Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: bwoofie on January 07, 2009, 10:30:54 pm
-
Yes its true, was talking to a newbie window cleaner round our area today- charging 4 quid per 2 bed semi (one clean per month),Quite chuffed with himself for leafleting and getting loads of customers! Der!!!! ::)
-
how many can he clean in an hour is the question...
-
We have ones cheaper than that working around us, some only charging £2.50
-
£4 We have a min charge of £5
is that £4 front & back?
-
if he does 4 an hour its a good price,
really? ???
-
At the moment it takes him 5hrs to do 10 houses?
I put it to him that he might like to increase his prices...
-
Yes, £4 front back and frames,sills
-
At the moment it takes him 5hrs to do 10 houses?
I put it to him that he might like to increase his prices...
is he replacing the glass? ;D
-
No stan, at the mo, he does 2 per hour.
Fair play to him for getting off his backside and having a go
I want him to charge roughly what the rest of us do so he can earn a decent wage for himself
-
if he does 4 an hour its a good price,
really? ???
yes, £16 a hour for a newbie who will get faster and wiser ,greed is the reason a lot on here are losing work,i havnt lost any
nor me......yes as they get wiser"your quote" they will charge a lot more!
-
agree you have to start somewhere but you have got to make a living just cause someone might undercut another price dont always mean he's gonna start cleaning up. Always got my shop customers telling me so and so came in the other day said he do the shop front for £4 told them happy with who ive got. Always found in my experience if you take a customer who has already had a window cleaner and they drop him for you on price the likely hood is they will drop you when the next cheaper window cleaner comes along, Where does it end???
-
we seem to have come a long way since the " i have a min charge of 15 quid "
-
You are spot on P&R, thats what i told him!
The thing is he looks like a decent chap.
From listening to you guys on here in the past has promoted me not to be jealous of others but to help out where I can.
I told him roughly what the others charge in our area so he could make his own mind up and the first thing he said was he will charge a bit more when quoting new jobs.
Theres more than enough work for all of us in our area
-
they all have to learn
the thing that will seperate people is that some will be happy with poor money and some will take on the advise and do well out of it
-
15 quid a min matt? :o
-
I second that matt ;D
-
my minimum charge when i started was 6 pound and i used to allow 3o minutes per house. over a year later and i now do 3 sometimes 4 an hour easily . my theory was at 2 an hour i was onto a winner anyway .
-
this is what happens in a resession...........prices drop
if this new lad does a thorough job and sticks at it
hes a threat to you as neighbours talk
its better to have more at a few quid less than alot less at a higher rate
be prepared to drop your rate
i have never seen so man y wcs in my area
one is wfp and charging about £13
one is trad and not doing the frames or cills @ £7.50, lovely glass but the rest is a mess
but there is one i called the ghost as id never seen him but his windows gleam
i wanted his secret, his customers are loyal to him, he does everyone in the streets he does and his books are full
yesterday i saw him at work and watched his methods
wet cloth
damp micro fibre
buffed with dry scrim
as simple as that , gleaming glss and frames
outlay minimal ------ max profit
15 mins per house.............every housein street
i now want to know what his charges are but as he doesnt drop any customers im not sure how to find out
-
this is what happens in a resession...........prices drop
if this new lad does a thorough job and sticks at it
hes a threat to you as neighbours talk
its better to have more at a few quid less than alot less at a higher rate
be prepared to drop your rate
i have never seen so man y wcs in my area
one is wfp and charging about £13
one is trad and not doing the frames or cills @ £7.50, lovely glass but the rest is a mess
but there is one i called the ghost as id never seen him but his windows gleam
i wanted his secret, his customers are loyal to him, he does everyone in the streets he does and his books are full
yesterday i saw him at work and watched his methods
wet cloth
damp micro fibre
buffed with dry scrim
as simple as that , gleaming glss and frames
outlay minimal ------ max profit
15 mins per house.............every housein street
i now want to know what his charges are but as he doesnt drop any customers im not sure how to find out
his way sounds like hard work to me!!!!#
i have lost some and will continue to do so but im breaking even with the ones i gain, as far has i see if i lost quite a few my prices are good so ill still be earning more than most for a lot less work
i wouldnt drop my prices in my opinion im well worth what i charge!
-
Regarding prices...we all run business's, the money we take is not all ours...so this chaps prices do not allow him to run legit...unless of course he has some sort of slush fund to tide him over until he can re-asses his round.
As for anyone jumping in an saying they charge 2 quid for houses and can do silly amounts of them a day, day in day out...I simply do not believe you.
4 quid for a 2 bed-semi...sorry but that is simply not enough to sustain a business paying all it's dues and allowing the owner/operator to live a comfortable life.
Respecfully Dave.
-
hi ronnie
i agree with wht your saying but i think this guys got something good going here
my first reaction was ..........that guys doing his own windows. then he popped up at the back of the net one , and then the next. so i timed him...........15mins
no travelling between jobs so his average is 4 per hr
he didnt just buff the glass he buffed the frames as well, in no time at all
i tried canvassing those rds and didnt get a look in , now i know why
i dont know what he charges but thats the clincher here
if its 15 a hse then thats £60 per hr
5 hr day= £300
3 days = £900
outlay usual costs with vehicle , insurance etc plus some new cloths every week
that is if hes charging £15 , he could be charging half that
in which case hes a muppet as you could charge a premium for windows that are buffed like that
im going to ask the other wcs what they know about him
-
Ive been putting leaflets through doors , for a 2 bed semi asking for only £3.50 ,and Ive got lots of work. Ive been in the game 23 nearly 24 years. And I am trad. And yes I do frames and cills. :)
-
Barry
I really think you are too cheap and your customers are on ‘a good thing’.
Last year, a local ‘trad’ cleaner, who had been doing the same houses for ‘donkeys years’ retired and he gave his small round away. I got some of his houses.
I told each customer that I could only do their houses if I charged 50-75% more than the previous cleaner.
They all accepted my price, many of them saying “I expected it to go up. The other chap hadn’t put his prices up for years.”
If you are happy with your prices, fair enough – but I’ll bet you could get at least 50% more without any serious protest.
Mike
-
if he does 4 an hour its a good price,
really? ???
Same Here. :o Must remember never to move from the Bournemouth area. My mobile homes are £10 trad. 2 bed semi are £7 (my min. charge) 8) Syd
-
good on you keep it up,good price
-
do you believe he is taking £900 for 25hours ???
i believe not, he has prob had customers for years and them type of customers are loyal and i guess is prices are years old too
-
Unbelievable anything less than £10 for any house that has an upstairs and 99.9% of bungalows
-
your probably right ronnie, i dont know his prices , i was just surmising
i shall try and find out though, the fact hes got every house in the street suggests hes working very cheap
-
from my experience you only ever get all the houses in a street if you are cheap.Much better to do 5 houses at £10 than than 10 houses at £5.I cant believe that in this day and age people are actually talking about dropping prices - nobody expects you to be cheaper than last year- hold your prices by all means in the current climate but never drop them - do a good job and customers will stay loyal to you.