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Saul a no show


Guest English Rose

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Guest English Rose

Saul, the window washer, came out and gave me an estimate and an appointment for 9am Monday. He didn't show up, one phone is not working and I left messages on the other but can't get him to reply.

I contacted him because of the good reviews he received on this webboard. Did I miss the negative reviews?

Is there another 'good' window washer in Lakeside?

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Saul is the best-he's been washing windows for twenty years.

Suggest you try contact him again- he is normally reliable.

It is hard to find a good window washer in Lakeside- they are a rare breed, even more so

if you have windows high from the ground that require ladders.

Persevere.

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Agree with all of the above...Saul did our windows recently and mentioned that he had to let his helper go so he is now doing all the work himself... I would certainly try to contact him again as finding another who is as qualified would not be an easy task...

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He and his helper did a beautiful job cleaning the mineral stains off my windows last year but they are due again.

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Unless a business person has been in a serious accident, or is extremely sick, or a close family member is, why would being sick be an excuse for not taking a minute to call or text clients you have appointments with that you can't keep? 

I had a wonderful cleaner for many years. If she was feeling ill, or one of her kids was, meaning she'd not be able to show up for work, she always contacted me the night before or at least an hour before she was due to start work. She didn't just not show. It's called professionalism. And consideration for others.

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6 hours ago, mudgirl said:

Unless a business person has been in a serious accident, or is extremely sick, or a close family member is, why would being sick be an excuse for not taking a minute to call or text clients you have appointments with that you can't keep? 

I had a wonderful cleaner for many years. If she was feeling ill, or one of her kids was, meaning she'd not be able to show up for work, she always contacted me the night before or at least an hour before she was due to start work. She didn't just not show. It's called professionalism. And consideration for others.

Unfortunately, your cleaner was an exception to what usually happens in Mexico.  People don't like to say "no" for any reason, so they simply don't show up. I know this doesn't set well with U.S. standards, but it tends to be "the way it is" here, for the most part.

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11 hours ago, gringal said:

Unfortunately, your cleaner was an exception to what usually happens in Mexico.  People don't like to say "no" for any reason, so they simply don't show up. I know this doesn't set well with U.S. standards, but it tends to be "the way it is" here, for the most part.

Yes, I realize that, I've lived in Mexico for 18 years. But I also know many Mexicans who realize that that's not how most of the world operates and that if they want to maintain a good reputation in their business, have gringo clients, who are usually willing to pay more and treat them better than well-off Mexicans do, that they need to step up their game. Those who don't have the presence of mind to let you know if they can't make it, or are going to be late, get crossed off my list, never recommended, and I give my business to those who are more considerate.

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Mudgirl: Hard to do when you have employed the best and they do not show... You can wave your dineros around and you might get on time but with less than perfect service...

You can have it: a. Timely.  b. professionally done. or  c. cheap. You will have to wait for the afterlife to get all three...

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My experience is the same as Mudgirl's. If someone doesn't notify me that they are not coming, I let them know that my time has value as well and I need to have my life organized. It is a courtesy to me and my being here when they say they will come is a courtesy to them.... as is paying them immediately for the work. YMMV.

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I remember that I once did some work for a major property owner family in Vancouver. My competitor did some work for them before, but took many more weeks than they said to finally complete the project. When the contractor asked for their payment, the property owner told them no, they will get paid at the same time frame they were made to wait. I think it was nine weeks, a big deal for a small business, which took on more business than they were capable of delivering.

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18 minutes ago, Mrs. Rupert said:

I think all of you should hold back on judging Saul until you know what his health problem is.  Boy- so many righteous people mouthing off.  You do not know what his circumstances are.

He is the best window washer, and a perfect gentleman.

I wasn't judging Saul, I don't know the man. I was speaking in general terms. There can always be valid extenuating circumstances as to why someone can't call, but "I was sick", "My kid was sick" "I had to take my mother to the doctor" "My phone was out of saldo", "My phone was on the charger" and all the myriad excuses we hear on a regular basis just don't cut it for me.

I run a business as well. if I'm going to be even 10 minutes late to a client's place, I message them- it's rude to leave people waiting without knowing if you're going to show up or not.

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1 hour ago, rvanparys said:

Mudgirl: Hard to do when you have employed the best and they do not show... You can wave your dineros around and you might get on time but with less than perfect service...

You can have it: a. Timely.  b. professionally done. or  c. cheap. You will have to wait for the afterlife to get all three...

I don't consider someone "the best" if they are challenged in the communication department. I don't expect a professional who is is stellar at their job to come cheap. But I do expect them to show up on time and let me know if they can't.

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2 hours ago, pappysmarket said:

At Lakeside the most common excuse, at least in the past, was "I had to go to Guad...".

See, that's a perfect example. How does that in any way whatsoever affect one's ability to take 30 seconds to send a message to the person who might be waiting needlessly at home for hours for you to show up ?

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On 5/11/2019 at 4:42 AM, gringal said:

Unfortunately, your cleaner was an exception to what usually happens in Mexico.  People don't like to say "no" for any reason, so they simply don't show up. I know this doesn't set well with U.S. standards, but it tends to be "the way it is" here, for the most part.

Dear Gringal: That sounds like a perfectly reasonable way of understanding the situation; it's a cultural contrast and conflict. Mudgirl, however, doesn't or won't accept or understand it. She sounds very judgmental to me, though she claims not to be making judgements at all. Others who take some apparent discomfort at the invocation of external standards, which "mudgirl" (love the dirty name;-) attribute to the Professional World (and herself) wouldn't agree, though the situation strikes an outsider as one full of insularity. I suspect that the woods down there are full of Gringos who earn passive aggressive responses which they neither understand nor anticipate. 

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I don't have a world of patience,  and an occasional no show by an otherwise good worker is tolerated, but for example:  I've been using a man and his family crew for years.  He was a reliable plumber/electrician.  As of this year, he was contacted to do some work and was to show up on the next Monday.  As of the next Friday, he didn't show and didn't call.  That's when I went on this board and asked for a recommendation for a "reasonably" reliable handyman and got the names of several.  The end result is that I found a small crew who showed up, did the job and charged reasonably.   They will be contacted again when I need some work.  If they don't show up.......I'll look elsewhere.   It a person wants the business, they know how to keep a customer happy.  They also know Gringo expectations, and are willing to meet them...or not.  There is absolutely no use in complaining.  Vote with your feet and your pesos.

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