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UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: roundbuilder on September 08, 2008, 09:35:14 am

Title: charging so low
Post by: roundbuilder on September 08, 2008, 09:35:14 am
Had a w/c working my road today. Had a chat with him to find he charges just £3 fronts. and £5.50 f+b. doing it from a trolley he made himself. The trolley looked good mind. I asked him why he has such low prices and hes responce was he doesnt want to take the p and is happy what he's earning as an hourly rate.  Never have I found someone so low.
might get him to do mine ;D  .

WW. and CM. How about I get you some quality detached £5 houses........No........oh ok then.

Title: Re: How can some survive charging so low
Post by: matt on September 08, 2008, 09:45:27 am
Had a w/c working my road today. Had a chat with him to find he charges just £3 fronts. and £5.50 f+b. doing it from a trolley he made himself. The trolley looked good mind. I asked him why he has such low prices and hes responce was he doesnt want to take the p and is happy what he's earning as an hourly rate.  Never have I found someone so low.
might get him to do mine ;D  .

WW. and CM. How about I get you some quality detached £5 houses........No........oh ok then.



the point is that he is happy with his hourly rate, he might do 3 houses front and back a hour and he is happy

seems some are  so pre-occupied with earning money that some forget why they started doing WC'ing
Title: Re: How can some survive charging so low
Post by: Moderator David@stives on September 08, 2008, 09:55:11 am
is it terraced and has he got loads in a row ?
Title: Re: How can some survive charging so low
Post by: roundbuilder on September 08, 2008, 10:05:47 am
not sure how many. I guess if he has 10 and it takes him couple of hours he will still earn well out of it. I was just saying hes the cheapest wc i have spoke to for quite a while.
Title: Re: How can some survive charging so low
Post by: kris martin on September 08, 2008, 10:34:01 am
he can still earn a lot of money out of them prices and i have some at them prices, i feel i now charge people accordingly and i bet you that the vast majority of window cleaners charge them prices which would still give them a nice wage, and i mean the vast majority... my WC charges me £3.50 front and back it takes him less than 10 mins thats 4 windows on the front and four on the back. i reckon he could do 7 an hour which is nearly £25 an hour... 4x min wage  £200 in an 8 hour day £150 if he's unlucky... still good money..
Title: Re: How can some survive charging so low
Post by: Ravensford on September 08, 2008, 12:34:20 pm
Hourly rate is not hourly wage!
Title: Re: How can some survive charging so low
Post by: john tomkins on September 08, 2008, 12:59:25 pm
i reckon he could do 7 an hour which is nearly £25 an hour... 4x min wage  £200 in an 8 hour day £150 if he's unlucky... still good money..

If he dont collect, eat, drink, talk, write out slips, use the toilet, and got them all in a row he might just manage it.... but come on, he ain't superman.....or is he ;D
Title: Re: charging so low
Post by: Rogue Trader on September 08, 2008, 01:12:49 pm

Quote

the point is that he is happy with his hourly rate, he might do 3 houses front and back a hour and he is happy

seems some are so pre-occupied with earning money that some forget why they started doing WC'ing
Quote

Money is the only reason i started window cleaning
Title: Re: charging so low
Post by: SherwoodCleaningSe on September 08, 2008, 04:48:42 pm
When I saw the title I thought the wc was going to be charging 2.50 a house, now that I have seen before and can't understand.  But although 5.50 is low it's still possible to make a living off of it.  If you have enough close enough together you'll find that you can still earn good money. 

I have found that better priced houses make better customers in the long run.

Simon.
Title: Re: charging so low
Post by: JSMC on September 08, 2008, 04:59:34 pm
i charge some small houses £3.50 and feel it's a fair price. I started doing WC to have mor etime too myself and chang emy life. Money will come to me but it's not something i crave after.

as long as i am happy and have enough cash to see me though i am cool.
Title: Re: charging so low
Post by: NWH on September 08, 2008, 05:12:52 pm
That`s the beauty of this job you can do what you like within reason,i prefer to run it more like a business it keeps me more motivated that way.It`s a lazy mans job if you want it to be as it can be fitted round your social life or church,it allows you to live a stress free life to a point and once you get beyond that  point you have to choose which way you want to take it.If you don`t want the stress you have to learn to say no when the phone rings for new work,if not before you know it you have more work than you can handle.
Title: Re: charging so low
Post by: kris martin on September 08, 2008, 05:54:59 pm
bottom line i think £3 is a fair price for a front of a house and i know i can do any front in under 10 minutes...easy...    i could not charge somebody £8+ for a front...  i think the majority of window cleaners and i mean the average joe window cleaner you see passing in his car with one laddder and an A ladder on the rack charge these prices....   like i said my wc charges me £3.50 all round and i know he does quite well for himself..
Title: Re: How can some survive charging so low
Post by: billozz on September 08, 2008, 06:01:23 pm
Had a w/c working my road today. Had a chat with him to find he charges just £3 fronts. and £5.50 f+b. doing it from a trolley he made himself. The trolley looked good mind. I asked him why he has such low prices and hes responce was he doesnt want to take the p and is happy what he's earning as an hourly rate.  Never have I found someone so low.
might get him to do mine ;D  .

WW. and CM. How about I get you some quality detached £5 houses........No........oh ok then.



the point is that he is happy with his hourly rate, he might do 3 houses front and back a hour and he is happy

seems some are  so pre-occupied with earning money that some forget why they started doing WC'ing


i started doing it .....to earn money lol
Title: Re: charging so low
Post by: mci services on September 08, 2008, 08:14:14 pm
you think thats cheap i quoted a job today at £6 only to be told she will have a word with neighbour as her w/c takes £2.50. i was gobsmacked
Title: Re: charging so low
Post by: NWH on September 08, 2008, 08:16:00 pm
Good luck to him when he gets behind.
Title: Re: charging so low
Post by: dai on September 08, 2008, 08:48:55 pm
I worked on £5.50 houses today 9 till 4, and I did 25 of them, It's more than a weeks old age pension.
I did lose some time this morning fixing a leaking pump box.
Title: Re: charging so low
Post by: kris martin on September 08, 2008, 08:56:28 pm
I worked on £5.50 houses today 9 till 4, and I did 25 of them, It's more than a weeks old age pension.
I did lose some time this morning fixing a leaking pump box.

£600 per 5 day week,   £30,000 a year .... not bad in my eyes..   over the national (supposadly) average..
Title: Re: charging so low
Post by: Tristan R Clean on September 08, 2008, 09:17:13 pm
That will not be his take home pay after insurance,tax,running expenses
Title: Re: charging so low
Post by: kris martin on September 08, 2008, 09:19:22 pm
im not saying it is but national average is calculated before tax etc, im not saying the guy even earns that but its just an example of what can be earnt on £5 house,,
Title: Re: How can some survive charging so low
Post by: seandyer2003 on September 09, 2008, 09:09:44 am
i reckon he could do 7 an hour which is nearly £25 an hour... 4x min wage  £200 in an 8 hour day £150 if he's unlucky... still good money..

If he dont collect, eat, drink, talk, write out slips, use the toilet, and got them all in a row he might just manage it.... but come on, he ain't superman.....or is he ;D

I dont think much more than 6 houses is possible everyday for every hour, even small terraced your pushing it, i have a round of small houses that i priced at 4-5 each, but i have to really work hard to do 6 n hour, easier to just price an extra .50 to 1.00 each! Plus with low rates like that customers get too used to it and dont like price hikes
Title: Re: How can some survive charging so low
Post by: Ian W on September 09, 2008, 09:22:56 am
seems some are  so pre-occupied with earning money that some forget why they started doing WC'ing

I am starting to get the same feeling and I haven't been in this game for that long.  ::)
Title: Re: charging so low
Post by: ps outthere on September 09, 2008, 09:51:12 am
I have a row of 9 terraced houses I clean, I charge £2.80 per house-2 windows and front door. I can normally do them in 35mins. The thing that I often forget is the time I spend travelling, doing paperwork, collecting, maintaning equipment, etc.
Title: Re: charging so low
Post by: seandyer2003 on September 09, 2008, 12:13:47 pm
I have a row of 9 terraced houses I clean, I charge £2.80 per house-2 windows and front door. I can normally do them in 35mins. The thing that I often forget is the time I spend travelling, doing paperwork, collecting, maintaning equipment, etc.

Thats good, i always find terraces are misleading because you fly through windows but then the access is always a nightmare on the ones ive done and you spend just as long climbing rotten wooden gates