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UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: taylored on August 04, 2010, 02:22:03 pm

Title: minimum charge
Post by: taylored on August 04, 2010, 02:22:03 pm
new to w/c need help please. working in derby what would you minimum charge as dont like to under cut and get a bad name. very good level of work,window cleans not glass only.   THANKS
Title: Re: pricing help please
Post by: taylored on August 04, 2010, 06:26:05 pm
started at £7 is this ok?
Title: Re: pricing help please
Post by: Susan @ MB Window Cleaning on August 04, 2010, 06:29:06 pm
I have a minimum of £7.50 in Leicester and £8.00 in Essex
If you price £1 per window and £1.50 for french doors and patio doors you will be there or there abouts.




Matt
Title: Re: pricing help please
Post by: taylored on August 04, 2010, 07:54:38 pm
thanks matt good to know am not to cheap.
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: lyndy on August 05, 2010, 09:43:17 am
I wouldn't have a minimum if you are building a round,if someone wants just five windows doing,they won't pay £8-£10.charge a fiver then at least you have another custy on your books,and may get more work from it when people see you cleaning
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: Scrimble on August 05, 2010, 10:40:34 am
i charge min of 10 for a full house, 12 for 3 stories if just fronts then 6 only if i have others in the same street
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: Ian101 on August 05, 2010, 10:54:43 am
Min of £10 but do the very occasional £8 if its only 5 or 6 windows and no hassle with getting to them. Only exception are some 2 up and 2 downs I bought off a mate but these are  dead compact with 25 houses possible on same day.

Been canvassing a lot this last month and turned down a few houses cos "The last window cleaner only charged £3.50" and these are proper large houses with 10+ windows.

Dont go to cheap as you will end up being busy but crap income
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: lyndy on August 05, 2010, 11:02:07 am
We get a lot of the last w/c charged £4,I tell them that's why he hasn't been for ages,I always stick to my price have wages to pay etc
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: cleewindows on August 05, 2010, 11:23:45 am
What I do is see who think my quotes are cheap mark them down so Apr put prices up.
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: taylored on August 05, 2010, 11:57:54 am
min of £7 is for 3 bed council house, when out door 2 door only 10 come to the door and i got 5 of them. not bad for 1st time only got 1 door slamer she really needed a w/c she said,I told her £9 as it was all leaded ??? was i right to do this? last cleaner was glass only £1.75 5 years a go :-\
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: Neil271052 on August 05, 2010, 11:58:55 am
£10 minimum and that's for front only here in Surrey.

Obviously prices are different in other parts of the country.
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: darren clarke on August 05, 2010, 12:04:29 pm
in cornwall  have min of £6, but a lot of my houses are 2 doors and 5 windows starter homes, as that is all they seem to build down here,  there is a awful lot of bungys down here but i avoid them as in 18 months of knocking havent picked up one yet, either get told no or we have one,  can go knock a council estate and pick up 20 in a day and end up keeping about 18,  i tend to lose more on private estates than council estates
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: andyjm1 on August 05, 2010, 04:09:15 pm
£10 minimum is as low as you can go to reach the accepted minimum level of income a sole trader window cleaner can earn. When you have a full round you can then work on your business and refine the customer base and price.

It is easier to charge less and build the round bit quicker, but you will be selling yourself short. 


What exactly is the "accepted minimum level of income a sole trader window cleaner can earn" ?

Why do we need to charge £10 for a five minute job?
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: taylored on August 05, 2010, 06:52:00 pm
thanks for the feedback, think i stared off on the right foot going in at £7 not saying there will be no lower price's as cant charge the same for a 1 bed it wouldnt feel right. got to get the bread and butter before the 3 course meal ;D
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: andyjm1 on August 05, 2010, 07:48:31 pm
Who sets the window cleaning trade standard rate?

Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: cleewindows on August 05, 2010, 08:15:23 pm
dream,dream,dream

£10 minimum and that's for front only here in Surrey.

Obviously prices are different in other parts of the country.
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: andyjm1 on August 05, 2010, 09:06:53 pm
No one individual as far as I’m aware


If no one sets it, how can it exist?
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: simbo on August 05, 2010, 09:17:51 pm
£10 minimum is no dream,
do a good job and people will pay even more so if you are personable and not some scruffy dole scrounging tosspot that pretends to be a shiner with his dirty old rag. Personally won't do anything under £15 now cos i am good and not stupid. good job=good price=not having to run around like an idiot and have an accident.
dream, dream, dream about that
paul
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: andyjm1 on August 05, 2010, 09:29:38 pm
Houses like in this picture take 5 minutes and we charge £6. There's another w/c does them for £4. There's no way we'd get £10 for them, but I think the hourly rate we achieve from them is quite sufficient anyway.
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: richard jagger on August 05, 2010, 09:57:33 pm
Have you  tried to get 10 quid. Window cleaning is not a charity.
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: richard jagger on August 05, 2010, 10:00:29 pm
It cost you money to arrive and have equipment and all those costs petrol ladders etc.If you can close your eyes to all these facts maybe you should be in the self employed busines.I believe it costs 3.50 just to arrive on the dorstep then the windows cost.
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: wpclean on August 05, 2010, 10:03:13 pm
It is easier to have a minimum charge when you are established and have a good client base , but when you are trying to build up a business and are new its not so easy .
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: andyjm1 on August 05, 2010, 10:04:36 pm
Have you  tried to get 10 quid. Window cleaning is not a charity.

No, I'm not that foolish.

I know what the going rate is.

The point is no one else can tell me what my minimum rate should be.
Each individual company should set that based on their own circumstances and what they are happy to earn.
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: andyjm1 on August 05, 2010, 10:06:28 pm
I believe it costs 3.50 just to arrive on the dorstep then the windows cost.

How do you work that one out?
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: chris sloan on August 05, 2010, 10:13:32 pm
i go in at 8 on a semi, and offer them a free clean per referral. watch the new customers sail in.
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: Jackal on August 05, 2010, 10:17:45 pm
why try get £10 if it only takes 5 mins to do the house, if he's doing a few in the street its going to pay well no doubt about it,whats stopping the customers having the other bloke for £4 instead,he would end up losing his round
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: dazmond on August 05, 2010, 10:47:07 pm
CHARGE WHAT YOU LIKE AND WHAT YOU THINK IS A FAIR PRICE FOR THE JOB!!

its nobodies business but your own when it comes to pricing.i have some granny flats i charge £2-50 a flat and make £75 in just over 2 hours work and very compact estates of 3 bedders at £5,£6,£7 a pop.160 of them nearly all one after the other and i earn pretty good money on these too.of course all my new work is priced more around the £10 mark and i have quite a lot of better priced bigger houses mixed with a few commercial.

regional differences also.im in the north west.in london you could probably double my prices but cost of living is a lot higher than it is up here!! ;D ;D
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: Sseddon on August 06, 2010, 07:47:55 am
i go in at 8 on a semi, and offer them a free clean per referral. watch the new customers sail in.

What a fantastic idea, though on a £20 job I might make it half price. Will definitely use this.
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: TonyD on August 06, 2010, 08:06:39 am
It sounds like you've got the idea anyway with pricing, the main thing when starting out is to not sell yourself short, offer a fair market average price for your work.  Lots of people make the mistake when first starting of underpricing because they're not aware how long it might take, scared of pricing to high and not winning the customers or don't want to appear too expensive. 

Setting a fair price that's right for you and your customers at the start will see you right in the long run. 
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: Neil271052 on August 06, 2010, 08:32:45 am
dream,dream,dream

£10 minimum and that's for front only here in Surrey.

Obviously prices are different in other parts of the country.

It's no dream I assure you.

I live in an area with large expensive houses (I have one myself ;) ) and customers would rather pay me a decent amount when they consider the security aspects than any old cheap bloke they don't know.

I have a decent size customer base and only work on recommendation (no websites  or silly "catchy" names)  just my own moniker. My youngest son works with me.  

I find people who have large expendable incomes would far rather pay a bit more for reliability, continuity and trustworthiness.

I won't sell myself short and charging what some think is dear just allows me to work mornings only.
Title: Re: minimum charge
Post by: taylored on August 06, 2010, 05:52:49 pm
started some think here :-\ when iv proved im good then i can be pickie,  £10 around here ppl wouldnt pay :(