[SherwoodCleaningSe]

We have an estate of 81 "Ednas" all one bedroom bungalows, 4 windows and a door, we charge £4 a time and can have the whole lot done with 2 people in about 3-4 hours.

They all pay at the door, or their neighbour pays for them.

I did think in the past about having a minimum price, but to be honest it wasn't fair on the customer, we price the work for what needs done and how far out of the way it is.

If someone next door to where I'm already cleaning asks me to clean 2 ground floor windows, then we will do it and charge them accordingly.

However, I do agree if you have a single house and need to get either your WFP or ladders off for the one job then a premium price must be charged.

Bang on agree with the lot.  A minimum price does work out sometimes but when you are only dealing with a few windows to a property next door then price accordingly.  5 pound for 5 windows is a good rate, if you had a row of Edna's you could be making £40 hr easy, that's if you don't stop and chat about the war.

Simon.

[Londoner]

Thats absolutely right. When you do a group of flats / bungalows or whatever the pricing structure changes completely.

I do some OAP flats for £5 each and I can just bash through them. It takes them longer to open the door and pay me. Each one takes ages to come to the door then has to go back and get her purse, which takes forever. Try doing that eight times in a row.

[bumper]

Thers more to life than money.

[Pittmonkey]

@ Gordon
“Calm down dear, it’s only a window clean”   

Gordon, Hope your Granny don’t read this forum 

As for driving down the prices, £5.00 for probably 5mins work isn’t exactly depreciating the window cleaning business.

I’m less than 1 min drive from two other, £10 & £12 custy’s so I’m not going out of my way.

Overall I did intend keeping to my pricing policy but at the end of the day like people have said if I’m happy to do this then that’s all that matters.

I don’t smell a rat with Edna and I’m normally quite good with character evaluations.
(Gordon  )

Wayne

[Paul Coleman]

We have an estate of 81 "Ednas" all one bedroom bungalows, 4 windows and a door, we charge £4 a time and can have the whole lot done with 2 people in about 3-4 hours.

They all pay at the door, or their neighbour pays for them.

I did think in the past about having a minimum price, but to be honest it wasn't fair on the customer, we price the work for what needs done and how far out of the way it is.

If someone next door to where I'm already cleaning asks me to clean 2 ground floor windows, then we will do it and charge them accordingly.

However, I do agree if you have a single house and need to get either your WFP or ladders off for the one job then a premium price must be charged.

Assuming it takes 3 hours that is 6 man hours for £81.  £13.50 an hour does sound like it's taking the price down a bit far.  If it is 8 man hours, the rate drops to about a tenner an hour.  It sounds like the sort of work where it takes as long to collect the money as it does to clean the windows.
One of my "Edna's" is an elderly man with severe arthritis.  I charge £7 for his 3 bed semi.  Doesn't take long with WFP but it does take him ages to get to the door.  I thought about putting it up a few times but I've decided not to bother.  I doubt he will be able to live there too much longer.  In fact I sometimes wonder if he will be living anywhere very much longer.

I have another Edna as well.  Charge her a fiver for her ground floor flat.  She left a message on my voicemail a while back that a company was going to be doing all the cleaning at the flats soon so she wouldn't need me any more.  I wrote back to her reminding me of the fiver she owes me and heard nothing.  This is one of the reasons I am wary of Ednas.  They know you will do nothing about it so some of them rip you off as well - even though you've been working underpriced for them for ages.

Anyway, I've decided to put up with the Ednas that are left on my round but there won't be any new ones.

[fenscouse]

shiner if it takes 3 hours with two people to clean 81 bungalows for £4 each thats £324. Thats £54 per hour for six man hours....not bad. I dont think thats driving prices down!!! :D

[Paul Coleman]

shiner if it takes 3 hours with two people to clean 81 bungalows for £4 each thats £324. Thats £54 per hour for six man hours....not bad. I dont think thats driving prices down!!! :D

Sorry.  I really wasn't concentrating when I read that post.  Don't know how I managed it but I read £81 somewhere rather than 81 dwellings.
I'll crawl back under my stone now   

[matt]

huh poor old pensioners  my a*"e!!!!

They live rent free ,get a minimum £205 per week from the state, cold weather allowance, free buses,cheap hair cuts and even all the jobs in B and Q etc etc all for standing around in the post office queue doing nothing but moaning about how hard life is !!  Cmon sweet edna is laughing up her sleeve at you, she saw you coming and wait till all her pals from the bingo tea get you for a fiver you wont have any time left to make money for your own retirement.Do you really believe the stories about her old w/c? more like he tried to charge your MINIMUM CHARGE and she told him to get lost or maybe he stopped going back because she never paid her bills.

They didnt all "get bombed" during the war, who do you think the scallies the burglars the scroungers were 40 years ago yes sweet old edna and her pals thats who and they are still doing it today.They could always get a free drink at the bar by saying and doing the right things when they were young and now just cos their old well they dont lose their touch.
I bet you end up changing that light bulb she cant reach or clearing her path in the snow......if you want to do good go and be a charity volunteer and help the real unfortunates who live cold hungry and forgotten on the street.

Otherwise stop driving down the prices for all the other window cleaners and stick to YOUR policy and let us all make a decent profit
regards
gordon

oh dear  :

are you Gordons aswell on here, he has the same attitude to you

[newbroom]

The wrinklies retiring now are all from the baby boomer eran and tend to be more affluent than the previous generation,  stick to your price structure, if they don't like your price they have the right to go elsewhere. My priorities are not my customers finances, i 'm responsible for the welfare of my wife & kids as such i see my need to earn a reasonable income greater than the wrinklies desire to get a top notch job at dirt bottom price

[ScrimShady]

Weve got an "Edna".we only clean her windows as and when she rings us.I (Mrs)went round to do the inside and out of her conservatory.She broke her hip a little while ago and was hobbling around.It took me 2 1/2 hours cause i ended up doing all sorts of odd jobs for her all for £20!!
Bless the Ednas of this world!
You would miss them if they werent here!!
Mrs Scrim Shady

[matt]

most of us have mothers, how would you like it if some1 came on charged your mother 10 quid for 5 mins work  : :

[NWH]

The odd old dear that we do we do for free,normally only do it once every 3mths.

[pete albion]

most of us have mothers, how would you like it if some1 came on charged your mother 10 quid for 5 mins work  : :

are all your jobs under a tenner then ?

[Pittmonkey]

For gods sake dont say that NWH or Gordons wil have you strung up in the gallows.
Wayne

[marc]

what is it with people called gordon

[Pittmonkey]

I blame Jilted John

[matt]

most of us have mothers, how would you like it if some1 came on charged your mother 10 quid for 5 mins work  : :

are all your jobs under a tenner then ?

NO, i have plenty of jobs over a tenner, but they also take more than 5 mins

[gordonswindows]

ha ha pitskunkey...... jilted john you are showing your age.

sorry if you think i charge too much and your right you should be able to charge cheap prices after all its only fair to charge for the level of service  offered and after having spent a very boring weekend in Bolton and Bradford recently i understand why !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

its not the name gordon its the fact of being one of the chosen ones
cheers

[gordonswindows]

Hey Matt your right, some of us do have mothers and guess what?

You are supposed to do her windows yourself and for free !!!!!!!!!!

And you call me tight

As for the name Gordon at least it doesnt rhyme with Fatt



sorry that was uncalled for i meant it tongue in cheek






i actually meant   PRATT

HA HA HA thats the sound of me laughing all the way to the bank
cheers

[matt]

hang on, ive just checked

we are not in the school yard

phew, i thought i had stepped back 20 years then

lets leave the name calling to the kids in school eh

i only asked are the same gordons that posted un the the name "gordens" on here a week ago, no need to get touchy about your name