[Tosh]

I clean a street of semis (not the whole street, but a good wadge of them) and on my second job the neighbor tells me not to bother cleaning next door because she's had her house repossessed!

She owes me for two cleans, but this has never been a problem before, and once paid me six months in advance! 

The neighbor reckons that if I want paying I ought to get in the que with the rest of her creditors!  It's not a big amount of money; but the job was underpriced by my current standards; so I'm a little bit miffed.

I also hear other customers grumbling about the price of stuff; one customer who owns three houses (one they live in, one they rent, and one they've been doing up to sell ( ) says that things are so tight that they can't afford to go away camping with the kids for four days.

I didn't tell her that I'd just been away in my comfy caravan for a week!

What's happening with your customers and their finances?

[ftp]

My customers keep giving the impression that they are skint - holding back on payments and ignoring self adressed envelopes but the new cars keep popping up on their drives and several have returned from exotic holidays abroad. One underpriced customer was telling me how he was booking for a round the world flight with the missus - £16000!!!! ( his house is a tenner and they are moaners and messers).

[Roy Harding]

I have not been hit at all yet but been expecting it.

But just landed a real big nursing home and a load of bungalows in the grounds, just around the corner from one of my best jobs, so all smiles here.

But I think things will get tight.

Roy

[ftp]

I think it's going to really hit home after Christmas next year when the heating bills land on the mat.

[Roy Harding]

I think it's going to really hit home after Christmas next year when the heating bills land on the mat.

Yes I think your spot on.

Roy

[Paul Coleman]

I clean a street of semis (not the whole street, but a good wadge of them) and on my second job the neighbor tells me not to bother cleaning next door because she's had her house repossessed!

She owes me for two cleans, but this has never been a problem before, and once paid me six months in advance! 

The neighbor reckons that if I want paying I ought to get in the que with the rest of her creditors!  It's not a big amount of money; but the job was underpriced by my current standards; so I'm a little bit miffed.

I also hear other customers grumbling about the price of stuff; one customer who owns three houses (one they live in, one they rent, and one they've been doing up to sell ( ) says that things are so tight that they can't afford to go away camping with the kids for four days.

I didn't tell her that I'd just been away in my comfy caravan for a week!

What's happening with your customers and their finances?

I have had a few more cancellations than usual - though only two mentioned finance.  Another two cancelled as they are retiring and have the "time to do the windows themselves" which could also be finance.  There are another couple of custies who have mentioned several times that their workloads have dropped off a fair bit so they may end up cancelling too.  However, this is quite small compared to the work that is still trickling in.

[Wayne Thomas]

Times must be getting hard, there's more dole brigade than ever out cleaning windows in this neck of the woods all trad.

[wightsurf]

I'm still picking up work but there is a lot of trad window cleaners about. Did have a bad spell a month ago and lost a few but can't say for sure it was due to money.

[dave0123]

Hmm

think i have seen the od few more about. Could just be the usal summer idiots but not sure.

[peter holley]

iv lost 2 in the last month, worth £10 each.... but iv gained about a £100...i think things will start to even out a bit for a while...

earlier in the year predictions were that deisel would hit £1.50 a ltre by august, and yet here we are approaching august and deisel has actually gone down.... also its a housing buyers market, and where i live the market has started moving again, houses hasve started selling again.

i have also noticed that the media are making a little
less noise... i feel optomistic...ii sincerely hope that i am not wrong to be so upbeat

ok guys im waiting for the uproar

[Glyn H]

Busiest contracting week for ages - spent four days pricing new contracts both window and gutter cleaning at various locations.
Havent done any marketing they all just all contacted us.

[NWH]

I`ve got to much on but who cares,you`ve got to lose a hell of a lot of work until it would even equate to a days work.And how many of us are always saying we are behind,i`m always behind so if i lost loads it would mean for the other stuff i`d be on time every clean.

[pjulk]

I have not been affected at all always got a full workload and recently picked up some nice work from recommendations.

[cvdewsbury]

small office cancelled due to tightening finances...

a council run day centre for the elderley has had their budgets cut so have asked us to requote for cleaning on a quaterly basis rather than monthly

otherwise as normal

[karygate]

do you think the media talk people into a crisis.

[cat9921]

do you think the media talk people into a crisis.

NO, food is going up and so is the fuel, People do not need the media to tell them that  ,,,, But I think the media does not help, Don't worry karygate Adders Rinse and clean  work buy you and do not do a good job of window cleaning , you will be picking up work in no time 

[Glyn H]

The media have a policy  - keep people in FEAR of what may happen.

[Oakley Windows]

The media have a policy  - keep people in FEAR of what may happen.

That is very true (remember weapons of mass destruction? global warming? )

Also there is 24 hour news, they have to put something in it; and keep repeating it and repeating it and repeating it, we hear it again and again and again, eventually we believe it when we've heard it enough times.


I never knew there was global warming til I listened to the news, I never knew there was an economic downturn either til I listened to the same news programme.

According to my work and level of business there isnt. In fact if my business was anything to go by we'd be breaking all growth records known (a year on year growth of 25%, no country in the world achieves that).

We only believe/think theres a downturn because they tell us there is, repeatedly, just in case we forget.

[LSB]

i am still picking up new customers on a dailly basis !

however ,

i also do a fair bit of work for a contract cleaning company , all commercial ,
and some of these are not renewing their contracts , and others are re-negotiating . 

[john tomkins]

That is very true (remember weapons of mass destruction? global warming? )

Too true, and what about HIV gonna wipe out the most of the planet, and Ebola virus and Bird flu, all suddenly gone quiet.
Not doubting they are bad but just not "quite" as bad :