[Total shine cleaning services]

On a break in sunderland, staying at my mums for the week, 3 bed semi she has and she pays £3.50, she was shocked when I told her we charge £10 for these in Milton keynes, mind you there's 3-4 of them and they do a good job on the glass at speed but top of the frames are slowly going black.!

Graham

[MWC]

lol, £3.50. Surely its not worth doing them at that price, even if you were claiming benefits too

[Michael Peterson]

in newcastle my average price is 15.50

[Michael Peterson]

the guy can do 10 in a day for 40 quid and thats a night in the social club at about 1.80 a pint in mackem land :-)

[Total shine cleaning services]

Saying that, whilst studying they done my mums in 6-7 mins and have a few around here, 6 an hour is still making £20+ an hour, the lad who owns it is still making a profit on the hourly rate is he not..?

Graham

[DG Cleaning]

I'd say it's a bit cheap for up here.
My Dad pays £4 for his large semi?

[AuRavelling79]

Saying that, whilst studying they done my mums in 6-7 mins and have a few around here, 6 an hour is still making £20+ an hour, the lad who owns it is still making a profit on the hourly rate is he not..?

Graham

When you say 6-7 mins - what did "they" do exactly.

[DG Cleaning]

Saying that, whilst studying they done my mums in 6-7 mins and have a few around here, 6 an hour is still making £20+ an hour, the lad who owns it is still making a profit on the hourly rate is he not..?

Graham

When you say 6-7 mins - what did "they" do exactly.

They do glass quickly no frames, doors etc.
It's quite common for there to be 3 or 4 working together trad

[roundbuilder]

Totaly ridiculous!
£3.50 to drive to a house, get equipment out weather it be wfp or trad, do the work with obsticales in the way ie climbing gates, trailing hose to back avoiding dog/cat/fox poo, then having to go back and collect as surely they wont send a £3.50 cheque.
My example above is so why a min charge of £10 should be the norm otherwise it realy isnt worth it nomatter how many you have in a row. I have verey compact work but i treat every job singily no way would i be happy doing a £3.50 house or a row of 10 £3.50 houses. A row of 10 £10 fronts or a row of 10 f&b for £12/£15 is much more appealing and with the times!
I started in 2003 and my min price was £7 then so to be £3.50 would be going back to the 80's or early 90's. total madness how anyone can clean whole houses forsuch low prices honestly even guys on here saying how great £6 houses are it Realy annoys me that some cleaners dont value there time per property and that you are doing a service for them and they are laughing at you behind your back for charging such looooow prices. Put them up reguly and always have a min price. If its a crap area where £3.50 is the norm(lol) then move areas why work yourself silly for peanuts!. I know i wouldnt.

[DG Cleaning]

Totaly ridiculous!
£3.50 to drive to a house, get equipment out weather it be wfp or trad, do the work with obsticales in the way ie climbing gates, trailing hose to back avoiding dog/cat/fox poo, then having to go back and collect as surely they wont send a £3.50 cheque.
My example above is so why a min charge of £10 should be the norm otherwise it realy isnt worth it nomatter how many you have in a row. I have verey compact work but i treat every job singaly no way would i be happy doing a £3.50 house or a row of 10 £3.50 houses. A row of 10 £10 fronts or a row of 10 f&b for £12/£15 is much more appealing and with the times!
I started in 2003 and my min price was £7 then so to be £3.50 would be going back to the 80's or early 90's. total madness how anyone can clean whole houses forsuch low prices. Realy annoys me that some cleaners are so deluded living up north or not!.

I'm not saying in certain areas that you won't get the prices you mentioned but if you go round with a minimum £10 round here you'd take a very very long time to build any sort of round and even then it wouldn't be compact.
You're up against teams of trad lads more than happy to do a 3bed semi for £4

[roundbuilder]

Totaly ridiculous!
£3.50 to drive to a house, get equipment out weather it be wfp or trad, do the work with obsticales in the way ie climbing gates, trailing hose to back avoiding dog/cat/fox poo, then having to go back and collect as surely they wont send a £3.50 cheque.
My example above is so why a min charge of £10 should be the norm otherwise it realy isnt worth it nomatter how many you have in a row. I have verey compact work but i treat every job singaly no way would i be happy doing a £3.50 house or a row of 10 £3.50 houses. A row of 10 £10 fronts or a row of 10 f&b for £12/£15 is much more appealing and with the times!
I started in 2003 and my min price was £7 then so to be £3.50 would be going back to the 80's or early 90's. total madness how anyone can clean whole houses forsuch low prices. Realy annoys me that some cleaners are so deluded living up north or not!.

I'm not saying in certain areas that you won't get the prices you mentioned but if you go round with a minimum £10 round here you'd take a very very long time to build any sort of round and even then it wouldn't be compact.
You're up against teams of trad lads more than happy to do a 3bed semi for £4

I also get teams of trad lads doing them for £6 down here but it still doesnt stop me building work at the prices i feel are right! If i had my way my min would be £20 but that would be much harder to achieve but then again it would still be possible! Its all in the mindset and how much effort you put into your business! Even if it meant traveling 40 miles to earn £200 instead of 5 miles to earn £80 id use my head and go further afield.

[Richard iSparkle]

Totaly ridiculous!
£3.50 to drive to a house, get equipment out weather it be wfp or trad, do the work with obsticales in the way ie climbing gates, trailing hose to back avoiding dog/cat/fox poo, then having to go back and collect as surely they wont send a £3.50 cheque.
My example above is so why a min charge of £10 should be the norm otherwise it realy isnt worth it nomatter how many you have in a row. I have verey compact work but i treat every job singaly no way would i be happy doing a £3.50 house or a row of 10 £3.50 houses. A row of 10 £10 fronts or a row of 10 f&b for £12/£15 is much more appealing and with the times!
I started in 2003 and my min price was £7 then so to be £3.50 would be going back to the 80's or early 90's. total madness how anyone can clean whole houses forsuch low prices. Realy annoys me that some cleaners are so deluded living up north or not!.

I'm not saying in certain areas that you won't get the prices you mentioned but if you go round with a minimum £10 round here you'd take a very very long time to build any sort of round and even then it wouldn't be compact.
You're up against teams of trad lads more than happy to do a 3bed semi for £4

i dont think you are right.  for many people £10 isnt a lot of money.  they would be happy to pay £3.50, but just as happy to pay £10.  they just arent price sensitive.

some people are price sensitive, so even when they are paying £3.50 they would be open to getting a lower rate.  it's just simple economics.

it's not long ago when Starbucks started that the norm was 30p for a cup of coffee in a polystyrene cup.  they came in charging £1.50 odd for a coffee, and people lapped it up.  they wanted the better tasting coffee, in a nicer cup, with better service, and weren't bothered with paying a little more.

[Michael Peterson]

that is a really good quote mate

[windiewasher]

I average about tenner a house and price very few at less than a tenner.
I have found out theres a bloke charging 16 to 18 per house im charging around 10.i also know other that charge around 5 or 6 quid.

[GB Window Cleaning]

I average about tenner a house and price very few at less than a tenner.
I have found out theres a bloke charging 16 to 18 per house im charging around 10.i also know other that charge around 5 or 6 quid.

Where is your update for june? 

[DG Cleaning]

Totaly ridiculous!
£3.50 to drive to a house, get equipment out weather it be wfp or trad, do the work with obsticales in the way ie climbing gates, trailing hose to back avoiding dog/cat/fox poo, then having to go back and collect as surely they wont send a £3.50 cheque.
My example above is so why a min charge of £10 should be the norm otherwise it realy isnt worth it nomatter how many you have in a row. I have verey compact work but i treat every job singaly no way would i be happy doing a £3.50 house or a row of 10 £3.50 houses. A row of 10 £10 fronts or a row of 10 f&b for £12/£15 is much more appealing and with the times!
I started in 2003 and my min price was £7 then so to be £3.50 would be going back to the 80's or early 90's. total madness how anyone can clean whole houses forsuch low prices. Realy annoys me that some cleaners are so deluded living up north or not!.

I'm not saying in certain areas that you won't get the prices you mentioned but if you go round with a minimum £10 round here you'd take a very very long time to build any sort of round and even then it wouldn't be compact.
You're up against teams of trad lads more than happy to do a 3bed semi for £4

i dont think you are right.  for many people £10 isnt a lot of money.  they would be happy to pay £3.50, but just as happy to pay £10.  they just arent price sensitive.

some people are price sensitive, so even when they are paying £3.50 they would be open to getting a lower rate.  it's just simple economics.

it's not long ago when Starbucks started that the norm was 30p for a cup of coffee in a polystyrene cup.  they came in charging £1.50 odd for a coffee, and people lapped it up.  they wanted the better tasting coffee, in a nicer cup, with better service, and weren't bothered with paying a little more.

Try coming to Barnsley with those sorts of prices and see how far you get, this is quite a deprived area.
Don't get me wrong I've got some decent priced houses but people round here are used to having their windows done every 2 weeks for very little money.
They don't care how its done or whether you wash the frames and doors just as long as the glass is ok.
I charge more than the prices mentioned but I'm the exception not the norm.
I quoted £40 to clean some facias on a bungalow the other week the lady nearly fainted her last windy did them for £25.
I get this reaction a lot but I stick to my guns and gradually I'm raising the prices but its not easy.

[DG Cleaning]

There is an upside though.
If I move the van more than 3 times a day then I regard it
as not being compact.
I've got one round where I park up, pull the reel nearly all the way out and work for a full day

[home6442]

I personally wouldn't clean a 3 bed semi for £3.50 but there are plenty who will
and as money gets tighter there are plenty of customers who will move to these people.
Also as jobs get fewer there will also be plenty of people willing to clean at these prices.
How many of your customers are public sector workers who used to get great wages but are now
facing pay freezes and job loses.
How many own businesses that are under pressure.
How many are seeing their household bills getting higher and higher monthly.
I still remember all my builder mates saying they wouldn't get out of bed for less than £60 an hour
and are now working for minimum wage and consider themselves lucky to be earning.
Yes lets all travel 40 miles to the better money until it becomes saturated and gets as bad as the area
you left.
You might be surprised what you will be prepared to work for before you get your day in.
Sorry for all the doom and gloom.

[Positivity]

Sorry for all the doom and gloom. Sad
Don't be - that's the way it's going.
Stiffed more and more - especially by young ones with kids - they are the worst customers on the planet.
Prices here are really under downward pressure quoting reasonable but not getting them.
This is just the start.
We are doomed.
 

[DG Cleaning]

Well I'm positive despite previous comments.
My average price is going up and I'm going to have a serious bash at canvassing any I get will be at decent prices although I think it will take time I'm up for the challenge.
Negativity never gets us anywhere

[roundbuilder]

Well I'm positive despite previous comments.
My average price is going up and I'm going to have a serious bash at canvassing any I get will be at decent prices although I think it will take time I'm up for the challenge.
Negativity never gets us anywhere

I agree possitive all the way!.

[Positivity]

Negativity never gets us anywhere Cheesy 
 
Does too - gets you down.
What more could you want?

[CleanClear]

I've got one round where I park up, pull the reel nearly all the way out and work for a full day

I used to do that too. Maybe to sort of convince myself that i had some great compact work where i didn't need to move the van. In the end i found the easiest way to do it was to actually move the van 

[DG Cleaning]

I've got one round where I park up, pull the reel nearly all the way out and work for a full day

I used to do that too. Maybe to sort of convince myself that i had some great compact work where i didn't need to move the van. In the end i found the easiest way to do it was to actually move the van 

Trust me its not, one of the streets has no car access for a start off.

[dotty]

it seems like north v south and south always having a go at us from the north i work nr rotherham and people are going mad for work just get on with your own job and look after your self

[G Griffin]

Fox poo? 

[Total shine cleaning services]

The guy has 2 or 3 working for him and they're all trad, they are obviously not making to much money but if they're knocking out 5-6 houses per hour then he will be gaining a possible £20-£25 an hour off the employees plus whatever he cleans for himself, it's a different business model I know but it still works does it not..?

Graham

[DG Cleaning]

The guy has 2 or 3 working for him and they're all trad, they are obviously not making to much money but if they're knocking out 5-6 houses per hour then he will be gaining a possible £20-£25 an hour off the employees plus whatever he cleans for himself, it's a different business model I know but it still works does it not..?

Graham

It works for the guy who owns the round definitely.
The lads who work for him don't get much but then again how they are employed is often up for question.

[formb]

I don't care how many you've got. You are not making any money at 3.50 a pop; not if you are paying all the necessary taxes any way.

[Total shine cleaning services]

I agree with everyone saying this is to cheap, but it does show a different business structure does it not..? On the figures I quoted you could employ and pay taxes and still make profit but I do question the quality of workmanship and the health & safety implications of having 2 or 3 lads possibly working 6-7 hours a day on trad, apparently there was a slightly higher charge until this particular crew got into a price war with the other company who also have a fair bit of work on this estate, it's on a new development in Southwick, any of you guys work here.?

Graham

[windiewasher]

£3.50 a house is no business stucture,come off it thats stupid.
Thats not a business.
Thats just people topping there dole up.

[roundbuilder]

£3.50 a house is no business stucture,come off it thats stupid.
Thats not a business.
Thats just people topping there dole up.

I couldnt agree more.
Unless they still living in the 70's!.

[Total shine cleaning services]

I do agree with you all but what I'm saying is there are different business structures out there that still make money, just an observation that's all !

Graham

[jimiwindows]

Come to london the streets are paved with gold.

[dazmond]

these sorts of posts are always hot topics!!

from the information ive gathered there is a vast array of different prices up and down the country and even in the same streets we work!

the fact is if you provide a good service,are likeable,clean and tidy and adopt a professional attitude without taking yourself too seriously then you are onto a winner.you can charge more than other window cleaners providing you work in more affluent areas.

be flexible with frequencies,offer different ways of paying their bill,offer add ons like conny roof/fascia/soffit and solar panel cleaning,offer text before clean if access an issue.

customers of mine love this and are willing to pay a bit more for a good,reliable service.

i know of a company who work near me and they are in general more expensive than me.they have employees as well but are finding it hard to get more compact work as other window cleaners work that area and have lots of work.its either me or another couple of guys i know so they charge more and inevitably they either drop the work then we pick it up or the customers defer to us as they find out we provide a very good service cheaper and clean for lots of people in the area.

regards


dazmond