Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Fast 1 * on July 22, 2006, 01:42:27 am

Title: Watch out
Post by: Fast 1 * on July 22, 2006, 01:42:27 am
there is a certain company based in maidstone,kent that are asking customers how much there window cleaners are charging,and then trying to undercut.its happened a few times to me and another window cleaner.Out of order.
Title: Re: Watch out
Post by: JM123 on July 22, 2006, 01:44:51 am
why not find out who their customers are and undercut them, I'm sure they'd soon stop once they had it happen to them.
Title: Re: Watch out
Post by: steve m on July 22, 2006, 10:06:55 am
nice idea but who wants to clean windows for 1/2 price!
Title: Re: Watch out
Post by: Trevor Knight on July 22, 2006, 10:14:34 am
I would contact them and explain whilst your happy that they canvass your areas, undercutting is NOT ON!!!

I would also speak to any customers you have lost and as a matter of courtesy ask them to check if they have insurance etc......

I had this happen to me ages ago, went up to him and sorted it out there and then. Strangely enough it stopped immediately!!

Best wishes,

Trev
Title: Re: Watch out
Post by: gaza on July 22, 2006, 03:31:44 pm
everyone on here knows what happenned to me last year lost £800 of work a month to scumbags undercutting it has set me back because they think that should be the price to start with,even though they have dissappeared as soon as they came.

 gaza
Title: Re: Watch out
Post by: dai on July 22, 2006, 03:47:22 pm
Tell your customers that there are people going round offering to do the windows at a reduced price. Tell them that they have no intention of carrying out the service  for long, they just do it to get the work and then sell the round off to someone that will charge a lot more.  They make their money by selling rounds. Dai
Title: Re: Watch out
Post by: gaza on July 22, 2006, 03:52:56 pm
DAI: EXELLENT ANSWER TO THE PROBLEM Why didnt Ithink of that Deeeeeeerrrrrrrr ;)

 ;)gaza
Title: Re: Watch out
Post by: m baker on July 22, 2006, 09:06:39 pm
hi fast one am from maidstone have lost 4 customers this week due to under cuting,what part of maidstoneare ufrom ?
Title: Re: Watch out
Post by: shammy davis jnr on July 22, 2006, 09:32:56 pm
i had this when i first started  my round was 150 pound a fortnight,i lost nearly all my customers i was on I disagree
i have a job as a part time fire fighter ,it was enough to live on just  so i said if thats the way you want to play it i went round all my customers and did them for nothing just to prove a point  they vanished rapid after two weeks
and then being one of only two window cleaners in the village stopped them the phone rang for a month solid wanting me to start back i said i can only take on loyal customers again and due to my new insurance costs  white lie i had to add a pound on my prices they all but two excepted this  and ive had them for fifteen years now and they have been canvesed a few times since but turn a blind eye once they have been bitten once they wont change you for the world
fight fire with fire thats what i say  if you have no round left you would make nothing any way   work it right up them
Title: Re: Watch out
Post by: Trevor Knight on July 23, 2006, 08:14:59 am
Hi Shammy,

I am glad you managed to win your war but you had another income to fall back on.

For most, myself included, this is my only income and so when someone deliberately undercuts you and steals work from you its a very serious problem. There is no way in the world I could clean them all for nothing!!!

Best wishes,

Trev
Title: Re: Watch out
Post by: Moderator David@stives on July 23, 2006, 10:54:32 am
I find that long established customers are usually loyal, I have had people canvas my rounds in the past even people offerering to do them cheaper, and to my knowledge i have not lost one customer to undercutting

Dave
Title: Re: Watch out
Post by: pjulk on July 23, 2006, 10:57:28 am
Hi Gerry

Is it someone just starting up or is it company that has been going a while.
Still out of order whatever way.
I hope you have not lost anything to them
So i expect they will be on my area soon if there in your area now.

Paul
Title: Re: Watch out
Post by: P®oPole™ on July 23, 2006, 11:00:59 am
I find that long established customers are usually loyal, I have had people canvas my rounds in the past even people offerering to do them cheaper, and to my knowledge i have not lost one customer to undercutting

Dave

Same ere, Ive had severall canvassers on my round all of my customers are loyal, and would never get in someone else, and I very much doubt they would ever go back to trad, my customers love wfp

one of these canvassers I know to be pds and his boys, they get around abit dont they.
Title: Re: Watch out
Post by: holland1945 on July 23, 2006, 08:46:24 pm
I lost some customers to someone doing this a few months ago ... I was new, so oculdn't really expect instant loyalty.

So, I prepared a letter saying that I didn't want to alarm people, but a couple of rogue cleaners had been canvassing in the area, quoting extremely low prices in an effort to gain access to houses they had no intention of cleaning.

I worded the letter to strongly imply that these people were interested only in criminal gain. And although some might find that a bit sneaky ... it worked a treat. Not one person who received the letter dropped-out, and I had several comments from people thanking me for alerting them to the problem.

What;s more the couple that I did lose, no longer have a window cleaner, and yours truly certainly won't be taking them back on.
Title: Re: Watch out
Post by: twt on July 24, 2006, 05:36:16 pm
if monkeys want to work for peanuts let them i could do with someone like that round here cos ive got too much work at moment cos people aren't happy with the service they get from monkeys and are prepared to pay more for a proper job so they ask me and say " can you do my windows cos ***** ***** clean my windows but they hardly ever turn up and when they do they have kids working for them and they leave the windows worse than they was before!!!!". Don't worry do a good job and these people undercutting you will actually do you a favour. these guys aren't cheap your just reassuringly expensive!!!!!