[♠Winp®oClean♠]

As far as the contractor is concerned, it's nothing to do with windows or quality, just numbers!

However low a company quotes to get the work, then what they deliver must be even cheaper- Simples!

The contractor will make money, even if this means cleaning only half of what they quoted for.

[johnd]

Nationwide work on the Natwest and RBS contract and work on a PDA sign off system which only a branch supervisor and manager are autherised to sign.

I do Nationwide alone and we dont have a PDA, just normal signature sheets.

by Nationwide i mean the company NWC

[johnd]

The problem with a lot of the bigger companies, for example Nat West Banks, is that the procurement of services comes from their Head Office and not individual branches, therefore no-one in the branches is "in charge" of checking standards etc etc etc. All their Head Office want is a box ticked to say all done and ok, and no-one at branch level is going to admit to their HO that the service hasn't been checked out.
You can imagine what is happening with other services, if this is what is happening with window cleaning!
As for the larger cleaning companies supplying the services, this is how they operate, always have done, always will, theirs is not a "personal" service such as we on here would supply. The person/s in charge of the contracts will not be affected by people complaining (if they do) and will have the standard answer of "please accept our apologies on this and we will look into it for you"
They work on cashflow and as long as their financial people are getting it right, then they will not give a hoot whether standards are good or not.
It's life at the top.
Even Sir Alan admits he has made money out of "Tat"

Helen your bang on with the Natwest scenario it also the same for RBS they have three or four people who look after the window cleaning,. They only complain when they receive a complaint or carry out an audit.

[jarvy]

As far as the contractor is concerned, it's nothing to do with windows or quality, just numbers!

However low a company quotes to get the work, then what they deliver must be even cheaper- Simples!

The contractor will make money, even if this means cleaning only half of what they quoted for.

Its not on really though is it??
If you switched your gas and electric supplier for instance and then they only gave you one of the two services,saying well we are cheaper than your last company but that comes at a price, you wouldn't stay with that company for very long would you!!
Just my view though.......

[♠Winp®oClean♠]

As far as the contractor is concerned, it's nothing to do with windows or quality, just numbers!

However low a company quotes to get the work, then what they deliver must be even cheaper- Simples!

The contractor will make money, even if this means cleaning only half of what they quoted for.

Its not on really though is it??
If you switched your gas and electric supplier for instance and then they only gave you one of the two services,saying well we are cheaper than your last company but that comes at a price, you wouldn't stay with that company for very long would you!!
Just my view though.......

I agree.

However, no one wants to know, no one wants to take any responsibility these days. A man does his job with the figures, that's it, job done. All about the numbers & any bridge is crossed when it's reached.

[everlast]

nationwide formerly rssuk biggest knockers the lost barclays contract resently along with the steps contract ther do natwest and rbs and im sure they will lose them soon total fraudstars management hire family and friends and get away with it because head officee is in leeds i know i worked for them for a short while

[johnd]

nationwide formerly rssuk biggest knockers the lost barclays contract resently along with the steps contract ther do natwest and rbs and im sure they will lose them soon total fraudstars management hire family and friends and get away with it because head officee is in leeds i know i worked for them for a short while

Hi Everlast,

Yes they have just lost steps of ISS a company up north now have a few regions they are called SMITHS never heard of them.

I worked for them for a considerable amount of time over 8 years.

[jouk45]

My local Natwest hasnt had  there windows cleaned since mid november at least. There has been the same bird crap there since

Was the bird crap above ground floor?

The specification for Natwest and RBS is on a monthly basis ground floor only , upper floors annually.

why??? i dont get it, it is just a pure con, when i clean any work weekly monthly or yearly i do the lot, this is a stupid system, i think me and my wife should go out to those wine and dine partys, and start handing out a few back handers, maybe i can pick up a few big contracts, or the managment are just plain stupid, and i bet 100% most that do the work are subies in that area,

[johnd]

My local Natwest hasnt had  there windows cleaned since mid november at least. There has been the same bird crap there since

Was the bird crap above ground floor?

The specification for Natwest and RBS is on a monthly basis ground floor only , upper floors annually.

why??? i dont get it, it is just a pure con, when i clean any work weekly monthly or yearly i do the lot, this is a stupid system, i think me and my wife should go out to those wine and dine partys, and start handing out a few back handers, maybe i can pick up a few big contracts, or the managment are just plain stupid, and i bet 100% most that do the work are subies in that area,

Hi Jouk


None of NWC Nationwides window cleaners are subbies, they have over 110 operatives going out completing this work or not in this case.

[sgibsoncleaning]

i have lost a bit of work to nationals and undercutters. after speaking to managers after i am convinced that the finance departments do not care if the job is being done propaly its all about the cheaper quote and the one invoice they have to pay.
they will put up with it because it save them money

[EandM]

Wow! It's amazing that national organisations like these banks, who are obviously incredibly poorly organised and don't have a clue about what's going on the real world, haven't collapsed through their own ineptitude and had a to have a massive tax payer funded bailout.

Oh no wait - they have   

[macleod]

Just a thought.

if you had a 'contract' with Currys/Dixon or some other company that went to a 'national', then do what I do and never buy again from them.

Go somewhere else for your TV, electric shaver, washing machine, fridge, hover etc etc

I've never stepped inside the previously mentioned companies, and in my opinion they have lost more in profit than they would have pad me to clean their windows.

That way your hitting back, in a small way, at the very people that took the job away from you! Small victories.

Thoughts?

[ronnie paton]

if there was a tv  say £100 cheaper in currys than any were else are you saying you would rather pay more so that you win a "morale victory " against currys changing window cleaners?

[Pope vader]

i dont get why people get so up set over losing national contracts,  people in this business have no loyalty to any one, most of the wc i know are chancers who realised how much money can be made and jump on the band wagon

[G Griffin]

There`s some naivety on this thread.
They are banks, money lending houses. How big a priority do you think the state of their windows is?
Do you go to the bank with the cleanest windows for your mortgage or the one offering the best deal? If they can save money, they will; even compromising the cleanliness of their windows  .

[Mike_G]

There`s some naivety on this thread.
They are banks, money lending houses. How big a priority do you think the state of their windows is?
Do you go to the bank with the cleanest windows for your mortgage or the one offering the best deal? If they can save money, they will; even compromising the cleanliness of their windows  .

Its not just banks that go national and let their windows slide, I used to argos 3 times a week now they are down to once a fortnite and thats if the national boys turn up, its all about saving money, the thing I dont get is why they bother having them done at all that way they will save what pittance they are paying now.

[L.J.Thorpe]

unless you are a national company and competing with these people why do any of you care? what do you gain from doing one or two branches of a national chain in a couple of nearby towns,how can it possibly compare to a run of half a dozen modern semis with small windows and piddly conservatories at 12 quid a pop and as many minutes to clean em???
i really dont get it,why bother

[jarvy]

When i lost one of the jobs i used to do for £400 a month to do 2 stores windows,and polish floors,thats why i care.
I'm not a national company,just a small guy trying to earn a living.

[Mike_G]

unless you are a national company and competing with these people why do any of you care? what do you gain from doing one or two branches of a national chain in a couple of nearby towns,how can it possibly compare to a run of half a dozen modern semis with small windows and piddly conservatories at 12 quid a pop and as many minutes to clean em???
i really dont get it,why bother

Because until the nationals moved in at pretty much £5 a store some people would be picking up a whole lot more. I will give you an example, Republic has just gone national (or will be from Sept) and I know a chap who cleans one and gets £102 per month, its a decent sized store and worth that much so when the nationals move in thats a bit of a hit and when it happens to 2 or 3 stores it soon adds up.  

[L.J.Thorpe]

if its a decent size store i can see why you would be ped off,but small high street branches of building societies and banks,is it worth the bother??
i mean google images of nationwide branches ,how much can (or could!!!) you get away with charging for these places???
i am not being confrontational i just dont see how it works