Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Rob@Blast off on September 23, 2014, 08:03:32 pm

Title: To many window cleaners?
Post by: Rob@Blast off on September 23, 2014, 08:03:32 pm
Years ago there was only a handful of shiners about but all of a sudden my local area seems to be flooded with so called window cleaners and just the past two days i have seen everything from big firms, one van bands, a guy with just a bucket, young lad who looked as if his mum was driving him around and my favorite the guy with a wfp on a moped!
I go on one of these Facebook buy and sell pages and if one person asks if anybody knows a window cleaner ten people reply fighting over a £10 job.
Is it just the time of year as the weather has been good or is this how it is now?
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: SB Cleaning on September 23, 2014, 08:21:42 pm
Saturated with newbies at the moment...
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: slap bash on September 23, 2014, 08:32:14 pm
If windies stopped offering free advice to all the upstarts, there would not be a problem. I for one have stopped informing the blind on here.Then with all the crap advice I have read in the last few days it cannot be a threat to anyone.
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: dazmond on September 23, 2014, 08:39:53 pm
lots of windows out there mate.you cant clean them all yourself!! :) :)
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: Window Lickers on September 23, 2014, 08:42:48 pm
If windies stopped offering free advice to all the upstarts, there would not be a problem. I for one have stopped informing the blind on here.Then with all the crap advice I have read in the last few days it cannot be a threat to anyone.

For a first post thats a remarkably blinkered and ignorant thing to say. You've commited the cardinal sin on an internet forum of making an entry only a really stupid person would be able to pull off.


Do you think this forum influences the nations window cleaners to the degree you are implying? In my humble opinion this forum probably resaches about 5% of the nations shiners, that leaves 95% who dont are not privy to the free advise you refer to.

You can sleep easy having made the decision to not continue informing the blind on here anymore - they will undoubtedly be better educated as a result.
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: Window Lickers on September 23, 2014, 08:46:49 pm
If windies stopped offering free advice to all the upstarts, there would not be a problem. I for one have stopped informing the blind on here.Then with all the crap advice I have read in the last few days it cannot be a threat to anyone.


I reckon The Window Wizard has returned. One post and he's sussed.
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: C o z y on September 23, 2014, 08:48:27 pm
If windies stopped offering free advice to all the upstarts, there would not be a problem. I for one have stopped informing the blind on here.Then with all the crap advice I have read in the last few days it cannot be a threat to anyone.

For a first post thats a remarkably blinkered and ignorant thing to say. You've commited the cardinal sin on an internet forum of making an entry only a really stupid person would be able to pull off.


Do you think this forum influences the nations window cleaners to the degree you are implying? In my humble opinion this forum probably resaches about 5% of the nations shiners, that leaves 95% who dont have free advice from this particular place.

You can sleep easy having made the decision to not continue informing the blind on here anymore - they will undoubtedly be better educated as a result.

Yep, what he said ^^, amazing that some guys think CIU represents over 90% of windies!! There must be over 100,000 windies out there, and only a couple of hundred post on here or are online on any one day.  ::)roll

If you're busy and have enough work, you'll find that the amount of other windies sharinmg the same planet as yourself, won't be an issue. If you feel threatened, put more customers into your business. Every one new custy you get, is one more that all those other windies can't get.

Jeeez, every few weeks, the same old moan. ::)roll
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: supernova77 on September 23, 2014, 08:51:40 pm
It is harder to pick up new work these days compared to when I first started 8.5 years ago.

You just need to be more savvy about it now a days, and adapt.

Andy  ;)
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: Jonny 87 on September 23, 2014, 09:46:26 pm
So many new window cleaners round my way.

And yet this year I have picked up more customers than ever previously.

Bring it on. :)
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: Rob@Blast off on September 23, 2014, 10:03:22 pm
I'm finding it hard to build up enough customers at the minute but hopefully the first bit of bad weather will have them heading for the job centre.
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: C o z y on September 23, 2014, 10:47:15 pm
Are you saying that your business is dependent on the summer guys deciding to go back on living off their benefits?
After all your time building it, it's still dependent on what some part timers do?
Just want to be sure I've understood this.
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: Window Lickers on September 23, 2014, 10:56:26 pm
Just want to be sure I've understood this.

  ;D

Oh come on, that's not like you.

Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: Ian Lancaster on September 23, 2014, 11:23:30 pm
You're all right!! Far too many 'johnny-come-lately' upstarts in this business.  I reckon only those of us with a bit of seniority ought to be allowed to operate......



........so:

Everyone who's started up more recently than 40 years ago should do the decent thing and...........



GET OFF MY PATCH
;D
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: dave0123 on September 24, 2014, 12:00:00 am
I know a few people who started because they searched online window cleaning they can make £50 per hour and stuff like that.. lets be honest there are posts on here weekly stating people earn that  ::)roll
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: Rob@Blast off on September 24, 2014, 12:19:59 am
No i'm building a round from scratch as i had a brain fart and sold up  ::)roll
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: Mike #1 on September 24, 2014, 06:49:21 am
A good hard winter will kill them off , I am not picking up as much work this year but i have a decent round which always needs refining .

If anyone tries hard enough its not impossible to gain custys , But some custys  are price driven now and for the sake of a quid will jump ship . Mike
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: mufcglen on September 24, 2014, 08:13:29 am
2nd year for me and I'm literally beating them off with a stick, don't canvass or knock doors either!
My area all around stockport is littered with windies too and the main thing I get when people ask if I'll clean they're windows is that the old one wasn't doing a good job and to be honest half the time judging by the windows they are right and I tend to be more expensive so I'm certainly not undercutting anyone or myself!
Anouther windie said something to me a while ago that sort of stuck" there's more windows than window cleaners" and with that it doesn't bother me who starts a round up near me etc who am I to judge them, good luck that's what I say as I was there once just like every single one of us,as long as somones friendly with me I'll be friendly back I always let into fellow windies even if I don't know them, the guys who I find that are funny are the ones that tend to walk around with a pound shop bucket and squeegee and a set of old wooden ladders that have woodworm and basically just doing it for beer tokens rather than running it as a business!!!
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: C o z y on September 24, 2014, 08:48:29 am
Well said that man  ;)
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: SeanK on September 24, 2014, 09:27:58 am
I know a few people who started because they searched online window cleaning they can make £50 per hour and stuff like that.. lets be honest there are posts on here weekly stating people earn that  ::)roll

To be honest Dave anybody starting up because believe that sort of post wont have what it takes to stay the distance
anyway.
Most people go into window cleaning because it a cheap way to earn a few quid if you find yourself unemployed, some will
like it and go the distance others will do it until they find employment elsewhere.
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: Soupy on September 24, 2014, 11:46:39 am
I'm literally beating them off with a stick,

Really? Literally? With a stick?

Sheesh.
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: pdale on September 24, 2014, 12:46:29 pm
There are definitely more than there were years ago, but at this time of year (late summer/early Autumn) every man and his dog has built up some sort of a round. After a couple of months of cold weather there will be a drop again.
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: Perfect Windows on September 24, 2014, 05:36:34 pm
I think it's worse than ever before and I strongly advise anyone reading this and thinking about starting out in Southampton not to do it.  There's no work here.  Oh no.  Move along now.

Vin
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: C o z y on September 24, 2014, 06:26:23 pm
 ;D
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: dazmond on September 24, 2014, 08:25:10 pm
I know a few people who started because they searched online window cleaning they can make £50 per hour and stuff like that.. lets be honest there are posts on here weekly stating people earn that  ::)roll

some of us do earn £50 an hour and more on some work! :) :)

BUT most window cleaners wont!esp if their a newbie!so they get dejected and eventually give up!! :D :D
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: dave0123 on September 24, 2014, 10:52:44 pm
Quote
ome of us do earn £50 an hour and more on some work! Smiley Smiley

exactly some work! .. but they see what written down and see pound signs! who would blame them i suppose when people say there earning these amounts day in day out lol.
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: SeanK on September 24, 2014, 11:38:07 pm
I have been offered more wfp equipment than I could use in a hundred years by guys who have started up and
then quit when they realised its not all its cracked up to be.
I mean if you where to believe some of the posts on here all you need to do is canvass for two months and get
300 monthly customers all happy to pay you £30 for 10mins work.
You know the type I mean they are perfectly happy to hand their bank details over to any stranger on their doorstep
and sign a 100 page contract without reading it.
They are just that happy to find a window cleaner who will clean their windows that they will bend over back ways
just to keep him/her happy.......
Sorry boss I need to leave work as I have forgotten to leave my gate unlocked for my window cleaner if I don't rush
home and unlock it he might dump me and my life will be in tatters.
Then we have the guys who clean south of London that make more money than professional footballers.
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: C o z y on September 25, 2014, 06:53:48 am
 ;D
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: Ian101 on September 25, 2014, 08:14:59 am
I have been offered more wfp equipment than I could use in a hundred years by guys who have started up and
then quit when they realised its not all its cracked up to be.
I mean if you where to believe some of the posts on here all you need to do is canvass for two months and get
300 monthly customers all happy to pay you £30 for 10mins work.
You know the type I mean they are perfectly happy to hand their bank details over to any stranger on their doorstep
and sign a 100 page contract without reading it.
They are just that happy to find a window cleaner who will clean their windows that they will bend over back ways
just to keep him/her happy.......
Sorry boss I need to leave work as I have forgotten to leave my gate unlocked for my window cleaner if I don't rush
home and unlock it he might dump me and my life will be in tatters.
Then we have the guys who clean south of London that make more money than professional footballers.


pmsl  ;D

I feel inadequate when I don't turnover 3 zillion quid a day like some on here
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: J.D on September 25, 2014, 08:50:56 am
You chaps are all under threat from the newbies because your unprofessional, bitchy, argumentive & your all full of self importance!

However I'm not under threat from these upstarts as I'm the best on the block & offer my customers a much superior service. I'm great I am, I'm the best of the best. 8)

Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: Richard Stevenson on September 25, 2014, 01:23:16 pm
There has been a rush to window cleaning since the water-fed pole, it's easy compared to ladders, simple as that
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: C o z y on September 25, 2014, 05:09:23 pm
There has been a rush to window cleaning since the water-fed pole, it's easy compared to ladders, simple as that

Yep, could be right there.

@ J D Well yes, we all know that.  ;)
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: J.D on September 25, 2014, 06:59:17 pm
I'm glad you agree cozy.  ;D
Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: Scrimble on September 25, 2014, 08:22:53 pm
I have been offered more wfp equipment than I could use in a hundred years by guys who have started up and
then quit when they realised its not all its cracked up to be.
I mean if you where to believe some of the posts on here all you need to do is canvass for two months and get
300 monthly customers all happy to pay you £30 for 10mins work.
You know the type I mean they are perfectly happy to hand their bank details over to any stranger on their doorstep
and sign a 100 page contract without reading it.
They are just that happy to find a window cleaner who will clean their windows that they will bend over back ways
just to keep him/her happy.......
Sorry boss I need to leave work as I have forgotten to leave my gate unlocked for my window cleaner if I don't rush
home and unlock it he might dump me and my life will be in tatters.
Then we have the guys who clean south of London that make more money than professional footballers.

reminds me of a guy who used to post on here and made out he had a massive business with multiple vans but someone caught him out turned  out he had a tatty old escort van and lived at home with his mum still

Title: Re: To many window cleaners?
Post by: C o z y on September 25, 2014, 09:03:08 pm
Funny really. Bateman still posts on here though.  ::)roll