[jonboywalton75]

Just thinking of how things have changed since my 1st spell cleaning back in the 70's. Back then i went to work to pick up my ladders from my parents house and went out with a damp scrim, bucket and scruffy get up, Not even a  note  through anyones letter box. Each year in Jan a 5 or 10p rise . Never worked in the rain and i was pretty rude to my custies, i just didn't give a hoot. Oh and i rarely worked past 3 pm.
In 1999 i came back to a job i swore i would never do again. Bought 3 small rounds with my redundancy, these expanding until today when there is enough work for three of us.
When the recession  began to bite and competition got rather hot i decided to bite the bullet and buy some WFP gear and load it into my Mondeo  .
I realised that using a car with all this gear couldn't continue so i leased a van 5 months ago and intalled a van mount (DIY). This was my best move as it increased my speed and daily earnings per day  by 20% over my backpack and by 60% over trad.
I couldn't be happier workwise than i am now, but not to be complacent i've just 3 weeks ago had my van signwritten ,which more than paid for itself in less than 2 weeks.
Yesterday i was working in a cul de sac where i have targeted new potential and saw a windy next door in a Skoda saloon with the seats folded down and what looked like a 350 ltr tank in the back. I said Hi, but didn't get much response from him.
This made me realise how unproffesional i must have looked 5 short months ago in my Mondeo with my B/P and 8 barrels.
Sorry if this is boring, i just felt like airing my thoughts,
Cheers for reading Girls and Boys

[AuRavelling79]

Well done - but just because you have a van it doesn't make your domestic custies think you are any better than when you had a mondeo.

I got some of my best work when I was working with barrels out of a Honda estate.

The van helps me work faster - if I was faster from a car then I'd use it; if I was faster from a unicycle I'd use it.

Seriously, I reckon you could make a killing in that there london (where the double red lines are) trundling along the pavements with an electric pallet truck affair adapted for wfp and 250L of water.

[GB Window Cleaning]

good idea gold!

jon, not boring at all mate. thanks for sharing

GB

[jonboywalton75]

Gold        Good idea
You are right, whatever tool does the job and earns the dosh

GB        My Missus has accused me of being boring more than once

[christopher b]

wish other windys would talk to me, around here you just get sneered at.
I supose things do change

[stecrossley]

Not all of us Chris there are some other very freindly cleaners in Merseyside same as everywhere good and bad

[bobby p]

personally i think for trad work a car is better,customers love it more .   i use a partner van now and it works verywell but once it goes i will seek out the more economic car to replace it with. ive been looking at others working on the street and this my observs

1. big merc saloon,comfy seats.Big dash top to lay scrim on ,, but drink fuel BIG TIME
2. bmw 320 estate - better but still a gas guzzler and cant open hatch onto a ladder
3.ford fiesta - bad choppy ride but good on fuel
4.old mistsubishi saloon -economic perhaps but cant fix it cheaply if it booggers up
5. a Quite new ALFA romeo- just nutz in my opinion

 i like the idea of a low miles oldish hyundai lantra saloon ,power steering +aircon to switch on as a treat on the way home , one elderly lightweight owner so the seats still in good shape.  

[jonboywalton75]

the only vehicle apart from my van that i've bought specifically for the job was my mondeo doing trad. When i had it valeted just before i sold it, the lads said it was the filthiest car they'd ever done and wanted to take pics of it.

[Johnny B]

Very interesting thread.

My experience of windying goes back to 1997. I have used a variety of vehicles for work,  including a Mini, an Austin Maestro van, 3 Mk2 Fiestas (2 of which were vans) and currently a mk4 Fiesta van.

Attitudes among windys in my area are generally very good. There are two in particular that I get on well with, and we have respect for one another and don't try to compete. Like myself, they are trad.

Without trying to instigate another trad v wfp argument, I have tried to be pleasant toward the wfp guys working in my neck of the woods as well. They don't want to know. Strange.

John

 

[jonboywalton75]

Without trying to instigate another trad v wfp argument, I have tried to be pleasant toward the wfp guys working in my neck of the woods as well. They don't want to know. Strange.

John

 
[/quote]

It's a snobbery thing

[mci services]

it might be snobbery for some but I will talk to any shiner trad or wfp, in fact i was on the high street this morning doing shops at 8.30 and didn't get away till 10 am because of yapping it was only three shops 30 minutes max

[Johnny B]

Without trying to instigate another trad v wfp argument, I have tried to be pleasant toward the wfp guys working in my neck of the woods as well. They don't want to know. Strange.

John

 

It's a snobbery thing
[/quote]

Maybe it is Jon. I don't see myself as better (or worse) than anyone else, regardless of my (or others')modus operandi.  

John.  

[jonboywalton75]

Without trying to instigate another trad v wfp argument, I have tried to be pleasant toward the wfp guys working in my neck of the woods as well. They don't want to know. Strange.

John

 

It's a snobbery thing

Maybe it is Jon. I don't see myself as better (or worse) than anyone else, regardless of my (or others')modus operandi.  

John.  
[/quote]



Neither do i John, but there was a thread the other day about a windy who collected enough to get to the offy at the end of the street and when he was too tipsy to stand he just lay on a custies sun lounger.
Hope i'm not that bad though.
As it happens just yesterday i had a nice chat with two trad lads (who i suspect looked dodgy enough to scare some of my custies into not allowing them onto there property, probably a bit like me circa 1972). They claimed to have sold a round last year  that turned over £27000 and have 1000 houses between them and also to be on the verge of buying out another local windy who employs at least 2 lads.
Interesting to chat with them but i think a few porkies may have been involved.

[Johnny B]

Jon,

I like a beer now and again, borne out by the fact that I have one about every 6 weeks or so!

Whenever I chat with my local fellow windys, we talk about how busy we are etc., but don't go into how much we earn. Bit personal, in my humble opinion.

I take most of what I am told with a large packet of salt, unless it can be reliably verified. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Best wishes,
John. 

[Gav Camm lammy 283]

Without trying to instigate another trad v wfp argument, I have tried to be pleasant toward the wfp guys working in my neck of the woods as well. They don't want to know. Strange.

John

 

It's a snobbery thing

Maybe it is Jon. I don't see myself as better (or worse) than anyone else, regardless of my (or others')modus operandi.  

John.  

Neither do i John, but there was a thread the other day about a windy who collected enough to get to the offy at the end of the street and when he was too tipsy to stand he just lay on a custies sun lounger.
Hope i'm not that bad though.
As it happens just yesterday i had a nice chat with two trad lads (who i suspect looked dodgy enough to scare some of my custies into not allowing them onto there property, probably a bit like me circa 1972). They claimed to have sold a round last year  that turned over £27000 and have 1000 houses between them and also to be on the verge of buying out another local windy who employs at least 2 lads.
Interesting to chat with them but i think a few porkies may have been involved.
[/quote]


john where was this was it me ??
people always say "Gav you look a right thug
till we know you" lol 

[jonboywalton75]

Not u Gav, it was Runcorn, Cowboy territory

[Gav Camm lammy 283]

phew 
will defo have to
bump into each other soon 

[Ian101]

[quote author=Gav Camm lammy 283 link=topic=121958.msg1055964#msg1055964 date=john where was this was it me ??
people always say "Gav you look a right thug
till we know you" lol  
[/quote]

they only say that cos they're scared and dont want to offend you    

[Ian101]

i've just 3 weeks ago had my van signwritten ,which more than paid for itself in less than 2 weeks.

what van u got ... keep an eye out for you m8

[Gav Camm lammy 283]

[quote author=Gav Camm lammy 283 link=topic=121958.msg1055964#msg1055964 date=john where was this was it me ??
people always say "Gav you look a right thug
till we know you" lol  

they only say that cos they're scared and dont want to offend you    


[/quote]

ian as you know im a very  nice man 
and easily approachable