Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Richard Shepherd on September 30, 2014, 06:57:15 pm
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Wimpey have just built a new estate in my area, I have been going up every week to speak to new residents.
Knocked on one today, 5 bedroomed detached, and she told me that someone had already been and knocked. No problem I said, as i was walking away she asked me how much I charge.
When I told her £18 she said the guy who picked it up was charging £6, I struggle to understand why someone is willing to clean a property like that for so little.
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Ask
Bateman Window Lickers. He does all sorts for air miles.
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I can only think that these guys feel their service is only worth that amount mate. Maybe they are also subsidized by JSA, or their wife works a good job. Who knows? One thing is usually true about these blokes, they usually have gone after a short time. I'm not too sure about business expenses and taxes in UK, but no way can that work for a legit business.
Problems like this are always there in a service that just about anyone can do. Not hard cleaning windows is it? :(
Just my opinion. ;)
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When I told her £18 she said the guy who picked it up was charging £6, I struggle to understand why someone is willing to clean a property like that for so little.
They're probably new to window cleaning, desperate for work; maybe wanting to top up their benefits with some cash-in-hand work.
They won't last long, probably one-or-two cleans, and then when the property owner goes looking for another window cleaner they'll be like "How much? My last charged £6!!!"
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Wimpey have just built a new estate in my area, I have been going up every week to speak to new residents.
Knocked on one today, 5 bedroomed detached, and she told me that someone had already been and knocked. No problem I said, as i was walking away she asked me how much I charge.
When I told her £18 she said the guy who picked it up was charging £6, I struggle to understand why someone is willing to clean a property like that for so little.
£18 for a 5 bed detached?
I struggle to understand why someone is willing to clean a property like that for so little. ;)
I avoid new housing estates like the plague... No one who lives in them has any real cash... It's all tied up in a huge mortgage and the two 18 month old BMW's parked on the drive.
Andy
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Ask Bateman Window Lickers. He does all sorts for air miles.
I hear on window-tools you do 'extras' for a bit of cash in your 'back-pocket'.
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;D
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Any one can be cheap and busy but they won't earn a lot
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Some new builds have been blinders for me where as some have been poop like mentioned! Its how quick you can get in there to build your base.
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Got a mixture of new and old. Tbh these "new man made estates" are grim!
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Wimpey have just built a new estate in my area, I have been going up every week to speak to new residents.
Knocked on one today, 5 bedroomed detached, and she told me that someone had already been and knocked. No problem I said, as i was walking away she asked me how much I charge.
When I told her £18 she said the guy who picked it up was charging £6, I struggle to understand why someone is willing to clean a property like that for so little.
£18 for a 5 bed detached?
I struggle to understand why someone is willing to clean a property like that for so little. ;)Two BMW's in the drive (custy) says to me last year I'll stop for the winter thanks. Strangely enough I had just put the price up on previous clean. New build estate with too many windy. Same everywhere.
I avoid new housing estates like the plague... No one who lives in them has any real cash... It's all tied up in a huge mortgage and the two 18 month old BMW's parked on the drive.
Andy
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Some new builds have been blinders for me where as some have been poop like mentioned! Its how quick you can get in there to build your base.
+1 I have some good work on new builds,16 houses move my van once fifty yards,prices from £15 up to £24
To get that I was virtually on the door step waiting for them to move in.
If it wasn't me someone else would have got them,..
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Some new builds have been blinders for me where as some have been poop like mentioned! Its how quick you can get in there to build your base.
+1 I have some good work on new builds,16 houses move my van once fifty yards,prices from £15 up to £24
To get that I was virtually on the door step waiting for them to move in.
If it wasn't me someone else would have got them,..
And therein lies the problem. It is only possible to be on the doorstep waiting for them if you don't have enough work and when you don't have enough work you price low.
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Some new builds have been blinders for me where as some have been poop like mentioned! Its how quick you can get in there to build your base.
+1 I have some good work on new builds,16 houses move my van once fifty yards,prices from £15 up to £24
To get that I was virtually on the door step waiting for them to move in.
If it wasn't me someone else would have got them,..
Exactly some of my best work is in new estates! Clean windows and frames, easy access, always have small windows! And you can do
A lot more a day
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my brother has moved into a 4 bed house with conny around 8 months ago.i cleaned his a few times for free but id charge him £25 every 2 months(including glass roof)if he was a paying customer.30 mins work.
he s now got a trad window cleaner who charges him £8 a month.(he doesnt touch the glass roof though). ::)roll
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Getting your prices right is one of the hardest parts of starting a window cleaning round.
Price too high and you wont get the work or keep it, price too low and you will get disillusioned and
throw the towel in.
When starting out I didn't want to undercut the local guys, not because I had any loyalty to them or window
cleaning but because I believed that I could offer a better service and that would win me the work, so why do it for less
than the going rate.
Put the feelers out and found out that the local shiners where charging anything from a pound to fifty quid for a
three bed semi.
How do you process that sort of input, its just guess work when starting out and very easy to get wrong.
You can start out a busy fool but it doesn't mean you have to stay a busy fool.
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my brother has moved into a 4 bed house with conny around 8 months ago.i cleaned his a few times for free but id charge him £25 every 2 months(including glass roof)if he was a paying customer.30 mins work.
he s now got a trad window cleaner who charges him £8 a month.(he doesnt touch the glass roof though). ::)roll
He doesnt touch the glass roof, window frames or ledges you mean? ;D
Get what you pay for dont ya
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Some new builds have been blinders for me where as some have been poop like mentioned! Its how quick you can get in there to build your base.
+1 I have some good work on new builds,16 houses move my van once fifty yards,prices from £15 up to £24
To get that I was virtually on the door step waiting for them to move in.
If it wasn't me someone else would have got them,..
And therein lies the problem. It is only possible to be on the doorstep waiting for them if you don't have enough work and when you don't have enough work you price low.
. I only door knock in the evening or weekends,when other cleaners are sitting in doors,I don't price cheap,I have a good job average.
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Wimpey have just built a new estate in my area, I have been going up every week to speak to new residents.
Knocked on one today, 5 bedroomed detached, and she told me that someone had already been and knocked. No problem I said, as i was walking away she asked me how much I charge.
When I told her £18 she said the guy who picked it up was charging £6, I struggle to understand why someone is willing to clean a property like that for so little.
LOL !! You just found out you can't compete with someone who only wants to earn maybe £60 a day ? Sort of wrecks your business model when you're hoping to do well? And wrecks it even worse if you plan on paying employees £60 a day to work for you ( not you in particular, just a general comment) !! ;D
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haven't been on here for a while , but can see your all still moaning about the same
old things .
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haven't been on here for a while , but can see your all still moaning about the same
old things .
And telling the same old porkies ;D
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The newest estate near me i dont think they can afford to pay a window cleaner or are bothered , Picked up one job and their were plenty of dirty windows leafleted twice and only one enquiry .
Had a lad ask for a quote give him the price and he tried to bargain me down NO CHANCE , He said well if you dont want the job i will just get someone else ,
I am pretty busy i said so its not a problem , Windows were minging 3 months ago when i did a leaflet drop clearly never been cleaned since they moved in .