Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: capn sparkle on April 11, 2014, 09:36:19 pm

Title: Curious about this custie!
Post by: capn sparkle on April 11, 2014, 09:36:19 pm
Your thoughts guys!

July 2013 - Lady comes over asks for a quote, opposite 4 others I'm cleaning trad - likes the fact that I clean 'em properly (frames n all) sez a washy pole guy charges her £12 a month but not happy 'cos he does a rubbish job. (not rinsing properly on a new build site)

Don't shoot me yet!!

I clean on a 7 week cycle, real fussy - perfect is just about good enough and said it's £20 hun gonna take me ages to clean Trad, new build fake Georgian w's. Luckily his 12 x £12 = £144, mine 7 x £20 = £140 so roughly equal on the maths but much better job. (He's giving poleing a bad  name).

As some of you might know, I've 'up-graded' to a wfp system 'cos it quicker and I can do a better job - so dropped the price to £18 per clean, voluntarily.. Now she's whingeing that I do her house so much quicker now I should reduce my price again!

I've said NO!!!!

What do you guys think??





Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: CleanClear on April 11, 2014, 09:41:08 pm
Tell her you'll happily reduce her price because its quicker, just as soon as you've recouped your outlay for the equiptment to be able to do it quicker?
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: andyM on April 11, 2014, 09:43:52 pm
Egg her windows and if she still moans stick a slither of bamboo in her door lock.  ;)
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: Clever Forum Name on April 11, 2014, 09:44:12 pm
Do you need the money or job?

Yes - Lower it.

No - Don't lower it.

Today i have taken 6 houses from one competitor, i know exactly why he is getting issues but i aint telling him lol. It's not an obvious mistake either.

I can see the customers POF

Why would she pay £18 when she was paying £12? She was paying £20 coz you were doing them trad ;)
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: CLEANCARE WC on April 11, 2014, 09:44:32 pm
Ask her has she seen the price of de-ionised water? explain that you use between 7-10 litres to clean her windows then ask if she still feels its exspensive?

I always referr to it as De-ionised water as most people know its about £1.50 a litre.

Just one of my Jedi mind tricks.
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: capn sparkle on April 11, 2014, 09:44:46 pm
At the moment I sacked her (mentally) unless someone comes up with an argument which might make me reconsider
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: bobplum on April 11, 2014, 09:47:22 pm
WHO RUNS YOUR BUSINESS ???
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: CLEANCARE WC on April 11, 2014, 09:48:05 pm
Do you need the money or job?

Yes - Lower it.

No - Don't lower it.

Today i have taken 6 houses from one competitor, i know exactly why he is getting issues but i aint telling him lol. It's not an obvious mistake either.

I can see the customers POF

Why would she pay £18 when she was paying £12? She was paying £20 coz you were doing them trad ;)

actually he has a point, but you are at least cleaning them properly so maybe £15 is a fair compromise  ;D
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: capn sparkle on April 11, 2014, 09:56:39 pm
Egg her windows and if she still moans stick a slither of bamboo in her door lock.  ;)



Amount of times you've said that - no omlettes n skinny pandas
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: capn sparkle on April 11, 2014, 09:59:01 pm
Thanks for the replys guys - I'll sleep on it
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: Clever Forum Name on April 11, 2014, 10:04:24 pm
£20? And sleep on her?
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: Perfect Windows on April 11, 2014, 10:06:07 pm
Dump and replace with three.
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: CLEANCARE WC on April 11, 2014, 10:10:03 pm
replace with three while having a dump
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: PoleKing on April 11, 2014, 10:22:47 pm
Just say no, I can't lower it any further.
No ag. No agenda. Be firm but polite.
If she dumps you, ho hum.
Might as well carry on cleaning hers while you're in the area.
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: Clever Forum Name on April 11, 2014, 10:23:44 pm
Dump on her three times.
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: Don Kee on April 11, 2014, 10:29:13 pm
Ask her if when they get really dirty therefore taking longer, can you charge her more..?

Then just explain that the price you set is for maintainence cleaning and so whether they take you 20 mins, or 45 mins depending on the cleansiness the price will never differ...
She's paying for clean windows not your time....
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: deeege on April 11, 2014, 10:30:46 pm
Your thoughts guys!

July 2013 - Lady comes over asks for a quote, opposite 4 others I'm cleaning trad - likes the fact that I clean 'em properly (frames n all) sez a washy pole guy charges her £12 a month but not happy 'cos he does a rubbish job. (not rinsing properly on a new build site)

Don't shoot me yet!!

I clean on a 7 week cycle, real fussy - perfect is just about good enough and said it's £20 hun gonna take me ages to clean Trad, new build fake Georgian w's. Luckily his 12 x £12 = £144, mine 7 x £20 = £140 so roughly equal on the maths but much better job. (He's giving poleing a bad  name).

As some of you might know, I've 'up-graded' to a wfp system 'cos it quicker and I can do a better job - so dropped the price to £18 per clean, voluntarily.. Now she's whingeing that I do her house so much quicker now I should reduce my price again!

I've said NO!!!!

What do you guys think??



Id have sacked you right there. It's never acceptable for a fella to use the word "Hun".
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: G Griffin on April 11, 2014, 10:43:02 pm
If she whinged, so what? Let her.
If she wants a price reduction, then say 'no'. If she's happy with the job and the price it doesn't matter how long it takes. That's nowt to do with her.
And deeege is right. Hun, no.
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: Window Lickers on April 11, 2014, 10:50:42 pm
Dump on her driveway. And replace with five.
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: R W C™ on April 11, 2014, 11:17:01 pm
If you lower her price then expect to have to reduce the other 4 you do in the road, if she's a nice person then maybe do something extra I.e if she got downstairs doors that open out offer to pole them on the days she's in, people feel special if they feel they are getting something others aren't, 90% of my customers have the impression that there my favourite
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: H20cleaning on April 11, 2014, 11:22:51 pm
Ask her if her boss lowers her wage when shes gets better at her job?  ;D
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: Soupy on April 12, 2014, 06:57:37 am
You are NOT a market trader. Don't haggle - not on a £20 house.

She is not paying more for you to do them with a squeegee. She is paying more for you to do them right. Tell her that her windows will be perfect every time - no different to before. Why should your price be different?
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: dave f on April 12, 2014, 07:09:02 am
i got the bullet cos i was too quick it used to take me a good 40mins to do this house trad. it had masive windows like shop fronts.any way this guy was of work this day and wached me clean,now wfp . and said how long it took me befour etc.and is no longer prepaiard to pay me the same amount .i pointed out that the frames were getting cleaned foc.he was having none of it.so i said thanks for your custom .you will have to find your self another window cleaner.his wife rang later that week .asked if i would return.i said sorry your place as already been filled.ho and replaced with 2 on that street.she sees me now and then but has not aproched me to see if will re start. no chance ;D
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: AuRavelling79 on April 12, 2014, 09:06:17 am
You are NOT a market trader. Don't haggle - not on a £20 house.

She is not paying more for you to do them with a squeegee. She is paying more for you to do them right. Tell her that her windows will be perfect every time - no different to before. Why should your price be different?

What the Soup dragon says I agree with!
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: AuRavelling79 on April 12, 2014, 09:06:43 am
i got the bullet cos i was too quick it used to take me a good 40mins to do this house trad. it had masive windows like shop fronts.any way this guy was of work this day and wached me clean,now wfp . and said how long it took me befour etc.and is no longer prepaiard to pay me the same amount .i pointed out that the frames were getting cleaned foc.he was having none of it.so i said thanks for your custom .you will have to find your self another window cleaner.his wife rang later that week .asked if i would return.i said sorry your place as already been filled.ho and replaced with 2 on that street.she sees me now and then but has not aproched me to see if will re start. no chance ;D

Spot on!
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: G Griffin on April 12, 2014, 09:50:31 am
If you lower her price then expect to have to reduce the other 4 you do in the road, if she's a nice person then maybe do something extra I.e if she got downstairs doors that open out offer to pole them on the days she's in, people feel special if they feel they are getting something others aren't, 90% of my customers have the impression that there my favourite
He calls her 'hun'. What else does she want?
He's risking all his credibility (it's already gone, for me) on this job already. This is what would happen if Richard Madeley cleaned windows.
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: dannymack on April 12, 2014, 10:01:26 am
I think you should lower the price to £15. She paid you extra as you were doing trad which does take longer. The other fella was charging £12 but did a rubbish job, so an extra £3 as now your doing it by wfp and hopefully doing a better job 👍
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: Soupy on April 12, 2014, 12:56:41 pm
Quote from: dannymack
I think you should lower the price to £15. She paid you extra as you were doing trad which does take longer. The other fella was charging £12 but did a rubbish job, so an extra £3 as now your doing it by wfp and hopefully doing a better job 👍

Although a labour intensive industry time is not the only factor to consider when pricing a job. The direct cost in cleaning a window trad is lower than WFP. Additional running costs like more for fuel equipment etc - therefore the pricing structure should be different.
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: lee_dewing on April 12, 2014, 03:39:42 pm
Tbh even if you dropped your price mate she will dump you for the next
Trad windie that comes along saying that the washy pole man does a crap job.

As she did to you with previous windie

Some people are never happy, she probably wants to see someone risk life and limb
To clean her windows which her or husband won't.

I remember one old fella cleaned his windows trad for 5 years swapped to wfp and dropped me within 6 months saying I could carry on with the ladders but not wfp
When I pointed out his windows looked great with wfp he told me that the water
From wfp was blocking his drains up ;D

There's a good reason why some people just can't find a good reliable windie and that is because
They are Nathan hunts (not Tom Cruise mission impossible)
This message will self destruct in 10 seconds :D
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: SherwoodCleaningSe on April 12, 2014, 03:58:46 pm
She's a shark and when you lowered your price she smelt blood.  Now she's going in for the kill.  In future don't lower the price.

Simon.
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: Paul Coleman on April 12, 2014, 06:01:13 pm
Your thoughts guys!

July 2013 - Lady comes over asks for a quote, opposite 4 others I'm cleaning trad - likes the fact that I clean 'em properly (frames n all) sez a washy pole guy charges her £12 a month but not happy 'cos he does a rubbish job. (not rinsing properly on a new build site)

Don't shoot me yet!!

I clean on a 7 week cycle, real fussy - perfect is just about good enough and said it's £20 hun gonna take me ages to clean Trad, new build fake Georgian w's. Luckily his 12 x £12 = £144, mine 7 x £20 = £140 so roughly equal on the maths but much better job. (He's giving poleing a bad  name).

As some of you might know, I've 'up-graded' to a wfp system 'cos it quicker and I can do a better job - so dropped the price to £18 per clean, voluntarily.. Now she's whingeing that I do her house so much quicker now I should reduce my price again!

I've said NO!!!!

What do you guys think??


You could (a) tell her to go take a hike or (b) tell her that your wages are turnover minus expenditure and that expenditure is much higher with the new tools so you need to go faster to earn the same or (c) tell her to mind her own beeping business.
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: capn sparkle on April 12, 2014, 06:12:47 pm
Thanks guys for all the replies - general consensus appears to be DUMP and I shall be taking your advice.
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: Spruce on April 12, 2014, 09:40:54 pm
Ask her if her boss lowers her wage when shes gets better at her job?  ;D

good one  ;D
Title: Re: Curious about this custie!
Post by: Matt. on April 13, 2014, 05:14:46 pm
So what if your quicker on the job. You work on a price, that's the end of it. Tell her from April it will be £22 😄😄 see how funny she is then. No one wants to lose customers even if it's a fiver but.....Tell her to go foooooooooooookkkkk off in the nicest possible way.
Also ask her what she does for a living and recommend an Eastern European that could do it cheaper.
Also ask her where she buys her shopping from an suggest she goes somewhere cheaper to accommodate for the increase in window cleaning cost

Let us know how u get on