Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: tonyoliver on May 09, 2007, 10:52:46 pm

Title: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: tonyoliver on May 09, 2007, 10:52:46 pm
I HAD A OLD PEOPLES HOME IN MITCHAM SURREY SINGLE STOREY..ALL HAND HIGH NO DRAMA ONCE A MONTH 250.00 BEST JOB EVER.

until the  smug wide boy  odd job man sticks his nose in to  my busness tells the manager he can do it better cheaper faster no problem...........
just give me two hours overtime at time and a half  .........
 14 pounds
oh how i could cry
any one else been done up for peanuts or isit just me who
finds a pound an loses a fiver ?
Title: Re: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: petski2 on May 09, 2007, 10:55:50 pm
Fill ya profile in Tony and ya may get more responses.
Title: Re: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: Jon T.C. on May 09, 2007, 10:57:36 pm
£250 sweet - give odd-job £14 and tell him to naff off
Title: Re: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: matt on May 09, 2007, 11:00:04 pm
Fill ya profile in Tony and ya may get more responses.

what in the original post makes you think that filling in his profile would add anything to the orig post ?? ?? ?? have i missed something here  ??? ??? ???
Title: Re: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: matt on May 09, 2007, 11:01:46 pm
i used to do a pub, 40 quid a fortnight, 1 hours work ( outside WFP and inside by hand )

i did this pub for ages, then the old retired guy who hoovers the floor every day says " I'll do it for a tenner " the rest is history, he does it every 6 weeks for 10 quid

Title: Re: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: Majestic on May 09, 2007, 11:06:33 pm
We were cleaning a property and next door came out and asked for a price to clean there house .I told her I dont do one offs only regular cleans, oh no she said I want a regular reliable window cleaner.
I gave her a price she  said ok and can you also do the frames .
The windows and frames looked like they had not been cleaned in years, so we got stuck in and did the job.
I went to get paid and the customer was well pleased with the results, paid me and said she would see me in 2 weeks.
I went home a couple of hours later and had a message on my answer machine, it was from the new customer telling me
Quote
she would phone me when she wanted them doing again
She wont see me again
Title: Re: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: M & C Window Cleaning on May 09, 2007, 11:15:00 pm
Bout 15 yrs back I had the stairwell windows to five blocks of flats side by side. £100 for 3 hrs work. Worked it for about a year then a couple who used top clean the floors took it over for their hourly rate of about £7. Tried to make me look the bad guy. Though not pleased, I thought "more fool you," in the light of the height invoved.
Title: Re: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: Dave Turley on May 10, 2007, 07:49:50 am
i quite often get that "oh i'll call you when i want them doing again", i'd say one in ten first cleans

it does my brain in. also it tends to be those whose windows were really filthy.

being as those houses take so long to do the first time, i now charge double if they're really dirty

i don't always charge double for first cleans as i'm always charging more for new work, and i don't think i'd get as much new work if i did

it doesn't pay too well when you get too many new customers in one week though

how do you guys handle this part of your work?
Title: Re: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: steve k on May 10, 2007, 08:06:17 am
Fill ya profile in Tony and ya may get more responses.

what in the original post makes you think that filling in his profile would add anything to the orig post ?? ?? ?? have i missed something here  ??? ??? ???

I`ve often thought that as well... ???
Title: Re: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: SherwoodCleaningSe on May 10, 2007, 08:20:39 am
I all ways charge a lot more for first cleans may be not double, but your less likely to get some one say not this time afterwards as they've paid a connection to services fee so to speak.

If I was undercut on a good commercial job, I would just remind the customer that our service includes public liability and that they would be taking a risk if they had a window cleaner who didn't have this.  Probably wouldn't work as most people see money but you never know.

Simon.

£7 hr for 3 story windows even 15 years back   ::) :o ::)
Title: Re: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: TDW on May 10, 2007, 08:25:10 am
Yep. Did a pub for  £80 a month until the garden said he would do it for less than half the price. He was a pool partner of the manager. It sucks.
Title: Re: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: cybersye on May 10, 2007, 08:44:22 am
How long did it take you to do Tony? just out of interest?
Simon
Title: Re: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: EasyClean on May 10, 2007, 06:11:49 pm
i quite often get that "oh i'll call you when i want them doing again", i'd say one in ten first cleans

it does my brain in. also it tends to be those whose windows were really filthy.

being as those houses take so long to do the first time, i now charge double if they're really dirty

i don't always charge double for first cleans as i'm always charging more for new work, and i don't think i'd get as much new work if i did

it doesn't pay too well when you get too many new customers in one week though

how do you guys handle this part of your work?

 ALWAYS charge double for first clean. That way if the customer isn't honourable with regular cleans at least you've covered your time so you won't be out of pocket!
Title: Re: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: Mike_G on May 10, 2007, 06:20:57 pm
Did it take you 2 and a half hours to do Tony? If it did and you charged £250 it was only a matter of time until someone took it. 
Title: Re: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: clean team on May 10, 2007, 06:40:01 pm
I HAD A OLD PEOPLES HOME IN MITCHAM SURREY SINGLE STOREY..ALL HAND HIGH NO DRAMA ONCE A MONTH 250.00 BEST JOB EVER.

until the  smug wide boy  odd job man sticks his nose in to  my busness tells the manager he can do it better cheaper faster no problem...........
just give me two hours overtime at time and a half  .........
 14 pounds
oh how i could cry
any one else been done up for peanuts or isit just me who
finds a pound an loses a fiver ?

go back round the job on a night go round the windows with a dirty scrim so when it drys it leaves a mess after a while of doing this go back and see the manager and ask if he is happy with the window cleaning. you just might get it back
Title: Re: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: simon knight on May 10, 2007, 06:45:35 pm


£250 Vs £14...mmm...tough call for the manager!
Title: Re: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: johnm on May 10, 2007, 06:52:31 pm
i was doing a pub yesterday wfp and the handy man said how much would one of these poles cost
i kept a straight face and said oh about 200  ;D it was only 40  bot not teling him just in case :-X :-X
Title: best job i ever had
Post by: tonyoliver on May 10, 2007, 08:43:47 pm
the job took a couple of hoursand had a mencap building next door 40 quid and 40 mins work. the best job i ever had was the insides of a phillips building in surrey 50 pounds half an hour ....
no point no ladder some other fool did the outsside.
 :)phillips moved lost job

i guess i could start another thread with this ,twenty years in the job and yes like us all have a pile of good bad and ugly storys to tell .
new to the forum but i feel like i know you all so well .we are not alone
Title: Re: best job i ever had
Post by: cybersye on May 10, 2007, 10:53:14 pm
the job took a couple of hoursand had a mencap building next door 40 quid and 40 mins work. the best job i ever had was the insides of a phillips building in surrey 50 pounds half an hour ....
no point no ladder some other fool did the outsside.
 :)phillips moved lost job

i guess i could start another thread with this ,twenty years in the job and yes like us all have a pile of good bad and ugly storys to tell .
new to the forum but i feel like i know you all so well .we are not alone

£290.00 in 3 hours!, thats more than a pound a minute!  :o
you must be gutted   :-[ >:( :'(
Title: Re: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: Lakes and Pennine on May 11, 2007, 12:50:11 am
We got asked to price up the local cottage hospital. the only other local window cleaner (dirty rag merchant) put in a price £20 less. So I said all right we do for same (small rural community, hospital under threat.) Me and wife did in 2 hrs first clean and they were well pleased. Ok we want it every 2 months but want you to share it with dirty rag merchant. I thought no chance. Hospital (like school) focal point in community, he cleaned old folks home, streaks and runs every where.  I thought he will benift off me and wifes good job then we will have hard time after his slap dash afaire, Folk will see me and G cleaning it then see all streaks when he does it and think its me and G. So I rang hospital and told them to give it to other window cleaner. They thought I had a problem
Title: Re: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: Mike 108 on May 11, 2007, 09:55:00 am
Dave Turley - First Cleans.

I give them two prices. I tell them what price a regular clean will be but explain that because they are extremely filthy the first clean (including frames) will be £**. I tell them they don't even have to have me back at all as long as I am being paid what I want for the first clean. I try and do first cleans on a Saturday morning so that it doesn't interfere with my other work and treat such work as a 'bonus'.
Title: Re: anyone been stiched up like him?
Post by: SherwoodCleaningSe on May 11, 2007, 03:26:47 pm
clive gina

That's shocking, I've never heard of anyone sharing a job out amongst window cleaners.  Hopefully they'll see the error of their ways and have you back at £20 more.

Simon.