will you pay people who clean your windows at traffic lights without asking you?  

It hasn't happened to me yet, but if it were to happen I would do exactly as you did. I think it is crazy that people can be that intrusive. It really doesn't make any sense to me. If I didn't ask for the service, I'm certainly not going to pay for it, Good for you!

Wow.. how.. enterprising!

If they were coming to me, I would roll down my windows and tell them "no thanks". If they insist on cleaning, I would still drive off without paying.

It's like, if I say don't clean my windows, you are irritating me by cleaning them. I don't even know if your rag will scratch my windows. Shoo off or I will call the cops. :P

I have had these jokers coming up to "clean" my windows 5 minutes after I have driven out of a petrol station having paid for a full car wash. I've been abused by people at traffic lights for wanting to clean my windows and I've opened the window and told them not to touch my car. I never pay these guys. I'm sorry but if I want my window cleaned I'll do it myself. If I do want to pay out my hard earned money to people who are working on the side and not paying taxes I might as well just give it out to random people in the job centre. Not meaning to sound too harsh but having worked with long term unemployed people for 4 years and knowing that a large percentage of them are doing work on the side - yes they even admitted it to my face - I have no time for people working without paying tax whilst they are signing on. If people start telling me that these people are poor and they are trying to earn an honest living, well I've been abused enough times by these guys and even by women and know others who have felt intimidated just by pulling up at traffic lights and that's reason enough for me not to give them my money:)

Oh I hate that! I rarely have to deal with it but I have a freind that has to do a long commute twice a week by herslef and she is really intimidated and frightened by them. I was in the car in the city with her a coupleof months ago and you could see how tense she was when they approached. Luckily they backed off, but you could ell where there had been incidents where she had to pretend like they wern't there and just suffered whatever abuse they had hurled through her windows.

I wold NOT give them any money, and it is a really sucky position to be put in!

Hell No! sorry, but I do not like others to touch my car. I would be furious for one. for two I don't carry cash so the are SOL. we never go to car washes tht people hold, because i don't trust them to do it right and they may damage my car.

this gets me mad everytime. yes, we have those window cleaners, and it seems that they are everywhere.
You can put a note, you can close the window, you can shout, but they still clean your window.
Maybe they have a problem with their head..or maybe they are really clever because they do know that people will give them money if they already cleaned their window.

I know that i am always mad at this, because they never listen to me, and i get even more mad when i hand out the money, because i can not not pay them if they already did the job.

In the area where I live now....I do not run into this problem...but when I lived in some of the larger towns..this has occurred....I do not really have a "set" rule on this...there have been times when I have let them cleaned my windows and given them a couple of bucks; and there have been times when I have waved them off...

For me, there are many determining factors on this....my mood, how much money I have with me, where I was going, and whether they looked like they would utilize the money for alcohol....which I would not contribute to....

I don't drive myself but we get a lot of those in Greece, mainly Gypsies who hang around the roadside. My dad does let them clean them if they are dirty and pays them something. But if his windows are clean he politely tells them that he doesn't want them done. I know it can be annoying to receive a service that is not required lol.

Where I live we don't have people do that and as far as I am concerned, if I want my windows clean then I would do it myself. I love what you and your husband did. I think I would do the same sort of thing too. I wonder what would happen if they did it to someone and they didn't have any money.

There is a lot of windshield cleaners in Brazil and some in the outskirts of major French cities. They usually don't do anything if waved out.
It depends of my mood and if I have any spare coin to handle to accept.