Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: gary evans on March 02, 2009, 08:47:48 pm

Title: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: gary evans on March 02, 2009, 08:47:48 pm
Been given a flyer from friend who i clean there windows.

Left it van, but, says all first cleans £2.00 for front, how much the back i dont know, but can you imagine how many crap jobs or bad customers this person will get.

£2.00 UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!

Gary
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: sparklebright on March 02, 2009, 08:50:20 pm
Oh well, hopefully he'll fill his time with crap jobs, think 'oh my god I'm not making any money' and leave you alone.
Most, if not all of my customers would recognise that chump for the fly by night he must be
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: gaz1984mcc on March 02, 2009, 09:16:35 pm
what part of the west midlands is the leaflet from gary
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: sam peafield on March 02, 2009, 09:17:00 pm
I'm in Notts, in last week alone i have lost 5 jobs (domestic) average price of £11 to new window cleaners brigade they are charging on two of these jobs, wait for it £4.00 detached four bed houses my price was £12 what on earth can you do/say. The odd job fair enough but its becoming more everyday now and i for one am beginning to feel it big time now.
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: cozy on March 02, 2009, 09:39:49 pm
Sounds grim for you boys over there, I bet they are on benefits too. Wait and see though, 4 quid a house, prolly take 40 mins to complete 1 house then they think it's a good hourly rate. Two months later, GONE. You still have to clean up the mess after though. Had a bright spark over here in the early nineties have the idea to do a "sponsored" window clean for charity in my areas. About a third of my custies wanted me to miss that months clean because they were already done, cost me a fortune.
What can you do? ???
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: Big Dave @ CWC on March 02, 2009, 11:09:15 pm
i can confirm these kind of guys are here in Kent, lost two custies in one road who were offered £4 a clean for 9 windows semi's, i was charging £7.75...... which was cheap in my opinion,  unbelievable.........  they are charging the equivalence of 44p a window almost half price...... :(
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: ftp on March 03, 2009, 06:38:51 am
Trouble is if they are on benefits etc with no insurance, minimal overheads cleaning trad then their weekly wage won't be far of yours anyway, they can comfortably earn eight to ten pounds an hour which is higher than being employed so when added to their dole they are happy. Maybe this is where licencing comes in.
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: trevor perry on March 03, 2009, 07:56:34 am
i remember years ago when my prices where 30p a window and cleaning trad way i could still knock out £150 a day so at the low prices stated it would still be possible to make a very good wage, the problem comes in that i doubt they could build a round compact enough to justify them prices as the only way i could cover that amount was doing every house in row or estate not the odd one scattered here there and everywhere.
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: lovewindows on March 03, 2009, 09:46:26 am
There's still a lot of w/c who haven't changed there prices for years, my brothers w/c charges £1.50 for the front, even if he did all 30 houses on that street it's only £45 and would take 2 to 3 hrs, actually thats not bad ?
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: Window Washers on March 03, 2009, 09:48:59 am
i can confirm these kind of guys are here in Kent, lost two custies in one road who were offered £4 a clean for 9 windows semi's, i was charging £7.75...... which was cheap in my opinion,  unbelievable.........  they are charging the equivalence of 44p a window almost half price...... :(
I would use your profile pic on leaflets and ask customers to show them to window cleaners if they knock on the door, I recon you would lose less
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: Rob.Hall on March 03, 2009, 10:46:01 am
Whats needed is a trade licence for all who work on peoples property, in or out. You would have to show it before quoting.

This would stop the average tax dodger and would help custies.

You would have a bar type code or number which the custy could call the policing body for verification.

You would only need one body to deal with this and it would be cross boarder so no paying more for a licence to op in different Counties

Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: JSMC on March 03, 2009, 11:45:41 am
w ehave licence in scotland and it dont stop the dodgers mate. In fact i work in my town centre and pass police and council wardens every day but not onc ehave i been aske dfor a licence.

they take the money and then don'r bother following it up. I see teams of guys coming in from glasgow all the time working away in my area with no licence and he haw gets done i'm afraid to say. ???


Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: tacky on March 03, 2009, 12:08:11 pm
terraced house in the valleys .3 front windows £2.50 .houses all round from £5 upwards
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: Pureandclean on March 03, 2009, 01:14:04 pm
We had someone advertising in the local paper, here in Congleton, this week offering houses from £2.75, pubs from £7.50 and claiming these prices were guaranteed.
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: brett walker on March 03, 2009, 06:19:42 pm
I'm in Notts, in last week alone i have lost 5 jobs (domestic) average price of £11 to new window cleaners brigade they are charging on two of these jobs, wait for it £4.00 detached four bed houses my price was £12 what on earth can you do/say. The odd job fair enough but its becoming more everyday now and i for one am beginning to feel it big time now.


Hi Sam

welcome  8)

im also from notts and ive noticed my works continuously getting canvassed with window cleaners under pricing where in notts do you work mate, are you wfp or trad

regards

Brett
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: Gordon Saunders on March 03, 2009, 07:02:23 pm
 £2 for the front , lets say £5 for the whole house. 3 jobs an hour 8hrs a day = £120 a day. Why does everyone assume these people are benefit cheats? Everybody starts somewhere.
 Prehaps some people need to look at their pricing.
 G
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: gaz1984mcc on March 03, 2009, 07:10:21 pm
Hi Gary Evans i'm from cannock just wanted to know if you could tell me a certain area in cannock that is a bit short on w/c? And also some sort of guide on what price you charge for a 3 bed semi for front or front and back? Please in cannock my old window cleaner used to charge £4 for the front of my house. Which is a 2 bed semi which seems  reasonable to me.
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: L.J.S cleaning on March 03, 2009, 08:58:24 pm
been around most of estates in nuneaton , they turned up at my mums house while i was there visiting. asked if got window cleaner said they would do it for £2 .they were polish
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: Helen on March 03, 2009, 10:41:20 pm
£2 for the front , lets say £5 for the whole house. 3 jobs an hour 8hrs a day = £120 a day. Why does everyone assume these people are benefit cheats? Everybody starts somewhere.
 Prehaps some people need to look at their pricing.
 G
Not having a pop, but would you price so low? Take off tax, NI, overheads (even low ones) what do you have left. probably what some can claim in benefits  :)
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: martinsadie on March 03, 2009, 10:57:51 pm
£2 for the front , lets say £5 for the whole house. 3 jobs an hour 8hrs a day = £120 a day. Why does everyone assume these people are benefit cheats? Everybody starts somewhere.
 Prehaps some people need to look at their pricing.
 G
Not having a pop, but would you price so low? Take off tax, NI, overheads (even low ones) what do you have left. probably what some can claim in benefits  :)
they wouldnt earn enough to pay tax  ;D ;D
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: gary evans on March 04, 2009, 06:43:31 am
Looking at Helen,s comment she is correct, £5 is good if the hous is small. If the person charges accordingly for dirtier, one offs or larger houses, but, i feel this opens the door for the customer to take advantage & push the price low for everything.

I wouldnt do a first clean for £2, would you.

Gary
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: gary evans on March 04, 2009, 06:53:02 am
Gaz1984mcc

Yes we are based in Cannock, but, most of work is else where, the £2.00 leaflett was Heath Hayes.

We are currently looking for more work ourselves so unable to point you in right direction as we havnt found it either.

£4 for front of 3 bed semi sounds about right, i wouldnt charge any more.

I know about 4 other window cleaners around cannock & spoke to another last week, no spare work going & most areas covered, but theres always some available.


All the best

Gary
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: gaz1984mcc on March 04, 2009, 07:03:01 pm
Thanks for the advice much appreciated

Gaz1984mcc

Yes we are based in Cannock, but, most of work is else where, the £2.00 leaflett was Heath Hayes.

We are currently looking for more work ourselves so unable to point you in right direction as we havnt found it either.

£4 for front of 3 bed semi sounds about right, i wouldnt charge any more.

I know about 4 other window cleaners around cannock & spoke to another last week, no spare work going & most areas covered, but theres always some available.


All the best

Gary
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: Gordon Saunders on March 04, 2009, 08:53:18 pm
 Firstly it says £2 for the front not the whole house and as my previous post indicated it would be possible to earn £120 per day gross . lets assume trad methods so expenses would be probably less than 10% so an achievable income of £100 per day would be possible.
  £500 per week is going to seem mighty attractive to somebody made redundant from their job on minimum wage earning £250.

 Secondly why  does everybody assume that these people are benefit cheats and tax dodgers . Of course some are but some are genuine hard working people trying to feed and clothe their families.

 Thirdly , in my opinion it is in business , dangerous to underestimate the competition .

 Fourth, I do not clean a front for £2 or  a house for £5 as i have the luxury of a well established round built over many years of a growing economy .

 Lastly ,If that was what it took to feed my kids and pay my bills i would Clean a front for £2 and a house for £5 , thankfully i dont have too.
   G
 
Title: Re: Beware the £2 first clean window cleaner strikes the midlands
Post by: kenaltobelli on March 04, 2009, 09:00:41 pm
you dont get vitos hot water by iconics and carbon poles by being cheap
also i get a lot dont pay esp cheap stuff its a bit like shops you gotta charge
a bit more to  make run like a bis not just to live but live well