Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: AuRavelling79 on May 10, 2009, 10:34:59 am
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And would you consider going back to traditional and why?
Please keep abuse out of this - genuinely helpful replies only please.
I voted the top 3 for my reasons to change beforehand - but have found the other two true in hindsight...
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I switched about 8-9 years ago due to increasing height of contracts and the realization that I needed to be safer. This was ahead of any 'regulations' and was purely down to personal concern.
I would never go back as I feel that in many ways WFP gives superior results and is safer and quicker. On the odd occasions I go up a ladder now, I realise what a crude method of gaining cleaning access it is.
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I changed for less tiring work and chance of more cash.
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After taking the quick route to the ground, I bought wfp, as even I learn from near death ::).
But before I fell, I was looking at wfp anyway, as I thought it would be quicker and would mean more time for the important things in life ;)
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increasing height of contracts and the realization that we needed to be safer.
We would never go back as we feel that in many ways WFP gives superior results in the majority of cases and is safer and quicker. On the odd occasions we go up a ladder now, we realise what a crude method of gaining cleaning access it is.
Just one for the poll:
Customers prefer WFP cleans.......yes they do :)
Please do not turn this into WFP v Trad, it's not that sort of thread :)
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I heard that Trad window cleaners smell worse the wfp cleaners ;D ;D ;D
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1, 2, 4, & 5 for me I guess this forum got me convinced, There is no way I would go back to traditional I begrudge even getting the ladders off for access now.
only ever had one compliant and that was some bird muck I didn't scrub enough.
I can do a far better job with WFP than I could with Trad and I wasn't bad at that either ;D
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iv bin off a bout 1 every two years so i wos a jue a nother fall so thats the onley consideration for going WFP iv bin lucky bruses and a meatrsill the bludy met had only just healed up . so it wos 14 weeks ageny as i just cared on up the ladder , be for going back to laders id go and do sumert els wot i dont kowe but no laders
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Number 3 was not an issue for me. I never felt forced to change though I felt it may happen in the future. I wanted more money and I didn't want any more near misses (I had two that could have killed me but walked away with barely a scratch).
Job quality is a mixed bag I feel. On some jobs it's better IMO - especially when I can get to windows that weren't possible before. On other jobs there are sometimes issues that weren't there with trad - such as milky frames, poor seals, or very occasionally, on seals which have been treated with some stuff that feels a bit sticky to the touch. Upper floor sills can sometimes be an issue as the results are not checkable.
Basically, I just wanted more money without risking my neck - though I did initially underestimate the costs of switching to WFP and am still repaying the loans from the startup costs. Even so, the profit margin is still a lot higher even after allowing for extra costs.
EDITED TO SAY: No way would I voluntarily return to traditional window cleaning. I wouldn't even do it if I could up my prices by 50%. I really do mean that too.
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I could see it was gonna be way faster. But at first I only earned an xtra £20 to £40 a day. Plus initial 3 months of complaints, that everyone seems to get, made me think of going back to trad.
The speed problem wasn't due to actually cleaning the windows, it was about water logistics & hoses.
Now I can really fly with the quad & have no tiring issues with reel rewinds or lugging backpacks. Nearly all windows can be cleaned inside 15 seconds as most of my work is maintenance.
I was limited by energy & access with ladders. There is no limit with wfp. And I work mostly on my own.
So glad I made the move.
Kevin
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Fell off my ladder in first year and was off for 2 weeks, then i fell again a few years later, and thought thats it, WFP...would never go back to trad, i still do a bit off ladders, but never 100%
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Better earning potential, better job, just better all round in my view.
I hated using ladders, and the writing was on the wall for ladders and commercial work...
And of course wfp does a better, quicker job
Almost all the windies I knew scoffed when I started and they have all gone wfp
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For me it was so i could carry on working as i had an accident and injured my ankles and running up and down ladders all day every day would have put me off my feet
The added earning potential and larger jobs never came into it although thats a bonus and if i had known about these things i would have done it earlier than i did
I would never go back to full time ladder work although i still do a small amount anyway i could never earn £500 a day ;)
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fell off roofs twice in one morning, by the afternoon id bought mt first kit from omnipole never looked back but did lose about £1500 a mth changing over to wfp with custys who ''didnt like it ''
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wo jeff! how come that much lost?!
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I went over to the dark side with wfp 4 years ago. Tried to do it all wfp but chose to do some trad, not much just a couple of villages where it is tricky.
Iwould not go back full time trad.
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i do 2 days a month trad now thats all, i hope to switch it over soon but for the meanwhile its not too bad, all granny flats, no high work and all on grass, its just the oldies would give me hell switching over, so wanted to switch over all my other work first
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i got my irst system from ionics around 8 years ago and changed from trad to keep up with the times as i knew it was the future and i was proved right
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i got mine because i didnt want to work hard .
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May sound quite sad but I like climbing up ladders and cleaning windows by hand. WFP earns more money though. Would never go back now unless I had a round full of bungalows.
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I came very very close to dumping the window cleaning side of the business on the back of what I believed was going to happen with HSE about to clamp down on us.
I really couldn't see the point in spending out so much to achieve what I had already been able to achieve.
I still do 2 houses out of over 500 by trad, but they are 16th century properties with origional leaky leaded glass.
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The only reason i changed was back in 2005 i think there was a lot of talk on the forums saying it was going to be illegal after april 2005 to use ladders.
Me being an idiot thought christ and bought a WFP i wish now i didn't listen to what was on the forum and carried on with the ladders as i was happy with the ladders.
And a few time's i came close to packing it in as i was getting stressed out with WFP.
Safety didn't bother me using ladders in any jobs has its risks and have been using them daily for over 20 years.
If i was worried about safety i would have never been a window cleaner.