Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Ian101 on September 04, 2010, 02:12:17 pm
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Took over some work this week as the lad doing it had to retire thru ill health. (not a member on here)
Some nice compact work with so so prices so really looking foward to starting to do them even though gotta learn way around round / houses.
Goes to very 1st house front only 4 windows £4 gets up ladder and bloke marches out of house saying I should have knocked first ..... did you not get the letter explaining change etc says me ..... yes but you still should have knocked ... so gets down me ladder shakes his hand and apologises (strike 1) yes well next time knock but havent got your money so you will have to come back later (strike 2) so finishes off and starts next door ... his missus comes down the road and says oh you the new window cleaner then in a snotty attitude well cant pay you until Tuesday (today is Friday and its only 4 fliping quid) tells her that she can give me a cheque or pay online "oh no we dont do cheques and we certainly dont pay online for window cleaning" so I says as in the area Tuesday then I will pop back .... (for the massive sum of 4 quid.)
I was doing the rear of next door and I could hear them taking the mick and saying how silly I was offering online payment (strike 3) so now looking foward to Tuesday and seeing if they have my money or not.
Do you think Im going to dump them ?? well assuming I get paid on Tuesday I wont quite yet but next time I will knock first before I clean the windows and no money then no clean but will really be off hand with him / her ;D .... some folks really do have a high opinion of themselves and a low opinion of window cleaners.
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I think you handled it really well mate, what else could you do to please them ?
your so right some people look down their noses at us and have very little respect for us.
thankfully there are more customers than that who actually appreciate our services which makes the job worth while.
some do start off like those you encountered and then grow on you so will be interested to see what happens on next clean.
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next time you go ,and they say "go ahead,but we avnt got the money as of yet", do a really terrible sloppy job and then just walk away , i would .
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I'd give them 3 chances and any more bad attitude they go. I'd also knock the door as they've said and ask if they've got the money. No money, no clean.
I think when you're new they sometimes see what they can get away with!
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i would say its ok pay me twice next week and when they do pay give them a windows cleaned today slip with if you get me 3 custys i will clean your windows for nothing next time,they will soon be your best mate and get you 3 new custys!
Everyones a winner!
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If you are using a ladder especially, you should really knock first just out of courtesy.
Some people feel that you are invading their privacy if you don't do that.
See how it goes with them, but if it doesn't work out it's no big loss to you ;)
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If you are using a ladder especially, you should really knock first just out of courtesy.
Some people feel that you are invading their privacy if you don't do that.
See how it goes with them, but if it doesn't work out it's no big loss to you ;)
I have never ever knocked a door first either with a ladder or wfp, I was asked once and I said I only do regular customers and they could be on the list or not, their choice.
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Took over some work this week as the lad doing it had to retire thru ill health. (not a member on here)
Some nice compact work with so so prices so really looking foward to starting to do them even though gotta learn way around round / houses.
Goes to very 1st house front only 4 windows £4 gets up ladder and bloke marches out of house saying I should have knocked first ..... did you not get the letter explaining change etc says me ..... yes but you still should have knocked ... so gets down me ladder shakes his hand and apologises (strike 1) yes well next time knock but havent got your money so you will have to come back later (strike 2) so finishes off and starts next door ... his missus comes down the road and says oh you the new window cleaner then in a snotty attitude well cant pay you until Tuesday (today is Friday and its only 4 fliping quid) tells her that she can give me a cheque or pay online "oh no we dont do cheques and we certainly dont pay online for window cleaning" so I says as in the area Tuesday then I will pop back .... (for the massive sum of 4 quid.)
I was doing the rear of next door and I could hear them taking the mick and saying how silly I was offering online payment (strike 3) so now looking foward to Tuesday and seeing if they have my money or not.
Do you think Im going to dump them ?? well assuming I get paid on Tuesday I wont quite yet but next time I will knock first before I clean the windows and no money then no clean but will really be off hand with him / her ;D .... some folks really do have a high opinion of themselves and a low opinion of window cleaners.
I would not have got as far as finishing the clean. I would have just said, "Sorry. It is not cost effective for me to return to collect payments. Therefore, I can only clean for you if you are prepared to send cheques or pay by bank transfer." A second negative response would have ended the arrangement before it had even started.
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yeah but thats front only,i have a street where i clean 11 out of 12 house fronts!I charge £4 a house front and do them in a hour!
£4 is far to low a price.
If you clean 300 properties a month and your operating cost are as low as £3,600 a year it’s costing you £1 pound to service that customer, so the gross profit is £3, net profit £2.40p.
If you average less than 300 properties a month you will need to lower those figures.
This is in part why you have to have a minimum price.
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i knock every house before / as i start . not to ask ' if ' , but as a courtesy !
i have always started by the time they answer the door .
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i knock every house before / as i start . not to ask ' if ' , but as a courtesy !
i have always started by the time they answer the door .
Thew daft thing is that I did this at first and got moaned at for waking up shift workers. I never did it again. Damned if I do. Damned if I don't.
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Dump em, they dont respect you now, they will never.
Might be inclined to put up with it for a £20 job but £4 is a p take mate
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ian your in no position to dump custies as your just starting out.keep them sweet for now.do a good job.and be pleasant and helpful.£4 for fronts only is ok if you ve a whole row of them.certainly dont listen to some of the crap spouted on here about dumping custies for a dirty look etc!!!
you NEED more custies if you wanna do this as your main job and its not easy getting the custies at first so play it cool for now and show them your a professional and take it from there.remember your new to them.show them your just as good if not better than their last windy!! ;) ;D ;D ;D
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ian your in no position to dump custies as your just starting out.keep them sweet for now.do a good job.and be pleasant and helpful.£4 for fronts only is ok if you ve a whole row of them.certainly dont listen to some of the crap spouted on here about dumping custies for a dirty look etc!!!
you NEED more custies if you wanna do this as your main job and its not easy getting the custies at first so play it cool for now and show them your a professional and take it from there.remember your new to them.show them your just as good if not better than their last windy!! ;) ;D ;D ;D
wise words fr dazmond yet again 16yrs exp talking daz you
talk sum gud sense yet again excellent post , ian decorum will see you thru
and i know you know that word sum times bite yr lip i no you will
overcome these teething probs as iv sed im a phone call away m8
they certainly wudnt tell me ow it was but decorum n purcerverance
r the order of the day my friend ;D ;D ;D
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Will see what happens Tuesday but reluctant to dump them as only takes 5 mins to do job and on a close with 8 others, if no payment on tuesday then will simply knock next month b4 cleaning and get the 8 quid before i do them ....... if i loose them not a problem as it wont be a problem replacing them ..... Daz ur correct at this stage of my business I shouldnt be dumping customers but these may be the exception as no point in having a load of messing about for payment plus I can replace them with a few more off the close.
People are people as had a few like this when selling cars for a living (not the payment part just the poor attitude) so used to being diplomatic but there comes a point etc etc ;D
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i would say its ok pay me twice next week and when they do pay give them a windows cleaned today slip with if you get me 3 custys i will clean your windows for nothing next time,they will soon be your best mate and get you 3 new custys!
Everyones a winner!
good idea .... also will do this next month
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£4 is far to low a price.
If you clean 300 properties a month and your operating cost are as low as £3,600 a year it’s costing you £1 pound to service that customer, so the gross profit is £3, net profit £2.40p.
If you average less than 300 properties a month you will need to lower those figures.
This is in part why you have to have a minimum price.
tend to partly agree Ewan but only just taken this round on so still working the old windies prices until the spring when they will all be going up a couple of quid
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Yep get rid. My lowest price for anything is £5.00. Even if its 2 ground floor windows its still £5.00.
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£4 is far to low a price.
If you clean 300 properties a month and your operating cost are as low as £3,600 a year it’s costing you £1 pound to service that customer, so the gross profit is £3, net profit £2.40p.
If you average less than 300 properties a month you will need to lower those figures.
This is in part why you have to have a minimum price.
why do you try and turn every thread into an earning debate and think you have the perfect business model ,instead of posting comments like this on here why dont you open a window cleaning business academy i am sure it it would be major competition for the Comedy store.
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Like lloyd said "knock'n'wash" just get your gear out, tap the door, extend the pole and give 'em the thumbs up when they answer the door.
It's a courtesy so you don't catch the householder unawares but you've started so they know you aint stopping to ask for permission.
If you're on a ladder then I would always knock and be putting my ladder up in readiness - I don't want to catch the owner "whacking for England" do I? ;D
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i would not lower myself to knock on anyones door before i started .you agree a price and the frequency of the clean . if thats not good enough for them dump em
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i would not lower myself to knock on anyones door before i started .
not often you talk sense Timmy ;)
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i would not lower myself to knock on anyones door before i started .you agree a price and the frequency of the clean . if thats not good enough for them dump em
Ok Baz; so you waltz in, plonk yer ladder against Mrs Oldbonez bedroom window and ten seconds later you both get the shock of your life as she walks in from the shower in her birthday suit.
Not prufeshnial IMO! ;D
But with my knock'n'wash (tm) or knock'n'spit for tradders ;D you get the courtesy brownie points but still don't lose time.
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never knocked a single house before i start in 26 years , i could have the house done before some people answer the door . i just dont get how some people on here let the custy be the gaffer . what do you do if you knock and they say leave em
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never knocked a single house before i start in 26 years , i could have the house done before some people answer the door . i just dont get how some people on here let the custy be the gaffer . what do you do if you knock and they say leave em
I immediately drop them - my custies are well trained now.
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All customers know I'm coming and I make a point of crashing the ladders around so the deafest of 'em know I'm about to do the bedroom windows.
Once caught a cutie on the bog...my God did she double-take!...big old muff ;D
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I always knock before i start of they dont answer fair enough but at least ive been curtious
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Amazing thread. Started with a conversation about a customer with a bad/nasty attitude; turned into a thread by window cleaners with a bad/nasty attitude.
Vin
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Amazing thread. Started with a conversation about a customer with a bad/nasty attitude; turned into a thread by window cleaners with a bad/nasty attitude.
Vin
yep have to agree, there are plenty of w/cs on here with massive chips on their shoulders
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Am just starting and see knocking before i start as just somethink which most w/c dont do? so i do but dont wait for them to open the door, just to let them know am here. my custys are my boss as thay pay my wages who pays yours ???
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yeh i agree there are some window cleaners who have a serious attitude problem!im surprised they have any customers! ;D ;D ;D
i never knock before cleaning and have nt in 16 years!i do text/phone a few the night before for access reasons though.
dazmond
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dazmond you have 16 years of rep custy know you can be trusted and feel safe, but when you started fresh people cant trust you as thay dont know me ;D hope to be still going as strong as you and liked an trusted in 16 years time.
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Went there this afternoon ..... no one in grrrrrrr ... early finish today cos of rain so perhaps there in later so benefit of the doubt .... got a conny to do in same close on Saturday so will call then but have decided any grief then there dropped. On about 200 customers now so going to start weeding out the ham shankers inc these pair of nasty aggressive so and so's.
Have decided that from now on even though only on a 50% full round unless customers are grade A then their dropped ... not an ego thing or power trip just good business sense as if I spend time and effort on the wasters then this is going to slow my growth down.
Also new rule before I drop 1 poor customer I must have replaced them with 2 new ones. No new replacements then cant drop poor customer (unless not going to get paid of course) ... so will give me something to focus myself on when back out canvassing next week.
Im sure that some of the old hands on here looking back have carried poor customers for too long before you dropped them ???????
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Yep! I carry 4 custies who I should have dropped years ago at an old peoples' complex. I used to have 12 of them but as they've gone mad, hated the pole, (one actually stamped her foot and said "I hate that thing") ;D, gone into hospital or plain died I have refused to take on any others. They are £4 a flat and I have 4 left, of which one is crippled and another two are really sweet old ladies and the fourth got me the adjoining doctor's surgery at £50 a pop.
Any way a new "inmate" comes up - ciggie on the go - and says £4 is a bit steep but can you do mine, but just the backs at £2 as I can do the front myself! (The fronts look out onto a verandah but the backs are up at first floor)
I "nearly drop the lot" every month. But it reminds me of "my roots". ;D
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drop em .
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got the £4 last night so all ok for now .... see what happens next month ;)
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what about the ones where you knock and they hide. Had one this morning. Chap even had to muffle the dogs bark ::)
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what about the ones where you knock and they hide. Had one this morning. Chap even had to muffle the dogs bark ::)
;D I wouldve paid money to have been there with you! ;D