Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: boldy1304 on October 29, 2010, 01:04:57 pm

Title: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: boldy1304 on October 29, 2010, 01:04:57 pm
i had the contract to clean my local pets at home i wondered how long it would take before they got a national company in from 150 miles away so if its anything like the homebase next door they will soon be hanging as they wont get done very often bloody anoying though apparantly its a company in wales
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: darren clarke on October 29, 2010, 01:15:53 pm
is the way its going mate, 
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: darren clarke on October 29, 2010, 01:27:42 pm
did u do the one in st austell?
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: boldy1304 on October 29, 2010, 01:38:34 pm
just the one in liskeard it was ideal aswell never mind onwards and upwards
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Alistair@AWC on October 29, 2010, 01:46:31 pm
Boldy,

Have you definitely lost it to a national or could you just have been under cut locally?
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: boldy1304 on October 29, 2010, 02:38:21 pm
i doubt anyone undercut me and if they did they would be welcome to it as i did it cheap as i could almost do it from my own drive so no traveling as such but i got on really well with the manager there she wasnt impressed as she knows its probibly not gonna get done very often
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Gav Camm lammy 283 on October 29, 2010, 02:52:56 pm
only welsh company taking these over
wod be aqua clean / full circle
iv not heard of it as yet but if its aqua clean it will
be getting subbed out to a localish
firm  ;) ;) ;)
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Alistair@AWC on October 29, 2010, 03:04:59 pm
I only ask because I got undercut locally on a pets at home and was just wondering if that idiot has now lost it!
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: boldy1304 on October 29, 2010, 05:08:18 pm
the manager said its the same company that sorts there normal cleaning out and if they sub it she will be giving them my number as they were happy with my work  but i wouldnt do it for a penny less than i was so we will see
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: clearlyclean on October 29, 2010, 05:37:04 pm
only welsh company taking these over
wod be aqua clean / full circle
iv not heard of it as yet but if its aqua clean it will
be getting subbed out to a localish
firm  ;) ;) ;)
I thought aqua clean was a franchise but it really sucks when local guys lose out to nationals
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Gav Camm lammy 283 on October 29, 2010, 05:44:04 pm
not a franchise m8 big firm fr cardiff
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: clearlyclean on October 29, 2010, 05:49:19 pm
there is a couple of guys in manchester trading under the same name,canvass a large amount of my work all it did was increase my work  ;D they went round with a clip board trying to sign people up to a contract people wanted there windows cleaned but not be commited to a contract so lot of them came to me  ;D
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Gav Camm lammy 283 on October 29, 2010, 05:52:31 pm
 ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Frankybadboy on October 29, 2010, 06:08:32 pm
not a franchise m8 big firm fr cardiff
and we know how good they are or not ::) ::)
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Dave Willis on October 29, 2010, 06:44:51 pm
there is a couple of guys in manchester trading under the same name,canvass a large amount of my work all it did was increase my work  ;D they went round with a clip board trying to sign people up to a contract people wanted there windows cleaned but not be commited to a contract so lot of them came to me  ;D

Clearlyclaen - have you spelt your name that way deliberately?
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: clearlyclean on October 29, 2010, 06:47:39 pm
Typing error
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: prestige cleaners on October 29, 2010, 06:53:32 pm
yeah aqua clean wanted me to sub for them when i first started, i agreed as i wanted to expand, but when i realised how much i would be making (about £10 an hour) i told them to shove it!
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Crystal-clear on October 29, 2010, 08:06:44 pm
Sorry i aint with it whats this national company cleaner stuff working for minuim wage?
how does it work and how much would they have undercut you by?

sorry just i heard (this is the way it is going) are we in danger of this national company cleaning our domestics too or just commercial?

Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: darren clarke on October 29, 2010, 08:09:43 pm
national companys will prob go for just commercial  ie chain stores,  a lot go in cheap and hope to make money on the numbers game,
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Gav Camm lammy 283 on October 29, 2010, 08:11:47 pm
bet dean taberner cud shine
a light into this ??????
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Crystal-clear on October 29, 2010, 08:13:18 pm
national companys will prob go for just commercial  ie chain stores,  a lot go in cheap and hope to make money on the numbers game,

Lol they must be crazy please give me an example say this shop is cleaned once per week for £20 takes an hour Trad or 45 mins pole this would be a decent price for a self employed window cleaner.

How would they nick it cos most wont change for 50p or 2-3 quid , they would have to really undercut right?

then the workers cleaning it what getting paid next to nothing? what happens then work quality goes down!
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Gav Camm lammy 283 on October 29, 2010, 08:19:46 pm
a lot ov chain stores getting done
foe about 7 quid lad  :( :(
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: darren clarke on October 29, 2010, 08:21:21 pm
didnt starbucks go for something like £8 a store
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Gav Camm lammy 283 on October 29, 2010, 08:22:35 pm
yeah them not gr8 but dean tab
made his first million on starbucks  ;D ;D
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: S.A.J on October 29, 2010, 08:23:39 pm
didnt starbucks go for something like £8 a store

Try £6 a store
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Crystal-clear on October 29, 2010, 08:25:00 pm
a lot ov chain stores getting done
foe about 7 quid lad  :( :(

Errr what the..... hell
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Crystal-clear on October 29, 2010, 08:27:35 pm
cant be money to be made can there i mean say if you have all of Starbucks
shops in london can be what 1 mile apart or more , traffic etc , workers wages i mean 1 man might be lucky to actually clean 1 shop an hour maybe 2 if he is lucky

what would they pay the worker? fuel, insurance tax i mean how does it work?
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: j.v. price ltd on October 29, 2010, 08:30:17 pm
National Retail Contracts

Hey Guys, I have 3 national contracts for retail, the reason we have won these is down to the fact that the head office wants one point of contact and wants to take the money handling away from the store.
The other main reason is helth and safety and insurance.

The money is fair if you are at the top of the chain, but in most cases the work is subbed from a FM company to a cleaning company to a national window cleaning company to regional window cleaning company to the local guy on the high street

Thats why they seem to be crap money but they dont start out like that

I subbed some out at £10 a store and someone tried to sub them back to us at £4 a store

All chains will go national in the next year or so.......................
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: darren clarke on October 29, 2010, 08:40:30 pm
does any one know what b and q went for in the end?
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Gav Camm lammy 283 on October 29, 2010, 08:45:45 pm
National Retail Contracts

Hey Guys, I have 3 national contracts for retail, the reason we have won these is down to the fact that the head office wants one point of contact and wants to take the money handling away from the store.
The other main reason is helth and safety and insurance.

The money is fair if you are at the top of the chain, but in most cases the work is subbed from a FM company to a cleaning company to a national window cleaning company to regional window cleaning company to the local guy on the high street

Thats why they seem to be crap money but they dont start out like that

I subbed some out at £10 a store and someone tried to sub them back to us at £4 a store

All chains will go national in the next year or so.......................

keep me in mind for any wrexham jobs charlie  ;) ;) ;)
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: cozy on October 29, 2010, 08:47:36 pm
J.V.Price just explained how it works Blue. What level are you asking about for B & Q? Depends which poor sod at the end of the food chain got it.
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: darren clarke on October 29, 2010, 08:54:05 pm
the bottom end,  as i remember someone was moaning that they wanted them done for 35 a store
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: cozy on October 29, 2010, 08:56:39 pm
There you go mate, go get 2 X Mrs smith for the same money and less agro.
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Frankybadboy on October 29, 2010, 09:08:35 pm
and cause the window cleaner is now getting less than he did 10 years ago,what suffers.........quailty of work.


ive seen some just local to me and if it was left like that to my house then i sack the person.

time will change when these big bosses off chain storesl will see that actaully they are not getting value for money,and there stores are looking a mess.
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Gav Camm lammy 283 on October 29, 2010, 09:16:26 pm
B+Q in wrexham is a disgrace n too think
i live just up the road
could be the cleanist store in the uk  ;D ;D
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Frankybadboy on October 29, 2010, 09:22:19 pm
i know for sure that a few managers have been moaning to head office about state of shop fronts. ;) ;D
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: richard jagger on October 29, 2010, 11:00:02 pm
The quickest way to solve this problem is dont make yourself available for subcontract. If you do you are just part of the  problem.Some times dig our own graves.
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Gav Camm lammy 283 on October 29, 2010, 11:01:34 pm
The quickest way to solve this problem is dont make yourself available for subcontract. If you do you are just part of the  problem.Some times dig our own graves.
thats easirer said than done pal
when you got kids to feed etc work
will always be work  ;)
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: darren clarke on October 30, 2010, 12:30:33 am
plus some one will always take the work,  as they think cleaning places for £4 is good money
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Gav Camm lammy 283 on October 30, 2010, 12:45:13 am
blue my m8 u dont get it do u  ::) ::) ::)
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: darren clarke on October 30, 2010, 12:52:22 am
no please explain?
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Gav Camm lammy 283 on October 30, 2010, 01:01:00 am
work = money , money pays yr bills
helps u to live etc what im saying is
its a means to an end if yr passing a store
some one cant cover why not clean it
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: lyndy on October 30, 2010, 07:05:10 am
I don't get it,thought the idea is to make as much profit as poss,so keep driving past the store and do a house or 2 for double the money
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: boldy1304 on October 30, 2010, 07:11:21 am
i dont understand how these guys manage to keep these contracts as the homebase next door to the said pets at home has not been cleaned for the last 6 months that i know of as i keep having a look every week the same bird poo mark and spider egg sacks everywere ive tried to get it the manager is not impressed but says he has no say in it. a friend who works quite high up in homebase got me the departments address who deals with this to write to i did with no reply 
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Smudger on October 30, 2010, 09:09:26 am
The reason they keep them is the fact they are national - basically no one cares - you may get a local manager complain to the head office, but the office whallah doesn't want the aggro so sits on it rather than actually get off their ar$e and do the job they are paid for.
Or like our local library which might get cleaned once a year the staff just get used to the state of the windows.

if a custy of mine is correct contracts over £70k have to be tied up in lots of legal paperwork, making sure all parties get a fair crack at quoting etc...  ( this is defo for local government ) so a small guy cant cover everything as he does not have the backup so a large company comes in to take the work only to sub it out

Darran
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: darren clarke on October 30, 2010, 10:41:33 am
i remember looking at a contract for something and the companys turn over had to be 3 times the size of the contract that was available,  so it was left to big boys only

i priced a job the other week on a development, and the bloke was looking for a painter and decorator, to redo all the windows on this estate the last time it was done cost them £44,000, and the bloke was maoning that he couldnt find any one i cornwall to take it on
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Moderator David@stives on October 30, 2010, 01:59:35 pm


That is one of my stores cleaned every 6 weeks, same as the other 20 we do, never had one complaint in the 6 months we've had them.

You can only ever get to various windows each time we visit due to displays, pallets etc in front of the windows, we clean to the spec given and by the budget given. You don't spend 2 hours doing a £15 clean

I am thinking of upping my marketing activities in liskeard to replace any lost work, maybe follow the  local window cleaners around, pointing out all there imperfections to the building owners
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: boldy1304 on October 30, 2010, 05:17:02 pm


That is one of my stores cleaned every 6 weeks, same as the other 20 we do, never had one complaint in the 6 months we've had them.

You can only ever get to various windows each time we visit due to displays, pallets etc in front of the windows, we clean to the spec given and by the budget given. You don't spend 2 hours doing a £15 clean

I am thinking of upping my marketing activities in liskeard to replace any lost work, maybe follow the  local window cleaners around, pointing out all there imperfections to the building owners




shows how much the manager there knows then he said it was a company up in the midlands that do it as and when although that was about 8 months ago now
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Moderator David@stives on October 30, 2010, 05:31:37 pm
Remember the managers have the final say in signing the work off, if the manager doesn't sign then no pay.

If there not happy with the work they won't sign, even if they do sign you can still into trouble when they do an cleaning audit
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: G Griffin on October 30, 2010, 05:36:12 pm
Gotta take the ruff with the smooth. Probably a reducktion in their budgiet.
Look for leads elsewhere.
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: tacky on October 30, 2010, 07:21:51 pm
boldy when did u here about losing contract .its just that on wensday morning i was doing my 3 shops next door to a .pets at home store .which another windie does .he asks me did i want to buy it off him as 3 miles travel at 7 .30 in morning is to early for him .after your post i smell a rat .or not
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: j.v. price ltd on October 30, 2010, 07:22:33 pm
One good thing about retail works is they can be done from about 6am and need to be done by 8 before you can start residential and they still have to be done, no matter what so no excuse and no can you leave it this time.

We have one high street that we have 27 shops on all done in 3 hours = £320 its all about volume
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Dean Taberner on October 30, 2010, 07:40:10 pm
One good thing about retail works is they can be done from about 6am and need to be done by 8 before you can start residential and they still have to be done, no matter what so no excuse and no can you leave it this time.

We have one high street that we have 27 shops on all done in 3 hours = £320 its all about volume

rain or shine too when a lot of guys are on here sitting at hpme commenting on threads about the rain and snow ;D ;D
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: boldy1304 on October 30, 2010, 07:44:55 pm
boldy when did u here about losing contract .its just that on wensday morning i was doing my 3 shops next door to a .pets at home store .which another windie does .he asks me did i want to buy it off him as 3 miles travel at 7 .30 in morning is to early for him .after your post i smell a rat .or not





manager told me on friday and i did it weekly so i only spoke to her the week before so they must have found out this week
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: darren clarke on October 30, 2010, 08:06:10 pm
so has dave morris took the store of you boldy?
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: weetot on October 30, 2010, 08:42:12 pm
The quickest way to solve this problem is dont make yourself available for subcontract. If you do you are just part of the  problem.Some times dig our own graves.

I agree, but theres always some ladder-monkeys out there who will work for peanuts.
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: tacky on October 30, 2010, 10:23:56 pm
thanks i ll pop over n talk to manager see if he told previous windie about them been taking over .one good thing i havnt cleaned them yet or handed any money over .
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: suds window service on October 30, 2010, 11:24:23 pm


That is one of my stores cleaned every 6 weeks, same as the other 20 we do, never had one complaint in the 6 months we've had them.

You can only ever get to various windows each time we visit due to displays, pallets etc in front of the windows, we clean to the spec given and by the budget given. You don't spend 2 hours doing a £15 clean

these are wise words indeed
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: boldy1304 on October 31, 2010, 01:46:34 am
so has dave morris took the store of you boldy?



no hes on about the homebase next door i tried to get it about 8 months ago as it was minging he says he dos it and has for 6 months fair play i dont go for stuff if i know they have a windy like i say 8 months ago it was minging
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: darren clarke on October 31, 2010, 01:41:27 am
ok, miss read threads
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: Moderator David@stives on October 31, 2010, 08:04:53 am
M&s is a classic case they have a twice weekly, fortnightly, 2 monthly and a 4 monthly spec, with cafe windows and what's classed as above head height being on the 2 monthly spec. A local window cleaner inspected the store and pointed out everything that was dirty about the store to the store manager without even knowing what the spec was, he was hoping to get the job, direct from the store manager, And get me in trouble, which would never happen in a month of Sundays.

Some of these stores are massive, and only selected windows are cleaned on each visit, they never have all windows cleaned at once apart from the 6 month & 12 monthly spec .
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: chopsie on October 31, 2010, 08:32:39 am
I think the only people who will notice how bad windows are in the likes of B&Q and Homebase are window cleaners, They are generally just glorified sheds, customers will not notice and probably care even less.
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: clearlyclean on October 31, 2010, 06:41:57 pm
I cant be a window cleaner because i never look at how dirty the windows are at B&Q. do they have windows? ;)
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: chopsie on October 31, 2010, 07:33:02 pm
I cant be a window cleaner because i never look at how dirty the windows are at B&Q. do they have windows? ;)
well me neither, and i am dam sure  very few of their custys will be sad enough to go cobweb/spider spotting on the 2 windows they have got  :P
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: steve a on November 01, 2010, 06:41:21 am
lost my pets@home on friday as well, the manager said the cleaner is gonna do them, but he may call me in a month or so if it doesn't work out. won't hold my breath.
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: boldy1304 on November 01, 2010, 06:52:42 am
lost my pets@home on friday as well, the manager said the cleaner is gonna do them, but he may call me in a month or so if it doesn't work out. won't hold my breath.




well the manager did say it was the same company that dose the cleaning but cant see the cleaner doing them the rear ones are 35 ft up
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: bobby p on November 01, 2010, 07:08:00 am
i glanced at the local pets at home store yesterday/east coast/ it only has 2 glass doors at the front,no windows on this one / maybe at the back theres a high window?
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: boldy1304 on November 01, 2010, 07:15:11 am
i expect some hardly have windows my one was a new build the whole of the front almost is glass then some that goes high on both sides then all along the back one line of glass the lenth of the building 35ft up
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: tacky on November 01, 2010, 07:53:16 pm
did they say when the new con is taking over
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: weetot on November 01, 2010, 08:22:42 pm
3 weeks time, I heard!
Title: Re: lost my contract pets at home
Post by: mileslake on November 01, 2010, 10:04:57 pm
I used to do about £1360 pm of subbing, all showrooms, banks, co-ops etc to a big contract cleaning company about 10 yrs ago and most jobs were very nicely priced but I did 4 b and q for them and they were the pits, they paid peanuts so they got a monkey job.

They must be even worse now.