Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Mr Sparkle on January 10, 2009, 12:24:59 pm
-
HI FOLKS I'M IN DEEP SHOCK JUST BEEN TO DO A QUOTE ON A LARGE 4 BEDROOM DETACHED HOUSE, I QUOTED £10 FOR THE WHOLE HOUSE , BECAUSE I'VE JUST STARTED UP TO GET A FEW CUSTOMERS, THOUGHT I'D GO IN CHEAP TO GET THE JOB THEN I WAS TOLD NO THANKS THE OTHER WINDOW CLEANER USED TO DO IT FOR £4,
HOW THE HELL CAN ANYONE DO THIS AND MAKE A LIVING? ARE WE BEING TOOK OVER BY A LOAD OF DOLE DOSSERS OUT FOR BEER MONEY? IT MAKES ME ANGRY THINKING ABOUT IT >:( >:( >:(
-
£10 for what the whole house ?
-
Mr Sparkle
You would be better posting this in the window cleaning section.
Bob
-
Mr Sparkle
You would be better posting this in the window cleaning section.
Bob
??? ??? ???
-
did you ask the customer, where the old £4 window cleaner was, and when they say he doesnt turn up anymore, you say its because hes starved to death.
-
Mr Sparkle
You would be better posting this in the window cleaning section.
Bob
??? ??? ???
Had to laught ;D
-
THE OTHER WINDOW CLEANER USED TO DO IT FOR £4,
This is the most significant part of the reply!
Why doesn't he STILL do it for 4 quid? ;)
Tony
-
Don't just assume the customer is telling the truth! It could easily be that the customer said £4 hoping you'd match it.
I've become very cynical in this job.
-
I QUOTED £10 FOR THE WHOLE HOUSE , BECAUSE I'VE JUST STARTED UP TO GET A FEW CUSTOMERS, THOUGHT I'D GO IN CHEAP TO GET THE JOB
Big mistake!
Never go in cheap just to get a job... You will regret it in the long run.
Andy
-
Just say, "sorry i cannot do it at that price...
You are better off sticking with your £4 window cleaner (even if he no longer does it - which is probably why they called you)
But feel free to contact me in the future if i can help you, but note my quotation is vaild for 7 days only.
Have a good day, sorry to have wasted your time"
Leave it friendly, say sorry even though they are to blame (in our eyes) it leave it open for them to contact you at a later date. And by saying the quote is valid for 7 days, it allows for increasing the price after that period, when you become more established and a better window cleaner.
stick to your own prices and pricing scheme, dont reduce just to get a job, unless there is something in it for you (long term!)
-
Its always the same old story, I have been to quote a large barn conversion this morning & it was a big un too they said over the last 20 yrs they have had 3/4 window cleaners none that lasted more than 5yrs all dissapeared without so much as a goodbye I priced it at £50 which they were surprised at then told me the last 2 guys charge £12 & £16 , this place is going to take me a couple of hrs or so to do on my own
-
Its always the same old story, I have been to quote a large barn conversion this morning & it was a big un too they said over the last 20 yrs they have had 3/4 window cleaners none that lasted more than 5yrs all dissapeared without so much as a goodbye I priced it at £50 which they were surprised at then told me the last 2 guys charge £12 & £16 , this place is going to take me a couple of hrs or so to do on my own
Chris,
Did they agree to £50?
If they did be careful they don't just use you as a one-off!
Andy
-
somebody came over to me when cleaning my round and asked can i do there town house i said ten pound they said last window cleaner did it for four pound i sain can not do it for that they said ok we will wait to see if the old one comes back
-
If the guy cleaned the property for £4.00 and the customer was happy with the job; how is he a cowboy?
I would agree that he's probably not insured, but we don't know that for sure, but he's just underselling himself rather than being a cowboy.
A cowboy is something you see on Rogue Traders on the TV!
-
If the guy cleaned the property for £4.00 and the customer was happy with the job; how is he a cowboy?
I would agree that he's probably not insured, but we don't know that for sure, but he's just underselling himself rather than being a cowboy.
A cowboy is something you see on Rogue Traders on the TV!
You dont have to have insurance - its just better to have it, so just cos your not insured, doesn't make you a cowboy if your running a business, and cleaning properly.
-
what i am saying is if he cleaned ten town houses he would get forty pounds for most of the day how can anyone make a living out of that £200 pound a week without outlays
-
what i am saying is if he cleaned ten town houses he would get forty pounds for most of the day how can anyone make a living out of that £200 pound a week without outlays
Doing that trad is basically no outlay.
I used to work in an office on minimum wage for £180 a week, so its no real difference. A lot of people do live on that very type of wage, and thats more common further north, than down the south.
Still quite possible a benefits fraudster so obviously getting extra money there too.
-
Mr Sparkle
You would be better posting this in the window cleaning section.
Bob
??? ??? ??? ???
-
If the guy cleaned the property for £4.00 and the customer was happy with the job; how is he a cowboy?
I would agree that he's probably not insured, but we don't know that for sure, but he's just underselling himself rather than being a cowboy.
A cowboy is something you see on Rogue Traders on the TV!
What is the big problem with not being insured....i presume you mean public liabilty cover...it is not a legal requirement to trade as a wc without this type of insurance so why does one assume that a wc without insurance coverage of this nature is a cowboy?
I work mainly domestics but have a small amount of council contracts of which specify that i have to have a pl policy to cover me working on their premises,but if i did not have this council work i would not take out this cover for my domestic rounds,i see no point.Ok if some silly sod trips over your hose and dies of a heart attack then i will probably get sued left right and centre,but it is a choice of the individual and it certainly doesn't mean they are cowboys.
-
If you havent got public liability insurance what happens if your ladder is blown over in the wind and damages someones property, maybe on a car, or causes someone personal injury?
If I was a victim of that I'd wanted financial recompense, wouldnt most people? It strikes me as irresponsible not to. We have a moral duty to allow for most foreseeable eventualities surely?
-
If you havent got public liability insurance what happens if your ladder is blown over in the wind and damages someones property, maybe on a car, or causes someone personal injury?
If I was a victim of that I'd wanted financial recompense, wouldnt most people? It strikes me as irresponsible not to. We have a moral duty to allow fo rmost eventualities surely?
then you take the window cleaner to court.
moral or not its not required by law, so its up to the individual.
-
Exactly, which is why you need P/L Insurance.
(If the window cleaner is taken to court and has no assets as recompense whats the use in taking him to court, sending him to prison for 3 years doesnt repair the conservatory roof, the OAP's skull)
-
Exactly, which is why you need P/L Insurance.
(If the window cleaner is taken to court and has no assets as recompense whats the use in taking him to court, sending him to prison for 3 years doesnt repair the conservatory roof, the OAP's skull)
yes you do have a VERY valid point of course it should be made a legal requirement just like it is in Scotland.
But its not for everywhere else...
So its up to the customer, to ensure their window cleaner is insured. Besides legally if a WC dropped his ladder on a OAP's head, that OAP's family can claim off the persons home public liability insurance who is using the window cleaner if he was working on their property at the time, as they are liable too!
Although if were talking in the middle of the street, then you cant.
-
Its always the same old story, I have been to quote a large barn conversion this morning & it was a big un too they said over the last 20 yrs they have had 3/4 window cleaners none that lasted more than 5yrs all dissapeared without so much as a goodbye I priced it at £50 which they were surprised at then told me the last 2 guys charge £12 & £16 , this place is going to take me a couple of hrs or so to do on my own
Chris,
Did they agree to £50?
If they did be careful they don't just use you as a one-off!
Andy
Andy they did accept
-
some people are shy about asking for much money for a job. they are used to scraping by and dare not put a big price in. some window cleaners do not see the job as a way to make a good living, but as a way to get by. i know a very good window cleaner who just gets through the week; he is a fast good cleaner but has no aspiration to set the world on fire.
-
the way this recession is starting to hit there will be thousands of hard working people with no job or any prospect of getting one 'dossing'. we cant be too smug, clean windows is not a necessity like food or warmth. the recession will hit all of us too.
-
i have plenty of jobs too low priced taken on when i first started but now i cant be arsed or
dont want the hasel of putting the price up .
its a thing left over from being a milk man milk goes up penny a pint they have 4 pints a week
instead of 7 or cut to 1 a day used to be 2 so if you look at some of my prices i must be a
cowboy now i just try for a bit more with new work
-
at the moment i have prices from 2 quid shop front to 38 quid com..in short a broad range of pricing .
The key is the proximity of jobs and the time it takes to complete. 20 quid houses are good but not when you have to drive 10 miles to the next one.
-
i would drive ten miles between every 20 pound house if my books were not full. money is money ,and my books are not full .
-
a window cleaner by mine had died,been doing round for 30years,4bed all leaded,because he used to charge 4.50 they wont pay more then that,all 3k houses there is about 70,two years down i have started doing them charged double the first time,but its still 315 for 70 houses which i do in two and a half days,it may be cheap but the answer to your question,yes you can earn a good living at these prices,just have to work harder thats all,most of my work 5 quid only because they wont pay more but last xmas i had two days each week,now i have 6days work each week,and im thinking of buying some soon,and so far i havent been undercut,i started up again after rta,just because people are cheap doesnt mean there dossers,ive been window cleaning for 20years now,make a good living,wish you all the best any way,and welcome to the world of a window cleaner ;D im insured public liability,and liability,but yes there are a few cowboys out there,if people can get there houses cleaned for 4 quid they will
-
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=wZzbk8GFy9k&feature=related
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=a-vsfAbBwp0&feature=related
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=HFr5UVrCBdw&feature=related
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=IyhXtl3DLAo&feature=related
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=v2MJhssLFTY&feature=related
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=PojEW3pgCTo&feature=related
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ODoAmN-VJgY
If it ain't Dutch it ain't much !!!
Dave.
-
your link not working
-
Take away the http :// bit.