Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: jampot on October 30, 2007, 01:05:17 pm
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ive got all my wfp stuff ready to go but its not going well :-\ :'(
yesterday
first of all i give wfp letter to the cus and tryd explaining how it works and the response wasnt very good at all ??? :-\
they seem to just think that im just going to squirt water on the windows and thats it, also most of them replied they do not want the windows left wet ::) ::)
its not looking good so far ::)
another thing is that im getting spotting, ive cleaned my window about 3 times over the last 2 weeks and all of the windows are spotting, whats going on ???
ive rinsed and rinsed and my water is 0ppm
ive begining to think its not worth the hassle. i no that every1 will complain if the window are to this standard
help
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who told you to explain to you customers?
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well i thought thats what i should do so that they are aware of the change over ???
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Dont tell anymore of your customers about changing over to WFP. You are asking for trouble if you do ( i know others will slate me for saying this but its only my advice)
If you are getting spots after 3 cleans then you are possibly doing it wrong. Is there anyone local to you that could show you where/if you are gone wrong.
Bob
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i was think of not telling them bod.
but i didnt think that it was the right way to do it ???
just dont know what to do ??? ???
i really cant afford to loose tooooooo many cust.
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Only explain to a few. Normally the old retired ones who have nothing better to do but to examine the windows. Many wont notice the difference. They just want there windows cleaned. To those that complain ask them to give you 3 cleans and if still not happy we will discuss it again. 90% will be happy, you'll probably lose 5% and 5% will still not be convinced.
But remember you'll probably gain 20% in work and of course get it done alot quicker!!
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look at your technique, are you cleaning the frames and rinsing them aswell?
and are you rinsing on or off the glass,
never tell them if there are some that you have not told, dont tell them makes problems
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i think that i wont tell some of them then ???
just i dont want to turn up and then get all the complaints on the day
its been getting me down to be honest, all i want to is to get a good business going but with out the trouble ::)
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do you feel low about your product?
do you feel like it will do a bad job?
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i no that is not my equiptment as its are brand new, i know that im going to need selfbelefe but it just doesnt seem to be that good,
i just dont see how the cust are going to be happy, :-\ :-\
the responce that i had yesterday was 10% ok, 90% S^"t
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let me give you some advice
go and do your windows, and do them how you would normally clean a customers
don't touch the top frame, scrub do your w thing up and down the window, take the brush of rinse properly if it doesn't sheet you know you have to run the jets all the way down and across the window, when it comes to patio doors just spend more time rinsing,
have a look at the results, remember you might not get 100 even trad leaves some marks during the course of the day, just got too make sure its not too many
once you've done it right you will be fine just clean the windows, that's all there is to it,
if they sense you are doubtful do you think they will be enthused by your lack of confidence?
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i will do
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Don't prat around with a low flow rate. Turn it up a bit and use more water. If the rate is too low, it will hardly pull dirt off the window no matter how much you rinse.
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Just given me a little food for thought this thread, perhaps its the best time of year to be changing over, as a good proportion of custys may well not even notice if the windows are spotting, due to earlier dark nights and dark in the morning.
Just a little food for thought, also if you lose a few its better to lose them in the wet months as most of us get behind to a certain extent this time of year, and losing some will help to keep the round up to schedule if its wet.
matt
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ive got all my wfp stuff ready to go but its not going well :-\ :'(
yesterday
first of all i give wfp letter to the cus and tryd explaining how it works and the response wasnt very good at all ??? :-\
they seem to just think that im just going to squirt water on the windows and thats it, also most of them replied they do not want the windows left wet ::) ::)
its not looking good so far ::)
another thing is that im getting spotting, ive cleaned my window about 3 times over the last 2 weeks and all of the windows are spotting, whats going on ???
ive rinsed and rinsed and my water is 0ppm
ive begining to think its not worth the hassle. i no that every1 will complain if the window are to this standard
help
I found it a nightmare at first too. I gave up explaining it verbally as it's possible to over explain and it sounds like you're lying. What I did was to print out a BRIEF explanatory note and attached it to my bill on the previous visit (the last trad clean). Also, I made sure that I wiped all the top frames to prepare for WFP.
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Jampot
What brush & jets are you using? & have you got an adjustable neck?
tony
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pardon me for butting in..... Tony, i think you said you had flocked and mono vikans in your collection? I'm just wondering which one you prefer to use on which kind of job. I have a Vikan sill brush for conservatory cleans and like the bristles but not the weight. I normally use Bentleys but don't trust them on a first clean (and they are too rounded) any advice much appreciated.
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Stress the benefits. You have invested heavily to provide a better service. You now clean the frames as well, and the windows stay cleaner.
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pardon me for butting in..... Tony, i think you said you had flocked and mono vikans in your collection? I'm just wondering which one you prefer to use on which kind of job. I have a Vikan sill brush for conservatory cleans and like the bristles but not the weight. I normally use Bentleys but don't trust them on a first clean (and they are too rounded) any advice much appreciated.
Yes dave, they are the rectangular ones. I like them both, mono for dirty/first cleans & con' roofs & the flocked for regular cleans. I find that cleantech jet them the best for me, 2mm pencils (must request this) & they position the jets in the right place, i.e. not too close to the middle. they also put a very nice push-fit tee connector on too.
On the weight issue dave, i take all the extra-un-nessesary black plastic stock off the brushes with a 115mm angle grinder & sharp blade to final trim. just leave enough to hold the bristles in. try it, it makes a great difference.
tony
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Tony that`s true about the jetting,if there two close together it`s a nightmare the edge of the brush stays to dry for my likeing,i also jet them wider apart as i find it gives you more even speading of water on the glass.
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Tony,Soft or stiff? How do you get the right one? cheers.
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Tony that`s true about the jetting,if there two close together it`s a nightmare the edge of the brush stays to dry for my likeing,i also jet them wider apart as i find it gives you more even speading of water on the glass.
Exactly dude ;)
I once got a brush from a supplier & the jets were almost in the middle, no rinsing at the edges at all :o had to take 'em out & re-fit.
tony
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Tony,Soft or stiff? How do you get the right one? cheers.
There is only one grade in mono' but the flocked have soft, medium & i think they do a hard as well.
Gardiners & cleantech both sell the medium as standard BUT, (this is how i found out ) the one i got from wintecs is soft. There is a REAL difference too, you want the medium one dave. the soft one does have it's uses but it's not an every-day brush & is too soft for any accuracy at height.
tony
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this is a similar problem i am concerned about what to do,
i bought a residential round of 60 customers 4 weekly cleaning, the previous owner of the round used to clean with ladders and scrims traditional methods, and i have got all my wfp gear- i havent done wfp before, and i dont know whether to go straight away and clean the round with wfp, or to do the first clean by trad to make sure i do a really good clean of the frames, to reduce problems with wfp... ? should i do it well trad first? and then include a letter with my bill explaining wfp. or go ahead with wfp? i can practice on my house and see what it turns out like i guess
just dont want to lose any customers from this new method on this new round.
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explaining your method of working can only lead to problems. I got very few customers excited by it when i explained. Most were sceptical and some hated the idea.
I would recommend going back after the windows have dried and checking the results before you ask for payment. A pain in the beginning but you only need to do this until they come up good.
If there are spots then wipe with a damp cloth.
With a bit of luck, the majority of customers will be at work anyway and come home when it's dark.
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Jampot, keep experimenting on your house and you will soon start to think your way around your problems. It could be any one of a number of things, look for the easiest first. It might be because your rinsing too far off the glass and overspraying the frames especially if the top frame is dirty, could be dirt bleeding out of the seals (upvc) or scabby paint on timber frames. If your tds is zero then it's just a matter of refining your technique. Don't worry most of us struggle to start with, try and get your tips from some of the most experienced members on here (i'm not one) and you'll soon pick it up. :)
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jonrob
When I first got my system the guy who I ordered it from listened to my concernes which were the same as you guys (I didnt want to lose jobs because of WFP)
He told me to either go straight in it with the pole system or have one last clean trad and prepare the windows for WFP (wipe the frame tops and get as much poope off as poss). He told me both ways were the way forward, whichever one I chose.
As for the letter, he also told me only give letters to the customers who are home only. If you leave a letter for them to read when they get home from work, the first thing they will do is TAKE A GOOD LOOK and will pick out every little problem they find.
Of course I may be wrong but I did take this advice and have lost no work changing over to WFP.
Bob
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great, i think it will be best to do a good job by trad first as i have all the gear for that too..also using only pure water in my bucket without chemicals and then by next time it should be fine, and i should have had some practice by then. (and more money!) maybe best not to leave letters, only if the customer asks what your doing i can have wfp explanation letters to give them, it would be better than me trying to explain it!
thanks for your help
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Spot on Jon ;D
Hope it works out for you.
Bob
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turn up and say,
today i am going to give all your framework a really good clean. then a very brief ex about how the water is dionised and will dry clear when left and say you wll call back to check results. i had no probs changing over apart from milky frames which i soon got the hang of
cheers simbo
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Try and go with someone who has been using WFP for some time and is familiar with it all to show you the method used and try to learn from them and don't be afraid of making yourself look a pratt by asking plenty of questions. :)
Is there anyone on this forum who is fairly local to you who could help you out?
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Jampot, you sound despondent yourself about WFP, and that will come across in how you explain it and use it :) anyone on here close to where he is based that could take Jampot out for a day and show him good results and where he might be going wrong?
When we transferred over like shiner we just put explanatory notes with bills, indicating that this was new regulations and how it would work etc etc
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hi helen,
when im explaining it to the cust i try to show them the advantages and i show no sign of not being happy with the wfp, just they dnt seem to like it, (wet windows)
one cus said,
"you think im paying you £8 pound just to squirt some water on my window?! No way "
try to explain just dont want to know.
i havent used it on anyones windows other than mine and im not looking forward to introdcing it into my round :-\ :-\
i am absolutely dedicated to get this to work for me as i know that its the way forward with my business.
but like you said i could do with some1 showing me
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"you think im paying you £8 pound just to squirt some water on my window?! No way "
try to explain just dont want to know. but like you said i could do with some1 showing me
jampot, wait until they are dry before you go and collect the money. A picture is worth a thousand words and all that.
As far as unknowing customers are concerned, you haven't done the job until windows are dry.
When they are dry, ask for the cash. If they complain or query, show them the results.
Next time round it will be different.
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AHHHHHHH This one gets on my nerves, DO NOT explain to anymore customers about the change over, does a gardener tell his customer he has changed to a better lawn mower, does an electrician or plumber tell his customers he now does something with a different method.....NO. Just dont do it, information just leads to questions. If you dont make it look like a big deal then the customers wont bat an eyelid. Only tell them if they ask and DO NOT make it seem like a big deal. If they start to ask questions just tell them something like this "all my other customers say they love it" and make them look like the minority
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good point luke ;)
its just you get different ppl that say it must be done,
as from now i dont think that i will bother ???
just see how it goes. can wait to get a few months under my belt and hopefully i will be past the teething stage ::) i hope
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ive got all my wfp stuff ready to go but its not going well :-\ :'(
yesterday
first of all i give wfp letter to the cus and tryd explaining how it works and the response wasnt very good at all ??? :-\
they seem to just think that im just going to squirt water on the windows and thats it, also most of them replied they do not want the windows left wet ::) ::)
its not looking good so far ::)
another thing is that im getting spotting, ive cleaned my window about 3 times over the last 2 weeks and all of the windows are spotting, whats going on ???
ive rinsed and rinsed and my water is 0ppm
ive begining to think its not worth the hassle. i no that every1 will complain if the window are to this standard
help
We started wfp last week, Have not given anyone a letter, nor will this happen, the reason being: you are asking for trouble, try this it works for me, so may help you.
go to any house start cleaning, if they come out and 90% will not explain it is safe and give better results (this is not a lie it is 100% true) also while explaining tell them you are giving them a free frame clean, explain about the water etc etc and there may be a few spots on the glass this is becaue you are cleaning the frames for them and the dirty water may drop on the pure water that is left to dry, you will try your best not to get any spots but if you see a few you will now why, if you are not happy when the water drys please make sure you call me I will come back and clean them all again free of charge, it is not everyday you get something for free is it, and I have a new toy so I will clean your frames aswell.
This has been working for me, i say it nearly the same as i just wrote but think on my feet when asked. I have not had one complaint as yet, I know I may get one but over 100 houses and not one.
if you are getting spotting with 000 water it is coming off the frame it has to be (do not touch the brickwork with bristles on brush this will cause spotting), i cleaned one the other day and it looked like i was washing the window with milk, thats noted for next time, i will not be touching the frame at all just the glass.
Hope this helps, oh by the way watch where you step as i nearly when a== over elbow yesterday (stone ball) on the floor.
if you want to have a chat give me a call on 07788 732 789, I am about as new to wfp as you can get, and i am a very fast learner, i try everything to see what works and what doesnt.
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AHHHHHHH This one gets on my nerves, DO NOT explain to anymore customers about the change over, does a gardener tell his customer he has changed to a better lawn mower, does an electrician or plumber tell his customers he now does something with a different method.....NO. Just dont do it, information just leads to questions. If you dont make it look like a big deal then the customers wont bat an eyelid. Only tell them if they ask and DO NOT make it seem like a big deal. If they start to ask questions just tell them something like this "all my other customers say they love it" and make them look like the minority
Well, it had to come one day & it's today :D
Couldn't have put it better myself young jedi, well said ;)
tony
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Tony wan kenobi, am I a proper Jedi now!!!!
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Tony wan kenobi, am I a proper Jedi now!!!!
do you have a light on your pole ??
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Tony wan kenobi, am I a proper Jedi now!!!!
Yes young luke, do you feel the force ;D
tony