleas for me to find a way to work them in, I'll do my best to accommodate them, especially if they're neighbors who live in our subdivision. After I've rearranged my schedule so that it still suits my regular clients, and after professions of eternal gratitude from the person who did everything except offer up their first-born for me to help them out "just this once", they call and cancel. Yeah._ CANCEL!

_What the heck? I have a life, too. Christmas is coming, I plug along on social security and a tiny pension, and there's really no such thing as "extra" money so when there's an opportunity to make a bit more, I (usually) welcome it. Then some sorry blankety-blank, inconsiderate (insert bad word here) who's begged on bended knee for my time, _cancels_. Yanno what, lady? Don't ask me ever again. Not ever. I'm too busy or I plan to have a hangnail that day or my magic cleaning wand hasn't been charged up or whatever. You could offer to double my hourly rate (as if!!!!), and I still won't clean for you. Hire a cleaning service. $100 for two hours, but if you cancel with less than 48 hours notice, you're charged a penalty, usually half what their fee would have been. 

Apparently, she didn't get the memo about never, ever doing anything to tick off the cleaning lady. I hope she (and anybody else who's done the same thing to me or to any other cleaning lady) gets warts and ugly toenail fungus. So there.

I'm grateful for my regular clients who don't do that kind of stuff.

Rant over. I feel better now


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## Old Hipster (Nov 25, 2013)

Testify sister! People can be so inconsiderate and self-centered. You were going to do them a favor by working their sorry asses in, more to help them out than anything else. And then they do that to you.

No good deed goes unpunished!

I'm glad a rant made you feel better. :sentimental:


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## Anne (Nov 25, 2013)

Feel free to rant!!  Yes, people can be so rude and inconsiderate, it's unbelievable.  Let them find out when they need someone to clean, and there's no one available; maybe they'll appreciate you then.   Good workers are hard to find, and you'd think when they found a good one, they would learn to treat them fairly.


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## GeorgiaXplant (Nov 25, 2013)

LOL, OH. You're right: no good deed...

My regulars rarely cancel. Sometimes they'll ask to switch days with another client. Words that rarely pass their lips are "something came up" but on those occasions, I know that they wouldn't cancel if they didn't absolutely have to. Maybe I should just not accept "one-offs" anymore and learn to simply utter that two-letter word "no"!


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## Fern (Nov 25, 2013)

You'll feel better now that you have that off your chest, ya can't beat a rant 'n' rave now and again,. A lot of us would be better off if we uttered that 'two-lettered word 'no.'


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## GeorgiaXplant (Nov 25, 2013)

I need to stand in front of a mirror and practice saying no:no::no: Maybe enlist DD or one of the g'kids to role play:lofl:


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## Diwundrin (Nov 25, 2013)

Go GX!!  No is a hard one but once you master it you'll find it downright liberating!  

I'd be waiting patiently for the cancellers to call again.  I'd be sooooo nice and polite.  I'd anguish over the possibility that I couldn't fit them in but promise faithfully to call them back when I'd sorted my hours out, and then let them wait for the call that never comes.
Keep 'em hopeful, drag it out,  then at the last minute tell them that you're sorry but you have to dump unreliable clients in favour of loyal ones.
But then I'm a left handed Scorpio, I tend to get deviously vengeful like that.  Bwaaahahaha.


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## GeorgiaXplant (Nov 25, 2013)

Di, I'm a left-handed Scorpio, too! And I was reading your post and saying to myself "Self, yeah! Do that!" I think I will. It's PERFECT!


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## SifuPhil (Nov 25, 2013)

Those damned left-handed Scorpios ... I swear, they're going to be the downfall of this world yet ... :topsy_turvy:


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## Ozarkgal (Nov 25, 2013)

Oh, Georgia! You got my hackles up and caused me to have flashbacks of my dog grooming days around the holidays.  I had a large clientele of regulars that I started reminding on their appointments in October to be sure now for their holiday appointments.  The really good ones I just made the appointment for and handed them the card.   By the last week of October I was usually booked solid for the week of Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Invariably, I would start getting the calls three days before the holiday,  "Oh I forgot, can't you just squeeze Fifi, Fido and Fudrucker in for just a bath?" There were times when I could accommodate this and tried my best to do so because I liked money, but usually when they showed up the tune changed to "Oh, could you just go ahead and do a full hand scissor job on my matted dogs."  The old bait and switch routine never worked on me, they got a bath as agreed on, and if they were matted, they were sent home. 

 I never liked to be threatened either, with "Well, I guess I'll just have to go to PETsomething then."  My response to this was a nice, "Go right on over.", knowing that PETsomething couldn't accommodate them any better than I could.  Plus, I knew if they were lucky enough to get in there, they would come running back.

 I tried to discourage habitual cancelers and no show-ers by making it difficult to get an appointment. They either wised up or went somewhere else. I had a long time client with a Shih Tzu, a Lhasa Apso, and a Bichon that was notorious for doing this. When I finally told her I would not schedule any more appointments for her that she would have to call me the day she wanted to get in and if I could accommodate her I would. I explained to her that three dogs missing out of my day on a regular basis severely impacted my income. 

Why is it so hard for people to understand that it would be like them going to work, expecting to have a full day, and their boss telling them to go home 4 hours early two or three times a week. Same thing.

Another good one that I liked was, "I really _have _to have FiFi by noon, could you have her ready?"  Again, no problem accommodating this if I know in advance, at least in the morning when the dog was dropped off so I could work around it.  The problem was, after busting my butt, trying to get two or three dogs ready for early pick ups, they usually sat until nearly closing time before the owner finally sauntered in.  

I always loved the newbies that dropped their dog off, and after taking time to explain the protocol and when the dog would be ready, 30 minutes later they're calling asking if the dog is done yet.

 One day when three separate clients requested a rush pick up, and not one of them showed up until late afternoon, I decided to put an end to this by telling the early requesters from there on out that there would be a $10.00 fee for rush pick ups, which would be waived if they actually picked up the dog by the requested time. This put a screeching halt on the "must have by" clients. 

Oh, I could write a book, and I really did have a lot of great, thoughtful clients that I still miss, but it's the rude, unthoughtful ones that cost me money and angst that pop out.

The bottom line is when you work in a labor intensive service industry, the general public doesn't understand  that you are selling blocks of time that consist of your skill or service, and in order to make a living you have to fill every hour to the max.    You can't leave a dog on the desk and come in the next morning and finish it.  Time is money and has to be managed down to the minute to get everything done by the end of the work day.  

 Thanks Georgia for bringing this all back...three and a half years later, and I can still rant on it.LOL 

 Hang in there, and take solace in the fact that you control whose house gets cleaned and who will have to scramble to do their own dirty work next time!

ETA....*No* is a very powerful word.  For such a small two letter word, I often have a hard time understanding why for some it is the hardest word in the English language to utter.


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## GeorgiaXplant (Nov 25, 2013)

Sifu...southpaws are gonna take over the world...northpaws will be our slaves!

Oz, oops. I guess we could substitute any kind of service job that requires appointments. Sometimes I forget that other service "providers" have the same beefs/go through the same crap. It's frustrating and it's a pain in the pocketbook, and the people who are so thoughtless just don't get it! I've worked for three of my clients for five years now, and there's one thing that really drives me around the bend: when they're going on vacation they plan for it, schedule the time off, let me know in advance when they'll be gone and THEY get a PAID vacation. So far it hasn't occurred to them that I might be getting a "vacation", too, but they aren't paying ME. If I'd only been with them a few months or even just a year...but five years? They can't give me a day's pay when they're getting paid for a week or more? Oy!

Sifu...be looking over your shoulder. Lefties, unite!


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## Diwundrin (Nov 25, 2013)

> One day when three separate clients requested a rush pick up, and not  one of them showed up until late afternoon, I decided to put an end to  this by telling the early requesters from there on out that there would  be a $10.00 fee for rush pick ups, which would be waived if they  actually picked up the dog by the requested time. This put a screeching  halt on the "must have by" clients.



Brilliant. Consider yourself an honorary member of the LH Scorpio Guild. 



A rel got the run-around at their dog boarding kennel business too.  More than once people booked dogs in for a week and never came back for them, ever.  They just left town and left the dog behind.  The rel used to try and find them homes elsewhere rather than turn them in to the Council, and succeeded, but it cost them plenty in boarding space and food.  They finally twigged to get paid up front by new clients. 

They put a clamp on drop and pick up times too. One of them would always have to be home and they were slaves to the whims of clients so they made it  7am to 9.30  and 3 to 5pm .  The kennels were on the property but away from the house so they'd lock it up at 5pm and if the clients came to the house they'd be charged a 'late fee' or if they were too thick to make the connection between the kennels and the house and drove off then they'd be charged an extra night's board.   It focused their attention to punctuality from there on.  
Those who were late dropping them off found themselves lumbered with the dog and their holiday plans shattered.  One was so desperate she tied 'Fido' to a tree at the Kennel door and just left him there!    No water or anything, just left him in the hope that he'd last till they reopened at 3.  Didn't she get a ticking off!


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## SifuPhil (Nov 25, 2013)

GeorgiaXplant said:


> Sifu...southpaws are gonna take over the world...northpaws will be our slaves!
> 
> ... Sifu...be looking over your shoulder. Lefties, unite!



*sigh*

Well, I haven't been a slave since ...

*checks watch*

... 11 this morning, so I guess I could accommodate you.


_My _rant is when the client cancels _half-way_ through the job. That happened a lot when I was an escort.


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## Warrigal (Nov 25, 2013)

:lofl:


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## Casper (Nov 25, 2013)

SifuPhil said:


> *sigh*
> 
> Well, I haven't been a slave since ...
> 
> ...



_*Oh Phil.......you are sooo naughty, but I like you.....*_:lofl:


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## GeorgiaXplant (Nov 25, 2013)

Phil:


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## Diwundrin (Nov 25, 2013)

So, did they get a refund? :lofl:


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## SifuPhil (Nov 26, 2013)

Diwundrin said:


> So, did they get a refund? :lofl:



No. I have a tattoo right there on my chest:

Lovely to look at
Lovely to hold
But if you should break it
Consider it sold


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## Diwundrin (Nov 26, 2013)




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## dbeyat45 (Nov 26, 2013)

SifuPhil said:


> [ Snip ]
> _My _rant is when the client cancels _half-way_ through the job. That happened a lot when I was an escort.


I never managed to make it _half-way_ when I was on the job.


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## Jillaroo (Nov 26, 2013)




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## GeorgiaXplant (Nov 26, 2013)

I'm up and almost ready to bop off into the sunrise to clean a house that's as big as all outdoors. This is one of the clients who's cancelled...for the entire month of December. That's one way to avoid having to give the Cleaning Fairy a bonus at Christmastime.ffended: I ought to drag the day out so that it will cost her a king's ransom for the day (I get paid by the hour).


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## GeorgiaXplant (Nov 26, 2013)

On second thought, it would go against my grain to cheat...and this house already takes 7 hours. Yeah, it's_ that_ big.


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## Ozarkgal (Nov 26, 2013)

GeorgiaXplant said:


> On second thought, it would go against my grain to cheat...and this house already takes 7 hours. Yeah, it's_ that_ big.



As much as you're steamed about cleaning for her, the bright side is that you have a full day under one roof, with no lost time driving between houses.  Maybe just nudge your rate up a bit after the first of the year to cover your loss.  Believe me, I know how hard it is to find a good, reliable, and most important, honest cleaning person.  She won't want to lose you, and you won't feel cheated.


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## GeorgiaXplant (Nov 26, 2013)

I've been thinking about doing just that, Oz. I work $5-$7/hr less than what other independents in our area charge. I raised my rate two years ago and thought everybody would quit, but I only got a ho-hum response. Nobody cared!


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## Ozarkgal (Nov 26, 2013)

GeorgiaXplant said:


> I've been thinking about doing just that, Oz. I work $5-$7/hr less than what other independents in our area charge. I raised my rate two years ago and thought everybody would quit, but I only got a ho-hum response. Nobody cared!



Well then, give yourself a nice Christmas present...In my business my motto was not to be the cheapest around, but the best.  Georgia, people will pay a lot to keep an honest cleaning person that does a good job.  I kept some way beyond what I should have in terms of being talented because I could trust them...and yes, cleaning is definitely a talent!


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## SifuPhil (Nov 26, 2013)

GeorgiaXplant said:


> I've been thinking about doing just that, Oz. I work $5-$7/hr less than what other independents in our area charge. I raised my rate two years ago and thought everybody would quit, but I only got a ho-hum response. Nobody cared!



It's usually never good to be known as the lowest-priced service in the area. Regardless of how good you are people will automatically assume you are somehow inferior. 

Admittedly, pricing for cleaning services is a tough cookie to bite into. The two main methods, by the hour and by the job, both have their up and down sides. 

Might I recommend (if you haven't already) you get hold of some Don Aslett books, especially his "_Cleaning Up for a Living_", which is an excellent guide that covers everything from setting up the legal structure of your business to getting clients and pricing methods. It was a huge help to me in negotiating contracts and gaining quality clients.


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## SifuPhil (Nov 26, 2013)

dbeyat45 said:


> I never managed to make it _half-way_ when I was on the job.



Well, I've always seen it as similar to inflating a balloon: half-way is _exactly_ in the middle of exploding and deflating.


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## That Guy (Nov 26, 2013)

Sometimes . . . . . . . . . people suck.  

Even in the big time corporate world multinational companies that you all know and love place last minute orders for services which my supervisors poop themselves silly over trying to escalate and expedite 'cause it's just gotta be done NOW.  Then, of course, after we've been good little boys and girls and completed the work in record time, it's canceled.

Have you considered a non-refundable deposit system?  But, I agree, never ever give them a chance to put you through that again.


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## GeorgiaXplant (Nov 26, 2013)

Home earlier than I expected. Zipped through that house just to get the heck out. She decided that gee, maybe it's best if I DO come again in two weeks and then skip Christmas week. Fine.

Yanno, I really wonder about people who have the money to buy McMansions don't spend the money to maintain them. Is it because they're oblivious? Young and don't know that maintenance is cheaper than repairs? Oy! Penny wise and pound foolish...

Now I'm off to my dogsitting gig. Hope we don't get sNOw or black ice like they're saying because I have to drive back in the morning and the first five miles are on country roads.

Gonna take my laptop along and hope that I can connect to their wifi. BBL...maybe!


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## Ozarkgal (Nov 26, 2013)

Georgia:


> Now I'm off to my dogsitting gig. Hope we don't get sNOw or black ice like they're saying because I have to drive back in the morning and the first five miles are on country roads.


What a busy bee your are...careful on those roads in the morning.


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## GeorgiaXplant (Nov 26, 2013)

Oz, why is that dog barking at me? I've got three of them camped out on the sofa with me right now and THEY aren't barking.

Yeah. Busy bee. I am. Work tomorrow so up at the butt crack of dawn to feed the dogs, let them out, grab some coffee, stop by the credit union before going home to make a short fuss over my kitty (who's alone tonight unless the g'kids or DD went in to play with him a bit), collect my "ammunition" and get to tomorrow's challenge. The challenge part isn't the house, it's two toddlers and a 9-year-old underfoot while I try to dust and scrub and mop and vacuum and polish everything to a high sheen. It's like trying to herd butterflies and get 'em into the corral! No sooner accomplished than they fly out. Maybe their dad will take them somewhere to burn off some energy.


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## Ozarkgal (Nov 26, 2013)

> Oz, why is that dog barking at me? I've got three of them camped out on the sofa with me right now and THEY aren't barking.










  Because he's waiting for you to come and let him out, of course.LOL


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## Jillaroo (Nov 26, 2013)

_And a cute little puppy he is too Ozarkgal_


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## GeorgiaXplant (Nov 27, 2013)

It sNOwed during the night here so those puppies just have to wait! The dogs I'm sitting for have been out and didn't even seem to mind the sNOw.

Text from today's client "can we make it a little later? need to pre-clean" WTH? PRE-clean? Just get the darned stuff off the floors and counters!

Just as well. There will be time for the black ice to melt and get blown away by the wind. I hope.


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