Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: dazmond on May 13, 2021, 01:06:25 pm
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large house(i need my xtreme 47 for 5 large skylights at the back of the property)down a cul de sac where i clean 4 other houses....ive cleaned their windows for years for £30 a pop 8 weekly....price notification letter posted yesterday(price up to £32)....cancelled because they say another window cleaner has offered to clean them for £25.....shes said it was a while ago but "stayed with me because id been cleaning hers for years" but now because of the £2 price rise she will have to go with him...... ::)roll ;D.....so the extra £12 a year is "too much".... ::)roll
i very much doubt he has a pole long enough to reach the skylights at the back.....
so what do you think i should do if she asks to add me to my round again in another 6 months or so? ;D
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its the first one ive lost in 2 years due to price increases...... :)
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Yes - we always leave it open for people to come back unless they are a total ar$e generally
Darran
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Don't take it personally.
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It's not £12.00 a year.
It's £84.00 a year.
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When you said you were putting them all up I did wonder m8 don’t ever think you know people,you think you know someone then you don’t I’ve learned that lesson the hard way over the years.
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If it was a job by itself with no other work next/close to it, i would drop it, and think get on with it. But as its a cul de sac and you do others in there, i would think it make more sense to take it back on if they did ask you, (unless it was a crap job) otherwise it can cause a awkward situation whilst your cleaning those around it.
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Maybe clarify whether the new guy is including the long reach rooflights in his price.
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Large house, 8 weekly, 5 large skylights, need multiple poles to clean it..... £30
It sounds way underpriced anyway tbh Daz, let it go.
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Large house, 8 weekly, 5 large skylights, need multiple poles to clean it..... £30
It sounds way underpriced anyway tbh Daz, let it go.
Exactly what I was thinking, time to bin Daz.
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If it was a job by itself with no other work next/close to it, i would drop it, and think get on with it. But as its a cul de sac and you do others in there, i would think it make more sense to take it back on if they did ask you, (unless it was a crap job) otherwise it can cause a awkward situation whilst your cleaning those around it.
Agree with this^^^^^^^^^^^^
If it was a stand alone it would be good riddance. I tend to be more lenient when it comes to compact work.
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Large house, 8 weekly, 5 large skylights, need multiple poles to clean it..... £30
It sounds way underpriced anyway tbh Daz, let it go.
It takes me 30 mins to clean Danny so its worth it with cleaning the other 4 houses down the same cu de sac but it was due a price rise....some customers would let you clean their windows for the same price forever....the thing is £30 is not worth the same as it was in 2012......
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It's not £12.00 a year.
It's £84.00 a year.
Its £12 a year increase(I clean them 6 times a year).....
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Maybe clarify whether the new guy is including the long reach rooflights in his price.
I hope he is!she wont be pleased if he doesn't clean them that's for sure.....👍😄
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Yeah I'd take her back on, if she asks you again.
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When you said you were putting them all up I did wonder m8 don’t ever think you know people,you think you know someone then you don’t I’ve learned that lesson the hard way over the years.
ive lost 1 job out of 250 price increases since march last year...its hardly a disaster..... ;D
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I've lost one over £1 increase last week ::)roll
2 windows, 1 up 1 down front only, from £7 to £8... (still underpriced), one of the 1st customers I bought and clean most fronts on that street. All new neighbours are £10 anyway :-*
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Ive lost quite a few over price increases this year.
One was a 3 bed detached, new build, asian guy with about 100k worth of cars on his driveway.
It was £10, i put it up to £11 but apparently he cant afford it and has had a leaflet through with a quote for £8 recently so will give them a call. ???
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I've lost one over £1 increase last week ::)roll
2 windows, 1 up 1 down front only, from £7 to £8... (still underpriced), one of the 1st customers I bought and clean most fronts on that street. All new neighbours are £10 anyway :-*
its weird isnt it?the customer ive just lost was the first job i got down that street too around 8 or 9 years ago....i think my price was more than fair for the work involved.....im not too cheap but im not a rip off merchant either.....shes always been a bit snobby and stand offish though....
the thing is i look on the uk inflation calculator and the job should be close to £37 now adjusting for inflation over 9 years....
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Daz, don't worry about it.
I know how you feel, you've done a good job for years and years, always been nice and polite and then this happens.
The only reason you've posted this, is because you care and you're miffed about the whole situation!
Some window cleaners wouldn't care less about it and just say stuff it.
You obviously take a pride in what you do.
Keep up the good work.
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I do three regular jobs for a small management company.
1) A block of six two storey small flats I put up from £50 to £60 after 5 years
2)A semi from £20 to £25 after 4 years
3)An old 4 storey house divided into 4 flats after 5 years from £45 to £60
1) is an easy one hour job 2) is about 25 minutes and 3) is about an hour but can be an hour and twenty when parking is difficult and I have even driven back at a different time or used a backpack as I might be too far from the back to run a 100m hose.
Now the management company has to get approval from the tenants and it's Number One that has said they are going to get other quotes - not the semi or difficult one I really put the price up on!
If they change then I shall drop the lot because in my mind number 1 is what makes me believe 3 to be worth the bother. ;D
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when ever people leave we say to them..
"if we can help in the future please give us a call, we'd be happy to have you back as a customer of ours.."
did it last night with a lady who got a quote of us for £13 and emailed me back saying she had had a more responsible quote of £6 a clean off another window cleaner so they are going with him instead and her 30 neighbours are all too.
i found that really irritating, but took a moment and thanked her for letting me know and said if we can help at all in the future to let us know.
dont get involved in their games. look after your own mood and leave it open for them to come back.
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when ever people leave we say to them..
"if we can help in the future please give us a call, we'd be happy to have you back as a customer of ours.."
did it last night with a lady who got a quote of us for £13 and emailed me back saying she had had a more responsible quote of £6 a clean off another window cleaner so they are going with him instead and her 30 neighbours are all too.
i found that really irritating, but took a moment and thanked her for letting me know and said if we can help at all in the future to let us know.
dont get involved in their games. look after your own mood and leave it open for them to come back.
Do you think the 30 are ALL likely to jump ship? That's quite a statement to speak for 30 neighbours.
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If ur smashing £300 days out everyday why would u be bothered 😂😂😂
As u would say dump and move on
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when ever people leave we say to them..
"if we can help in the future please give us a call, we'd be happy to have you back as a customer of ours.."
did it last night with a lady who got a quote of us for £13 and emailed me back saying she had had a more responsible quote of £6 a clean off another window cleaner so they are going with him instead and her 30 neighbours are all too.
i found that really irritating, but took a moment and thanked her for letting me know and said if we can help at all in the future to let us know.
dont get involved in their games. look after your own mood and leave it open for them to come back.
Do you think the 30 are ALL likely to jump ship? That's quite a statement to speak for 30 neighbours.
Sounds like the local busy body.
I lost one last weekend. Nice woman, Xmas tip, always paid on time, £15 4 weekly. I've only ever dealt with her. Last time I cleaned I noticed a bloke sitting down at the kitchen table, got no acknowledgement from him so just cracked on. Saturday I get a text saying "Hi, xxxxx has had a Karcher bought for him for his birthday and we're going to use that and save for our wedding so we won't need you anymore." I didn't even reply.
1) is saving £180 max over a year going to make a difference on the cost of a wedding?
2) is Karcher man actually going to bother cleaning the windows?
3) has he actually got a Karcher?
4) feck em it's bullsh#t
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just my opinion.
I very much doubt the other guy will be able to reach the velux windows .
if he could he would have invested a lot of money in that pole and would be experienced enough to know that he cant charge £25
he may not have even seen the velux windows when he quoted.
he may not have even quoted by visiting , it could have been a flyer with a general price list.
I think this customer will return
it is very annoying when a long term customer does this . it devalues all our hard work
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She will return when he cant do the skylights.
All new customers pay a first clean price of £ xxx then will be £32 ;D ;D
Welcome back 8) 8)
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what im miffed about is ive cleaned her windows for 9 years,never put the price up before,shes often said what a great job i do of the windows,in fact she got me 2 of her neighbours on board too and cancels over a £2 pay increase.... ::)roll......these people are wealthy not skint....and to top it off to say shes had another cheaper quote but stayed with me (as if she was doing me a favour)doesnt sit well with me.....
does she honestly think i should never put the price up?i had a customer many years ago who said if i put his price up he ll cancel....sure enough i put them up a quid(from £5 to £6)like you have to do eventually..and he cancelled and found a window cleaner who charges him a fiver...he probably still does! ;D.....he blanks me now and has done for many years(i still clean all the houses all around him)...
there are some strange people about.....
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I wouldn’t take her back on principle. It’s insulting when they don’t value your service. They either want you or they don’t. My experience is that the cheaper ones won’t do it for long as it’s under priced so they become unreliable and then stop. If they ever ask to return I either put the price up higher (say £35 for her) for my inconvenience. I take great pleasure then ;D But I also would just say forget it she’s not worth thinking about. I’m sure the rest of the price increases have more than covered the loss
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Its happens to us all, when you see her smile and greet her with respect like a true professional.
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My money is on her receiving a flyer recently with a generic price on (our area have just had a big drop with prices advertised).
Some people are just idiots though, live in an expensive area, nice big house, no doubt nice cars, possessions etc etc and then go and let some unknown onto your property to save yourself from paying an extra 25 pence per week. What an idiot.
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what im miffed about is ive cleaned her windows for 9 years,never put the price up before,shes often said what a great job i do of the windows,in fact she got me 2 of her neighbours on board too and cancels over a £2 pay increase.... ::)roll......these people are wealthy not skint....and to top it off to say shes had another cheaper quote but stayed with me (as if she was doing me a favour)doesnt sit well with me.....
does she honestly think i should never put the price up?i had a customer many years ago who said if i put his price up he ll cancel....sure enough i put them up a quid(from £5 to £6)like you have to do eventually..and he cancelled and found a window cleaner who charges him a fiver...he probably still does! ;D.....he blanks me now and has done for many years(i still clean all the houses all around him)...
there are some strange people about.....
It always hits home more when its a customer you least expected it from. I lost a customer i've had for years , always very pleasant, always tipped at Christmas, then her husband asked me for a price for cleaning their conny roof, i quoted a very reasonable £35, which prompted a blunt almost rude text from her dispensing with my services. Upon further questioning it became clear she really expected me to do it for next to nothing, clearly having no idea of what's involved (same sort of people who say "can you just wipe over the facias while your here, like its a 10 min job) and spurred on by cheapskate beermoney oddjobbers prepared to do it for sod all thus setting the bar from which everybodys prices are then judged. There's a dickhead lurking in everyone, it just takes the right trigger to set them off. As for taking her back Daz, in reality, i doubt she,'ll ever ask you. If a customer feels strong enough about something to voice their disapproval then very few will lose face and come back with their tail between their legs if it doesn't work out, more likely to find someone else when this new bloke doesn't work out. You've got thicker skin than most on here Daz, you'll have forgotten about it tomorrow :)
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I can't believe you're making such a fuss over 2 quid on a £60 per hour job! Think I'd have sacked you too, cheeky git!😄
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what im miffed about is ive cleaned her windows for 9 years,never put the price up before,shes often said what a great job i do of the windows,in fact she got me 2 of her neighbours on board too and cancels over a £2 pay increase.... ::)roll......these people are wealthy not skint....and to top it off to say shes had another cheaper quote but stayed with me (as if she was doing me a favour)doesnt sit well with me.....
does she honestly think i should never put the price up?i had a customer many years ago who said if i put his price up he ll cancel....sure enough i put them up a quid(from £5 to £6)like you have to do eventually..and he cancelled and found a window cleaner who charges him a fiver...he probably still does! ;D.....he blanks me now and has done for many years(i still clean all the houses all around him)...
there are some strange people about.....
It always hits home more when its a customer you least expected it from. I lost a customer i've had for years , always very pleasant, always tipped at Christmas, then her husband asked me for a price for cleaning their conny roof, i quoted a very reasonable £35, which prompted a blunt almost rude text from her dispensing with my services. Upon further questioning it became clear she really expected me to do it for next to nothing, clearly having no idea of what's involved (same sort of people who say "can you just wipe over the facias while your here, like its a 10 min job) and spurred on by cheapskate beermoney oddjobbers prepared to do it for sod all thus setting the bar from which everybodys prices are then judged. There's a dickhead lurking in everyone, it just takes the right trigger to set them off. As for taking her back Daz, in reality, i doubt she,'ll ever ask you. If a customer feels strong enough about something to voice their disapproval then very few will lose face and come back with their tail between their legs if it doesn't work out, more likely to find someone else when this new bloke doesn't work out. You've got thicker skin than most on here Daz, you'll have forgotten about it tomorrow :)
i agree mate....ive had other customers over the years slam their door in my face when ive gone to put their price up and they never apologise or ask me back even if their desperate to have their windows cleaned again.....the funny thing is ive got more and more of their neighbours houses on my books as the years have passed so they still see me cleaning every month/every other month........ ;D
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When she phones back and wants you to start again tell her the price has gone up as she’s a new customer it’s now £40 . We wouldn’t take her back once a customer is an ex customer that’s exactly how they stay
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What I don’t understand is how people can judge the circumstances others live their lives by.
If someone chooses to cancel on me they’ve done so for reasons only they really know. I can’t be bothered asking anymore, I know I do a fair job for the money I’m paid. I don’t feel guilty for the decent hourly wage I earn, it’s probably more than 90% of what my customers earn I imagine and they all seem pretty happy to pay. But if they choose to jump ship I don’t fret about why or question what their motive was.
If they want to come back at a later date, why wouldn’t you unless they’re notorious in not being co-operative as a customer.
Who cares?
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Those who moan about customers are probably more desperate for the work than they like to make out.
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Those who moan about customers are probably more desperate for the work than they like to make out.
That's absolutely not true in my case mate....if I was desperate for work after 28 years of trading I think I'd be doing something seriously wrong!
The last 10 years have been phenomenal for me in this game...a marked,steady increase year on year and I'm still refining....it never ends as you well know matt.... :)
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Egg em
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If you price a job for £80’and it’s done quickly with no hassle if that job never goes up that sets alarm bells ringing in itself,this bloke has been cleaning the windows for the same price for years etc that would tell me that he was well overpriced in the first place.
It may make you cringe to put some good ones up but they need to go up at some point even if it’s 2-3% every few years,putting prices up every year or even every 2 years can seem to often with some jobs.
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Egg em
Bamboo the door lock.
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If it's a yale lock toothpick pushed in and snapped off.
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If it's a yale lock toothpick pushed in and snapped off.
Anyone remember that nutter Bobbyp that used to post on here? The toothpick in the door lock was his favourite trick.
Some of his paranoid stories of how he would stalk his staff to ensure they were not moonlighting were fantastic. ;D
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What I don’t understand is how people can judge the circumstances others live their lives by.
If someone chooses to cancel on me they’ve done so for reasons only they really know. I can’t be bothered asking anymore, I know I do a fair job for the money I’m paid. I don’t feel guilty for the decent hourly wage I earn, it’s probably more than 90% of what my customers earn I imagine and they all seem pretty happy to pay. But if they choose to jump ship I don’t fret about why or question what their motive was.
If they want to come back at a later date, why wouldn’t you unless they’re notorious in not being co-operative as a customer.
Who cares?
100%.
We are just running a business, best not to take things too personally. We are all different and people will always surprise you from time to time.
Why would you not take back a job where you earn £32 for 30 minutes work?
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I'd be more cheesed off with myself if I lost a £60 per hour good customer, next to all my others, over 2 quid!😬
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Line em up and shoot em .
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Line em up and shoot em .
The lack of professionalism on this thread is mortifying. I do not condone toothpicks in locks, bamboo slivers in locks or eggs on windows.
They are pathetic attempts at revenge on good customers.
Now post mix down a drain on the other hand ...
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My personal response is that i always text/email the customer thanking them for the years of custom they provided and state that if i can be of further service to them please don't hesitate to contact me.
In this day and age people don't expect politeness and in turn we shouldn't under-appreciate a customer as they have the right to look elsewhere
Indulging in hubris may lead you to your nemesis
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My personal response is that i always text/email the customer thanking them for the years of custom they provided and state that if i can be of further service to them please don't hesitate to contact me.
In this day and age people don't expect politeness and in turn we shouldn't under-appreciate a customer as they have the right to look elsewhere
Indulging in hubris may lead you to your nemesis
I'm sure Hman could knock one up if you ask him 👍
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My personal response is that i always text/email the customer thanking them for the years of custom they provided and state that if i can be of further service to them please don't hesitate to contact me.
In this day and age people don't expect politeness and in turn we shouldn't under-appreciate a customer as they have the right to look elsewhere
Indulging in hubris may lead you to your nemesis
i thanked her for her custom over the years and wished her well.....thats it.....ive decided if she ever asks me back in 6 months time or whatever itll be £35.....
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I'd be more cheesed off with myself if I lost a £60 per hour good customer, next to all my others, over 2 quid!😬
i got asked to clean one of my childrens homes 4 weekly instead of 8 weekly the other week and its £60 each clean and takes 30 mins....so ive put one of the cleans on the same work day every other month as this little group of houses(i clean them in the morning and clean 4 childrens homes in the afternoon).....
swings and roundabouts.....i just cant lose in this game! :D
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I'd be more cheesed off with myself if I lost a £60 per hour good customer, next to all my others, over 2 quid!😬
i got asked to clean one of my childrens homes 4 weekly instead of 8 weekly the other week and its £60 each clean and takes 30 mins....so ive put one of the cleans on the same work day every other month as this little group of houses(i clean them in the morning and clean 4 childrens homes in the afternoon).....
swings and roundabouts.....i just cant lose in this game! :D
Child's play for you, Daz ;).
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I'd be more cheesed off with myself if I lost a £60 per hour good customer, next to all my others, over 2 quid!😬
i got asked to clean one of my childrens homes 4 weekly instead of 8 weekly the other week and its £60 each clean and takes 30 mins....so ive put one of the cleans on the same work day every other month as this little group of houses(i clean them in the morning and clean 4 childrens homes in the afternoon).....
swings and roundabouts.....i just cant lose in this game! :D
Didn't know you had any children Daz. Bit mean charging them that much.
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As a counter argument - how often do we think it is a good idea to have a cull of less profitable customers in favour of more profitable ones? Surely it is OK if this works both ways.
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I am currently having a 'cull'...and a price rise, across the board, is due very soon.
If a customer dumps me for an extra £2, then I will consider that they have never really appreciated my high levels of service, or quality of job, throughout the years of my faithful service.
I shall console myself with my friend Jack Daniels, which will have been paid for by all the other custys that agreed to my pay rise. ;D
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My personal response is that i always text/email the customer thanking them for the years of custom they provided and state that if i can be of further service to them please don't hesitate to contact me.
In this day and age people don't expect politeness and in turn we shouldn't under-appreciate a customer as they have the right to look elsewhere
Indulging in hubris may lead you to your nemesis
i thanked her for her custom over the years and wished her well.....thats it.....ive decided if she ever asks me back in 6 months time or whatever itll be £35.....
Dazmond, why don't you just round it off to £40 if she asks you back in 6 months, if she agrees, great, if not you've got CLOSURE. :) 8)
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Oh
My god