Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: lewissprightly on July 05, 2011, 03:41:35 pm
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so today got a threatening phone call ive broke it down for you it was from a withheld number and this is the voicemail that was left...
"alright you pair
you better stop canvassing in my area or there will be trouble
we know where you live and weve got all your numbers
if you nick any of my work there is gonna be some poop coming your way
we aint the only window cleaners that are after you
watch your back because there is going to be some hastle!
w****rS!!!"
that was the voice mail. first thing we did was report it to the police. we havent been going round knocking door canvassing weve been using a card system where they put the card in there window if they want a quote and we go and quote it. our prices arent stupidly low. It was a bit of a shock really not so much that we got the phone call its more the fact they said they know where we live. i mean weve bought a van we have trad and wfp we have the van sign written up and the guys we think it is work from a nissan micra. we arent 100% sure. your opinions would be appreciatted as it really has dissheartened us and all we want to do is earn an honest living we are not out there to nick peoples work!
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get his reg and report him to the dss or get his reg and phone police and say hes been hanging around the schools talking to kids,
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Just carry on mate, if they meant business they wouldn't warn you, and if they where that tough they wouldn't withhold there number,
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yeah thats first thing we thought why withold the number! its just a pain really. we both got made redundant last year and decided to start our own cleaning company weve paid lots doing courses and trying to get up to scratch we just want to earn an honest living as we both have small children and we was shocked by this phonecall
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It happens unfortunately.
I got a text message once telling me to stay away from a guy's "patch", otherwise he'd slash my tyres.
I shopped him to the police and he got a caution.
Just stay vigilant and keep on doing what you're doing.
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Don't let it get too you, there obviously worried you'll take work off them, if you stop doing what your doing they'll know they getting to you, when someone with a withheld number rings me I never say hello etc I wait for them too speak 1st, as had a call like yourself before, while they where doing there this is my patch part I told him I'd be willing to deal with this on there patch and stop hiding behind a witheld number, soon Stop, put a spot light outside your house with camera if your worried aboud your van or home.
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www.gracieuniversity.com
check it out let me know what you think!
i would confront whoever i thought it was and say
"i got a nasty phonecall! do you know who it was?"
if they admit to it ask them if they want to make something of it! BUT i would only do this if i wasnt out numbered and IF i knew gracie jiu jitsu!
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to be honest just looked at your facebook page and although i don't agree with people making threats im not surprised your getting threaten if you are doing what you are offering on your facebook page.
Window Cleaning Service £2 fronts £4 front and back. Fully insured!
your prices are very very low mate that might be whats giving them the hump
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Where are you located mate?
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On our facebook page it is just the from prices because we did a job which was a bungalow and it was 2 windows at front and 1 at back a real small bungalow so we put the prices from that. We wont clean a house for that noway. Most of our houses we do we get between £6 and £10 which i thought was pretty decent price. We are based in midlands. We dont just do window cleaning we do office cleaning, carpets gutters etc. Were not out to under cut people we want good money too aswell as anyone else. Just really gets to me when you try and make a go of something and people just threaten you. worst thing is aswell every house we have done so far which is quite a few none of them apart from 1 looks like it has been done for well over a year!
We canvassed an area last week and someone told us wed have no chance at getting any work round there area because there window cleaning who has just started charges £3 front and back on a semi. we wont do work for stupid money at all we want good money for our work.
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so today got a threatening phone call ive broke it down for you it was from a withheld number and this is the voicemail that was left...
"alright you pair
you better stop canvassing in my area or there will be trouble
we know where you live and weve got all your numbers
if you nick any of my work there is gonna be some poop coming your way
we aint the only window cleaners that are after you
watch your back because there is going to be some hastle!
w****rS!!!"
that was the voice mail. first thing we did was report it to the police. we havent been going round knocking door canvassing weve been using a card system where they put the card in there window if they want a quote and we go and quote it. our prices arent stupidly low. It was a bit of a shock really not so much that we got the phone call its more the fact they said they know where we live. i mean weve bought a van we have trad and wfp we have the van sign written up and the guys we think it is work from a nissan micra. we arent 100% sure. your opinions would be appreciatted as it really has dissheartened us and all we want to do is earn an honest living we are not out there to nick peoples work!
Just carry on doing what you're doing. You have as much right to do it as anyone else. As has been said, people who give "warnings" are usually all mouth!
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Don't let any bully boys (AKA compete and utter low life cowards) discourage you.
Just focus on building your business by going about it in an ethical and professional way. By doing this you may well pick up some of the other guy's work. If his customers are happy with him, they will stick with him. If they are not, then you provide an instant alternative for them. That is his problem, not yours.
When this happens, just carry on doing the right thing. If bully boy tries it on with you again, contact the police, and if you find out his name etc., the DSS.
Best wishes,
John.
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Hi Lewis I am also in your area and do not agree with people threating people over areas and pitches, but even at the prices of £6-10 you quote you are still undercutting a lot of the window cleaners in the area that are also trying to run a professional business like yourself.
Was it a green Micra by any chance as I have seen them around a few times lately and will try to get the reg next time I see them.
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Thanks you guys your messages are very incouraging and have cheered me up a bit. after that voicemail i was feeling propper peed off and very dissheartened but you guys have made me feel loads better
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get his reg and report him to the dss or get his reg and phone police and say hes been hanging around the schools talking to kids,
Dont be an idiot. You're the kind that generate a bad name, in your case justifiably so IMO.
You're also likely to be guilty of wasting police time.
Lewis just carry on doing what you are doing.
Ive had more than my fair share of idiots trying to mouth off and threaten down the phone and text messaging. Do your thing, earn your crust, be professional and call the police. Just remember, what goes around comes around, they'll get whats coming and so will you if you remain professional about it.
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£10 to me in our area for a 3 bed semi seems more then fair for the general house without a conny. Maybe im wrong! would love to know what some of you guys charge
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get his reg and report him to the dss or get his reg and phone police and say hes been hanging around the schools talking to kids,
That second one is a joke, isn't it?
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stick with it pal dont let them grind you down i've got 2 other window cleaners in my area who moan and jibe at me coz i' on there patch but i'm not gonna let em grind me down
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your messages are very encouraging we reported it to the police anyway and we have a meeting with them tomorrow to make statements and get incident number etc!
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Hi Lewis I am also in your area and do not agree with people threating people over areas and pitches, but even at the prices of £6-10 you quote you are still undercutting a lot of the window cleaners in the area that are also trying to run a professional business like yourself.
Was it a green Micra by any chance as I have seen them around a few times lately and will try to get the reg next time I see them.
just been on your website and used your online quote calculator and every job we do works out cheaper on your website so im guessing we are not undercutting you????
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www.gracieuniversity.com
check it out let me know what you think!
i would confront whoever i thought it was and say
"i got a nasty phonecall! do you know who it was?"
if they admit to it ask them if they want to make something of it! BUT i would only do this if i wasnt out numbered and IF i knew gracie jiu jitsu!
Ah, GB's eternal solution: violence.
Self defense my friend! ;) i dont start trouble, never have. but ive got the skills if trouble finds me, thats all!
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Today and the other day i was cleaning houses next door to other wc's working at exactly the same time,theyre wfp im trad, both 1 man bands like myself and they and i said "hello mate,are you alright,weathers nice for us hey bla bla bla".
And thats how it should be,they have their stuff to do,i have mine.
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Today and the other day i was cleaning houses next door to other wc's working at exactly the same time,theyre wfp im trad, both 1 man bands like myself and they and i said "hello mate,are you alright,weathers nice for us hey bla bla bla".
And thats how it should be,they have their stuff to do,i have mine.
exactly i worked in london window cleaning for 8 years i never once came accross a window cleaner who was aggressive as ive experienced today. it was always hi mate hows it going bla bla bla!
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There is currently a lot of bad feeling in our area at the moment that has been cause mainly by one guy that took lots of work from a number of window cleaners nearly causing one of them to go under by charging a flat rate of £4 for any house.
But as i say there is absolutely no need for threats or violence, there are more than enough house to go round, just makes it a bit harder to find them and longer nights canvassing.
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There is currently a lot of bad feeling in our area at the moment that has been cause mainly by one guy that took lots of work from a number of window cleaners nearly causing one of them to go under by charging a flat rate of £4 for any house.
But as i say there is absolutely no need for threats or violence, there are more than enough house to go round, just makes it a bit harder to find them and longer nights canvassing.
well we wont do any houses for £4 at all! nearly every house we have had has been due to them never having a window cleaner or they have asked the window cleaner in the area and his "books" are full. P & G window cleaning in our area charges £3 for most houses and they have had a few jobs off us but who cares you win some you lose some
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report him to vauxhall for using a corsa
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Firstly I don't agree with bully boy tactis and there is no "patch" for anyone. The threat you had was not necessary and I hope that they get what is coming to them...... but....
Did you not think that someone may just look at your facebook page?
I'm surprised you haven't had threats from other cleaning professionals :)
"full house cleaning package, including carpets, upholstery, gutters, upvc and windows from a as little as £75"
"sofa clean from £7"
"carpets from £7 a room"
"Professional oven cleaning from £12"
"full conservatory cleans from £12"
and so on
OK so you put from prices, but please tell me what sort of sofa can be cleaned professionally and properly at £7.00. To put "from" means that there is something out there that can be done at that price and that you have cleaned it at that price.
The smallest 2 seat sofa we have cleaned (properly) was £60.00 and took 1.5 hours from arrival to finish let alone the travel costs and overheads.
Maybe you ought to rethink the way you are advertising and get rid of prices being advertised. You'll only attract cheapskates who want something for nothing anyway.
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Tony
Who's causing the problems in nuneaton mate?
Wayne
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Firstly I don't agree with bully boy tactis and there is no "patch" for anyone. The threat you had was not necessary and I hope that they get what is coming to them...... but....
Did you not think that someone may just look at your facebook page?
I'm surprised you haven't had threats from other cleaning professionals :)
"full house cleaning package, including carpets, upholstery, gutters, upvc and windows from a as little as £75"
"sofa clean from £7"
"carpets from £7 a room"
"Professional oven cleaning from £12"
"full conservatory cleans from £12"
and so on
OK so you put from prices, but please tell me what sort of sofa can be cleaned professionally and properly at £7.00. To put "from" means that there is something out there that can be done at that price and that you have cleaned it at that price.
The smallest 2 seat sofa we have cleaned (properly) was £60.00 and took 1.5 hours from arrival to finish let alone the travel costs and overheads.
Maybe you ought to rethink the way you are advertising and get rid of prices being advertised. You'll only attract cheapskates who want something for nothing anyway.
I appreciatte your comments and probably will take prices off the facebook page but can i also say..
I had my living room and dining room carpet cleaned last year the guy charged me £35 he was here for just over an hour. Maybe our FROM prices may be a bit too low and we will definetly look at that now. But for the threat we received today any price we put doesnt justify someone threatening us we both have small children and wifes!!! people in this world need to grow up
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Hang on, Helen is right, I've just looked at your Facebook mate. You're about a thousand miles from where I work and in a different country, but I'm tempted to give you a threatening call with prices like those!!!
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By the way, that carpet cleaner needs a call too. ??? 35 quid for 90 minutes work minus travel tax and chem / machine costs??
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Ok well took you guys advice and removed all prices from the facebook page! bout how bout some tips now!
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Stop thinking like an employee. 12 quid an hour might seem like good money to someone in a job. Try raising the bar to what you need to earn. Go and get an accountant and take notes when they open their mouths. Selfemployed doesn't mean you keep the money you take in your hand, you get to keep about 45% if you have a good accountant.
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Just carry on doing what you're doing. You have as much right to do it as anyone else. As has been said, people who give "warnings" are usually all mouth!
I agree; they guy didn't even have the balls to speak to you; so he left a message. The big girl. That's like me being in the army and giving someone a 'dressing down' by text. It shows a complete lack of courage.
I'd report it to the police; they'll just take a statement and give it an incident number; this is important in case there's any future harassment; two or more incidents of this nature and, if caught, the gimp doing it can be charged with harassment.
And don't let this knock your confidence - easier said than done I know (from experience) - but soldier on, matey, and this feeling you have will pass. Promise. If you jack it, you'll regret it later down the line.
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Stop thinking like an employee. 12 quid an hour might seem like good money to someone in a job. Try raising the bar to what you need to earn. Go and get an accountant and take notes when they open their mouths. Selfemployed doesn't mean you keep the money you take in your hand, you get to keep about 45% if you have a good accountant.
Thanks for the advice that helps lots! deffinetly take your advice and work on that basis. Its sometimes pretty frustrating doing this! weve only been going about a 3 months we have about 150 houses we clean windows at an average of about 8 - 10 pound we bought a round that pays about £4 - £6 (no wonder he sold us his round) but we are literally just trying to make an honest living.
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Just carry on doing what you're doing. You have as much right to do it as anyone else. As has been said, people who give "warnings" are usually all mouth!
I agree; they guy didn't even have the balls to speak to you; so he left a message. The big girl. That's like me being in the army and giving someone a 'dressing down' by text. It shows a complete lack of courage.
I'd report it to the police; they'll just take a statement and give it an incident number; this is important in case there's any future harassment; two or more incidents of this nature and, if caught, the gimp doing it can be charged with harassment.
And don't let this knock your confidence - easier said than done I know (from experience) - but soldier on, matey, and this feeling you have will pass. Promise. If you jack it, you'll regret it later down the line.
thanks tosh we went to the police station today logged it and police are coming to my house in the morn to take statements and we have the incidence number the women at the police station said its not the first time its happened and said it sounded like the same guy ( we played her the voice message) and said not to really worry about it
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Go for it mate, but get good advice from an accountant that deals with your sort of business. Don't re-invent the wheel when it comes to pricing.
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Go for it mate, but get good advice from an accountant that deals with your sort of business. Don't re-invent the wheel when it comes to pricing.
What would you say is the best method for pricing. Im the first to admit it. Ive window cleaned for companies all my life this is first time ive gone self employed. when we canvass one person will say there window cleaner does the whole house for £3 then next door will say they get charged £15 for a terraced house. we were trying to meet in the middle with the window cleaning but its quite frustrating nowing a price to put up
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Do a search on here for "Pricing". Always quote what you think is the price you need, not what other guys take. Loads of advice on here about pricing. Do your homework mate and save yourself a load of headaches.
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thanks Cozy,
Will deffo do a search on here for pricing. We are a young company but i still think we have just as much right as anyone else of making a business out of it. its funny really we havent had any windows yet that the customer says they havent been cleaned for ages. only job we got from another window cleaner was a job were the old bloke said the guy didnt touch the windows with any water said he just rubbed it with the cloth thingy which i guess he means just scrimmed and they werent even leaded or anything just basic pvc windows
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Good luck mate, get busy.
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Good luck mate, get busy.
nice one mate cheers very much
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lewis
depending what area of nuneaton you target depends on the price,if you have to travel the other side of town for a couple of houses then make it worthwhile but if you get a compacted area then you can charge a little less .I do all 4 corners of nuneaton but always earn the same hourly rate.
Wayne
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lewis
depending what area of nuneaton you target depends on the price,if you have to travel the other side of town for a couple of houses then make it worthwhile but if you get a compacted area then you can charge a little less .I do all 4 corners of nuneaton but always earn the same hourly rate.
Wayne
thanks mate,
whats a good hourly rate in your opinion to earn?
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I agree with Wayne. We set a price per window and find that works well for us and as I have a few employees it makes it simpler for them to quote the same prices as I am quoting when they are asked in the street.
Once you know how fast you can clean you can then get an idea of the price per window you want to charge so that you are getting a good hourly rate.
Wayne,
The guy calls himself Kestrel window cleaning and took a few hundred quids worth of work off one cleaner in the space of 3 months alone.
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all depends on what you NEED to earn,most trad window cleaners can do 4 houses an hour comfortably if theyre compacted and a min of £6 each gives you a decent rate if youre comfortable with it.Im wfp and its a lot quicker and easier but i choose to do less hours now rather than be out from 8 am til the sun goes down
Wayne
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Tony
Who was the cleaner that lost the work?
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We'll have the ex-boxer posting his videos next.
;D ;D
That was funny.
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From what I understand Alex lost the most, I know he took work off Lee and Eddie as well. Only took a couple off us as we cover more the other side of town from him as he only works on foot with squeegee on a pole
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all depends on what you NEED to earn,most trad window cleaners can do 4 houses an hour comfortably if theyre compacted and a min of £6 each gives you a decent rate if youre comfortable with it.Im wfp and its a lot quicker and easier but i choose to do less hours now rather than be out from 8 am til the sun goes down
Wayne
thats very helpful we do about 4 - 6 houses an hour and thats normally about £6 - £10 a house which we feel is pretty good but i get mixed messages some people say they wont do a house for less then a tenner and some say £8 for a 3 bed semi is too exspensive we have just bought a wfp system and we went on a course and stuff and have a few customers we use it on but some proper moan about have wfp system work done on there house lol
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wheres the majority of his work?
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From what I understand Alex lost the most, I know he took work off Lee and Eddie as well. Only took a couple off us as we cover more the other side of town from him as he only works on foot with squeegee on a pole
we seen a guy the other day using a pole and squeegee standing on a wooden box thing down arbury road the other day.
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Lewis
If you come off the ladder and do damage,believe me them moaning customers wont give you a second thought mate,tell them its for health and safety reasons and for their benefit aswell as yours.
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Lewis
If you come off the ladder and do damage,believe me them moaning customers wont give you a second thought mate,tell them its for health and safety reasons and for their benefit aswell as yours.
yeah deffo will do that! are you based in nuneaton? wish more window cleaners in the area were as friendly as you. we try saying hi to loads they just give us evil looks and pretty much ignore us!!!
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just read your website, window cleaning front and back £4?
commercial window cleaning from £2
you sound like a right bunch of cowboys, im here in the midlands too and my average is £14.50 per house no wonder you've ticked a few people off with your cheapo prices,
not saying its ok to leave threatening messages but come on are you even a proper business or are you using tea towels as sill cloths, shammy leathers to clean the windows and a bycicle to get to your jobs?
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just read your website, window cleaning front and back £4?
commercial window cleaning from £2
you sound like a right bunch of cowboys, im here in the midlands too and my average is £14.50 per house no wonder you've ticked a few people off with your cheapo prices,
not saying its ok to leave threatening messages but come on are you even a proper business or are you using tea towels as sill cloths, shammy leathers to clean the windows and a bycicle to get to your jobs?
Have you actually read any of ther other replies. we have already said we are a young business. We bought a round in the area that was £4 a house and we pretty much added on to that and most of our work is now £6 - £10 a house. which we think is fair! We know we have to revise a few things and weve been given the advice on here which is good. Were not going to just quit just because we have made mistakes we are just trying to make a living. were set up better then i bet a lot of window cleaners are around our area.
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just read your website, window cleaning front and back £4?
commercial window cleaning from £2
you sound like a right bunch of cowboys, im here in the midlands too and my average is £14.50 per house no wonder you've ticked a few people off with your cheapo prices,
not saying its ok to leave threatening messages but come on are you even a proper business or are you using tea towels as sill cloths, shammy leathers to clean the windows and a bycicle to get to your jobs?
Have you actually read any of ther other replies. we have already said we are a young business. We bought a round in the area that was £4 a house and we pretty much added on to that and most of our work is now £6 - £10 a house. which we think is fair! We know we have to revise a few things and weve been given the advice on here which is good. Were not going to just quit just because we have made mistakes we are just trying to make a living. were set up better then i bet a lot of window cleaners are around our area.
good i hope you dont just quit and you do try to improve things i and wish you every sucess with your business,
it would be wise to remove them prices from your website as it gives a poor impression of your company
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just read your website, window cleaning front and back £4?
commercial window cleaning from £2
you sound like a right bunch of cowboys, im here in the midlands too and my average is £14.50 per house no wonder you've ticked a few people off with your cheapo prices,
not saying its ok to leave threatening messages but come on are you even a proper business or are you using tea towels as sill cloths, shammy leathers to clean the windows and a bycicle to get to your jobs?
Have you actually read any of ther other replies. we have already said we are a young business. We bought a round in the area that was £4 a house and we pretty much added on to that and most of our work is now £6 - £10 a house. which we think is fair! We know we have to revise a few things and weve been given the advice on here which is good. Were not going to just quit just because we have made mistakes we are just trying to make a living. were set up better then i bet a lot of window cleaners are around our area.
good i hope you dont just quit and you do try to improve things i and wish you every sucess with your business,
it would be wise to remove them prices from your website as it gives a poor impression of your company
thanks on the advice of many we have removed all prices from our facebook page and our website. we arent out to steal peoples work we are just trying to make our business sucessful and hopefully give us a decent wage. were not gready but comfy living would be great! We are both late 20's and both have familys to support after both being made redundant we didnt want to be supported by the tax payer actually just wanted to just get out there and earn some money so we can support our family. We feel proper dissheartened after today with the phone call and stuff but i guess most people get them i dont know. but we are not going to give up we are enjoying doing what we are doing and are not going to change just because some idiot thinks its ok to leave us a nasty voicemail like he did. I mean what kind of man uses a witheld number. Proper idiot!
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www.gracieuniversity.com
check it out let me know what you think!
i would confront whoever i thought it was and say
"i got a nasty phonecall! do you know who it was?"
if they admit to it ask them if they want to make something of it! BUT i would only do this if i wasnt out numbered and IF i knew gracie jiu jitsu!
Ah, GB's eternal solution: violence.
Self defense my friend! ;) i dont start trouble, never have. but ive got the skills if trouble finds me, thats all!
Oh not again, haven't you got any hobbies mate? We'll have the ex-boxer posting his videos next. You want to mix with people abit more mate, and stop watching ITV2. What a plonker.
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D class
Ive got a big stick with a nail through the end if anyone tries that old chessnut with me ;D ;D ;D
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lewis
depending what area of nuneaton you target depends on the price,if you have to travel the other side of town for a couple of houses then make it worthwhile but if you get a compacted area then you can charge a little less .I do all 4 corners of nuneaton but always earn the same hourly rate.
Wayne
come on chief were talking Nuneton here not damng Navada, if its 8,30 am on one side of Nuneton then its 8.30am on the other side, :D :D :D :D :D
sorry just couldn't resist that :D
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Stop thinking like an employee. 12 quid an hour might seem like good money to someone in a job. Try raising the bar to what you need to earn. Go and get an accountant and take notes when they open their mouths. Selfemployed doesn't mean you keep the money you take in your hand, you get to keep about 45% if you have a good accountant.
Thanks for the advice that helps lots! deffinetly take your advice and work on that basis. Its sometimes pretty frustrating doing this! weve only been going about a 3 months we have about 150 houses we clean windows at an average of about 8 - 10 pound we bought a round that pays about £4 - £6 (no wonder he sold us his round) but we are literally just trying to make an honest living.
IMO you are trying to run before you can walk. Why not concentrate on window cleaning for the rest of this year, get established and get known. Window cleaning customers are far easier to get than carpet & upholstery cleaning or office cleaning.
Right. These 150 houses that you already have. Next time you clean them, canvass all the houses in the street you don't have and offer to clean them there and then. 1.5 times your rate for a first clean and then back to normal rate on the schedules.
The 150 you already have, canvass them for con roofs, gutters etc and schedule them for when the next window clean is due. You can price "up" for this extra work" and say the window clean is free on that occassion.
As you get more confident when you take on new customers, add £1.00 to the price you would have given.
New customers, let them get used to you (3 months) and canvass them for extras as above.
Next year, see how you are going with the windows and if you really want to go into carpet cleaning, get booked on a good course and get some good equipment. Then you can canvass your 500 plus window cleaning customers with these services. Again plan it the next time the window clean is due.
Once you get confident with pricing the windows you can then think about putting up the 150 you already have. Maybe try £2.00 per house, if they quibble you could drop a £1 and they should be ok with that. Eventually you will weedle out the cheapskates and have quality customers.
This is not going to happen overnight for you, so chin up and keep going. It could take years to get to where you want, but if you want it enough you will do it.
I really don't know what the average hourly rate is in your area, but for starting up if you can do £18.00 to £25.00 per person per hour, that will be a really good basis to build on, remember you are not just earning a living any more, you are running a business and that is a totally different ball game :) :)
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Helen is spot on, lots of good advice. Just ignore the tossers, there are a few out there but there are more decent wc's than the other sort :)
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read helens advice through several times because its excellent :)
ignore anyone that threatens you
pee yourself laughing at anyone who rings up to threaten you
as for people who withold their number and leave a message that threatens you!!!????? seriously mate if they were worth worrying about you would already be in A+E and people like that are thankfully rare
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I get phone threats every day saying their gonna take me to court, but I still wont pay my credit cards off
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just read your website, window cleaning front and back £4?
commercial window cleaning from £2
you sound like a right bunch of cowboys, im here in the midlands too and my average is £14.50 per house no wonder you've ticked a few people off with your cheapo prices,
not saying its ok to leave threatening messages but come on are you even a proper business or are you using tea towels as sill cloths, shammy leathers to clean the windows and a bycicle to get to your jobs?
Have you actually read any of ther other replies. we have already said we are a young business. We bought a round in the area that was £4 a house and we pretty much added on to that and most of our work is now £6 - £10 a house. which we think is fair! We know we have to revise a few things and weve been given the advice on here which is good. Were not going to just quit just because we have made mistakes we are just trying to make a living. were set up better then i bet a lot of window cleaners are around our area.
If you use a penny farthing, you won't need a ladder.
Sorry. Just my humour.
Seriously, threats are not justifiable whatever rates you charge. It would be understandable (but still wrong) if you had nicked someone's customer list and gone around offering to do them for less - but you haven't. It's ridiculous making such threats. It's not as if he has painted a red x on all his customers' doors.
I'm glad you involved the police. Let them sort it out. You're paid to clean. They're paid to sort lawbreakers.
About the pricing though, I started off far too low (20 years ago) and it dogged me for years. I didn't do it intentionally. I just figured that my hourly rate should be about 50% higher than in a factory in order to cover petrol and tools (no WFP back then). I had no-one mentoring me and the internet wasn't around in a usable form. Even now a few parts of my round suffer a knock on effect. I may well have dropped those bits but along came WFP and made the rates half reasonable again.
So please don't make the errors that I made. Keep those rates up as high as you can. Remember that if you get more than 60% of the jobs you quote, you are too cheap.
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Yep. Good advice from Helen. Not sure about the £18. More the £25 I think. However, it can take a while to pick up speed so what pays £18 now may well end up being worth £25.
My own targets are a bit different but I don't want to discuss them on here as such topics have proven to be hot potatoes in the past. However, be aware that WFP running costs are a lot higher than those of traditional window cleaning.
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lewis
depending what area of nuneaton you target depends on the price,if you have to travel the other side of town for a couple of houses then make it worthwhile but if you get a compacted area then you can charge a little less .I do all 4 corners of nuneaton but always earn the same hourly rate.
Wayne
Hi wayne,
maybe if you have some time you could possibly email me and give me some advice for quoting in the nuneaton area?
thanks Lewis
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i think i am off to herford to start undercutting