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Fun with a property maintenance company....

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Post by Freemind1 Tue Dec 27, 2016 9:24 am

Here is my last response to a property maintenance company:
Hello,

I hear your story a lot. Someone unhappy with their current guy for whatever reason it may be. Yet unwilling to actually pay for the services they want.




A "deal" doesn't work unless all parties involved are happy. Current pricing here is 3 dollars a pane for glass, for retail storefronts. That's not my price, that is going rate. Even paying minimum wage you can't make any money at your prices. And you won't get anyone to do this work for minimum wage.




Good luck with your current cleaner. I wonder if they would be happy to know you are looking to replace them?




I would appreciate it if you would NOT contact my company in the future, unless you are willing to pay reasonable rates for the work you want done. My time is valuable and I don't have time to waste with people who want something for nothing.




Maybe my comments sound harsh, but property maintenance companies have earned it from the way they treat other cleaners in the industry. I'm lowering my prices far below market value, and you still want it for even less. Why would we cleaners want to work for the peanuts you want to pay, when we already have clients that pay our prices? You seem to make out on the deal, but no one else.




You guys should just start a window cleaning company everywhere you need one. Just think of all the profits you would make then!

This in response to a "deal" they proposed me for cleaning a Coach, GAP, and another store in the mall. They offered me a whole whopping 20 bucks to clean Coach, every other week, outside only. After going over there and checking how many panes they have, it came to 58 panes of glass. So yeah, less than 50 cents a pane. A great deal for someone when other companies that service my area are 2-3 bucks a pane.

She could not understand why they would not go there more than once a month, for the 20 dollars they were offering.

The sad part is, you won't get into these stores by yourself. They all deal with corporate. Corporate deals with maintenance companies like the one that contacted me.

Oh well! Let someone who is desperate and stupid take the account. My business is successful and I don't need a profit vampire to ruin it for me.

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Post by dp1 Tue Dec 27, 2016 1:34 pm

Yup, corporate pays the maintenance company $ 2 / pane and the maintenance company tried to make $ 1.50 / pane in profit, wow ! In LA there might be some people willing to do that kind of work at that price ( which is sad ) but in your area, I would say good luck.
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Post by milspec6 Tue Dec 27, 2016 1:45 pm

See that kind of thing a lot everywhere you go. The sad part is that those stores are paying a huge amount for maintenance fees and getting crappy service for it.

When I used to manage the security department for a large area shopping mall, we charged the stores and kiosks thousands every month for security services. The management company told all the tenants that we were "highly trained and capable of handling any of their concerns" but they told us to never get involved in any shoplifting calls....they wouldn't even allow us to be seen outside the store on shoplifting calls.

Lease agreements often provide far worse service than the store could have acquired on their own.
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Post by Freemind1 Tue Dec 27, 2016 2:56 pm

I just thought it was REALLY funny, the whole deal.

When they originally called, I thought the Coach only had a few windows. I thought 3 stores at 20 bucks each, and maybe 45 minutes to an hour all together, wouldn't be TOO bad of a deal.

Then I see their contract terms, and saw how many windows they had. LMAO, wasn't going to happen.

I would have done it for a buck a pane outside, and 80 cents inside, would the terms of the contract been favorable to both of us. Even at that, it was dirt cheap.

I would be interested to know, what yo-yo is doing the work for the little they are being paid. My fuel alone would run me 7-10 bucks to make a run to there and back. No one else here is local like I am. Everyone else is an hour plus away.

Anyway, that's probably the LAST property maintenance company I will entertain ANY talks with in the future. From now on, I'll just tell them "You don't pay enough money for me to waste my time looking over contracts and doing window counts".

I really wanted to break into those stores, but not at those laughably low prices. I'll just keep doing my thing, and not allow the thieves to distract my attention anymore.

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Post by ACpower1 Tue Dec 27, 2016 4:18 pm

basically it comes down to the fact that they do find people to do it for that cheap,   they dont last long and then they find another.    

they dont really value the service or care that much about quality unless its noticeably really bad like super wet after a carpet cleaning or really bad streaks all over the glass after a window job

its way cheaper for them to find people to do it really cheap and then just find a new person when they realize its not worth it,     rather than find a quality company who charges a lot more and does a good job    


the people who are hiring you are probably paid on salary and its doesnt take them much time to call up a company when the last guy quits

this is why I dont really care for commercial work, especially windows we do some commercial carpet jobs but I dont want to be that overworked underpaid night time commercial cleaner guy... if they want to pay my rates then sure
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Post by ACpower1 Tue Dec 27, 2016 4:22 pm

Fun with a property maintenance company.... IMG_1695_zpss2dhgpp0

just email them this pic, they should get the point
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Post by milspec6 Tue Dec 27, 2016 4:37 pm

AC has it right, they don't really care about the results and would rather just run through a dozen cleaners every year. The only exception are for those things that make them money....that will be taken care of properly and paid well for, but the rest is just not a real concern to them.

I think it is one the bigger mistakes that a business can make. I used to be on a team that inspected military installations and our Colonel used to say that you can tell right away which base had their act together just by walking onto the base. The condition of the grass, painting, cleanliness, order, etc. were dead give-aways of a well run organization.

A business is the exact same way. If you pulled up to a restaurant and the pavement was cracked, trash thrown everywhere, stinking trash cans are over-flowing, etc., do you even bother to go inside?

Walt Disney understood it and they spend a fortune on keeping the theme parks clean 24/7. They believe it matters and it has served them well.
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Post by Freemind1 Tue Dec 27, 2016 6:25 pm

I think personally, many people are changing the way they look at things.

Sloppy and half assed are becoming more and more acceptable. You remember that dentist office I told you all about this summer? How their "guy" did such a bad job, that the windows were literally all streaky and dirty? He still has the SAME people. Glass looks terrible, but he pay less than he would with me!

I see the same thing everywhere. Many people just don't care about quality work anymore. Much less care about quality employees, that do their jobs well. My wife and I, speak often how no one seems to care about ANYTHING anymore. Other than their own self interests, that is.

I don't know if that is happening everywhere, but where I live, it is getting pretty bad. You can't seem to go anywhere, without having some person behind the counter screw up. No one seems to take a shred of pride in their work anymore, young or old. Dirty whatever, seems to be easily tolerated. Hell, employers here can't seem to hold onto attendance policies, because no one seems to care about even showing up to work half the time.

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Post by milspec6 Tue Dec 27, 2016 6:51 pm

Sadly, it isn't just your area, it is all over these days. I actually blame it on the lack of people entering the military as a big part of that. The military instills those things (strong work ethic, team work, pride) in the youth of this Country that enlists. Right now, less than 1% of US are serving in the military and very few in Congress ever served in armed forces.

It just isn't being taught any more and hasn't been in at least 15 years. It is a very sad situation really and it shows in our everyday lives.
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Post by Mo Tue Dec 27, 2016 9:09 pm

And then if you agree to work for peanuts, they dont pay you
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Post by milspec6 Tue Dec 27, 2016 10:02 pm

Boy is that ever true Mo. I did a large job back on November 29th....still no payment. When I contacted the business last week, they told me that my invoices were sent to accounting on the 17th!!

They sat on them all that time....lovely.
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Post by Freemind1 Wed Dec 28, 2016 8:09 am

Another reason to NOT love commercial or people who want to mail payment....

I do allow very few to send the payment, mostly because I clean when they are not there.

My terms are payment received within 7 calendar days of completion. I'm not a bank, but I will charge a late fee/interest.

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Post by milspec6 Wed Dec 28, 2016 5:16 pm

I agree with Freemind, I hate the slow pay episodes like this....especially a large ones this time of year. Didn't arrive today either, it might not make it before 2017 which will really upset me.

I do well with commercial that is more local, they always pay me within 10 working days, but when I venture out of town to the big city, I often suffer this kind of delay.

That is one of the big reasons that I don't list the big town as part of my service area, I really get tired of dealing with this.
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Post by Freemind1 Wed Dec 28, 2016 9:27 pm

Maybe this is something for myself, if I intend to keep pushing for more commercial, that I need to address in written form with all clients that want me to service them.

A section with payment terms, scheduling terms, scope of work (referring to the quote).

Or maybe I should just avoid commercial. It seems like everyone you talk to, without exception, seems to have difficulties with payment when dealing with commercial.

It's not that I am dying for the money, but I would not work a job that paid me every 30 or 60 days. Most of us have bills and expenses that we have to pay weekly or monthly. And it seems in season, I am always making an order for supplies every month. Most of those orders exceed 200 bucks, when looking back at this years receipts.

For my business, it's not like a few accounts will bankrupt me. But it's silly in my eyes to have to deal with chasing money. None of my clients have to chase me to get my service. When my service goes out, money has to come in or it's not worth my time. Some of you guys sit waiting on an amount of money that would make me ill. Even though that is a nice chunk of change, I'd be so pissed about it, I would fire them.

My hat is off to you guys. I sure couldn't deal with that very often.

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Post by milspec6 Thu Dec 29, 2016 12:01 am

A good commercial client will pay off in less then 2 weeks every time. The ones that you have to watch out for are the ones with a manager that isn't organized.

Most of my commercials work very hard to clear off their invoices every week and then you wait for accounting to get payment released which is the second week. In this case, though, that manager sat on the invoice for almost 3 weeks before submitting it for payment....that is ridiculous.

When I am busier it doesn't bother me much, but when things are very slow and their isn't much income coming in, those large checks sitting on someone's desk can really piss me off.
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Post by Matt; My carpet cleaner Thu Dec 29, 2016 8:42 pm

Speaking of "lack of good work ethics" and employees not caring. Afew months ago our family went to Mod pizza. They make it right in front of you, any toppings you want, pretty decent price. The guy making my pizza would grab an ingredient and sprinkle it on. Some of the topping would miss the pizza(enough toppings to matter). I mention something about afew mushrooms missed ... He grabs afew and throws them on(look on his face was "how's that, good enough for you now?". Pizza is done, girl cuts into slices and grabs a Parmesan cheese sprinkler, hits the pizza with a dab. BUT she totally missed the pizza(over shot it). I mentioned, none of it got on the pizza. She stairs at me with a look of "and.....". Didn't even offer to re-sprinkle.
*the other thing that annoyed me was when anyone came In , a "chime" would go off and most of the employees would blurt out some type of welcome..... Without even looking at who came in.
Seems like people are just going thru the motions.
Don't even get me started on Wa. St increasing the min wage to $13.?? Over the next several years. No skill/training improvement motivation. Gezzzish


Last edited by Matt; My carpet cleaner on Thu Dec 29, 2016 8:45 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : poor spelling)
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Post by milspec6 Thu Dec 29, 2016 9:12 pm

I never frequent places that have weird fake "caring" procedures like the greeting at the door chime. I think people recognize fake pretty quickly these days.

Caring customer service can't be faked...it is either there or it isn't. Nobody is moved by the flight crew saying "thanks for flying" as you leave the plane. I would rather they didn't block the exit.

I tip greatly anyone that displays real customer service these days....sometimes more than the service actually cost. There has to be an incentive somewhere. Heck, I don't have much hair, but I tip the barber 30% because he always remembers me, provides a good cut, and carries a good conversation.

Every job is worth doing well, it is a direct reflection on your character and that should matter to everyone. Somewhere along the line, that lesson has been lost.
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Post by dp1 Thu Dec 29, 2016 9:27 pm

I couldn't agree more with you guys on the work ethics and minimum wage increase with poor work ethics, in CA I believe in 2017 minimum wage would be $ 15 / hour, honestly I have no problem paying a helper $ 15 / hour, but they would have to be as close to perfect as possible, pull my hoses when it needs to be pulled, ready with spotters before I even need something to be spot cleaned, move furnitures at the exact right time so that I don't have to stop wanding, if they prefer to work at McDonald for $ 15 / hour, then so be it, that's the way I look at it.
I hardly eat fast food anymore but I'm wondering how much a double cheeseburger cost next year ?


Last edited by dp1 on Fri Dec 30, 2016 12:20 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Post by Mo Thu Dec 29, 2016 10:22 pm

At least they're willing to work. I know someone that hasn't really worked and he 35 years old. The only job I recall him having is a landscaper and it was for maybe six months.
He does everything he can to not have to work. Has been a disability forever and yet is at the gym everyday body building. frickin lazy ass. Thats the person that gets on my nerves
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Post by milspec6 Thu Dec 29, 2016 10:24 pm

Raising the minimum wage never made sense to me. We are all business owners, we pay according to need and value. If we need that employee, we have no problem paying what it takes to get that employee. It is no different from equipment and supplies....we pay for things that make the business profitable.

A person who works hard and brings skills to the table, will always make more money than a lazy bum unless there is an artificial control brought on by Unions and minimum wage laws. Under an artificial set number, everyone makes the same and there is no incentive for the good nor correction for the bad.

California is a just a strange thinking State. They are raising the minimum wage even though it will harm small businesses, yet they still want to exempt small theatre houses because it would likely put the smaller ones out of business. What about the small carpet cleaner or barber or any other small business?

It just seems like nobody understands how business works in the US any more. I guess it has been far too long since the majority of the citizens owned business, ranches, and farms.
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Post by Freemind1 Thu Dec 29, 2016 11:31 pm

Well, I know the guys on this board would and will, pay a fair value for good labor. But in the corporate world, that's not so much true anymore. Places with 50 employees or more, tend not to pay for producers, but rather ass kissers and deviates.

Some POS that thinks McDonald's is a career, should not be getting paid the same wages as a factory worker who has real skills. Skilled labor will disappear under these dumb minimum wage laws. It's not like it hasn't been disappearing anyway. I think we should have a minimum wage, but not like being enacted.

It is destroying the vast majority of worker's buying power, to appease the lazy and useless fast food workers who aspire for nothing but handouts.

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Post by milspec6 Fri Dec 30, 2016 12:07 am

Can't disagree with the ass kissers rising to the top in the corporate world...it does seem commonplace.
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Post by milspec6 Fri Dec 30, 2016 12:14 am

Maybe this will help. We used to play this game a lot at work, but now I can't find the free version of it. Seems to be a $1 app now, but this video will show you the fun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxQYO99fF2A
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