[Klean07]

There are a few trad guys round here that don't pay tax etc I know one of them personaly but wouldn't shop him because when I was young I used to do the same in between jobs etc. Wooden ladders they were. My shoulder used to ache loads in those days. Plus I never had a car either just used to leave everything at last house.

[Dave Graham]

I have a Pest control business and am looking at expanding into cleaning (though not Window Cleaning initially).  On a Pest Control forum i go on the Pesties are complaining of the Window Cleaners doing Pest Control for next to nothing.
Point is it goes on in every industry me thinks :
Dave

[Richard iSparkle]

Funnily enough, I used to be a postman 9 years ago. I did 30 hours at just over £6 an hour which was not enough to keep a family etc. I did windows part time too as I was finished on the post at 11am. I charged 50p a window which yes, most window cleaners would scoff at and term me a ' part time beer money brigade' etc. this wasn't the case though, post work paid the bills and the windows put food on the table. I thought 50p a window was more than enough as basically all I was doing was a very unskilled job cleaning muck off windows, yet I was earning £10 an hour and in a lot easier job. This cleaner charging £6.50 for a large house and conny might be doing 1.5-2 houses an hour- £10 upwards an hour, a lot more than minimum wage and could well enable him to look after his family without relying on state handouts, good on him I say (although he could also be a doley scrounger doing it for beer money too)! I think we value ourselves too much for what we do and if our customers knew what we really earned an hour I think a lot of them would look elsewhere for a cheaper cleaner or may just not have them done on principle. We might offer a good service but do we do it for a fair price? £200-300 upwards a day wfp a fair wage?  I could work 2 days a week and earn the same or more than someone full time in a more skilled job. If we are really honest with ourselves the bloke offering to do a large house and conny for £6.50 is the one doing it for a fair price. we are the rip off merchants (unless you've a level 2 qualification that is, and if so then of course you deserve the £30-50 an hour).

you undervalue yourself

[Tommy Smith]

Thanks for your replies. Safe to say a mixed response, some interesting points made, some arrogant. A pity the fireman doesn't give a rats arse what people think as long as he's coining it. Probably to young to remember when we in the military and most of the civilian population in the UK supported and emphasised with them on there strike. Anyway best not make it too personal.

Could the industry be regulated in some way? like many other industries do to protect there jobs. IE builders, plumbers etc. but you still get your rogue builders etc..... Maybe it's too difficult to police, is licensing the way forward, id cards......

Thanks again

Tom

[H S and Son]

Am I the only one who finds these posts pointless and boring?

[AuRavelling79]

Full time , listen don't let it upset you, life's too short , your only here once, family comes first I'm afraid, couldn't give a rats arse what people think about me lol

Call a whole time Fireman's shift pattern full time? Life of riley! Top it up with about 80 properly priced houses window cleaning and it's an extra grand a month. Sweet.

I was in Gloucester Rd shops yesterday and there was a car with a wooden pointer on the roof parked on double yellows - it had a sign saying "window cleaner on call" tho' I couldn't see anyone - guess what the age and make of car was?

61 plate white BMW estate!

Firefighter perchance? 

[john k]

I'd shop em all to tax man 

[Panorama]

But you have made it personal by having a moan about it , I honestly couldn't give a fig what the public think about me , my number one priority is to put bread on my table to feed my family, and to gold , yep it really is a cracking job 

[paul kitchiner]

Must admit it's a dog eat dog world out there. Just look at the number of car cleaning places there are now. Thing is is when one of these roughed as you call them scratches a window or there ladder blows over in the wind and hits a car and they find there not insured then the s:;t will hit the fan

[Dane]

I was canvassing in the Norwich area yesterday and not for the first time I found the windows were being cleaned by someone who is already employed, this time a local postman. I quoted one house at £20.00 (large house with conservatory) and the lady told me she was getting her windows cleaned for £6.50. I was gobsmacked, obviously I couldn't match that and wouldn't even try, I told her I was working for a registered window cleaner with insurance who needs the work to support his family, not just to earn a few beer coupons. Not that she cared.
I canvass in many regions in the UK and come across this all too often.
I just wonder how you as window cleaners feel about this and how much it affects your business.

i had this about 2 months ago.... i had picked up a new custy, an old lady with a fairly large bungalow and a big connie i said £10.. al fine and dandy then i went back the next time and she said a new brigade had shown up and said they would charge her £3.50!!!!!!!! i just had to laugh

[mikecam]

Thanks for your replies. Safe to say a mixed response, some interesting points made, some arrogant. A pity the fireman doesn't give a rats arse what people think as long as he's coining it. Probably to young to remember when we in the military and most of the civilian population in the UK supported and emphasised with them on there strike. Anyway best not make it too personal.

Could the industry be regulated in some way? like many other industries do to protect there jobs. IE builders, plumbers etc. but you still get your rogue builders etc..... Maybe it's too difficult to police, is licensing the way forward, id cards......

Thanks again

Tom

Probably best go boil your head, it'll be more interesting, for us that is.

[PPC]

Funnily enough, I used to be a postman 9 years ago. I did 30 hours at just over £6 an hour which was not enough to keep a family etc. I did windows part time too as I was finished on the post at 11am. I charged 50p a window which yes, most window cleaners would scoff at and term me a ' part time beer money brigade' etc. this wasn't the case though, post work paid the bills and the windows put food on the table. I thought 50p a window was more than enough as basically all I was doing was a very unskilled job cleaning muck off windows, yet I was earning £10 an hour and in a lot easier job. This cleaner charging £6.50 for a large house and conny might be doing 1.5-2 houses an hour- £10 upwards an hour, a lot more than minimum wage and could well enable him to look after his family without relying on state handouts, good on him I say (although he could also be a doley scrounger doing it for beer money too)! I think we value ourselves too much for what we do and if our customers knew what we really earned an hour I think a lot of them would look elsewhere for a cheaper cleaner or may just not have them done on principle. We might offer a good service but do we do it for a fair price? £200-300 upwards a day wfp a fair wage?  I could work 2 days a week and earn the same or more than someone full time in a more skilled job. If we are really honest with ourselves the bloke offering to do a large house and conny for £6.50 is the one doing it for a fair price. we are the rip off merchants (unless you've a level 2 qualification that is, and if so then of course you deserve the £30-50 an hour   I've a level 2 and 3 in plumbing so i deserve it of course  ).

You know this guy has a point! £6.50 is fair; only thing is, I cant for the life of me figure out where he gets his:

Fuel for free, Vehicle insurance free, Road tax free, his maintenance budget for replacement equipment for free, his accountancy free, his public & professional indemnity free, his web site running and advertising free, his vehicle maintenance free, his clothing and workgear free, his print marketing free, his affiliation membership to industry bodies & auditers free, his computer storage and operating systems free, his invoicing print costs free, his office lighting & power requirements free, his water , chemicals, disposables & consumables free!

I must have it wrong, I am sure you can squeeze all that out of £6.50 don't you?  :

[Twyford Cleaning Services]

Give the Tax man a ring,That will put a Stop to Rogue Window Cleaners