Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: AC Window Cleaning on April 16, 2011, 09:08:13 pm
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Did a 1st clean last month for a new customer who text me at 4.45 am (wtf) Then before the 2nd clean got asked to clean the garage door (double plus georgian windows) She asked how much it would be alltogether.
Quoted an extra £5 for the garage goors and got a snotty text reply.....basically saying thats very steep and i'll find someone else and the windows are normally a £1 cheaper than what you charge?!
Basically i explained that im here to make money not friends etc and not gonna bother with them.
Hate people who expect you to work for nowt,really riles me,i could do 2+houses in the time taken to do the £5 garage doors so i think thats cheap dont you??
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You sound like a con artist to me
Don't you know this country's in a financial crisis :P
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lol,i'd probably have better luck as a con artist,as opposed to an honest hardworking family man!!
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Thank god it aint just me that attracts all sub species imaginable. The
more money they got.the more I wanna beat them up.
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Thank god it aint just me that attracts all sub species imaginable. The
more money they got.the more I wanna beat them up.
It annoyed me mate as i always price fair,sometimes im too cheap i have to admit,and this chancer expected me to work for nowt and i wont do it,neither should anyone!!! Incidentally im apparently £1 (!!) dearer than the local competition,which baffles me as they approached ME with the text after getting me number off facebook!
She apparently knows the other WC's in area (my friends lol) charge £7........oh dear.....
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anybody that text me at 4.45 am would have been binned in an instant ;) and no further calls or text would be entertained :o weirdos some people
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Which is exactly the reason as soon as im finished daily my phone goes to vibrate....
I started in January so dont want to make an habit of losing custy's,but im not starving to death just yet lol
Out of ALL the customers ive picked up theyre the ONLY complaint of any kind so aint all bad as i suppose you cant please everybody eh?
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Thank god it aint just me that attracts all sub species imaginable. The
more money they got.the more I wanna beat them up.
It annoyed me mate as i always price fair,sometimes im too cheap i have to admit,and this chancer expected me to work for nowt and i wont do it,neither should anyone!!! Incidentally im apparently £1 (!!) dearer than the local competition,which baffles me as they approached ME with the text after getting me number off facebook!
She apparently knows the other WC's in area (my friends lol) charge £7........oh dear.....
You can't be a £1 dearer, she told me I was :).
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did you get an obscene o'clock text?? lol
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Did a 1st clean last month for a new customer who text me at 4.45 am (wtf)
I reckon she likes a drink! ;) ;D
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Did a 1st clean last month for a new customer who text me at 4.45 am (wtf)
I reckon she likes a drink! ;) ;D
either that or billy whizz lol
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Did a 1st clean last month for a new customer who text me at 4.45 am (wtf)
I reckon she likes a drink! ;) ;D
I would say that is a certainty ;D my brother who starts on commercial at 5.30 most mornings gets well annoyed when folk phone after 10 pm as he is usually sleeping ;D
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Re the text. Occasionally texts can get held up in the network and come through when it's running again properly. Not known this to happen for quite a while but I have known it.
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So you have managed to lose yourself a customer, for the sake of giving a garage door a quick once over with the brush, probably a few minutes work... well done i bet it makes you feel good!!! Customer care should be a top priority, I don't wait for my customers to ask me to clean their garage doors, I clean them anyway... and once they are cleaned then all it takes is a quick scrub whenever I do their windows, probably takes less than 20 seconds. But makes the customer very happy, and much more likely to recommend you to all their friends and not slag you off like this customer will now do!!!
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So you have managed to lose yourself a customer, for the sake of giving a garage door a quick once over with the brush, probably a few minutes work... well done i bet it makes you feel good!!! Customer care should be a top priority, I don't wait for my customers to ask me to clean their garage doors, I clean them anyway... and once they are cleaned then all it takes is a quick scrub whenever I do their windows, probably takes less than 20 seconds. But makes the customer very happy, and much more likely to recommend you to all their friends and not slag you off like this customer will now do!!!
nibble nibble. ::)
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So you have managed to lose yourself a customer, for the sake of giving a garage door a quick once over with the brush, probably a few minutes work... well done i bet it makes you feel good!!! Customer care should be a top priority, I don't wait for my customers to ask me to clean their garage doors, I clean them anyway... and once they are cleaned then all it takes is a quick scrub whenever I do their windows, probably takes less than 20 seconds. But makes the customer very happy, and much more likely to recommend you to all their friends and not slag you off like this customer will now do!!!
Whats a brush?? lol I use traditional methods for one,and another said garage door is filthy and is more than a "few minutes work,or 20seconds" as you say mate.And just imagine if we just did a few minutes extra every job we did,we would spend half our working weekgrafting for nothing.Normally i go out of my way to please customers and as said,never had a complaint yet.
Another thing was the window cleaning-not a chance are my ladders coming off my van to do a 3 story house round there for a penny less than i quoted.
Customer care is always my top priority,but i wont be mugged off.All she had to say was "ok,i'll leave it for now" in regards to the doors,but the windows-if she knows everyone else pays £7-why hasnt she got them? and she was fine paying it last time?!!!
And why will she slag me off??? cos i wont work for free??!! LOL
You wouldnt try blaggin any other tradesmen to do work at your house cheaper or for free so why do some people think they can do it to the WC'er??
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So you have managed to lose yourself a customer, for the sake of giving a garage door a quick once over with the brush, probably a few minutes work... well done i bet it makes you feel good!!! Customer care should be a top priority, I don't wait for my customers to ask me to clean their garage doors, I clean them anyway... and once they are cleaned then all it takes is a quick scrub whenever I do their windows, probably takes less than 20 seconds. But makes the customer very happy, and much more likely to recommend you to all their friends and not slag you off like this customer will now do!!!
I had a customer who I used to clean the garage door for for free every other time, yeah it only took 5 minutes, but why did I do it for free? I don't know? Now they aren't a customer anymore... started messing me around with "not this time thanks" so I dropped them.
There is no point working for free when you're out to make money even if it is only 5 minutes.
Andy
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Whats a brush?? lol I use traditional methods
Sorry... I didn't realise you were still in the stoneage!!! ;D
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There is no point working for free when you're out to make money even if it is only 5 minutes.
Andy
How can it take 5minutes to clean a garage door? Takes me about 20 seconds!!!
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So you have managed to lose yourself a customer, for the sake of giving a garage door a quick once over with the brush, probably a few minutes work... well done i bet it makes you feel good!!! Customer care should be a top priority, I don't wait for my customers to ask me to clean their garage doors, I clean them anyway... and once they are cleaned then all it takes is a quick scrub whenever I do their windows, probably takes less than 20 seconds. But makes the customer very happy, and much more likely to recommend you to all their friends and not slag you off like this customer will now do!!!
I had a customer who I used to clean the garage door for for free every other time, yeah it only took 5 minutes, but why did I do it for free? I don't know? Now they aren't a customer anymore... started messing me around with "not this time thanks" so I dropped them.
Once you do stuff for free they think ur weak, they then become messers
There is no point working for free when you're out to make money even if it is only 5 minutes.
Andy
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How can it take 5minutes to clean a garage door? Takes me about 20 seconds!!!
You must do a brilliant job in 20 seconds... And I thought customer care was your top priority ;)
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How can it take 5minutes to clean a garage door? Takes me about 20 seconds!!!
You must do a brilliant job in 20 seconds... And I thought customer care was your top priority ;)
I do acually, as I said takes a couple of minutes the first time you clean it then a quick wipe over each time is all thats required to keep it clean!! ;)
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Every part of my service costs the custy money. Be it a quid, or a few pence, but it costs. Any problems with that, they just simply need to find another windy. It's harder to find a windy than it is to find a custy.
No need for any chat with the custy that wants something for free, just replace them with a custy that pays for what they want.
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Every part of my service costs the custy money. Be it a quid, or a few pence, but it costs. Any problems with that, they just simply need to find another windy. It's harder to find a windy than it is to find a custy.
No need for any chat with the custy that wants something for free, just replace them with a custy that pays for what they want.
You sound like a laugh a minute!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;D
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Yo think so?? :D
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your running a business,time is money
i personally dont think you get better thought of by doing the freebies
i suppose it comes down to your nature
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Ive got a few "Top Custies" that I do freebies for ie garage doors, conservatory gutters, workshops, inside kitchen windows etc. But only long standing customers that are generally nice people (and they make me a cuppa) ;D
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your running a business,time is money
i personally dont think you get better thought of by doing the freebies
i suppose it comes down to your nature
Who said anything about freebies? I'm talking about providing an exceptional service, going the extra mile!! Many of you probably spend a fair bit on adverising etc, but the best advertising tool you can have is your work, do an exceptional job and exceed the customers expectations.. then this is the best advert you could possibly have... people will notice, you have created a positive talking point and your customers will be far more likely to recommend you to their friends and neighboors!! :)
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Yes, good point. However, in this case, an exceptional service doesn't need to include a free garage door clean.
I see your point though, but you have to know where the line is.
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on some of my newer work i throw the garage doors in as standard service.i do charge a good price though.on older cheaper compact work ill charge a quid or two.
its the older customers who say"can you just go over that soffit up there and ill give you an extra fiver please!"that ive put a firm stop to.
years ago i used to do all sorts of extras for some customers but not anymore.esp as im charging £6 per small 3 bed semi on some older compact stuff.customers will take the pee if you let them.ive spent a fair few quid on equipment and im certainly not cleaning soffits/fascias,conny roofs for nothing!!
anybody else have customers who are shocked if you say"that will be £40 for soffits front and back and £30 for the conny roof"?
ive had a few this year and they dont want them done!im really not bothered!im pretty full with normal window cleaning so unless im earning a bit more from the extras im happy not to bother!! ;D ;D ;D ;D
got a good one the other day though.£15 for windows and £60 for soffits all around.the soffits are pretty clean so will only need water.i reckon 2 hours tops from setting up to driving to my next job.ill slip it in after other work around 3pm.these types are good add ons in spring/summer.
at the moment id be just happy to get a few days in this week due to being off work with my ankle!
regards
dazmond
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Yes, good point. However, in this case, an exceptional service doesn't need to include a free garage door clean.
I see your point though, but you have to know where the line is.
When I started window cleaning, I was always hearing complaints and moans about other window cleaners who didn't even bother to wipe the sills. So I immediately started to clean all frames and sills as well as the glass, this made me stand out and get lots of recommendations from customers and it also allowed me to charge a premium for my service!! these days most window cleaners (although not all) clean the frames and sills, so I now go a bit further and I now clean garage doors and also other little extras like gutters and fascias which makes me stand out, but I'm not really doing it for free as I charge a premium for a premium service!! :)
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im charging £6 per small 3 bed semi
im pretty full with normal window cleaning
I wonder why?? ::)
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Doing freebies for me is now a no-no...I work hard and believe I give a good service at a good price..if anything else is asked for an extra charge will be made and why not.
I am not a family member, friend so extra work equals extra money.
There is nothing wrong with being friendly but when asked to do extra work...I'll charge.
Now saying this...I do things for free for many customers, whether it's removing some leaves from a gutter that are causing a blockage, removing some bird poo from woodwork etc, etc...these I'll do because it makes me feel better...no need to tell the customer...this is for me.
Cheers
Dave.
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That's pride in your work Dave. Good thing to have.
Groundhog, I know what you mean mate. The point to remember is, if like me and Dazmond, you have alot of very compact work, even if you charge a good price, the freebie lessons the price if you get my drift. Another thing to remember is, on compact stuff, every 5 minutes extra you give for free, adds up on 10 custies to 50 unpaid minutes. It's the old "Time is money" chestnut. :) For 50 unpaid minutes, your prices need to be checked to see ifthey really are that high.
It's like guys going on about how fast they can use a squeegy, no good being fast at fanning, it's how fast you can swap tools and get into position. Minutes count for alot in WCing mate.
Just my opinion.
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PS, you may think you charge a good price, what if it's low in reality? You think you're getting recommends for quality and really it's because you're cheap!!!
Only joking ;D ;D ;D
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The point to remember is, if like me and Dazmond, you have alot of very compact work, even if you charge a good price, the freebie lessons the price if you get my drift. Another thing to remember is, on compact stuff, every 5 minutes extra you give for free, adds up on 10 custies to 50 unpaid minutes.
I think we are talking from different ends of the window cleaning world!! If your like Dazmond and charging £6 for a 3 bed house !!! then good luck to you!!!! :o I charge £25 for a 3 bed house, and I'm able to do so because I do an exceptional job and clean frames and sills and think nothing of giving their garage doors or facia boards a quick wipe down, and removing blockages from their gutters when needed!! ;)
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You're on the wrong track mate. My prices are very different to what Daz charges. I'm in Germany mate, different set up here. Wasn't having a pop at you. The last post was meant as a joke.
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> Mind you Groundhog - if you really wanted to provide exceptional service for your customers you'd have a wfp system - if only to reach rooflights and otherwise inaccessible windows.
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> Mind you Groundhog - if you really wanted to provide exceptional service for your customers you'd have a wfp system - if only to reach rooflights and otherwise inaccessible windows.
Ive been wfp for over 6 years now, I only ever get out the squeegee these days for inside work!!! ;)
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You're on the wrong track mate. My prices are very different to what Daz charges. I'm in Germany mate, different set up here. Wasn't having a pop at you. The last post was meant as a joke.
No probs mate, I'm just trying to give you guys the benefit of the Groundhog School of Business!!! ;D Hopefully someone learned something ;)
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> Mind you Groundhog - if you really wanted to provide exceptional service for your customers you'd have a wfp system - if only to reach rooflights and otherwise inaccessible windows.
Ive been wfp for over 6 years now, I only ever get out the squeegee these days for inside work!!! ;)
Quite right groundhog - if only I'd read properly I'd have twigged that!
(Gold goes off to corner wearing dunce's cap.) :-[
;D
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your running a business,time is money
i personally dont think you get better thought of by doing the freebies
i suppose it comes down to your nature
Who said anything about freebies? I'm talking about providing an exceptional service, going the extra mile!! Many of you probably spend a fair bit on adverising etc, but the best advertising tool you can have is your work, do an exceptional job and exceed the customers expectations.. then this is the best advert you could possibly have... people will notice, you have created a positive talking point and your customers will be far more likely to recommend you to their friends and neighboors!! :)
but your not going the extra mile are you ? when you are charging what was it, £25.00 for a 3 bed semi, you have already built it in to the price?
were dazmond as not at £6.00 a 3 bed semi
bob
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> Mind you Groundhog - if you really wanted to provide exceptional service for your customers you'd have a wfp system - if only to reach rooflights and otherwise inaccessible windows.
Ive been wfp for over 6 years now, I only ever get out the squeegee these days for inside work!!! ;)
Quite right groundhog - if only I'd read properly I'd have twigged that!
(Gold goes off to corner wearing dunce's cap.) :-[
;D
I'll let you off this time Mr Gold, try and keep up in future!!!! ;)
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but your not going the extra mile are you ? when you are charging what was it, £25.00 for a 3 bed semi, you have already built it in to the price?
were dazmond as not at £6.00 a 3 bed semi
bob
If you guys want to try and scrape a living cleaning 3 bed houses for 6 quid a pop thats up to you!!! I'd rather give them a little extra and charge a decent price, but hey that just me!! :)
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This whole "i charge £XX round here" debate will go on forever,round here you wouldnt get any work charging prices like that as nobody will pay that,whether thats for frames fascia's,garages/cars or whatever,to most its simply not affordable.
Window cleaning has to be affordable,and frames/fascia's etc round here are an extra,end of story.Nobody wants them doing every 4 weeks-no need at all in my opinion.
Fair play to you though if you can get away with charging that,i wish i could!!
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Since speaking to a mate (WC'er) ive found out shes a customer thats an absolute nightmare,been through 4 companies before me in the space of less than a year lol
Complains about everything and wants everything for nothing.
Well shot i reckon ;)