Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Chris - CBWC on January 27, 2007, 05:45:11 pm
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There's been a recent increase in customers asking me to clean their frames, mostly my new customers and probably because they've just moved in to a new house with dirty windows and frames. I used to just charge an extra £5 but it takes me ages to do so I charge an additional £10 instead on, for example a 3 bed semi in Surrey with 2 bay windows, minus 1 top due to the conservatory that I don't do anyway. For the effort and time I put in, £10 doesn't seem enough as I make sure all dirt is removed unless it's stained and won't ever shift. It comes up really well and shining, but I feel I should charge for it. Is it better to charge for the time taken instead, based on my usual £25 per hour? If I do a fantastic job, surely it's worth the money. I'm trad only, and use the applicator to get the tough stuff off, and an ordinary towel to clean it with.
Thanks
Chris
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of course you charge your normal hourly rate... ???
£10 to clean UPVC is way too low.
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If I am asked to do frames I charge the same as to clean the windows. ie 2x as much(minimum and thats wfp)
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I clean the frames on every clean. This way i can quote a fair price and will need less houses to make ends meat.
Yes the first one is always a arm wrench but after that its a simple wipe over with a damp cloth.
I have on one occasion charged extra for the first clean due to the level of dirt on the frames but that was and exception rather than the rule.
How much do you charge for a 3 bed semi, but just to do the glass then???
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£11. Two big bay windows at front (3 ladder moves) - 1 top 1 bottom, then a 2nd top window at the front. 1 top, 3 bottom at side. 1 top at back. What would others have quoted?
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£11. Two big bay windows at front (3 ladder moves) - 1 top 1 bottom, then a 2nd top window at the front. 1 top, 3 bottom at side. 1 top at back. What would others have quoted?
I have a few like this but are detached properties and i chage £15 per 4 weeks, im in Dunstable Near J11 on the M1, these houses are worth well over £300k. They take me about 30-45 minutes to do depending on how i'm feeling ;D
I personally think it makes a better "sell" to the customer saying you do the frames and sills, i have only once ever cleaned a house and done glass only, i ended up cleaning most of the frames as they looked utter crud when i had finished as there were run marks and clean bits where my scrim acidently touched the frame when detailing.
I just think if i had a window cleaner i would want the lot doing, yes the glass is nice and clear but if the frames look black it judt doesnt look right
Andy
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I always do the sills and make a point of telling the customer they are included in the quote as it's a great selling point. If they ask about frames, it'll always be an extra cost, but I make sure the frames shine. Maybe several months down the line, if they are a good customer then I'll wash some birdmuck off the frame, but I won't do it first time because there's a chance they'll cancel afterwards and I'm not doing something for nothing.
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i just clean em. It is a personal thing but I am not ready to walk away from a filthy frame just yet and claim I have cleaned the window.
I was asked to price up a conservatory clean the other day, the guy already has a window cleaner who only cleans glass. You should have seen the state of the frames. How the guy can sleep at night I will never know. Dirty lazy greedy b-word was running round my mind.
There is a fine line between making as much as you can and ripping folks off.
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I always give the sills and frames a quick wipe as it normally takes seconds. If they're absolutely minging and it takes a bit longer I tell the customer to hint that an extra fiver might be in order...some take the hint ;D...most don't >:(.
Certainly it makes the detailing better having clean frames and sills.
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There are glass cleaners and there are window cleaners.
I am proud to be a window cleaner. You pay (or charge) for what you get!
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Those of you who don't clean frames and sills are breaking the trades descriptions act
A window is the glass,the frame,the sill.
If you only clean the glass then your not a window cleaner thus not doing the job you tell people you are.
If you only clean glass then your a glass cleaner and i don't think you get customers calling asking "can i have my glass cleaned please" no they ask for their windows to be cleaned...glass,frames,and sills
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Window Cleaner or glass cleaner? :o
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Thank god for that, I was beginning to think I was the only one who felt this way.
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i give customers a choice glass only or glass and frames and price accordingly like someone has just said you get what you pay for you pay for glass cleaned you get glass cleaned you pay for glass and frames cleaned and you get glass and frames cleaned
so i guess im both a glass cleaner and a window cleaner.
gary
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thats rubbish easyclean,ive been cleaning 26 yrs and i just clean glass and sills,never had a complaint and ive built up a very good buisness.
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thats rubbish easyclean,ive been cleaning 26 yrs and i just clean glass and sills,never had a complaint and ive built up a very good buisness.
yea but i bet that is the one complaint your customers have your kidding yourself if you think they don't have any
simbo
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been cleaning 15yrs have done frames & sills every time since day 1 my customers think iam the dogs nuts,i dnt charge extra becouse after the 1st clean it dont take any longer to clean the window can clean a average window with a squege in less than 1 min inc frames & sills,most of my work is from window cleaners who dnt do frames,& becouse i do a service they dont my customers are loyal to me,
when i changed to wfp becouse id cleaned theframes every time they we easy with the pole,
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your talking rubbish to simbo,do you really think my customers would still employ me after all these years if i was doing a bad job.
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thats rubbish easyclean,ive been cleaning 26 yrs and i just clean glass and sills,never had a complaint and ive built up a very good business.
Can i please ask about your tone in your reply.When did i specifically say you didn't to the correct job.I said that i have spoken to people my own customers included and they have stated that they always thought a "window " cleaner cleaned the whole window,frames.sills include.I merely pointed out that the trades description for a window cleaner was someone who washes the complete unit.
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I've never charged for doing the frames even when i was Traditional.
After you have cleaned them once they only take seconds to do from then on.
Alot of people like the fact i do the frames and have taken alot of work from others because of this.
People have come to me because of this, telling me that their w/c won't do them even when they have offered to pay them a bit extra.
Whatever is in that whole in the wall is classed as a window to me so i clean it.
Craig
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I use WFP now so it's probably not so relevant.
However, when I did trad, I would usually quote the first clean as glass and frames to bring them up to spec - though heavily ingrained staining would not come out. I would make it cleat that subsequent cleans were for just the glass and removing any liquid that I put on the frames (e.g. sills). If they wanted a frame clean periodically (once or twice a year) the charge would be the same again as for glass+sills). Some people had frames done once a year. Most didn't bother. If there was a bit of muck on the frames that bugged me, I would usually wipe it off anyway even if they weren't paying.
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I think when people ask to have their windows cleaned they expect to have glass and maybe sills cleaned and probably dont even think about the rest of the frame.This seems to be the case with me, maybe its different elsewhere.
Very rarely someone will ask to have frame cleaned, which I will do.
And believe it or not as ive been typing this I got a call asking me could I clean their windows and would I be able to clean the frames ;D,which of course I said I would ;)
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Just got back in and picked up 3 new cleans in a street today just because i clean the frames.
Yes they already had a w/c but when asked to clean the frames they told them they don't do it, so they cancelled them.
On the answer machine was another 3 calls - 1 was a recomendation from a new job last week. They didn't expect the frames to be done but was really pleased with them.
The other 2 were also recomendations which i will be pricing tomorrow.
Again it was the frames that got them interested.
Been cleaning garage doors for a few weeks now FREE OF CHARGE. Been doing this to let the customer see the difference and just to let them know i am now offering this service.
Managed to pick up a few of them, plus had neighbours coming and asking me questions about the windows etc.
Craig
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I do the sills always, but only the frames if they actually request it, which is quite rarely, and charge an extra 3 or 4 quid.
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billygoat,
you would never clean my glass, saying that next door have a bloke like you and their windows look crap, so guess what i am doing them from now on at £4 extra just for a little wipe that takes seconds.
you do your way i'll do mine at a higher price of course
simbo
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simbo,
its everyone to their own I suppose,its always worked for me this way,and theres quite a few on here working the same way.The windows I clean dont look crap and I can safely say ive never lost a job to another w/c but ive certainly gained work of other w/c's for being to expensive. If customers asked for their frames to be cleaned I would do it,but like I said people rarely ask.
Anyway this is all a bit irrelevant now as ive been changing over to wfp during the last few months and your be pleased to know that the frames are cleaned aswell ;D
But I will be doing some trad and will still be cleaning them in my own slap happy way ;),cheers
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Ive always done window sills as standard this has got me so much more work, only started doing the frame since i started wfp
In one area where i clean there is at least 3 window cleaners they have been cleaning there for 20yrs and refuse to even wipe the sills. You can imagine they dont even touch the frames either, i have picked a lot of work up from them and they wonder why
Brett
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billgoat good luck with wf really is a great tool in the right hands, no offence meant before mate
all the best simbo
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none taken,cheers :)
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i always do the windows and frames the sametime with my wfs, i don't charge
for frames, all my cleans start from £10.00 which covers everything
stephen
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i sort of agree with samual, as i think a lot of some comercial window cleaner do just take money and run and not really bother about quality, i hope i do not go this way as always treat the same as any other job really perhaps lose some on price but never mind, thats the trouble getting a good price
simbo