Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: chrismroberts on March 12, 2009, 03:43:50 pm
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....who charges more for less frequent cleans? My customers and potential customers always seem to sound surprised when I say a quarterly clean will cost more than a monthly....
For example, I gave a quote out last week for a quarterly clean at £30, now in my head it was probably a £20 bi monthly clean, something like that, but she just rang me to say her friends house, which I clean every month, is the same sort of size (much easier access) is only £15....? She sounded really surprised?
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I charge mor but w wouldnt double it as it wont take me twice as lon, if i done a monthly at £15 if the wanted Bi monthly in this climate i wouldnt charge more, but a new custy would be £18 and 12 weekly would be £22.
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Think you'll find most wcs will charge more for a quaterly clean. After all the windows will be a lot dirtier than a monthly clean.
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Not for an existing customer, no, but for a new one...? Hmmm...
Think you'll find most wcs will charge more for a quaterly clean. After all the windows will be a lot dirtier than a monthly clean.
Yeh well thats what I was thinking, quarterly would be almost like a first clean again. Its right near a main road too.
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Not for an existing customer, no, but for a new one...? Hmmm...
Think you'll find most wcs will charge more for a quaterly clean. After all the windows will be a lot dirtier than a monthly clean.
Yeh well thats what I was thinking, quarterly would be almost like a first clean again. Its right near a main road too.
I did a house today which had not been done for 3 years. Took me fractionally longer than it would have done if it'd been done 3 weeks ago. Trad.
It's the inside which take lots more time if they've not been done for ages IMO.
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with WFP a clean every month or every 3 / 4 months is the same
i know with my hernia op i am doing houses that havent been done for 3 - 4 months
its still the same time and motion , thus shouldnt it be the same price ? ? ?
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we offer 4 frequencies
4 weeks - 10%
6 weeks standard price
8 weeks + 10%
12 weeks + 25%
it still costs the customer less over 12 months to have it less frequently and thats is what you should tell them. at the end of the day its more work as they will be more dirty and you will need more customers to fill your round. try to make them focus on their price over 12 months rather than the individual clean price.
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with WFP a clean every month or every 3 / 4 months is the same
i know with my hernia op i am doing houses that havent been done for 3 - 4 months
its still the same time and motion , thus shouldnt it be the same price ? ? ?
Hi Matt, you back doing it full time now?
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I charge more between 2 and 4 weeks, and between 3 and 6 weeks as these are pretty much the only frequencies i clean at :) 2 - 4 is a quid difference and 3 - 6 is usually a couple of quid if they ask to be 6 weekly when i quote, however recently when they have gone every other time due to recession i dont do anything, but when things straighten out a bit i will whack it up, only because its awkward because you have to find work to replace it, and then when there clean comes around you have extra work so its hard to schedule the same amount for each time if that makes sense?
But still, work is work :)
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Not for an existing customer, no, but for a new one...? Hmmm...
Think you'll find most wcs will charge more for a quaterly clean. After all the windows will be a lot dirtier than a monthly clean.
Yeh well thats what I was thinking, quarterly would be almost like a first clean again. Its right near a main road too.
I did a house today which had not been done for 3 years. Took me fractionally longer than it would have done if it'd been done 3 weeks ago. Trad.
It's the inside which take lots more time if they've not been done for ages IMO.
Just to pick up on the point made in red Simon.
If a house hasn't been done for three years then it will have spiders' nests, grime, baked on birds muck and filthy frames - yet you say it takes "fractionally longer" than one you did 3 weeks ago.
Please explain how you did this as I reckon I could make good money offering "one-offs" if I had your secret!
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Do 6 weekly cleans for the British custies, Don't offer anything else but,if one wants a 12 weekly then it's 25% more. Trad at the moment but when I change that's the rate. Not had a problem with this so far. From all my Brit custies only 1% have asked for that.
hope that made sence ::)
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Not for an existing customer, no, but for a new one...? Hmmm...
Think you'll find most wcs will charge more for a quaterly clean. After all the windows will be a lot dirtier than a monthly clean.
Yeh well thats what I was thinking, quarterly would be almost like a first clean again. Its right near a main road too.
I did a house today which had not been done for 3 years. Took me fractionally longer than it would have done if it'd been done 3 weeks ago. Trad.
It's the inside which take lots more time if they've not been done for ages IMO.
Just to pick up on the point made in red Simon.
If a house hasn't been done for three years then it will have spiders' nests, grime, baked on birds muck and filthy frames - yet you say it takes "fractionally longer" than one you did 3 weeks ago.
Please explain how you did this as I reckon I could make good money offering "one-offs" if I had your secret!
Malc you've misread. I said "...than it would have done if it'd been done 3 weeks ago".
But the simple fact is that whilst it did have a few spider nests I find that grime is grime and if it was "baked on" it sure came off easily enough. There was no birds muck (just lucky there I guess...but if it did have I find my Ettore scrapper is more than a match for any amount of bird poo!). All in all I promise you it took me fractionally longer....and I'm talking 5 maybe 10 minutes longer.
No secret Malc. Just an applicator, squeegee and scrim.
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Nope you've lost me, Simon
Are you saying that doing a house that hasn't been done for three years will take you almost the same time as a house that hasn't been done for 3 weeks?
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with WFP a clean every month or every 3 / 4 months is the same
i know with my hernia op i am doing houses that havent been done for 3 - 4 months
its still the same time and motion , thus shouldnt it be the same price ? ? ?
Hi Matt, you back doing it full time now?
nope :(
i went back to the docs last wednesday and asked them to check it over as i was still in pain, the same pain as before the op, they said the repair was still ok, just the muscles needed time to knit together, this is not happening as i by all accounts went back to work too soon, she said to take 2 more weeks off, well i cannot do that, as i have my customers to think of ( though when i get to a certain point in my round i will be able to take 2 weeks off, but thats a few weeks away )
so
i am working half days, from 9.30 till after lunch , i have been lucky enough to have a fellow local window cleaner ( once again cheers to him ;)) help me for the last 3 days ( well my half days ) it means i have got full days work done in only half a day, which has helped, i just hope my customers dont get used to his flashy kit, his pole sparkles in the sunlight ;D ;D ;D
this week the pain has eased aswell, i am not sure its 100 % work related though, as its when i am home, i pick up and play with my 1 yr old daughter, this isnt helping, so this week i have made a effort to not do that either
cheers for asking ;)
matt
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Nope you've lost me, Simon
Are you saying that doing a house that hasn't been done for three years will take you almost the same time as a house that hasn't been done for 3 weeks?
trad and WFP its still the same motions
except wfp you give it a little more of a scrub and a quick extra rinse ( takes seconds per window )
Trad you just give it a extra scrab with the mop, its the same squeegee motion and same bit of detailing
i dont get it
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Good news Matt! Chin up!
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Nope you've lost me, Simon
Are you saying that doing a house that hasn't been done for three years will take you almost the same time as a house that hasn't been done for 3 weeks?
Yes...the caveat being it's not a house overlooking a really busy main road. But even then I've done those and can't seriously say it took much longer. Perhaps I'm just bloody good at what I do ;D
I don't do frames by the way...just a glass cleaning ladder monkey.
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Nope you've lost me, Simon
Are you saying that doing a house that hasn't been done for three years will take you almost the same time as a house that hasn't been done for 3 weeks?
Yes...the caveat being it's not a house overlooking a really busy main road. But even then I've done those and can't seriously say it took much longer. Perhaps I'm just bloody good at what I do ;D
I don't do frames by the way...just a glass cleaning ladder monkey.
That explains it. Thanks.
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if its a tenner per month... i generally add 3 or 4 if its two monthly......
oh , and now if they say "leave it this time"... i say ok will be a couple of quid more next time as they will take more cleaning.
They can take it or leave it.... if they leave it... i dont go back.
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my first cleans take about 50% more time , sometimes longer.... get the first clean right and you laughing the following cleans .....
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so do yu charge more for a first clean or just the same
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with WFP a clean every month or every 3 / 4 months is the same
i know with my hernia op i am doing houses that havent been done for 3 - 4 months
its still the same time and motion , thus shouldnt it be the same price ? ? ?
Hi Matt, you back doing it full time now?
nope :(
i went back to the docs last wednesday and asked them to check it over as i was still in pain, the same pain as before the op, they said the repair was still ok, just the muscles needed time to knit together, this is not happening as i by all accounts went back to work too soon, she said to take 2 more weeks off, well i cannot do that, as i have my customers to think of ( though when i get to a certain point in my round i will be able to take 2 weeks off, but thats a few weeks away )
so
i am working half days, from 9.30 till after lunch , i have been lucky enough to have a fellow local window cleaner ( once again cheers to him ;)) help me for the last 3 days ( well my half days ) it means i have got full days work done in only half a day, which has helped, i just hope my customers dont get used to his flashy kit, his pole sparkles in the sunlight ;D ;D ;D
this week the pain has eased aswell, i am not sure its 100 % work related though, as its when i am home, i pick up and play with my 1 yr old daughter, this isnt helping, so this week i have made a effort to not do that either
cheers for asking ;)
matt
Yeah 1yr olds don't understand why they can't bounce on your tummy all of a sudden...bless 'em ;D
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so do yu charge more for a first clean or just the same
Generally:-
I charge more for first cleans by saying - "I'm sure you'll appreciate that as your windows haven't been done for quite a while then I charge extra to get them up to scratch but subsequently they will revert to the regular rate of £X.
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so do yu charge more for a first clean or just the same
i dont charge more , but i do stress that i only take on regular customers...If someone asks for a one off clean , if i have the time and only if i have the time , i will charge more.
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Nope you've lost me, Simon
Are you saying that doing a house that hasn't been done for three years will take you almost the same time as a house that hasn't been done for 3 weeks?
Yes...the caveat being it's not a house overlooking a really busy main road. But even then I've done those and can't seriously say it took much longer. Perhaps I'm just bloody good at what I do ;D
I don't do frames by the way...just a glass cleaning ladder monkey.
That explains it. Thanks.
The reason for no frames is that in and around Putney there isn't too much (if any) in the way of new builds and the vast majority of the houses I clean are late Victorian with pitted concrete sills and in many cases the original frames. The glass is held in with crumbling putty and in lots of cases a good % of the putty is missing...try wiping that over and you'd stand a good chance of pulling out the remaining putty that holds the glass in...I kid you not!
OK there a good few houses that have modern frames...mainly stained/varnished wood (UPVC isn't popular around here) but even these I don't clean as a matter of course. If on the rare occassion I'm asked to then yes of course I'll do it and add extra.
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so do yu charge more for a first clean or just the same
Generally:-
I charge more for first cleans by saying - "I'm sure you'll appreciate that as your windows haven't been done for quite a while then I charge extra to get them up to scratch but subsequently they will revert to the regular rate of £X.
exactly what i do..... theyre paying for my time.... i dont charge them for the pure water..... now ther'es an idea
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
parts&labour invoice coming soon !!!
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If they seem surprised because a less regular clean costs more I ask them if when they leave their kitchen work surface a week until they clean it does it take them any longer than if they clean it daily.
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i give a price and thats the price,2 4 or 8 weekly dirt is dirt and we are paid to get it off ,not cry about there being a bit more dirt than normal,builders cleans are different ;D
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Think you'll find most wcs will charge more for a quaterly clean. After all the windows will be a lot dirtier than a monthly clean.
Yeah but being honest how much longer does it really take with wfp?
Ive had a couple of customers ask for longer betwen cleans, because theyre in financial trouble, but dont charge them any more
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Thanks for the replies guys... I felt really bad, so rang her back and said I'd knock a fiver off. LOL. She sounded really pleased ;D
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i give a price and thats the price,2 4 or 8 weekly dirt is dirt and we are paid to get it off ,not cry about there being a bit more dirt than normal,builders cleans are different ;D
Are you a frame dodger Stan?
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when a customer pays for frame cleaning i do them but not many want to pay so yes frame dodging is my game ;D
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when a customer pays for frame cleaning i do them but not many want to pay so yes frame dodging is my game ;D
same here, i dont touch them, nothing but trouble