Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Highrise on May 15, 2008, 10:00:29 am
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I have to say this has got to be the oldest window cleaner I have ever seen, and to prove how old he really is....
He is wearing a white vest :o.....
I asked him how much do you charge mate?
He said £3.50 for the fronts and £ 6 the whole house...
I thought their and then, I hope you fall off your ladder...
This is what makes me so angry, Old boys going round cleaning windows for a little bit of beer money...
Is this the summer lot again?
(http://)
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and working in his slippers ;D
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Please don't tell me he's using a single cloth to clean the windows (bad enough) and with the same one clean the sill? No water? Haha
Slippers for the win.
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On Monday we saw a guy just like this old boy, does fronts for about the same price, only had a ladder, bucket & a black looking piece of scrim. Bruv had a chat with him, looked in his bucket.... it was black water....
He was working for beer money as well..... goes by the name of Ted.... been doing it for beer money for years... and he is 66yrs old..... what gets me is why do people use them, they must make the windows worse not better surely..... familiarity breeds contempt I suppose :D
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the old boys are the worst! always stupidly underpriced
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that guy ain't working, he is cleaning his own windows!
who would go to work in thier slippers?!?
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that guy ain't working, he is cleaning his own windows!
who would go to work in thier slippers?!?
thats what i thought?
if he is working like that his feet must kill standing on those rungs all day you can allready see the fe feet curving which causes cramp in the end
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kind of along the same lines.....
was speaking to lady who lives across the road from my house yesterday. she saw me in my uniform and was asking me how much to clean her windows.
now, its a mid terrace, two main windows and little pane above door and a small half circle window in door. so i said, it would be £4. What! she said, old fella comes and cleans them 2 weekly for £1.25!!!!
why? what is the point!!!
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I quoted a lady for a bungalow. 8 windows + small conservatory sills and frames. £15.
She declined my quote. Asked what her window cleaner charged thinking it would be cheeper.
He is charging £25 and just does the glass!!
The window cleaner is an old boy as well.
I got the job for the conservatory roof though.
Hopefully when she sees my work she might think again.
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I have to say this has got to be the oldest window cleaner I have ever seen, and to prove how old he really is....
He is wearing a white vest :o.....
I asked him how much do you charge mate?
He said £3.50 for the fronts and £ 6 the whole house...
I thought their and then, I hope you fall off your ladder...
This is what makes me so angry, Old boys going round cleaning windows for a little bit of beer money...
Is this the summer lot again?
(http://)
So because this guy is older than you and charges less than you, you hoped he would fall off his ladder, this is exactly why i, and indeed most of the older members dont bother to reply any more,this forum seems to have taken on some compleat and utter idiots.
How do you know he is working for beer money,He may have been a window cleaner for many years and now he is older he may be semi retired and only does a small round to keep his income up,if so good on him. i am now doing the same thing,now im coming up to 50 and have my ici pension i only need to do a small amount of work,but how much work i do, or how much or how little i charge is none of your business,and the same goes for this guy.
As long as he is looking after his customers and not poaching yours how about keeping your nose out >:(
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Ian_Giles is getting to be an old boy and he charges some pretty good prices.
;D
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Ian_Giles is getting to be an old boy and he charges some pretty good prices.
;D
He still has got his teeth, so you might get a bite ;D
I think if the state paid a damed good pension, many old blokes would not have to work.
Roy
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Here's an old boy, retired and on a pension. Now, it's a nice sunny day. He has 2 choices. Stop indoors with the missus and get nagged or get the ladders out the garage an earn a few £ in the sunshine (and get a bit of exercise in the process!)
This man is not competition! Chances are the people who he cleans for just wouldn't have them done unless it was gonna be for £3.50 or £6.
Let him get on with it and good luck to him...if it wasn't for him we'd be speaking German!
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I have to say this has got to be the oldest window cleaner I have ever seen, and to prove how old he really is....
He is wearing a white vest :o.....
I asked him how much do you charge mate?
He said £3.50 for the fronts and £ 6 the whole house...
I thought their and then, I hope you fall off your ladder...
This is what makes me so angry, Old boys going round cleaning windows for a little bit of beer money...
Is this the summer lot again?
(http://)
He's winding you up thats his own house i bet, or he's a nutter!! lol
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Ian_Giles is getting to be an old boy and he charges some pretty good prices.
;D
He still has got his teeth, so you might get a bite ;D
I think if the state paid a damed good pension, many old blokes would not have to work.
Thats a good point, hes an old boy, no threat to competiton and its a free country if he wants to break his neck then good luck to him!!
i pay my father-in-law to look after my kids because the state pension is so low!!!
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All the time he is working, it keeps him out of trouble, he could be a right trouble maker, you know what these pensioners are like !!
Ha Ha,
Let him make a living, and surely he can charge what he wants
Darren
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I think that the thing with window cleaning is it's so damned easy to get in to.
I mean if you think about it how many businesses require an outlay of around £100 and allow you to earn from day 1 with no training whatsoever?
So while it's great for us full time "pros" to charge £25, £30, £50 per hour we need to be mindful and look over our shoulders for the guy(s) who could pop up and do it for half that.
I like to think my long-term customers are loyal but I reckon their loyalty would be sorely tested if someone came along and said "He's charging £25?...I'll do it for £10...at least give me a try."
It's not the old geezers who want to earn a bit of summer beer money that are the threat. The threat comes from people who are financially settled with little or no mortgage, still want to earn but don't need to earn bundles. They can undercut you every time simply because their financial needs are less than yours.
With wfp there's a fair amount of initial outlay, but with trad there's as good as none.
I'm a prime example: 4 years ago I went to B&Q and bought ladders and a bucket. Went to the pro shop along the road and bought a squeegie...total outlay around £120. Having never ever cleaned a window in my life and having no customers earnt £130 in week 2....great for somebody who was until then getting £50 a week job seekers allowance ;D
OK I've now seen the light and realize I can charge more...but back then God only knows how many w/cer's I UNdeliberately undercut!
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Stop worrying,before you know it winter will be here again and you`ll have forgotton about all these idiots,there like hedgehogs they only come out this time of year.If you`ve been reliable over the years then your customers should appreciate this and know a good WC is hard to find,how many times have you heard people say that.Stop watching the news it`s enough to worry anyone.
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I thought bloody winter had returned today...shorts and T-shirt away, jeans and fleece back on >:(
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kind of along the same lines.....
was speaking to lady who lives across the road from my house yesterday. she saw me in my uniform and was asking me how much to clean her windows.
now, its a mid terrace, two main windows and little pane above door and a small half circle window in door. so i said, it would be £4. What! she said, old fella comes and cleans them 2 weekly for £1.25!!!!
why? what is the point!!!
:o Sorry But when I am asked for a quote the first thing I ask is...
DO YOU HAVE A WINDOW CLEANER???
I then add, I do not poach other w/c's work :-X
Usually they only ask because the w/c is late...
If this is the case then...
I say call him first!
If they insist then and only then I give a quote (higher than normal)
I finish with... "Contact your current window cleaner and cancel, then give me a call"
8) ;D ;)
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I have to say this has got to be the oldest window cleaner I have ever seen, and to prove how old he really is....
He is wearing a white vest :o.....
I asked him how much do you charge mate?
He said £3.50 for the fronts and £ 6 the whole house...
I thought their and then, I hope you fall off your ladder...
This is what makes me so angry, Old boys going round cleaning windows for a little bit of beer money...
Is this the summer lot again?
(http://)
So because this guy is older than you and charges less than you, you hoped he would fall off his ladder, this is exactly why i, and indeed most of the older members dont bother to reply any more,this forum seems to have taken on some compleat and utter idiots.
How do you know he is working for beer money,He may have been a window cleaner for many years and now he is older he may be semi retired and only does a small round to keep his income up,if so good on him. i am now doing the same thing,now im coming up to 50 and have my ici pension i only need to do a small amount of work,but how much work i do, or how much or how little i charge is none of your business,and the same goes for this guy.
As long as he is looking after his customers and not poaching yours how about keeping your nose out >:(
::) Kevin were not all idiots :o
I am just a mere 45 year old, with a small mortgage, my prices suit me fine!
I notice some people's prices are higher and some are lower than mine
That's fine 8)
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I thought bloody winter had returned today...shorts and T-shirt away, jeans and fleece back on >:(
fairy
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I thought bloody winter had returned today...shorts and T-shirt away, jeans and fleece back on >:(
fairy
YUP ;D
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Hi,
I agree with Rugby. A window cleaning friend of mine retired in his 80s . Wheneverr I see an old boy which is rare I congratulate him at still being able to & wanting to work. A gardner last week I was talking too is 76, Great!
Kevin WINDOLENE
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Hi,
I agree with Rugby. A window cleaning friend of mine retired in his 80s . Wheneverr I see an old boy which is rare I congratulate him at still being able to & wanting to work. A gardner last week I was talking too is 76, Great!
Kevin WINDOLENE
I agree too, these old fellers are perfectly entitled to carry on working as long as they wish. They are the ones who fought the gerries and the like in the war, if it weren't for them we wouldn't be free to trade as we do now.
Chances are he's been in the job much longer than some of us have been alive, live and let live.
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Just the other day I was cleaning at a house where two guys were putting in a new bathroom. They were both 74 and had been working together since they left school.
You don't stop working 'cos you get old and infirm. You get old and infirm because you stop working.
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I have to say this has got to be the oldest window cleaner I have ever seen, and to prove how old he really is....
He is wearing a white vest :o.....
I asked him how much do you charge mate?
He said £3.50 for the fronts and £ 6 the whole house...
I thought their and then, I hope you fall off your ladder...
This is what makes me so angry, Old boys going round cleaning windows for a little bit of beer money...
Is this the summer lot again?
(http://)
if this makes you angry then get alife
how is this anything to get riled about
cant see him tearing around and nicking all your work
"i hope you fall off your ladder" NICE ::)
personally i think there is summat odd about these pics
i know a 65yr old wc,er
he has a trolley system and full pro trad gear
this bloke has a duster and slippers ::)
wind uup ???
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I must say he has a very familiar face! In fact he looks like a member of this forum. Must be a twin brother what do you think Mr Thorpe? ;)
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I must say he has a very familiar face! In fact he looks like a member of this forum. Must be a twin brother what do you think Mr Thorpe? ;)
i look nowt like that :o :o :o
and buy some silicone eater ;)
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You soon will if you keep using that vikan sill brush. ;D ;D
There's definately something about that face though, i've seen it before somewhere. Needs a bobble hat i think and a donkey jacket.
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so you think that is bad, how about £1.40p and £2.40p thats what i have to put up with round here, o and they are legal,and they are not cowboys??? i just can not believe its hapening,
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You soon will if you keep using that vikan sill brush. ;D ;D
There's definately something about that face though, i've seen it before somewhere. Needs a bobble hat i think and a donkey jacket.
if he used a sill brush you would not be able to see his face
it would be obscured by huge shoulders ;D
any way he looks like bloke off benny hill
and i still think its a wind up
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Leave the bloke alone it's none of your business what he does or how much he charges!! >:( My Dad is 75 and has been working as a builder and decorator since he was 15, if you told him he was too old to carry on working he would knock you out!! Working is what keeps him going, it gives him a purpose in life, and he is still in great demand as he has years of experiance and is very good at what he does!!! :)
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Well I'll be 66 come September, no mortgage and a pension, I still work full time usually out of the house for at least 10 hrs.
My problem is young newbies undercutting me in order to get a start in the business.
I still have goals and some ambition. Why the hell should I pack it in, just when my round is getting where I want it to be.
If any one wants my round, then let them try and take it from me.
Once you start thinking your getting old, then you begin to lose it. I love this time of year when all the sweet young things are in their summer tops, I still mentally grade them in marks out of 10.
Remember one thing you younguns, life is a conveyor belt and we are all on it, I may be further down it than most on here, but in what will seem like a blink of an eye, you will be where I am now. Dai
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Wise words as usual Dai!! :) Remember that inside every old person is a young person wondering what the hell happened!!! ;D
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Leave the bloke alone it's none of your business what he does or how much he charges!! >:( My Dad is 75 and has been working as a builder and decorator since he was 15, if you told him he was too old to carry on working he would knock you out!! Working is what keeps him going, it gives him a purpose in life, and he is still in great demand as he has years of experiance and is very good at what he does!!! :)
AGREE my dad is 71 my uncle 74 between em they farm over 400 acres of land,they have no full time help just casuals during summer for harvest,work keeps em going now and has since the 50's
they amaze me even now,tough like you would not believe both of em
i hope i am still able to supplement my pension when i am 70 +
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Wise words as usual Dai!! :) Remember that inside every old person is a young person wondering what the hell happened!!! ;D
i am already wondering that ::).....ah well,like that quote tho says it all ;D
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Well I'll be 66 come September, no mortgage and a pension, I still work full time usually out of the house for at least 10 hrs.
My problem is young newbies undercutting me in order to get a start in the business.
I still have goals and some ambition. Why the hell should I pack it in, just when my round is getting where I want it to be.
If any one wants my round, then let them try and take it from me.
Once you start thinking your getting old, then you begin to lose it. I love this time of year when all the sweet young things are in their summer tops, I still mentally grade them in marks out of 10.
Remember one thing you younguns, life is a conveyor belt and we are all on it, I may be further down it than most on here, but in what will seem like a blink of an eye, you will be where I am now. Dai
Nice one Dai ;)
And I bet in your grading like me, you always say ''marks out of ten, I'll give her one'' :o ;D ;D
At a farm I do today and the farmers dad is 94 years old and still does a lot of work on the farm, so whats wrong with being old???????
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i find it hard to believe that a forum member has taken a picy of someone cleaning their own windows :o
get a GRIP!
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Wise words as usual Dai!! :) Remember that inside every old person is a young person wondering what the hell happened!!! ;D
i am already wondering that ::).....ah well,like that quote tho says it all ;D
Hey Thorpy your still a young man!! The same age as me!!!
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I quoted a lady for a bungalow. 8 windows + small conservatory sills and frames. £15.
She declined my quote. Asked what her window cleaner charged thinking it would be cheeper.
He is charging £25 and just does the glass!!
The window cleaner is an old boy as well.
I got the job for the conservatory roof though.
Hopefully when she sees my work she might think again.
strange one that...
why did she require a quote from you when she already had a cleaner.... and since you were cheaper... why did she not give you the job....?... and...... if she is simply being loyal to her window cleaner my staying with him.... then why ask for.a quote in the first place if she is loyal.
maybe just a curious dudy huh?
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Highrise said -
He said £3.50 for the fronts and £ 6 the whole house...
I thought their and then, I hope you fall off your ladder...
This is what makes me so angry, Old boys going round cleaning windows for a little bit of beer money...
Why would this make you angry what he charges is nothing to do with you its between him and his customers.
How do you know he drinks beer maybe he does not drink.
You get on and do what you do and leave others alone
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I have to say this has got to be the oldest window cleaner I have ever seen, and to prove how old he really is....
He is wearing a white vest :o.....
I asked him how much do you charge mate?
He said £3.50 for the fronts and £ 6 the whole house...
I thought their and then, I hope you fall off your ladder...
This is what makes me so angry, Old boys going round cleaning windows for a little bit of beer money...
Is this the summer lot again?
Very sad attitude this is >:( Why do you hope he falls off his ladder ?? I think he is doing his own windows but good on him at his age. These so called old boys grew up with standards and morals its a shame they did not pass it on to some of the next generation :-X
Steve