Money Moral Dilemma: Should I pay the window cleaner?

A question about : Money Moral Dilemma: Should I pay the window cleaner?

This is a real life MMD so please bear in mind the MoneySaver in question will read your responses:

Please give this MoneySaver the benefit of your advice...

Should I pay the window cleaner?

On my street a few houses have the letter A after the number. I don't get my windows cleaned but my neighbour does and I often come home to find a note saying mine have been done. When the window cleaner comes to collect his fee he gets annoyed if I won't pay him - yet I've never asked him to clean the windows. Should I start paying or keep refusing?

Click reply to have your say

Previous MMDs: View All

This Forum Tip was included in MoneySavingExpert's weekly email
Don't miss out on new deals, loopholes, and vouchers
FAQs
Privacy Policy
Past Emails
Unsubscribe

Best answers:

• If you haven't asked him to clean your windows then don't pay him.
• Unless your house's number isn't displayed clearly, surely the only answer is not to pay? His own fault if he can't read.
  (Although even if your house number isn't displayed clearly I still probably wouldn't pay)
• When he leaves a note to say your windows have been done, phone him and say you didn't arrange for him to do the windows.
• send him a note to say you've already paid, but add that you don't want him to come again as he did a terrible job
• Definitely not. IF you pay even once he might take it as you implying that he should do it again.
  If he gets annoyed, it's his own fault for washing the wrong windows. He's either an idiot for washing the wrong windows by accident, or a chancer for washing them thinking he could guilt/bully you into washing them.
  Stand your ground.
• certainly not, why on earth should you pay for something you havent requested
• NO WAY!
  If you pay you will probably be entering into the contract that he wants you to have!
  Would you pay anybody else who just took it upon themselves to do work on your house or garden, and then demanded money for it?
  Cleaned your wheelie bin?
  Cut the lawn?
  What if someone laid a drive or replaced your roof?
  I doubt it!
  Tell him to sling his chamois.
• Your question makes it sound to me like he's done this before. If you didn't pay him last time then it's his fault for being stupid enough to make the same mistake and clean the wrong windows again. He might have made a genuine mistake the first time but now he's just trying to guilt you into paying.
• The next time he calls make it clear that you do not want him to clean your windows, have never requested him to do so and will not be paying him for any cleanings he undertakes. Further more that if he continues to do this you will consider making a complaint to the police for trespass. Put it in writing too, that sounds a bit OTT but it will send the message loud and clear that you are not being mucked about.
  Sounds like a chancer to me and the only way to deal with people like that are to threaten them with the law because PC Plod is very often the last person they want to see ;-)
• Definitely don't pay if you haven't asked him to do them. It's abit strange that he keeps cleaning them if you have refused to pay him a few times. Have you pointed out to him that you've never requested them cleaned?
  Stand your ground and if it continues, just enjoy the free cleaning as it's down to him to rectify it, not you.
• Ask him how he'd feel if you went down and cleaned his vehicle and asked him for Ј20!
  I've had the same problem on a regular basis for 10 years! Not only have I never asked for them to be cleaned, (I can do them myself), I've even put signs in my window stating I do not wish them cleaned whenever I notice the cleaner guys in the area, and still I get aggressive back-chat from the cleaner guy who thinks I should pay. I don't think I've ever seen the same cleaner twice. So they all seem to think it's ok just to do the job without asking! I'm sure they know they're taking a gamble on not getting paid, but rely on people feeling awkward or intimidated.
  Worse still, I live in an upstaires flat, and suddenly I can be faced with some strange guy leering into my windows!
  Stay strong-don't pay, morally you're in the right I'm sure.
• First ask him for his card. If no card ask him for his details. If he isn't playing ball get his vehicle reg. Do not pay. Tell him quite firmly that you haven't asked for your windows to be cleaned and you don't want them cleaned, ever. Tell him if he does it again it constitutes harassment.
• Pour that bucket of dirty water he carries round with him down the grid then give the bucket a good clean and charge him for your specialist services, I've never heard of a bucket cleaner, so it must be a specialist service!
• I was drawn to this because I clean windows for a living myself. I really can't see why the window cleaner has a problem with this. He cleaned at the wrong address - probably in error - so he has to take the hit.
  I had to smile though. I once priced a house and only had a cursory glance around the back. A few days later I did the clean. It wasn't until I had done most of the back windows that I noticed a slightly obscure door on the far side. It turned out that this "house" I had priced was actually two maisonettes - oops !! The bit that amazed me was that I had priced the job for doing the windows at top and bottom instead of just the top ones (the person who asked for the quotation lived on the top) and the quotation was accepted without question. It left me with a dilemma of my own. In the end I decided to keep all the money for the first clean as they were in a right state and the first clean took much longer, but I reduced the price appropriately for the subsequent cleans. I was not underhand about this as I told the owner what had happened and she actually agreed with me . I guess she must have thought I was a right div but never said so .
• I don't actually understand why this happened more than once
  Had the local windowcleaner done my windows once (or at most twice) by mistake - then I would have tried to find out his contact details to tell him that I had not required his services in the first place/didnt require them again - and would therefore not be paying.
  If he persisted in cleaning my windows - despite no instruction from me to do so - then I would say to him straight out "I have told you before NOT to do my windows - I don't understand therefore why you keep doing them. I'll make it quite plain - I havent asked for this/I will never ask for this - so you will be wasting your time if you disobey my specific instructions NOT to do it - as I am not going to pay for a service I havent commissioned ever."
  If he STILL persisted in cleaning my windows (trust me - he WOULDNT - I can be rather firm if I wish to be) - then he would be told "I am going to report you for harassment if you keep trying to get money out of me - by doing this service I have specifically told you NOT to do" and I would if need be.
  1. Is he doing this to anyone else in your road or is it just you?
  2. If you find that this is happening to other neighbours - then maybe your local Councillor would be the best person to get in touch with (rather than the Police) actually?? Tell the Councillor - "Mr X is repeatedly doing mine and this neighbour, that neighbour, the neighbour up the road - despite instructions to stop. Is this some sort of scam that is operating locally and I am wondering if there is anything the Council can do to stop it please?"
• It is a no brainer really, the first time he did it I would tell him I didnt want my windows cleaned and would maybe pay that time. After that tough!!! I told you I didnt want them cleaned and I will not be paying anymore bet he soon remembers when he's not getting paid