[dave green]

Do u charge double for first cleans or more/less?
Got to quote for a 2 up 2 down 2day a bit unsure was gone go in at £15 first £10 afterthat monthly

Thanks

Dave

[John Walker]

Dave

If the windows are a bit grubby then charge the extra.

However, if not too bad and the customer seem genuine about regular cleans charge them £10.

I would say to them that a first clean is normally £15 but if they are giving you a regular job you will waive the extra. 

It will be interesting to see other views on this.

John

[GWCS]

I charge per time, so if its much dirtier than you would expect a normal regular clean to be then yes i charge more.

If they are not that dirty i would do them at normal price, since its not that much extra time.

[chris@c.m.s]

I always charge the same as the regular cleans unless they state its a one off, you do sometimes get stitched up but not that often, and I'd rather not loose the job over the extra cost of a first clean.
When I'm almost at the point off turning customers away it may be different though.     

[jonnyald]

i just charge the same as regular and generally find if the persons decent and they see  its took u ages they slip you a few quid . theres always gonna be a few people who then  never have you back as they only wanted a one- off but didnt want to tell you , but on balance theres more of the decent people so you will win in the end .thats how i see it anyhow

that first visit you make isnt so much about a tenner or a fiver extra ,its all about you setting out your stall ( for the future)

[wire1078]

double

[cybersye]

double

and the custy says "HOW MUCH / NO THANKS ! "
so a 4 bed detached house @ £30 taking you an hour becomes a £60 first clean job ? I wish, but reckon I'd be told to p%$s off .

[gr cleaning solutions]

i just chatge the same no extra charge for the first clean because soon or later they ask for a price for gutters etc so i get more work from them

[Gleaming windows]

Depends.

If theyve phoned me and asked me to go out there that means theyre actively looking, so I usually whack something on top for first clean. If I spot a lucrative property in my travels and am looking to secure work of that nature in that location and I knock on them, then no.

It doesnt take a genius to work out when you might and when you probably wont.

[AuRavelling79]

Today, got a new custy. End modern terrace with extension. Old w/c not been for months.

I said: One off or regular?    She said: Regular - old w/c not been for best part of a year.

I said: 1st clean £20 then if monthly £12.50; if two monthly then £15.00.
She said: Fine, two monthly please.

[Sean Dyer]

With new ones i heard a good idea on here, that was to charge double on first clean and half price on 4th clean, that way your not getting messed about and they feel its a good deal... plus lets say it was a £10 house, if you just charged ten pound for first clean and all others that would be 40 but if you double the first and do half price on the 4th you still £5 up so its not a bad idea, but still the problem of losing time on the first cleans, but personally i would not be that bothered if i am gaining new work!!
Depends on a. how busy you already are, and b. how much you want the customer, i understand doubling it if its minging but if just dirty it doesnt always take twice as long!!

[tony talbot]

if there not to bad, no extra but if there minging then charge double

[dave green]

Charged £15 in the end every 6 weeks mid-terrace it was only 5 window that will do for me
Window not that bad really gona do a bit of knocking down that street big cul-de-sac drove pass
few look clean but alot didnt!
hopefully get a few more jobs down there?

Cheers for  the replys

Dave G

[ftp]

I usually take a loss on first cleans ie. I charge normal rate. The reason is because I clean them wfp and the results are never guaranteed on a first clean. How can I charge double then turn round and say the results are unlikely to be perfect because it's a first clean?

[martinsadie]

same price as they will be the next time,why rip people off when being fair will lead to a long and prosperous relationship 

[windowswashed]

If the windows are black I charge double to cover my time so if customer rips me off I'm not bothered I've wasted extra time on initial clean.
If the garden is a tip I also charge double as 9 out of 10 times it's a 'dingbat's place' and prone to cancelling a few months later.
I try to avoid dodgy looking places when rest of street is clean. There's normally a reason why one house stands out from the crowd, (the windows are black and the garden's a tip)   

[AuRavelling79]

If the windows are black I charge double to cover my time so if customer rips me off I'm not bothered I've wasted extra time on initial clean.
If the garden is a tip I also charge double as 9 out of 10 times it's a 'dingbat's place' and prone to cancelling a few months later.
I try to avoid dodgy looking places when rest of street is clean. There's normally a reason why one house stands out from the crowd, (the windows are black and the garden's a tip)   

Yeah! It's Tosh's place!  

Only kidding Tosh! (Runs and hides)

[Sean Dyer]

If the windows are black I charge double to cover my time so if customer rips me off I'm not bothered I've wasted extra time on initial clean.
If the garden is a tip I also charge double as 9 out of 10 times it's a 'dingbat's place' and prone to cancelling a few months later.
I try to avoid dodgy looking places when rest of street is clean. There's normally a reason why one house stands out from the crowd, (the windows are black and the garden's a tip)   

This is the thing, if you get a messer, it sorts them out by having a premium, not necessarily double, on the first clean, unless you are sure that they are ok

[stevekennedy]

50% extra. Take extra time

Ie Clean the glass twice on first visit = good result first time.

Trying to get the message over to our staff to take this approach. Struggling, as they just want to get it done as quick as possible. They tend to miss the second (glass only) clean.

[martinsadie]

50% extra. Take extra time

Ie Clean the glass twice on first visit = good result first time.

Trying to get the message over to our staff to take this approach. Struggling, as they just want to get it done as quick as possible. They tend to miss the second (glass only) clean.

sack one as an example the rest will get the message 

[mci services]

unless i get a bad feeling same price even though i know it will take longer its about quoting quick and getting the customer on the list. and not letting someone else get in there with a quote

[martinsadie]

unless i get a bad feeling same price even though i know it will take longer its about quoting quick and getting the customer on the list. and not letting someone else get in there with a quote

good call

[dave green]

Did it for £15 and next door came out how much? £15. great i was only saying the other day i need a window cleaner! doing both every month aswell not bad mite £30 a hour 

[L.J.Thorpe]

double

and the custy says "HOW MUCH / NO THANKS ! "
so a 4 bed detached house @ £30 taking you an hour becomes a £60 first clean job ? I wish, but reckon I'd be told to p%$s off .

if they say no thanks then walk away
personally i put 50% on as a general rule but have charged double for real mingin stuff or for the ones when you just know that you will be told "not this time" when you go back. Fact is first cleans take longer and need more water if you want to do it right so its just common sense to charge more,if this is explained from the outset there is usually no problem.

[wizard]

I agree with more  the first time some times there are white drop marks and one will need more time to make a good job .I never change my price, money is profit and I do not give it away. But I will always give more in service so my job looks good and I will add value is finish like clean door well and even the number of the house and door lite etc.Never discount price give more value.Good for business.

[nelly]

if it's the only house and a one off,i add a little extra,

if they want it regular, i don't because ,you stand a good chance of getting there neigbours,friends or family from them bein pleased

[Sunshine/Cleaning]

I price all my new work up as if it is going to be a one-off job. I can take my time every time I return.

I hate it when I hear that WCers rush or try to speed up to get it in to their per/h range. Inevitably standards drop.

[carlm]

Were beginning to charge 3X cleans ie. 30 pound for first clean but this also pays for next two cleans .
worse scenario customer says no .... ONLY WANTED A ONE OFF!
or
customer pays 3X gets three cleans then cancels.
New Customer last week asked to pay on friday rather than when cleaned, ok....?!?
Come friday, paid  24 pound "can you do it next month and the month after then leave it two month as were on holiday we will let you know when to start again next year"
I could have cleaned that house for 8pound then told to get lost
least i got 3 month work from it and know next year price will be more and definately 3X

[Carey Ward]

I agree with Wizard - give a good standard of service -
clean frames, sills, doors, signs etc and give an explanation that as it's a first clean may not dry 100% with the reasons why and say if they are not completely satisfied you will call back and reclean but only if they call within 24 - 36 hours - then you can get away with charging more - don't think we have been called back 

[paul beckett]

i must admit i could do with more custys, anyway i have been trying to rise first cleans say if it was a £10 clean i would say £15 first clean, all i get is i'll ring you sometime [ that old chestnut ], non of them will accept it in my area, so i now just charge the £10 the same every month, i cant be throwing custys away when i need the custys.
paul

[Ian Lancaster]

I always approach this from the opposite angle.  I say to the prospective custy: "We never charge extra for the first clean, because we don't do one offs - we don't mind how long it takes us to get it clean the first time because we expect to get an ongoing contract"

This makes it clear to the custy that they are getting extra work the first time in exchange for an understanding that they have to continue with the agreement.

99% of people are fine with this, they appreciate that we are honest and reliable and respond by becoming reliable customers.  Over a few years, the hundreds of pounds they are going to pay us makes any '1st time premium' pale into insignificance.

You will always get the odd one who intends to rip you off, even after you've explained the situation, but why penalise all the rest when you have the opportunity to create a great business relationship from the word go?

We have customers who have been with us for over 20 years and would never dream of going elsewhere because of the trust which has existed from the very first time we cleaned their windows.

[R W C]

I always approach this from the opposite angle.  I say to the prospective custy: "We never charge extra for the first clean, because we don't do one offs - we don't mind how long it takes us to get it clean the first time because we expect to get an ongoing contract"

This makes it clear to the custy that they are getting extra work the first time in exchange for an understanding that they have to continue with the agreement.

99% of people are fine with this, they appreciate that we are honest and reliable and respond by becoming reliable customers.  Over a few years, the hundreds of pounds they are going to pay us makes any '1st time premium' pale into insignificance.

You will always get the odd one who intends to rip you off, even after you've explained the situation, but why penalise all the rest when you have the opportunity to create a great business relationship from the word go?

We have customers who have been with us for over 20 years and would never dream of going elsewhere because of the trust which has existed from the very first time we cleaned their windows.

good view

[Sapphire Window Cleaning]

I always tell the customer when they ring that I charge 50% more on the first clean as I will spend 50% longer on the first clean to get it really clean. my customers are ok with that, the ones who moan about it are usually the ones that will moan and pick faults in the future, I dont need customers like that so if they moan about an extra few quid for the first cleans, I simply and politely tell them to get another window cleaner.




Matt