Don't you just hate it when...?

Let's here you pet peeves. What do you just hate?

I was cleaning store fronts last night at around 11 pm. The temperature wasn't bad, maybe 15 degrees without wind and I was just working steady on one of the two entrances.

One entrance, the doors are open and there is a large sign saying "Enter". The other entrance is marked with a large sign reading "Exit" and is normally locked after 9 pm at this store....sign on the door tells the patrons that as well.

On this occasion, I was cleaning the closed off exit side. My van was parked right in front of the sliding door with 8 orange safety cones in front of my hoses running into the store front. I have a "Closed for Cleaning" sign running across the opening on a collapsible rod. Not to mention, I am working right there pushing a wand around!!!

I had 3 women walk around the van, through the cones, duck under the closed sign, and stepped over my hoses to walk across the freshly cleaned floor with ice melt and snow on their shoes.

The best part was that they stopped and commented about difficult it was to get into the store with all my "stuff in the way".

I'm not certain, but I think my wand would have fit where I wanted to plant it.

I call those "stupid bieatches"!

One thing that really bugs me in addition to the type of thing you just mentioned, Isss........

Two things actually, but I've learned how to prevent them for the most part, and that is a customer leaving while cleaning their vacant, and not returning when they say or you requested their return. Leaving you waiting for them to return to be paid....easy fix, request to be paid before they leave.

The other is on move outs, when a customer request you come late afternoon on a Saturday to clean after the movers have finished (I had two of these request for yesterday being the last day of the month). As we know, that "movers will be done at 4pm" rarely goes as planned, and you're again left waiting for it to be ready, vacant and cleanable......another easy fix, I no longer sched/do them. I just tell people I'm already booked and unavailable........which is true a lot of times, being these people tend to call on a day or twos notice most times.......oh well.

That's the good part, we can set our own rules to help minimize being effected by crap like this.

I actually love move outs!

My policy has been a simple one. You choose the time and I will be there to clean. If I have to wait.....the meter is running. I get paid to sit there and read the paper.

I need to get one of those cab meters and "in service" light for the roof.

My pet peeves is customers that DO NOT pay attention at all, I tried to explain most important things twice on the phone such as 1. Window of arrival time and 2. Form of payments, and they still call me at 3 pm when their appointment is between 3 - 5 and ask me where the heck are you guys ? Or they still take their check book out and ask how much is the total again ?
That's my biggest one but I also agree with Rob and Dave, people that don't have respect on their cleaners work and time are people that don't deserve to be served but it's part of the business so I learn to accept it as long as it doesn't get too out of control.

It gets on my nerves when you give a customer a verbal and written disclaimer and then afterwards pretend the dint know and insist on a refund