Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Blackadder on June 07, 2016, 10:32:57 pm

Title: Really?
Post by: Blackadder on June 07, 2016, 10:32:57 pm
A neighbour of one of my customers came over to me last month to ask if I'd give her a price and a gutter clean inside and out, soffit/fascia, apex's and window clean on a 5 bedroom house. Usually pricing came out at About £260 all in, knocked a bit off and said I'd do the lot for £200.
Turned up today and as I drove passed, I noticed that this house looked a lot cleaner, so I knocked on the door, explained that I was following up blah blah blah, anyway, she has had the lot done, I ask if it was just price I was beaten on, yes she says, he charged £60.........£60!!
Title: Re: Really?
Post by: Smurf on June 08, 2016, 01:05:36 am
A neighbour of one of my customers came over to me last month to ask if I'd give her a price and a gutter clean inside and out, soffit/fascia, apex's and window clean on a 5 bedroom house. Usually pricing came out at About £260 all in, knocked a bit off and said I'd do the lot for £200.
Turned up today and as I drove passed, I noticed that this house looked a lot cleaner, so I knocked on the door, explained that I was following up blah blah blah, anyway, she has had the lot done, I ask if it was just price I was beaten on, yes she says, he charged £60.........£60!!

You can't win them all that's for sure and tight wads like that you don't want as a customer anyway.

Title: Re: Really?
Post by: SeanK on June 08, 2016, 08:17:32 am
All customers are tight Smurf, do you go to the most expensive shops to buy your goods ? why do you think there are areas
in the country where people cant get anywhere near the prices some can get on here ?
Put it this way its not because they work in poor areas, its the cleaners who ruin the prices not the customers.
Title: Re: Really?
Post by: JandS on June 08, 2016, 09:17:59 am
Why is the customer tight?....Because she paid £60 for something you were going to do for £200?..That's not tight that's good business sense if she got a good job done as well.
It's the cleaners that ruin prices both the cheap ones and the expensive ones.
How long would it have taken?
Title: Re: Really?
Post by: jk999 on June 08, 2016, 01:41:16 pm
I actually think some window cleaner s over price them selfs, that's a big difference £60 from £260
Title: Re: Really?
Post by: Smurf on June 08, 2016, 02:11:49 pm
If monkeys want to do jobs like that for peanut’s then more fool them I say
Title: Re: Really?
Post by: Richard Stevenson on June 08, 2016, 04:05:26 pm
By the sounds of the job I would of priced £150. £60 sounds very cheap although you can't blame the custome or the cleaner.
Title: Re: Really?
Post by: jk999 on June 08, 2016, 04:18:55 pm
I have been in game thirty some years and I started cheap but there's only a limit as to what you can go with your prices
Title: Re: Really?
Post by: Tosh on June 08, 2016, 04:32:20 pm
For some people its a race to the bottom.
Title: Re: Really?
Post by: Soupy on June 08, 2016, 05:06:00 pm
A neighbour of one of my customers came over to me last month to ask if I'd give her a price and a gutter clean inside and out, soffit/fascia, apex's and window clean on a 5 bedroom house. Usually pricing came out at About £260 all in, knocked a bit off and said I'd do the lot for £200.
Turned up today and as I drove passed, I noticed that this house looked a lot cleaner, so I knocked on the door, explained that I was following up blah blah blah, anyway, she has had the lot done, I ask if it was just price I was beaten on, yes she says, he charged £60.........£60!!

What kind of job had they done? Was it any good?
Title: Re: Really?
Post by: Smurf on June 08, 2016, 06:23:55 pm
For some people its a race to the bottom.

if you mean charging to little then I could not agree more.
Title: Re: Really?
Post by: Smudger on June 08, 2016, 10:32:57 pm
Good on that chap  ;D - while he spent most of his day grinding out £60 on that single job he left the area wide open for you to pick up several better paid jobs 👍

Darran
Title: Re: Really?
Post by: nathankaye on June 08, 2016, 10:41:04 pm
A neighbour of one of my customers came over to me last month to ask if I'd give her a price and a gutter clean inside and out, soffit/fascia, apex's and window clean on a 5 bedroom house. Usually pricing came out at About £260 all in, knocked a bit off and said I'd do the lot for £200.
Turned up today and as I drove passed, I noticed that this house looked a lot cleaner, so I knocked on the door, explained that I was following up blah blah blah, anyway, she has had the lot done, I ask if it was just price I was beaten on, yes she says, he charged £60.........£60!!

Think it was on the general cleaning side of this forum, a thread about how pikies operate. One turned up next door to where a chap was pressure washing neighbours drive and pretended to be his boss and basically said were finished earlier than expected n can fit you in with a clean. Charged them about 3 x more and the neighbour accepted. Maybe theres something in how travellors are great sales peoples. 
On  above principle could have potential for cleaning neighbours either side for your desired amount whilst smiling like a chesire cat at the chap working for peanuts  ;D
Title: Re: Really?
Post by: david mark on June 08, 2016, 10:49:47 pm
Up north thats about the going rate for work like that
Title: Re: Really?
Post by: Blackadder on June 08, 2016, 11:00:30 pm
The job he did was ok, but it took him 4 hours apparently and he said he had to come back to do the windows as he'd run out of time! She said she had a party that night and had wanted them done....sorry love, very busy today.  ;D
Title: Re: Really?
Post by: Rob clarke on June 08, 2016, 11:16:15 pm
The job he did was ok, but it took him 4 hours apparently and he said he had to come back to do the windows as he'd run out of time! She said she had a party that night and had wanted them done....sorry love, very busy today.  ;D

Classic  ;D
Title: Re: Really?
Post by: Shane sharples on June 09, 2016, 07:28:32 am
Up north thats about the going rate for work like that

Wrong! it's all in your head , say a price with confidence , don't say a price whilst your thinking they'll never pay it .
Title: Re: Really?
Post by: 8weekly on June 09, 2016, 07:35:12 am
The job he did was ok, but it took him 4 hours apparently and he said he had to come back to do the windows as he'd run out of time! She said she had a party that night and had wanted them done....sorry love, very busy today.  ;D
Love it.
Title: Re: Really?
Post by: Smurf on June 09, 2016, 02:09:56 pm
I'm betting that chap wished he never took that job on for 60 now and will not be going back to do the windows either. Bless him  ;D ;D
Title: Re: Really?
Post by: Cookie on June 09, 2016, 02:25:24 pm
I'm betting that chap wished he never took that job on for 60 now and will not be going back to do the windows either. Bless him  ;D ;D
Well I guess we've all done it at some time   :(. He won't be making that mistake again!
Title: Re: Really?
Post by: Smurf on June 09, 2016, 02:41:33 pm
I'm betting that chap wished he never took that job on for 60 now and will not be going back to do the windows either. Bless him  ;D ;D
Well I guess we've all done it at some time   :(. He won't be making that mistake again!

Very true...Taking a hit is all part of gaining experience and I should know as have made some classic pricing cockups.