Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: supernova77 on June 10, 2008, 10:57:15 pm
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Got a voice message today from a long standing customer...
"Hi Andy - We're going to have to cancel our window cleaning I'm afraid... Husband is self-employed and we are feeling the pinch fincancially so we are cutting back... Thanks for your service etc etc..."
Respect to them for being honest!
I remember her telling me last year that they borrowed to the hilt to buy their house... Now it looks like they are suffering.
Anyone else had any similar experiences?
Andy
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Feeling the pinch,the recession hasn`t even started yet havn`t they got savings.
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havn`t they got savings.
They have now - £15 every 2 months :)
Andy
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I got a note through the door yesterday from a customer that wants to pospone their clean for a while due to finances. I also respect their honesty and will gladly take them back when they want.
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I've been waiting for someone else to post about this, as when I mentioned it some months ago people on here just laughed and went off on their usual rants about window cleaning being a real neccesity.
No it's not, it's something that is bottom of the customer's must have accessory to their outgoings.
The sooner some on here get this message the sooner there will still be 95% of us still existing this time next year.
Rant over
You were warned.
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Got a voice message today from a long standing customer...
"Hi Andy - We're going to have to cancel our window cleaning I'm afraid... Husband is self-employed and we are feeling the pinch fincancially so we are cutting back... Thanks for your service etc etc..."
Respect to them for being honest!
I remember her telling me last year that they borrowed to the hilt to buy their house... Now it looks like they are suffering.
Anyone else had any similar experiences?
Andy
Its not suprising really is it ?
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Its not suprising really is it ?
No its not! I've been waiting for it to happen.
Andy
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Im worried myself! being only 22 i have never been in this situation before.
but all the time you hear about this credit crunch and going out of business and selling up at what not! what do you think will have on the window cleaning industry? because to be fair were the first to go!
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Im worried myself! being only 22 i have never been in this situation before.
but all the time you hear about this credit crunch and going out of business and selling up at what not! what do you think will have on the window cleaning industry? because to be fair were the first to go!
hat off to you doode!! must be the youngest w/c on here! you work for your self?
not lost any yet but most are moaning bout prices of things. stops me putting my prices up for a bit!
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Channel4 news tonight -
"2 million homeowners predicted to be in negative equity by 2010"
"this recession could be as severe as The Great Depression"
Not my words guys!....this was the economist speaking on channel4 this evening.
As Mervyn King (governor of the Bank of England) said a few day ago in a speech
"The nice decade is behind us. Things are likely to get worse"
Interest rates are now predicted to start rising with two 0.25% rises already being factored into most banks models.
Anyone who is confidently laughing this situation off, really doesnt understand where we're at or where we're heading in the next few years. Its going to affect everyone whether you own a home or rent.
Things will get tricky and the only consolation will be that everyone is going to be in the same boat.
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that is some honesty and i respect them for that! instead of "my windows are a bit fragile today and im worried about water getting on them"
hmmmmmmm
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oops, and dont forget, when they ask for you to do them again 20% increase on their price due to the credit crunch ;)
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hat off to you doode!! must be the youngest w/c on here! you work for your self?
not lost any yet but most are moaning bout prices of things. stops me putting my prices up for a bit!
Yer i work for myself and will be taking someone on this summer if things go well :). Iv not lost any yet still getting quite a few new jobs but will have to see what happens :-\
dave
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Got 6 new customers today....
BUT, they were mostly retirement age (probably with mortgage paid up), ex-council houses.
This is perhaps one of the advantages of cleaning council tennants houses. They don't have mortgages to worry about, so the 'credit crunch' will effect them less in the medium term. I suppose if it lasts a few years it may start to bite.
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I had 9 Domestic enquiry's yesterday and 2 gutter jobs. i will be going to price them up today. i have lost 2 in the last month so i'm increasing business all the time and not feeling any pinch...yet!!
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I have lost a few but I have also been able to hang on to some with the following sugestion....
Most people who have a window cleaner like clean windows (obvious), so rather than lose the customer because they cant afford £15 every 6 weeks I say that I can still call around every 3 months at a slightly higher price - £18. Net result I get paid more for the same work, have space to take on more customers and the customer still has clean windows.
I am actively encouraging many of my new jobs to go 3 monthly at a slightly higher price for this reason.
Mark
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I've been waiting for someone else to post about this, as when I mentioned it some months ago people on here just laughed and went off on their usual rants about window cleaning being a real neccesity.
No it's not, it's something that is bottom of the customer's must have accessory to their outgoings.
The sooner some on here get this message the sooner there will still be 95% of us still existing this time next year.
Rant over
You were warned.
Spot on.
I get customers almost every week asking to go every other month, or cancelling altogether.
Most new jobs don't want it monthly either.
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Don't get me wrong... I am taking on new customers weekly as well, so I'm not too worried about loosing a £15 every 2 months customer.
Most of my customers are actually "well established families" if you know what I mean... They are cash rich, not just superficially rich... So long term I should be OK - Although like others I predict a bumpy ride over the next few years - loosing more customers because of the "credit crunch / house price crash".
Andy
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I don't think it's that bad; I've recently taken on a good few well priced accounts and I've also raised my prices on about 25 to 30 accounts; some by 30% as they were underpriced and I only lost one of those.
I would guess the majority of my customers are older types; kids have grown up and left home; mortgage paid off, so they're not feeling it as bad as someone with a mortgage and young family.
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The building trade has gone down hill.
Hanson have gone bust, several firms have laid off their staff Gladedale, Wimpy etc..
A financial advisor advised one firm to take all their money out of the Royal Bank Of Scotland.
Things are going to get worse, nows the time to start saving.
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Things are going to get worse, nows the time to start saving.
I agree... Some people are borrowed up to the hilt!
I heard one guy on the radio yesterday - He bought a flat in Leeds 3 years ago for £180k with a 100% mortgage... The flat is now worth about £120k!!! You do the maths! And there are many many more people out there like him.
Like my local pub landlord says - Cash is King!
Andy
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I've been waiting for someone else to post about this, as when I mentioned it some months ago people on here just laughed and went off on their usual rants about window cleaning being a real neccesity.
No it's not, it's something that is bottom of the customer's must have accessory to their outgoings.
The sooner some on here get this message the sooner there will still be 95% of us still existing this time next year.
Rant over
You were warned.
I posted on your topic last time and I still say the same thing, some people have there windows cleaned because it is a neccesity for them.(not all but some)
it is getting a little harder but thats a challenge to overcome. I am not worried about it at all as we pick up more than we lose. If it turned round the other way then I would worry a little and find a solution to fix it. I watched my mum and dad lose everything when I was a kid when the interest rates hit 15%, I was in hospital with Cancer something had to give and it was the shop they owed and the nice car, we got housed in a b&b then what I would class as a shed, many will have been through this before and learnt from it, I did and I was a kid. Be Lazy then there will be a problem over spend the same.
I hate reading doom and gloom posts as its not good for the mind, every customer you lose replace with 2 more it is not that hard.
if customers feel the pinch offer a way for them to save money over the year by switching to 2 monthly quarterly and charge more for it, they still save and you end up with a higher paying job.
Have a great day today ;D
Ian
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i think your customers are probably just using it as their latest excuse. not seen any problems from it yet .
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I don't think this is a doom and gloom topic at all, it is and should be a reality check for some.
As for this being the "latest" excuse from customers, we have experienced this excuse a long time before the so called credit crunch. It does not take just a credit crunch to stretch peoples finances and as Andy said respect to them for being honest, they could have just said "thanks but don't come again" and saved face and really hacked Andy off by doing so.
Window cleaning is not a necessity to most people. It is a luxury item for domestics and standard commercial premises.
The only places where it would be a necessity are in "hygiene areas" and the like, where dirt and dust has to be kept to a minimum or less!
Electric supply, gas supply,water supply, food those are necessities. "I think I will have my windows cleaned, but will go without my supply of water this month" :-\
I take my hat off to people starting up in any industry at the moment. All sorts of businesses, large or small around here are cutting back or worse, the salary ranges in the local rag have gone down over the past 18 months, the job section is now down to 4 pages, instead of the 12 or more we saw last year.
The reality is that the outlook isn't good, that's not doom and gloom, it is just something else as a business that you have to face, have to overcome and learn from in order to take your business forward when there are better times. ;D
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Had an old dear in her 70's, in an £8.50 bungalow with con warn me that she might have to cancel because things are getting tight, I'll give her the option of going every other month. First time I've heard it from a retired homeowner.
Simon.
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thats because if she has a state pension it isn't rising as quick as bills and food...my nana is struggling the same although she is having 3k's worth of double glazing being fitted next week ;D ;D crafty old girl ;)
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One thing is for certain: I ain't putting me prices up one penny for the foreseeable future. Also where I can reasonably walk to a job I will.
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I don't think it's that bad; ...
I spoke too soon! ;D
A customer told me today that she had no cash and would I mind calling back (first time ever), and then she went onto say that after this clean she'd have to cancel, since her son works nights and is having trouble getting a decent day's sleep in since the dog barks when-ever someone (including the window cleaner) comes.
I let her cancel then and there, was polite; I'm not bothered really; it was one of my old accounts and not well priced.
On a personal note, I reckon we're spending about £30 a week more on food and I've just had a gas bill in, upping my monthly DD from £35 to £50; and we've got a brand new top-spec combi boiler; cavity wall insulation; loft insulation and I often burn wood in the open fire on those mild winter evenings, instead of putting the heating on.
I've also picked up a nice monthly £60 pub, due to be cleaned on Friday; so it's not all bad.
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picked up 26 new cutomers since last friday , yes there are people with financial problems , but make sure your not one of them and being positive will really help , personally i think these recession type posts should be deleted regards alan
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Why?
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My domestic side is still burgeoning and I'm getting significantly more than those who cancel.
But - my commercial side worries me - nothing lost due to economy yet but I clean a brick factory - they are part of a nationwide group (but arrange the local office window cleaning on site here) and who's going to buy bricks over the next couple of years?
As I do the internal office windows too I see signs up saying they are closing one of their plants in Scotland and are cutting back on production at other sites. Nothing been said yet, but watch this space ...
I also clean the office windows of a large Japanese car manufacturer's distribution depot - ok now, but the site manager told me that while they are gaining custy's from posher european manufacturer's (and had already gained some Rover-buying custy's) they are seeing a swing to Korean manufacturer's at the bottom end.
Finally I do three or four haulage firms offices!
Good portfolio, eh? ;D
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Things are going to get worse, nows the time to start saving.
I agree... Some people are borrowed up to the hilt!
I heard one guy on the radio yesterday - He bought a flat in Leeds 3 years ago for £180k with a 100% mortgage... The flat is now worth about £120k!!! You do the maths! And there are many many more people out there like him.
Like my local pub landlord says - Cash is King!
Andy
I agree with lots being said on this thread, but let's not get too carried away. This guy in Leeds. His flat is worth £120k IF he tried to sell it. At the moment he has to continue to pay his mortgage, and interest rates aren't 15% or whatever. So he is no worse off on a monthly outgoings basis than if his flat was still worth £180k. If he loses his job and needs to sell then he is in the proverbial. But not yet.
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I don't think this is a doom and gloom topic at all, it is and should be a reality check for some.
As for this being the "latest" excuse from customers, we have experienced this excuse a long time before the so called credit crunch. It does not take just a credit crunch to stretch peoples finances and as Andy said respect to them for being honest, they could have just said "thanks but don't come again" and saved face and really hacked Andy off by doing so.
Window cleaning is not a necessity to most people. It is a luxury item for domestics and standard commercial premises.
The only places where it would be a necessity are in "hygiene areas" and the like, where dirt and dust has to be kept to a minimum or less!
Electric supply, gas supply,water supply, food those are necessities. "I think I will have my windows cleaned, but will go without my supply of water this month" :-\
I take my hat off to people starting up in any industry at the moment. All sorts of businesses, large or small around here are cutting back or worse, the salary ranges in the local rag have gone down over the past 18 months, the job section is now down to 4 pages, instead of the 12 or more we saw last year.
The reality is that the outlook isn't good, that's not doom and gloom, it is just something else as a business that you have to face, have to overcome and learn from in order to take your business forward when there are better times. ;D
I think this is a superb post. This may appear to contradict my last reply, but it doesn't. Things aren't that bad yet, but there is worse to come. I saw the boss of Ryanair on TV the other night saying he welcomes an economic downturn. Gives him the chance to improve his business, trim the fat and that gives him an edge over his competitors. Sound advice?? Hope they don't go bust ;D
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Dont you just hate the media for making the most out of this ? On a positive note , at least first time buyers can now maybe afford there first home :D My dad paid £300 for his first home 8)
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Luckily enough for you guys you have big rounds and dont have to take on new work, im building a round at min and out each day canvassing, i havent had a day that i havent got work, worst day ive had is only 3 customers, went out today from 4 till 6 got 5 new customers all in one street 1 at £12 and 4 at £15 so things cant be that bad.
Chris
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Luckily enough for you guys you have big rounds and dont have to take on new work, im building a round at min and out each day canvassing, i havent had a day that i havent got work, worst day ive had is only 3 customers, went out today from 4 till 6 got 5 new customers all in one street 1 at £12 and 4 at £15 so things cant be that bad.
Chris
Jaykie your a real grafter you are,everytime i read 1 of yours you`ve just got more work you smooth talker you lol.If i need any work in the future i`ll have to employ you as a doorknocker lol. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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i think these recession type posts should be deleted regards alan
WHY?
We are all part of a community on here and try to help each other, so the warning here is simple.
I'm not saying that we are going to lose 80% of our customers but we have to adjust how we look after our businesses.
For over 12 months I have had no need to put out leaflets but if we start to lose customers then we would have to leaflet drop again, and yes I agree we could easily replace lost ones with better. Trouble is as jobs start to go so will the number of guys getting into window cleaning, and we all know that their prices will be more on the appealing side to possible customers than those of us who have moved onto top level pricing.
Overall keeping customers will need some tender care and taking on new will need some more careful pricing, and I'm as guilty as some for pricing on the basis of....
Think of a number
Double it
Add on £15
Then offer a special discount of 10% because it's Friday and I'm in a good mood
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why , because i prefer to fill my head with positive thoughts and there doe,snt seem to be a day go by without one of these posts starting up , usually after someone has lost a customer , posts by jaykie are far more enthusing , oh and i don,t read the papers for the same reason all doom and gloom , what will be will be , lots of people prosper in a turndown , me for one regards alan
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NWH ive set myself a minimum of 3 a day, but when i get 6 i dont think to myself that i wont go out tomorrow, I am really enjoying door knocking, I believe i come across as a trust worth person, ive even sat in a old couples house the other day during door knocking and had cake and tea. Any way sorry to go off topic
Chris
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well done jaykie regards alan
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i don t want to sound like a dinasaur but when i first started it was 4weeks before the big pit strike,as i live in a town that had 10 pits within a 7 mile radius you can imagine my slight concern.there was i knocking on miners doors asking for work,any way with large amounts of alcohol and sedatives i got through.i grew my buisness over the next few years and then they shut the bloody pits altogether,well i never,i thought to myself.anyway i carried on and here i am today with a big operation that makes me comfortable and not have to panic no matter what happens.the point i m making is don t worry what will be will be,and we ll all get through these times. p s i might have been worried all those years ago but at least i went out ror a pint with my mates,instead of tapping this keyboard with one finger,am i better off now makes you wonder don t it cheers mick
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Cheers Alan, I must say i really enjoy this site even if some are getting fed up with it but without this site i dont believe id be where i am now and deffinatley wouldnt of made the switch to window cleaning.
Chris
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Things are going to get worse, nows the time to start saving.
I agree... Some people are borrowed up to the hilt!
I heard one guy on the radio yesterday - He bought a flat in Leeds 3 years ago for £180k with a 100% mortgage... The flat is now worth about £120k!!! You do the maths! And there are many many more people out there like him.
Like my local pub landlord says - Cash is King!
Andy
I agree with lots being said on this thread, but let's not get too carried away. This guy in Leeds. His flat is worth £120k IF he tried to sell it. At the moment he has to continue to pay his mortgage, and interest rates aren't 15% or whatever. So he is no worse off on a monthly outgoings basis than if his flat was still worth £180k. If he loses his job and needs to sell then he is in the proverbial. But not yet.
He probably is worse off though. He can't remortgage to a good rate because there is no equity in the home. He will be paying the standard rate which for me would be 7.85% as compared to the 5.25% I am currently paying as I am on a 2 year deal. On 180k that would be a difference of £390 a month.
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Luke 21:28 ;D
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why , because i prefer to fill my head with positive thoughts and there doe,snt seem to be a day go by without one of these posts starting up , usually after someone has lost a customer , posts by jaykie are far more enthusing , oh and i don,t read the papers for the same reason all doom and gloom , what will be will be , lots of people prosper in a turndown , me for one regards alan
Prestige,
I hear what you're saying but I dont agree with you for one minute.
I've heard similar comments along these lines and they usually go something like this - "We're talking ourselves into recession, if we stopped talking about it, it will go away"
Well, that didnt work very well for the price of diesel did it? If we stop talking about the fact that diesel was 89pence a litre this time last year and now its £1.29 do you think it will go back down?
We're not talking ourselves into recession....we are talking about the fact we are heading for recession and what can we do to protect ourselves.
I would ask you this -
If you were thinking of buying a new van or a new ionics thermo dont you think it would be sensible to see what could be around the corner for the economy?
What if you were about to take on another member of staff? Dont you think it would be a good idea to be aware of local conditions which the crunch may affect?
Nobody WANTS a recession. Wishing it wasnt happening or putting your head in the sand wont make it go away.
For warned is for armed...as they say.
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Things are going to get worse, nows the time to start saving.
I agree... Some people are borrowed up to the hilt!
I heard one guy on the radio yesterday - He bought a flat in Leeds 3 years ago for £180k with a 100% mortgage... The flat is now worth about £120k!!! You do the maths! And there are many many more people out there like him.
Like my local pub landlord says - Cash is King!
Andy
I agree with lots being said on this thread, but let's not get too carried away. This guy in Leeds. His flat is worth £120k IF he tried to sell it. At the moment he has to continue to pay his mortgage, and interest rates aren't 15% or whatever. So he is no worse off on a monthly outgoings basis than if his flat was still worth £180k. If he loses his job and needs to sell then he is in the proverbial. But not yet.
Thats very true, interest rates are not at 15%
The problem this gentleman is facing doesnt require interest rates to be at 15% for him to go under.
He most likely took a 100% deal because he couldnt raise a deposit. This puts him on a much higher interest rate than the usual headline grabbing rates offered by the big four banks. His Standard Variable Rate (if he fails to remortgage which looks likely those figures!) will shoot up dramatically adding as much as £200 - £300 a month to his mortgage.
Add to this the cost of gas, electric and food which are rising alarmingly (well above the governments official inflation rate) then we dont need to see rates hit 15% to see the same problems as the 90's
It doesnt matter where the extra money goes...whether it goes on extra mortgage payments because interest rates are 15% or whether it goes because his SVR goes up combined with gas, electric, food going up. The result is the same - he has a fixed income and its being eaten away faster than he can earn more.
This leaves aside that he is probably on an interest only mortgage (so he's not eroding the capital) or that he has probably borrowed well in excess of 3.5x his salary.
All this spells TROUBLE ahead for him...and lots like him. When they get into trouble and stop spending, then it starts to fall out onto the rest of us.
Mervyn King said in a speech just yesterday that he "expects innocent bystanders to lose their homes as a result of this loose lending by the banks"
:o
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why , because i prefer to fill my head with positive thoughts and there doe,snt seem to be a day go by without one of these posts starting up , usually after someone has lost a customer , posts by jaykie are far more enthusing , oh and i don,t read the papers for the same reason all doom and gloom , what will be will be , lots of people prosper in a turndown , me for one regards alan
Sticking your head in the sand! That's not very good business sense is it?
Andy
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I agree with lots being said on this thread, but let's not get too carried away. This guy in Leeds. His flat is worth £120k IF he tried to sell it. At the moment he has to continue to pay his mortgage, and interest rates aren't 15% or whatever. So he is no worse off on a monthly outgoings basis than if his flat was still worth £180k. If he loses his job and needs to sell then he is in the proverbial. But not yet.
The guy mentioned that him and his girlfriend would like to settle down and sometime in the future raise a family... But now he doesn't think this will ever be possible because he is stuck in his flat with -£60k equity!
Andy
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Luke 21:28
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Luke 21:28
Its hardly the end of the world ;D
Its just a phase of the economic cycle.
This really tickles me, everyone is quite happy to accept the 'Boom' part of the cycle and never asks a single question as to what created it....but when we enter the 'Bust' phase everyone is up in arms looking for a scapegoat :D :D
Its as natural as being born, living, then dying. Its all part of a cycle.
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well i have to say i was going to put up the prices.not put them up for 4 years now but with things the way they are you just dont dare.saying that i have got 8 new houses 12 gutter cleans in the last 4 weeks.so just got over 800 houses now and 90% are cleaned every 2 weeks.31 years in the game now so seen a bit
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What is Luke 21:28?
Dave.
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The widow's mites. The signs that should forerun the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world:
And looking on, he saw the rich men cast their gifts into the treasury. 2 And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in two brass mites. 3 And he said: Verily, I say to you that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all...
.... And there shall be great earthquakes in divers places and pestilences and famines and terrors from heaven: and there shall be great signs.....etc etc etc
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If that is Luke 21:28 why would that be here?
Are we having to discuss window cleaning issues under a veil of religion?
Not one wanting to wee on anyones parade but this is a window cleaning forum and even though I have my own religious beliefs I do not think that this is a place to 'push' them...
Please can we stop this 'push' !
If it continues would it not be fair for myself and others to challenge these offerings...then we may as well call this a free for all forum and just leave out the window cleaning all together.
Respectfully Dave.
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If that is Luke 21:28 why would that be here?
Are we having to discuss window cleaning issues under a veil of religion?
Not one wanting to wee on anyones parade but this is a window cleaning forum and even though I have my own religious beliefs I do not think that this is a place to 'push' them...
Please can we stop this 'push' !
If it continues would it not be fair for myself and others to challenge these offerings...then we may as well call this a free for all forum and just leave out the window cleaning all together.
Respectfully Dave.
Dave , was not pushing it mate honest :D . There are a lot of jws like myself on here , I was just qouting the cited scripture to other jws . If I caused offence I am truly sorry . P.s . . . . . . You did ask its meaning LOL ;D
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The widow's mites. The signs that should forerun the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world:
And looking on, he saw the rich men cast their gifts into the treasury. 2 And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in two brass mites. 3 And he said: Verily, I say to you that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all...
.... And there shall be great earthquakes in divers places and pestilences and famines and terrors from heaven: and there shall be great signs.....etc etc etc
Yeah yeah yeah. ::) ::) ::) ::) ::)
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Luke 21:28
See! Shiner could've spotted that a mile off told sjm not to take a "buffet approach to the scriptures" and sorted it out and stopped me putting Luke 21 v 8 as a response!
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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good response :D . . . . ( Mt:6:16-23 ) Back at ya LOL 8)
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Why dont you take your private religious 'in' jokes somewhere else...this is not the place for your religious beliefs...
I personally do not care what religion you follow...but I see no place for it here..
Sorry to be the party pooper but there is too much of it here...
This forum is for and about window cleaning...if we are going down the route of misc discussions on subjects...lets just say so...
Dave.
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good response :D . . . . ( Mt:6:16-23 ) Back at ya LOL 8)
Not quite sure of the relevance of those verses to this thread sjm...
Back to the thread - I've not noticed a drop off of custy's to date.
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Why dont you take your private religious 'in' jokes somewhere else...this is not the place for your religious beliefs...
I personally do not care what religion you follow...but I see no place for it here..
Sorry to be the party pooper but there is too much of it here...
This forum is for and about window cleaning...if we are going down the route of misc discussions on subjects...lets just say so...
Dave.
Do you have problems with stress ? I used to be like that ::)
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Why dont you take your private religious 'in' jokes somewhere else...this is not the place for your religious beliefs...
I personally do not care what religion you follow...but I see no place for it here..
Sorry to be the party pooper but there is too much of it here...
This forum is for and about window cleaning...if we are going down the route of misc discussions on subjects...lets just say so...
Dave.
Dave, I've noticed you take a very serious view of building your w/c business and I hope it works out well for you. As for me I enjoy the banter that goes on here and will continue to engage in it to a moderate extent.
I agree that sjm's scripture reference was not really relevant to the thread and my response was an allusion to the "Moderator" thread and an attempt to diffuse things with humour.
But posters quote many references here and if one of our more religious (or simply studious) members wishes to post something like "Luke 14 v 28" in response to a "Shall I go wfp" thread then I think that's fair enough. (That reference is relevant I promise you.)
You don't need to be a member of a particular religion to appreciate it or have some secret manual, you just need a Bible. (Or a Koran?) (or the works of shakespeare) And even in the (Post-) Christian western world that's not to hard to find. (On line perhaps?)
I will however try to contain myself and post my drivel in the Chat section ... ;D
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why has,nt all this drivel been deleted , doommongers and the religious , at least you could delete my post lol
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You and me both ;D.
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I have lost a few but I have also been able to hang on to some with the following sugestion....
Most people who have a window cleaner like clean windows (obvious), so rather than lose the customer because they cant afford £15 every 6 weeks I say that I can still call around every 3 months at a slightly higher price - £18. Net result I get paid more for the same work, have space to take on more customers and the customer still has clean windows.
I am actively encouraging many of my new jobs to go 3 monthly at a slightly higher price for this reason.
Mark
Excellent quote... This is the way to go!
Besides you get more for less work! 8) 8) 8)
Brilliant! Top marks Mark,
This is what I thought this thread was about -
Seeing a problem. Recognising the problem and finding solutions.
If that makes me a doomonger then so be it ;D
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SJM whether I have issues regarding stress have no connection whatsoever to your religious 'push'...I just dislike having this religion thrust onto this forum.
Malc...is there really any reason why anyone should need to reference a religious text or any other text for the matter to clarify a window cleaning issue?
Now do not get me wrong but I respect anyones right to their beliefs...I have my own ;D but I do not think it is here...why not have another forum section for those with religious beliefs so if someone needs a place to discusss matters with those types of bias, there is a place...
But quoting references like Luke 21:28 and such to the majority of us is 'code' and I for one do enjoy reading posts but do not feel they should be 'hijacked' and turned into a churchy type homework project.
Sorry for hijacking this thread myself :-\
Sorry to be a wet fish on this but I still insist this is not the place for it.
Respectfully
Dave.
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SJM whether I have issues regarding stress have no connection whatsoever to your religious 'push'...I just dislike having this religion thrust onto this forum.
Malc...is there really any reason why anyone should need to reference a religious text or any other text for the matter to clarify a window cleaning issue?
Now do not get me wrong but I respect anyones right to their beliefs...I have my own ;D but I do not think it is here...why not have another forum section for those with religious beliefs so if someone needs a place to discusss matters with those types of bias, there is a place...
But quoting references like Luke 21:28 and such to the majority of us is 'code' and I for one do enjoy reading posts but do not feel they should be 'hijacked' and turned into a churchy type homework project.
Sorry for hijacking this thread myself :-\
Sorry to be a wet fish on this but I still insist this is not the place for it.
Respectfully
Dave.I will not mention it again :'(
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I think this country is heading for a big slump but the signs have been there for a long time.
As Helen said there are no jobs about and the few that there are offer peanuts.
I think its worrying, not necessarily for myself but just because I worry about friends and the general sense of gloom that comes with these times.
This industry is probably the safest there is because we have a broad customer base and no overheads of any great significance. I am still turning work away and my phone never stops ringing but you can never be complacent.
I have said this before, window cleaning is the easiest business to start up and when times get hard in other industries, particularly building, thats what happens. These new starts won't nick your customers in the short term but over the longer term they will undermine your prices.
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Good points, Vince.
I think now is ok for established w/c's but if I was made redundant from a wage job, had never been a w/c before I don't know if I would want the expense to start/risk going into self employed window cleaning.
High fuel and food prices will impact on some window cleaning work, but an aging population in the retired 60/90 bracket will give a steady flow of bread and butter work ... IMO.
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Good points, Vince.
I think now is ok for established w/c's but if I was made redundant from a wage job, had never been a w/c before I don't know if I would want the expense to start/risk going into self employed window cleaning.
You are so right, even though overheads are not high to start up with in this industry, when you are out of work, with a mortgage to afford, and all your other necesitties to manage, believe me you are at a low ebb and the last thing you need to do to yourself is create another situation, which will leave you with less income, any start up in any industry is a risk at any time.
The present economic climate hasn't just happened, it has been building now for a good 18 months.That's what happened in the 80's, it wasn't just the late 80's that were bad!
As they say "I was there" in the late 80's/ early 90's and it wasn't very nice I can tell you. I was made redundant in 1988, there were very few jobs around and I had to take a lower salary than i was used to to make sure i stayed in work. Along with this I got 2 part time jobs to make up my money. Oh and by the way if anyone says to you "i'll be ok cos I work in the food industry", then they are kidding themselves! I worked for J Sainsburys in their main distribution and production site. They got rid of 1200 over 2 years.
The point I am making is that there was enough going on in my life without having to worry about setting up self employed, getting customers etc etc.
Now today I find that the circumstances around are very similar, redundancies, fewer jobs, lower wages and I thank my lucky stars that my hubbie decided to start the business 7 years ago. We now make our own fortune in life. that's not to say we won't have it hard over the next 2 years (IMO it will probably take this long to get the economy right again if not longer!). but we have no intenetion of letting it go and no intention of hiding our heads in the sand. As I said before this is not doom and gloom it is reality. :)