BIGGEST MISTAKE

« **on:** October 30, 2003, 09:00:33 pm »

I was talking to a friend today about window cleaning and all you hear is what new jobs we got, how well we are doing etc etc but never hear the bad things as we don’t like to think of them.
Face it no ones perfect.
What is, or one of the worst things that has ever happened to you in your business.
I'll start with one.

MANY YEARS AGO A customer of mine had a new conservatory built and wanted the window above cleaned.
You guessed it I put a ladder on top of a plastic roof to clean window and when I finished pulled the ladder off and this new roof was scratched to hell.
Ooooooohhhhhh Noooooooo.

So come on what’s yrs.

Cheers
Alan

« **Reply #1 on:** October 30, 2003, 09:09:36 pm »

My biggest mistake was when I first started up pricing jobs to low just to get them

, there is plenty of work out there so price it high if you dont get it never mind you did not have it in the first place so you have not lost anything , but if you get it ok

« **Reply #2 on:** October 30, 2003, 10:14:59 pm »

Mmmmmm, let me think?? no not yet, ha ha, but i ain't been going as long as you guy's, to me everything seems hunky dorey, but who knows whats waiting out there tomoro??

I will soon post on this topic as soon as i've made a boo-boo

« **Reply #3 on:** November 04, 2003, 02:06:08 am »

I pulled in quote 3 new jobs, it was an estate at a T-juction I pulled in then went to quickly reverse to turn round and smashed into a vectra that had pulled in behind me, bit embarrasing as I arranged to meet the customers so they were all in and come out to see what the crash is, they just took the p though.

good news though I picked him up as a customer as a result of my crash, he was a mechanic and agreed for money for bits and some money for fitting, so far I,ve had £70 for his gutters + frames and £9 a month windows, just little bit longer to get my £325 back off him

I would'nt recommend crashing into people to gain more custom though

« **Reply #4 on:** November 04, 2003, 02:38:31 am »

when i first started cleaning windows on my own, i didn't have any public liability insurance for the first 2 weeks. i thought i'd get around to getting the insurance pretty soon, when i had some money (as i didn't have any money to buy insurance with, cause i'd just bought the round and equipment and stuff)

part of my round was bungulows, and i didn't have an A-frame. so i just used the front section of my ladder. i rested it against a gutter, there was a sudden gust of wind, and the ladder fell against a brand new car. i ended up footing the bill of £500 (in my first week of being self employed). sods law. absolute sods law. i'm paying for insurance from that point on. i've never had any sort of accident since. sods law

« **Reply #5 on:** November 04, 2003, 05:32:45 pm »

Don't worry guys, there are only 2 types of cleaners - those that have had accidents and those that are going to have accidents. Happens to everyone at some point :-/

« **Reply #6 on:** November 04, 2003, 05:50:31 pm »

speak for yourself mate.
I don't take risks so...
5 years no accidents

« **Reply #7 on:** November 04, 2003, 10:47:38 pm »

you don't take risks? so you don't climb a ladder then?

« **Reply #8 on:** November 06, 2003, 11:41:18 pm »

Simon b, pride comes before..............Hope you never have an accident but don`t count your chickens. Have you never worked in the wind or dropped a squeegee? Gerry.

« **Reply #9 on:** November 13, 2005, 12:32:15 am »

cleaned with 156ppm on first day of WFP and still got payed apart from one guy you should have seen the white streeks man you would think it was chrismas ha ha

« **Reply #10 on:** November 13, 2005, 12:41:14 am »

Blimey!

Guest city around here.

Yes I've had accidents, but mainly breaking people's pots and that sort of thing...

Oh yes, I did smash a window on a pub once and cover a visiting brewery manager in glass.

Ho ho!

« **Reply #11 on:** November 13, 2005, 08:01:00 am »

my biggest mistake was leaveing two guys who i trusted
and who worked for me for years to run my round. they have took the round for there own and im left starting again after seven years of building this round up to employ 5 people.
i had no choice at the time i had to have some one else run it because my wife passed away and i have two young boys to look after. im back at work now on my own. and looking forward to makeing good money with wfp. i will be on my own. from the advice i have read on this forum. it seems i can make good money without employing anyone. i dont post much. but read a lot. thanks guys and gals for all the advice and encouragement at a dificult time.
i hope at a later date wen i have more experience i too can help people with problems they have.

thanks again

« **Reply #12 on:** November 13, 2005, 08:19:36 am »

Good luck to you Mark

« **Reply #13 on:** November 13, 2005, 09:25:51 am »

dragged hose through garage to clean back windows, when finnished the woman came out and told me that I'd scratched the car in the garage, had a look a couple of very very small rub marks so I said that they should polish out.
latter on that day the bloke of the house rang me and was going mad, can't polish them out more than a couple ect (apparently the car was his pride and joy) so I said get it sorted (thinking one of them mobil units could sort it for a few quid) WRONG in the end it cost me £800 and that was without VAT (had price from the ford agent of £1,750) so I got away light.

Moral DON'T take hose through garage if car in it
DON't take hose past anything that may be expensive to sort

and befopre the trad brigade say don't take hose... with my luch I would have hit the car roof with the ladders...

« **Reply #14 on:** November 13, 2005, 09:38:16 am »

My mistake was was when i first started out , all i had was those B&Q ladders that are made of paper , i left them against customers wall and went and did the backs , when i came back round they were laying across the bonnet of his BMW ouch

RICH P @ F

« **Reply #15 on:** November 13, 2005, 04:20:04 pm »

My biggest mistake was taking an Irish lass to be my first wife!

My second was underpricing when I started. I still suffer in many areas.

« **Reply #16 on:** November 13, 2005, 04:45:12 pm »

My biggest mistake -

I put my ladder up to a flat roof, went up to clean the windows it was a windy day! you've guessed it ladder blew over i was stuck on the roof.

Brett.

« **Reply #17 on:** November 13, 2005, 06:14:04 pm »

I used a 50m hose to fill hte kids paddling pool one Saturday, took it to work Monday morning forgetting to rinse it through before I started work, sure enough got a call that night from my first customer of the day telling me I must have done something wrong!

« **Reply #18 on:** November 13, 2005, 07:35:13 pm »

Definately underpriced when I started. It takes a long time if ever to rectify this problem. DAI

« **Reply #19 on:** November 13, 2005, 07:38:27 pm »

Telling Kate winslett i did not have enough tine to do her inside windows

« **Reply #20 on:** November 13, 2005, 08:10:10 pm »

Quote from: david@ St-Ives on November 13, 2005, 07:38:27 pm

Telling Kate winslett i did not have enough tine to do her inside windows

Dave you muppet

« **Reply #21 on:** November 13, 2005, 09:33:41 pm »

Employing a 17 year old.

Full of attitude.

Constantly late.

Constantly arguing.

Always saying 'it's not my job to do that'.

If he was upset he'd be rude to customers.

And we paid him £50 a day...

The annoying thing was he was really good at cleaning windows, very sensible in terms of health and safety and could be relied on to work on his own.

He's now unemployed, hanging out around here with the other yobs and always broke and always asking for us to have him back.

Cheers

« **Reply #22 on:** November 13, 2005, 10:42:03 pm »

Quote from: david@ St-Ives on November 13, 2005, 07:38:27 pm

Telling Kate winslett i did not have enough tine to do her inside windows

Don't beat yourself up DSL - there's a lot of windows on the Titanic!

« **Reply #23 on:** November 14, 2005, 02:34:11 pm »

VERY GOOD MALC

TEL BOY

ANGEL C/S

« **Reply #24 on:** November 14, 2005, 02:53:53 pm »

Thosh, what's with the Irish you do'nt like???

« **Reply #25 on:** November 14, 2005, 05:42:07 pm »

I have just cleaned her old house today it is the pole house in angarrack it is an house built on wooden poles hence the name.
It is used as an holiday home now.

« **Reply #26 on:** November 14, 2005, 05:58:40 pm »

Quote from: woodsy on November 14, 2005, 02:53:53 pm

Tosh, what's with the Irish you do'nt like???

Nowt mate. I like 'em; in general. Especially the ones who didn't call me names and throw things at me and stuff.

My ex was from Carrickfergus. Do I need to elucidate?

« **Reply #27 on:** November 14, 2005, 06:04:39 pm »

Quote from: Tosh on November 14, 2005, 05:58:40 pm

Do I need to elucidate?

I wouldn't like to say Tosh - why don't you ask your G.P.?

« **Reply #28 on:** November 14, 2005, 06:37:54 pm »

Quote from: Malc(G)old on November 14, 2005, 06:04:39 pm

Quote from: Tosh on November 14, 2005, 05:58:40 pm
Do I need to elucidate?

I wouldn't like to say Tosh - why don't you ask your G.P.?

Malc,

You had me reaching for a dictionary, just to check that 'elucidate' didn't mean 'heart complaint' or something.

What's my GP got to do with it?

« **Reply #29 on:** November 14, 2005, 07:53:33 pm »

Do I need to elucidate?
Malk, your a wit mate, I'm still laughing. Dai

« **Reply #30 on:** November 15, 2005, 01:16:02 pm »

Don't know if these are mistakes as such, but anyway, here's two...

# 1: Doing a 20 storey building with an electric bosun's chair. Five floors into it - about 15 storeys up - didn't quite do a good enough turn with the squeegee. Rubber grabbed on the glass, squeegee went flying. Down, down, down. SMACK onto the service driveway to the back of the building (I was doing the side of the building).

Be danged. Nothing wrong with it when I got down, besides some scratches on the handle. Ettore was the brand.

ONLY time I've ever dropped it in near on 20 years in the game.

# 2: Doing the inside of a client's garage. Window is above a workbench with a whole bunch of stuff on it. As I step back my sleeve catches a tin - looked like an old pineapple tin - and tips it over. All this liquid comes splashing out all on my pants.

I ask the client, "What was in that tin on the workbench. I just knocked it over and it spilt all on me? Is it toxic?"

He says nothing and goes running into the garage to look at his Mercedes. I ask him again what it was and without looking at me, and while still going over his Merc he tells me it was paint stripper and he hopes none got on his car.

Michael Ross