Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Twc services on July 20, 2011, 09:20:01 pm
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Does there seem to be a boom in window cleaners lately or is it hust me .Seen more companys than ever and just had canvassers knocking on the door for the first time in years.
Do you think this industry is being overkilled now ?
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NO
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Yes... without a doubt!!! :(
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it;s going to get worse much worse
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very true ,the economy is not great at the moment , not too much outlay to be a cleaner so away they go
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it;s going to get worse much worse
what do you mean it;s going to get worse :-\
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Im glad its not just me thats noticed it then so whats the plan now guys to protect our work ? :)
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Every year since I started it seems I see loads of new faces but it's not worth worrying about unless you have work being pinched.It does seem that every other car has ladders on top,I must admit.Still picking up plenty of work though.
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the rate they are building houses still work going about
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its a cheap business to start, a lot of wc charge high prices and custy think i want some of that, happened with plumbers give it a few years something else will be the big thing to get in to
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It seems they pop up out of nowhere and then vanish but undercut everyones work ::)
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I wouldnt want to start up now as there are lots of new cleaners around here, luckily when i started about 6 years ago the economy was "ok" and 2 cleaners packed up around my area, it must be hard to get going these days.
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Give it a year or 2 and a lot of the so-called newbies won't be around.
First of all its harder work than they imagine, they don't know how to price a job correctly, they worry about other window cleaners, they only like working outside in the summer, the list goes on.
just look online, there are loads of van systems up for sale and rounds for sale now.
Matt
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Im so worried i cant sleep at night, i think this time next year im gonna be on the dole or even worst sweeping the roads
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Im so worried i cant sleep at night, i think this time next year im gonna be on the dole or even worst sweeping the roads
Well, you can just turn your pole upside down :P.
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Im so worried i cant sleep at night, i think this time next year im gonna be on the dole or even worst sweeping the roads
Trippy if your going to sweep the streets, just be careful not to sweep up a "Banksy" lol
whats the latest with Frank and that ruddy Banksy?
Matt
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if your looking for them they are everywhere!lots near me and some commercial guys are moving onto big domestics.plenty of houses and glass.some are cowboys(not all of them though) doing rubbish work.im also picking up new work at a steady rate without trying!!
just concentrate on your own business,doing a good job and dont charge sky high prices and you ll be ok IMO.
regards
dazmond
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I'm based in Exeter and we are over run with them, not playing by the rules either!
'What does your WC charge - £10 we'll do it for a fiver' B'stards the lot of em!
the thing is, how do we put our customer off them??? Everybody wants to save money these days.....
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I'm based in Exeter and we are over run with them, not playing by the rules either!
'What does your WC charge - £10 we'll do it for a fiver' B'stards the lot of em!
the thing is, how do we put our customer off them??? Everybody wants to save money these days.....
got one of them around here had one of mine other day custy was a real nice guy always chatted cuppa everything but faced with a 50% saving he was gone :(
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Im glad its not just me thats noticed it then so whats the plan now guys to protect our work ? :)
Stop helping them out on here!
Give them proper advice on how to run a business rather than the pie in the sky some spout on here.
Make sure your customers love you.
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Im so worried i cant sleep at night, i think this time next year im gonna be on the dole or even worst sweeping the roads
I thought you still were on the dole - just keeping it quiet. Most of the people knocking on doors probably are. But then, how/why did you and I get into window cleaning? Did any of us actually expect to?
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Im glad its not just me thats noticed it then so whats the plan now guys to protect our work ? :)
Stop helping them out on here!
Give them proper advice on how to run a business rather than the pie in the sky some spout on here.
Make sure your customers love you.
You over estimate this forum mate. Do you honestly think these newbies sit at home on the net and look for window cleaning forums instead of porn sites? Do you think there are only 22000 windies in the UK? And out of these 22000, only about 100 bother posting on here.
So these 5 quid guys look at a forum before rushing out and knocking doors to steel work from us lot? The fact that they are ready to knock on doors makes me respect them. Most on here drop leaflets and wait for years for the custies to come to them!
If you are getting over-run with new starters, what's new? It's every bloody year! Even we get them here, guys leaving the Army think it's an easy option. Had a couple already this year. They didn't read this forum mate. It's people who are desperate for money who are looking for a way to earn it.
You will always get lots of newbie window cleaners trying to get started at low prices. Nothing to do with people spouting cr@p about earnings on CIU. It's an easy low cost start up business which none of us has exclusive rights to. Any plonker can have a go and you don't have to be over clever to make it work.
Same every year, no change.
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Sorry, that's 22000 members on CIU, which started as a carpet cleaners forum, so that's only about 10000 window cleaners on this forum. That's not counting the general cleaners and oven cleaners. ;D So every window cleaner in Britain would need to be on here all the time and any potential window cleaners too. Then the newbies need to trawl through over 200,000 posts on the window cleaning section to find what we can earn, then pick out the dross and bragging and reach the conclusion that window cleaning is a high earn business.
Yeah, OK ???
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i have bought work off of 3 window cleaners in the last 2 years. all couldn't handle the business (bored, hate the work, can't employ etc)
If you want it, its all out there. Get off your arse and go find it. Most people fall by the wayside and can't make it work
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but when you are quiet you go on about doing carpet cleaning to tide you over.....................
by undercutting the carpet cleaners.... 8)
Welcome to the real world.... ;D
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you talking to me?
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you talking to me?
You spilled my pint!! ;D
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you talking to me?
You spilled my pint!! ;D
did i?
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Steve CM
Did you change the post.
£6000.00 per month plus your own work. Well over the VAT threshold.
How do you find applying VAT to your pricing on domestic.
Do you give them a price and then take the 20% off?? Is it a nightmare calculating all those 20%'s
Rob ;D
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Rob i removed it as i thought it looked like i was gloating. I wern't just stating a fact.
Yep i'm well over the vat threshold and have been for a few years.
so far no drama
Steve
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Fair play
I was there with the VAT on domestic and just didn't want the aggravation. Nothing wrong with being proud of achievements Steve. Only a fool would presume that it was all profit. Well done!
Rob ;D
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cheers Rob
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Im glad its not just me thats noticed it then so whats the plan now guys to protect our work ? :)
Stop helping them out on here!
Give them proper advice on how to run a business rather than the pie in the sky some spout on here.
Make sure your customers love you.
You over estimate this forum mate. Do you honestly think these newbies sit at home on the net and look for window cleaning forums instead of porn sites? Do you think there are only 22000 windies in the UK? And out of these 22000, only about 100 bother posting on here.
So these 5 quid guys look at a forum before rushing out and knocking doors to steel work from us lot? The fact that they are ready to knock on doors makes me respect them. Most on here drop leaflets and wait for years for the custies to come to them!
If you are getting over-run with new starters, what's new? It's every bloody year! Even we get them here, guys leaving the Army think it's an easy option. Had a couple already this year. They didn't read this forum mate. It's people who are desperate for money who are looking for a way to earn it.
You will always get lots of newbie window cleaners trying to get started at low prices. Nothing to do with people spouting cr@p about earnings on CIU. It's an easy low cost start up business which none of us has exclusive rights to. Any plonker can have a go and you don't have to be over clever to make it work.
Same every year, no change.
Alright Cozy, just making a comment.
I was thinking more about the BAD business advice that is on here not particularly earnings. Most newbies wont make it past the first winter, the rest will struggle but may survive.
Very few will turn a profit.
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you talking to me?
no... :o ............... why ?
does the cap fit ?? ;D
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it;s going to get worse much worse
what do you mean it;s going to get worse :-\
think about it more and more window cleaners start up will bring the prices down because they mite have been on the dole and charging £5 an house 10 houses a day will bring them more money than on the dole its an easy game to start up and with forums like this one where all the info they could wish for just makes it more appealing and they can not loose
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Dave, so did you start window ploishing because you found a forum? Or did you start at crap prices and find a forum? Or did you find a forum and start posting THEN started window cleaning? ;D
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you talking to me?
no... :o ............... why ?
does the cap fit ?? ;D
sounded like you was, my apologies ;)
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One reason why there are so many window cleaners now is that the authorities are clamping down on rubbish removal men who don't have a waste licence and harrassing the ones that have by snooping on their loads with CCTV and sending them forms to fill out on what they carry for every job they do and conning more money out of them in fines and taxes. (The guys that drive old vehicles are not safe either.) Therefore these guys give up on the rubbish game and go for another trade - such as window cleaning.
I know this may sound a bit off-topic but it is also a warning that the government may make it compulsory for window cleaners nationwide to have a licence so they can snoop on us, introduce more red tape by getting us to fill out a form for every house cleaned and sponge more money out of us in taxes. (My ol' man's a rubbishman.)
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If you want it, its all out there. Get off your arse and go find it. Most people fall by the wayside and can't make it work
my sentiments entirely ;D
the harder I work the luckier I become is so so true in this business
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Dave, so did you start window ploishing because you found a forum? Or did you start at crap prices and find a forum? Or did you find a forum and start posting THEN started window cleaning? ;D
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when i started window cleaning years ago it was not as bad as it is now and i found this forum after i started 4years if i can remember it right.
Any one starting up now this site is a little gold mind but that is a good thing for them and a bad thing for us especially the one;s that keep bragging how much they earn per day so all the newbies know what to charge and the tax man knows aswell. when i started i had to learn the hard way and i think i done well out of it.
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If you want it, its all out there. Get off your arse and go find it. Most people fall by the wayside and can't make it work
my sentiments entirely ;D
the harder I work the luckier I become is so so true in this business
Pretty much what I said to someone recently who reckoned I was lucky to have a job. I started up when I couldn't get a job in 1991. Nothing lucky about that.
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One reason why there are so many window cleaners now is that the authorities are clamping down on rubbish removal men who don't have a waste licence and harrassing the ones that have by snooping on their loads with CCTV and sending them forms to fill out on what they carry for every job they do and conning more money out of them in fines and taxes. (The guys that drive old vehicles are not safe either.) Therefore these guys give up on the rubbish game and go for another trade - such as window cleaning.
I know this may sound a bit off-topic but it is also a warning that the government may make it compulsory for window cleaners nationwide to have a licence so they can snoop on us, introduce more red tape by getting us to fill out a form for every house cleaned and sponge more money out of us in taxes. (My ol' man's a rubbishman.)
Well, I for one would be happy to see window cleaners with licences and CRB checks.
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There are always a lot of window cleaners about in the summer....one winter will sort them all out ;D
Saw a newbie today - he looked as if he was hating every minute of the job!
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One reason why there are so many window cleaners now is that the authorities are clamping down on rubbish removal men who don't have a waste licence and harrassing the ones that have by snooping on their loads with CCTV and sending them forms to fill out on what they carry for every job they do and conning more money out of them in fines and taxes. (The guys that drive old vehicles are not safe either.) Therefore these guys give up on the rubbish game and go for another trade - such as window cleaning.
I know this may sound a bit off-topic but it is also a warning that the government may make it compulsory for window cleaners nationwide to have a licence so they can snoop on us, introduce more red tape by getting us to fill out a form for every house cleaned and sponge more money out of us in taxes. (My ol' man's a rubbishman.)
What's wrong with that? Rubbish collectors should ave a licence to handle rubbish. Or doesn't fly tipping bother you? Why will all these rubbish collectors turn to window cleaning? The money they earn dumping rubbish is alot more than a windy can bang out in a week.
If all these redundant people and waste disposal bods were interested in such a crap job as window cleaning, there would be millions of windies roaming the streets bullying people into having their windows cleaned! Why are people so ready to believe that everybody sees things like they do? Just because we landed in this malarky, doesn't mean it's the first choice for every poor sod who loses their job.
I've been wiping cr@p off peoples windows for over 20 years and I've only been on this forum for about 2 of those. One thing is certain, every few months, someone says "There are window cleaners on every corner where I am".
Surely, there wont be any point in canvassing or leafleting now, because everyone will have a window cleaner. If you read the threads on here often enough, you'll notice that guys are getting bigger rounds and new kit and even more new custies etc etc. How is that possible? Answer is, stop looking over your shoulder and concentrate on your own business.
The summer brigade and the redundant office workers were, and always will be there. If you don't feel safe as a window cleaner, take a job as an airline pilot. Not many from the waste disposal club are trying to get a job in that line of work.
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Give it a year or 2 and a lot of the so-called newbies won't be around.
First of all its harder work than they imagine, they don't know how to price a job correctly, they worry about other window cleaners, they only like working outside in the summer, the list goes on.
just look online, there are loads of van systems up for sale and rounds for sale now.
Matt
I totally agree with you Matt!!!
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Dave, so did you start window ploishing because you found a forum? Or did you start at crap prices and find a forum? Or did you find a forum and start posting THEN started window cleaning? ;D
This was how I started. My first ever post - http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=38824.0
I don't think I would have got started without this forum. Now I have the guts of 5k worth of domestic work 90% within 10 mins of my home.
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Well you've got nothing to worry about then ;D Do you think that's how most guys end up in this game?
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panicky lot aint we! ;D
i tend to look at what im doing and where im going
rather than constantly looking over my shoulder worrying
what everybody else is doing.
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Well you've got nothing to worry about then ;D Do you think that's how most guys end up in this game?
I never said I was worried and I have no idea how most guys end up in this game. I was simply pointing out that people do read this forum and then decide to go for it.
I was lucky, woods_windows ( who posted on that first post) helped me out, taught me how to do the work, gave me an idea on pricing, sold me a little work to get started. Still friends to this day, spoke to him a few times today and working together on sat on a few gutter jobs.
I was internet savy though, when I got the idea I researched it and found this forum. I guess most wouldn't. They would hit bnq, get a ladder and off they go. However, nmore people are internet savy these days. Cleanitup isn't hard to find.
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That's obvious that at least a couple of people will read about WCing on a forum before going for it, but from 22,000 members, I bet less than 99.999% started after reading about earnings on here. But the way some members seem to think that all these summer brigade are there because of forums. That's silly. Like Gary said, better to concentrate on your own business and not on what other people are doing.
You've been on here for longer than I have and you know how often this subject comes up. If a WC has his work set up properly, he has very little to fear from the newbies that turn up every summer.
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That's obvious that at least a couple of people will read about WCing on a forum before going for it, but from 22,000 members, I bet less than 99.999% started after reading about earnings on here. But the way some members seem to think that all these summer brigade are there because of forums. That's silly. Like Gary said, better to concentrate on your own business and not on what other people are doing.
You've been on here for longer than I have and you know how often this subject comes up. If a WC has his work set up properly, he has very little to fear from the newbies that turn up every summer.
That's true. If you do a good job, charge a reasonable price and get on ok with your custies you will be fine. About a year ago a guy canvassed most of my custies offering to do them for £5.00. I think I lost one but I can't even be certain he left for the £5.00 guy
Recently a customer who I charge £12.00 picked up a leaflet as I was cleaning offering to do them for £8.00. He said he would stay because "if you pay £8.00 you get £8.00's work of work." I always try to make sure the windows are spotless and I think that stands me in good stead when newbies come knocking. Hopefully anyway.
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I first though of window cleaning when there was this 'guess how much he earns' gameshow on one day. I think it was actually Terry Burrows. I guessed the windy was on 15k but was on 49k. That got me started then I found clean it up.
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Well, I for one would be happy to see window cleaners with licences and CRB checks.
ARE YOU MAD??
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the thing is when you get your round canvased 4 times in as many months it dose start to pi## you off .esspecialy when the toe rags can planley see that the windows frames are gleaming .fair doose if they canvase mankey windows aint got a problem with that or go and buy work and stop trying to nick other guys work >:( twats. im sick of seeing fleets of cars all 2 up crusing around . theres a guy who picks up a young scroat on the end of my road every day and ive seen canvasing part of my round but what he dosent know is that ive seen the young en comeing out of the dole office.and getting into his mates motor whith ladders still on. the question is do i stick him in the dole office
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dave f ;yes you do ;)
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the thing is when you get your round canvased 4 times in as many months it dose start to pi## you off .esspecialy when the toe rags can planley see that the windows frames are gleaming .fair doose if they canvase mankey windows aint got a problem with that or go and buy work and stop trying to nick other guys work >:( twats. im sick of seeing fleets of cars all 2 up crusing around . theres a guy who picks up a young scroat on the end of my road every day and ive seen canvasing part of my round but what he dosent know is that ive seen the young en comeing out of the dole office.and getting into his mates motor whith ladders still on. the question is do i stick him in the dole office
I would, they are stealing off the tax payer, YOU.
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Why is it everybody hates newbies? We were all one once and not very long ago for most of us.
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its not a problem wi newbies it itsthe fact that alot of poeple dont care think ho i know ill do window cleaning easy tax free income dont do any reasurch give silly quotes do it in summer then dissaper in winter never to be seen ive lost afew to this sort of thing ive had a call this week from an old custy of mine full of apoliges for there mistake for going for the cheaper opption dose mi tits in >:(
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Why is it everybody hates newbies? We were all one once and not very long ago for most of us.
I don't think they hate newbies Dave, just the cowboys. Read the whole thread mate.
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I've had several eastern European gentlemen ask me how much I charge - I make out I can't understand them. It's pretty obvious what they are after. although I've not come across any on the glass yet.
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its a cheap business to start, a lot of wc charge high prices and custy think i want some of that, happened with plumbers give it a few years something else will be the big thing to get in to
thats why i do more windows than i do plumbing
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the thing is when you get your round canvased 4 times in as many months it dose start to pi## you off .esspecialy when the toe rags can planley see that the windows frames are gleaming SO DAVE YOU HAVE NEVER KNOCK ON A DOOR OR POSTED A TICKET THEN GONE BACK AND ASK IF THEY WANT THERE WINDOWS CLEANED,KNOWNING THERE IS A WINDOW CLEANER IN THE AREA AND THE WINDOWS OF HOUSE YOU HAVE POSTED A TICKET IN ARE CLEANED?
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touched a sore point HAVE I
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PS. >:( TACKE IT YOUR ONE OF THE SUMMER BRIGADE EH
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No Dave i am am one of a few window cleaners who,s work you have canvassed in the past.My advice to you is if your customer is happy with you they will stay, if not they will jump ship ;D ;
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;D i love these threads ;D
especially stan with his and his window friends (make beleive) patch system ::)
:P
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All this is just nonsense...there is absolutely nothing you can do about someone leafleting or canvassing in an area in which you have work....and even less about losing work to that person...
As long as you can buff a bit of glass to a ok-ish level and give the frames a bit of a wipe down every couple of months or so you'll be 'ok'.
What you can do is watch your business for signs of loss and when you see it..act! so the moral is watch what you do and not so much time looking over your shoulder.
Cheers
Dave.
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i agree with dave.just concentrate on your own business and show attention to detail when their in when you clean.be friendly and honest and you should be ok.
better the devil you know in a lot of customers eyes IMO esp if your been providing a top quality service for years.
a lot of customers have been given the run around by poor cleaners in the past and will stick with you if your regular,reliable and do a good job.
regards
dazmond
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wise words DAVE AND Dazmond :)
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2 months back I took on 2 old dears, next door neighbours with a bungerlow each, average size, gave option of £10 monthly or £12 bi monthly - they went for the monthly @ £10.
There old windie stopped coming 6 months ago.
Did them the once, got paid and then they said "oh the lady next door may want a window cleaner" so knocked and she said yup add me from next month as just done them myself... happy days ! :D
A week b4 they were due got a call cancelling the clean on the first 2 bungerlows so asked why "Oh the other window cleaner has turned up so were staying loyal with him" .......................... You mean the unreliable one who let you down ?? ....................... "We felt sorry for him he had a death in family so were sticking with him - but we will keep your number in case he lets us down" .... WTF !!!!!!!! ................. told the old dear dont call me as only have reliable customers and too busy to be messed about - have a nice day madam" ;D
So ......................... wasnt sure whether to go to bungerlow 3 when it was due or just assume that Mr Unreliable had bagged that 1 as well ????? ............... went to it and knocked first to make sure and yup still wanted me to do it .............. she then went on to tell me that a bloke had knocked the area and was doing the bungerlows for £4 :o but she thought he was a benefits fiddler so stuck with me.
The other 2 old dears tried to get her to go with the new bloke but she wasnt interested as she thought I was professional looking :) .......... the other 2 even said I had done a really good job so she told them they were daft for dropping me.
Done her bungerlow and dropped it to £8 ........... if I had to make a prediction then the £4 man will be every 2 weeks and he may do a good job but come the winter think he will dissapear and wont take other 2 back on as dont let messers into my round as worked to long and hard getting rid of any messers slow payers non payers etc and let 1 in then like a pox ridden pus dripping disease it spreads.
So to answer the question No - not enough proper professional window cleaners.
and since this event happened 3 weeks back they have been replaced 6 times over ;)