Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Central Window Cleaners on March 14, 2007, 05:00:14 pm
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I have been passed a flyer yet again by a loyal customer from Clear View of Nuneaton. They are dropping leaflets through doors under cutting everyone elses prices by a few pounds.
Why do they do it, there is plenty of work out there for everyone at prices worth working for.
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Because they are Tw#TS >:(
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its really fustrating when otherw/c's try under cutting like you say there is plenty of work for everyone
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what do the leaflets say then? That they will beat any price? that sort of thing? Or is it just a case of is their pricing structure is lower than others. Don't worry too much as if you do a good job and have loyal customers you won't lose out :)
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Hi Tony
do you know who they are?,or is it someone starting up?.Ive seen loads of dodgy looking cleaners over the last year.most of them newbies.
Wayne
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Scan a leaflet for us to see, maybe we can phone him with some work. ;D
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It happens in every line of business.
It's not very nice, but he's perfectly entitled to do so.
I wouldn't do it myself, but most companies try to beat the competitors prices, don't they?
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NOT TO THE POINT THEY CARNT MAKE A LIVING without social it better than nat mi.work out how many u do an hr multiply that by 40 makes say £400 /£500 min
at three terraced at £3.50 each, still better than nat min sorry to say , Ive had it before and lost a lot of work but they only lasted 2 months.
got rid of them the few Ive taken back on Ive read the riot act to them now Im right every time no the customer is always right.
gaza
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Jakeandmia, they are a company called Clrear View window cleaning services from Bottrill Street, not seen they yet but will be looking. They use only mobile numbers and a hotmail account for there email.
I have attached a pic of the flyer.
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Maybe he does not know what the other window cleaners charge and thinks his price's are good.
If this is the case he is not undercutting those are the price's he charges.
Im sure if he knew he could get more he would up his prices.
Paul
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Its all too easy to get annoyed but these people never last, believe me I have been around a long time. I've seen them come and I've seen them go.
The only trouble is the leaflets are getting better and it gives them an air of respectability.
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What have they done wrong?
All I can see is that they are offering to do a job at a certain price. Thats business. No-one gives us sole rights to areas. We have to earn our reputations and price reasonably for our services.
How many posts do we see here about where can I get the cheapest this or that bit of kit?
Posts boasting about high earnings although they may be true dont help either. I know of at least 4 other Wc'ers who are members here but dont post and thats just me. The leaflet says a fiver. Say 4 houses an hr and thats £20. I know many people who would be more than happy to earn that or even half of it.
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Its all too easy to get annoyed but these people never last, believe me I have been around a long time. I've seen them come and I've seen them go.
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The trouble is most of these lost punters won't go back to you to save face.
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I know and most of the customers are good customers and always pay on time but like someone else said above we all look for something cheaper even if it is not always better.
I do not claim to own any patch and work along side a number of window cleaners across Nuneaton and all surrounding areas and work with a couple to try to keep our prices at a good rate so we all gain a good living.
I refuse to under cut any local window cleaner, when I canvass I prefer to door knock and if they say they have a window cleaner I walk away. If they tell me they have an unreliable window cleaner I will more than happily quote then but always stick to my normal prices.
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easy come easy go.
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ah, thats better, got a bit of a sore neck there ;D
(http://img292.i.us/img292/3637/leafletwm6.jpg)
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What have they done wrong?
All I can see is that they are offering to do a job at a certain price. Thats business. No-one gives us sole rights to areas. We have to earn our reputations and price reasonably for our services.
How many posts do we see here about where can I get the cheapest this or that bit of kit?
Posts boasting about high earnings although they may be true dont help either. I know of at least 4 other Wc'ers who are members here but dont post and thats just me. The leaflet says a fiver. Say 4 houses an hr and thats £20. I know many people who would be more than happy to earn that or even half of it.
well said
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I cant see a prob with whats been done , they may not have intent to undercut other w/cs , they might just be cheap , that said , if they knew your price and did it on purpose then thats a bad show .
I remember when i first started out , ladders only , i was up at a window working away and a car pulled up , more ladders on the roof than you could shake a stick at , then a team of 4 got out and did leaflet drop right in front of me !
I had 17 of the 22 houses in the street and i did not lose a single one to them .
If you do a good job then dont worry , after all if they do get your work its obvious that they will put prices up to same as you within a year anyway , then you will probably get them back again , if you want them that is .
Rich P @ F
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central,
i am not far from you i am in yardley in birmingham, is there another company in birmingham that goes under the same name as you
regards
Bill
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Hi Bill,
there was a guy in worcester sometime ago, I bought the website URL from him but we are the only one registered at Company house. I have also seen a company in Scotland with the same name and there is a window fitting company in Birmingham with a very similar name.
Can I as why?
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central,
the reason i ask is we quoted on some work for beth johnson....used to be sanctuary housing and it seems that someone called central windows...or summat like that got the job...just wondered if it was you
regards
Bill
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Hi Bill,
no not us not picked up any work like that lately. Where abouts in Birmingham are you?
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we work in the sutton coldfield area mainly , but do a few jobs elsewhere in the city
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hi i,ve just started work using a reach and wash system in the burnley area how do igo about getting on any kind of contract list./ john - polarvision 07800593421
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Hi guys I had one of my pubs pull me the other week showing me a flyer from a company called Clearview (yorkshire based) saying they would do the pub in/out , clean the gutters out once per year, powerwash their drains once per year for £22.00 per clean.
I charge them £45.00 for in/out manager told them to sling their hook as they were happy.
But I did lose one last year to the same sort of thing.
The manager of the pub pulled me 3 months later asking me to go back as the company was crap and had raised the price twice in three months.
I never go back to any that drop our services we do quality,on time work and work on trust so soon as they abuse that they are gone.
Thanks Robbie - Clearshine
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I love it when my customers warn me about cheaper WCs on the hunt.
When i dont loose 1 i know my customers must be well happy with me.
I've had them £5 less, still with me.
Macc
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The trouble is its all too easy to pitch for work by undercutting. When it happens we get upset because we see somebody trying to poach our work. But the bigger problem is that for everybody the cake just got smaller.
This new outfit will get work, and plenty of it probably. That work has to come from somewhere.
Even if he doesn't take it off you he will take it off somebody. That somebody will look elsewhere for new customers and so it goes round and round.
I have said before in other posts, there are a lot of new outfits entering the business because they see an opportunity. The job situation is getting worse and people with a bit of get up and go are looking for ways to feed their family. Thats how most of us got into it.
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Bill
We do Beth Johnson work, was this contract advertised or has it just been re-newed with existing contractor, but, now managed by BJ. We have another h/a that we,ve heard through the grape vine may go, they are apparently taking over a lot of other h/a,s.
The work we do is priced really low 25p to 30p a window max, so it may have been won on price. ( A low one)
We,ve just priced up another one low to see what feed back, but i dont think we got it they are so low some of them. I went to price a primary school up last year & the company were charging £25.00 real value £75.00 to £100.00.
Gary
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gary,
thanks for the reply sanctuary housing have recently taken over beth johnson as i am sure you know, this was a sanctuary job, not sure if it was advertised but we get tenders sent to us as we are their contractors list. they seem to work at a ridiculously low price though, we know that the residents were not happy with the contractor doing the windows ( we had a chat with one or two of them that we happen to know personally) and the h/a have gone for some one even cheaper now, we priced it at what we thought was a fair price and we got beat. This is the second time we have quoted for the same job and we cut our prices significantly to try and get the work and we missed out again. i dont think i would want the work at any lower than we quoted so not sure we will even try again when its renewed in 2yrs time.
i assume you have people working for you gary, we do not yet so any jobs we price for are priced in order to pay ous wages etc i am sure it would be posibble to go lower if we ahd employees on a rate a bit less than what we want to earn.
catch 22 isnt it you want the work so that you can take someonme on but you cant gat it because you are pricing for your own rate
what area do you work in btw as £25 for any school round here is very low also, we do a few and you are talking a lot higher than that
regards
BIll