Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: tompoole on February 04, 2012, 09:08:44 am
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back to trad on monday. :'(
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Whys that then?
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Whys that then?
cuz wfp dont work ;D
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Enjoy your ladder slipping and falling off do you?
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back to trad on monday. :'(
http://www.derryjournal.com/news/local/county-derry/derry_window_cleaner_dies_after_ladder_fall_1_3482517
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words dont do that link ^^ justice against not using a ladder, there is no argument.
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Stick to pole work safer
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Hear hear!! ;)
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if i could, use trad and stay safe would use it allthe time far better than wfp but i cant so i will use trad has an when
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we have this thread every year! yawn......
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we have this thread every year! yawn......
What he said ... +1.
It is completely unnecessary to go back to ladders IMO.
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i worked today on a ladder needs must better than losing a day and we even worked through the snow it hadent frozen just new snow all the pipes were frozen in the van
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i worked today on a ladder needs must better than losing a day and we even worked through the snow it hadent frozen just new snow all the pipes were frozen in the van
I cant even purify my water as everything is froze
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same here
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back to trad on monday. :'(
http://www.derryjournal.com/news/local/county-derry/derry_window_cleaner_dies_after_ladder_fall_1_3482517
There are quite a few this year.
Added to my website (http://sunshine-cleaning.net/Whyweavoidladders.aspx)
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if i could, use trad and stay safe would use it allthe time far better than wfp but i cant so i will use trad has an when
how can it be better? ??? ::)
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Got a nice, all ground level hotel t do in the morning ;D
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I hate these threads! I've been trad for 25 years now, fallen off at 1st floor height twice breaking both wrists. I've been contemplating changing over to wfp for a couple of years. I joined this forum to learn from others and gain confidence in wfp as I've been sceptical about it due to picking up new customers who don't like it. I've researched and asked questions , getting to the point a few times where I think 'ok, I'm doing it' only to then read these negative threads and start to think I'm going to be wasting a few thousand on something that may not be as good as is made out. Some wfp say they earn £2-300 a day and others £120 a day (which is what I do trad 9-3) and prices seem similar. Some say wfp is fantastic, brilliant cleaning result. Others say its not and they are going back to trad! Some say it's quicker on domestic (mine is all domestic £6-£25 houses apart from one care home £80) and others say its only really a lot quicker on larger commercial. Some are saying they havent been able to work coz of frozen equipment or leaving iced pavements etc yet i havent had much of a problem trad apart from a couple of windows freezing. What is a guy to do....jeez! And here was me going to take the plunge next week and spend £4k on a van and equipment but once again I'm thinking am I doing the right thing even taking into consideration the safety aspect. We need a Harry Enfield fight in this issue to sort it once and for all!
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I feel your pain man, I was the same a couple of years ago..
But I earn much more, MORE EASILY AND SAFELY, than I did when tradding for sure.
Certainly there are hassles, bringing reels in the garage and setting up the timer for the immersion heater in the tank in winter, replacing hoses and worn out fittings, spending more on insurance, learning how to clean again and how to make water (?!), and the ODD customer who doesn't like it, but despite ALL of the faffs, you get used to it and I DEFINITELY wouldn't go back to trad now..
just my two penn'orth.
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I bought a trolley system a couple of months ago, like you was really unconvinced by the whole Wfp idea.
Imo the biggest downside to it is first cleans. I find alot of the pole cleaners dont do the top edge of the frames, and they look terrible tbh, and i find i pick up work off others cleaners because of it.
Anyway, on the first clean we go round and clean everything we can tradionallly, then go round with the pole afterward to rinse all the soap ect off properly. We finding doing this garentees an excellent first clean, and spending the extra time the first time pays dividends later on.
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spend the money!all 4 grand of it!!the only window cleaners that go back to trad are people who dont give it 6 months and realise its a learning curve.your wfp cleaning technique develops through experience.some windows dont come up good with wfp but its usually contaminated water dripping from top perished rubber seals.make sure all frames are really clean and avoid some seals.its less than 5% of windows.
its FEAR thats making you hesitate.we all had it when we first took the plunge.thinking we would all lose shed loads of customers etc.
the truth is i lost around 4 customers straight away and around 10 customers in the 20 months of wfp but ive gained a lot more and add on conny roof/fascia cleans.
it works!!
i earn more thats for sure but its not as much as some window cleaners claim.its not twice as fast for example.
overall over the course of the year its considerably more as you will be at least 20% faster on any working day,youll work in weather that would see you heading off home when on the ladders and you ll be able to take on better paying jobs.
on topic i would not get the ladders out because the weather is freezing.anybody who does really must be a bit mad!!!ice and ladders? ??? ???
if i need to work and get a job done then ill use a trad pole for upper windows but its very rare.
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I've been sceptical about it due to picking up new customers who don't like it.
You will find these customers as they see you using ladders and will aproch you. When you go WFP you will get a different type of customer.
Those that say it doesn't work haven't worked out how to use it properly.
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I speak to alot of people out canvassing who say they dont like the pole, but when you actually get talking to them its because of a reason.
Usually its because they wernt done properly, or left with spots on the glass, or they didnt clean the very tops of the frames(the last one is sooooo common). Another very common one is that 'the last one was only here ten minutes and charged me fifteen quid!'.
On the other hand i am also finding that the pole is becoming more common place, and more and more customers are accepting it as the norm.
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Let me explain. I forgot to put heater in van and garage so everything
Froze on thurs fri. It's now thawed so ladders will stay on van today now.
I use wfp 99% of the time but still use trad on some .
Wfp is great and does a super job if used correctly I would Recomend
But always use the best tool for the job :-)
I should have got the trad gear and ladders on it thurs fri but wfp is so much
Easier for me I couldn't be arsed to do trad for two whole days
As I'm used to the easy life of wfp, once you've got your round cleaned a couple of
Times wfp it really is a breeze
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i agree tom.i let out a big sigh every time i have to get the ladders off the rack to open a gate or get on a flat roof!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
luckily its only a few times a week.some days they dont have to come off at all!! :D :D :D :D
its a hard life innit?? ;) ;D ;D ;D
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I am both trad and wfp, really the best of both worlds. Am slowly moving custys over to wfp and any new ones will be wfp only. I do not want to spend the money on a van and find my estate can carry the barrells and ladders etc no problem. The thing I find is that when you have a house on it own it is still faster to get the ladder of the car and clean than it would be to get the trolley out etc. With that said I would think that this would not be the case with a van mount.
I have had the wfp trolley for over 5 years which I built myself and to be honest the fault in not moving over to it 100% is really my own fault, the 1st clean nerves. The custys I have moved over have never had a problem with it.
I have had a few that have come home early and seen the wet windows and want to know if I have used the pole system that they really dont like, only for them to find that I have been using it on their house for over a year and they have never had a complaint.
1 Custy who has a big geoargian house complained when it was clothed as he could see polish marks on it when the sun was on it, I never could, but he is one of them. Anyway I changed over to the pole and a year later when he found out he contacted the glass company that he has recentley used and they sent him an email. He even sent the email to me and it highlighted that there are no probs with this system as long as the w/c is careful. He then mentioned that it was ok to carry on with it as he has not had a problem since I have been using it.
The long and short of it really is that we must bite the bullet and just go for it.
With that said I am still gowing at it slowly.