Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: geefree on May 18, 2009, 06:07:21 pm

Title: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: geefree on May 18, 2009, 06:07:21 pm
Conservatory roof quotes, which i have given lately, have been turned down,...

i think i am cheap. small one normal  grime.. £25 ...

large ones up to £50 .... that is cheap by some of your quotes on here guys i know...

but still getting knocked back,

their mouths drop to the floor when i say anything above 20 quid lol...

some even say, oh and while you are there will you just clean the con roof please , i will pay you extra, what is it about a fiver??????

please !!!!  ::)

am i cheap...? or not  ;)
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: ftp on May 18, 2009, 07:44:31 pm
£4.50 round our way.  :o
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: cozy on May 18, 2009, 07:48:57 pm
anyone fancy a holiday over here? Got loads of con stuff here :)
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: Blue Frog Systems on May 18, 2009, 07:57:19 pm
£40 - £50 here,

Where abouts in the country are you ?
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: cozy on May 18, 2009, 08:03:57 pm
Germany  ;D
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: Blue Frog Systems on May 18, 2009, 08:07:12 pm
Was meaning gazzasp8

Would love to come clean some conservatorys, but dont think my lovely wife would be too impressed lol
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: chris@c.m.s on May 18, 2009, 08:10:56 pm
Its exactly the same where I am don't worry about it they just don't realise the work involved, I quote what I think and that's probably about the same as your pricing and I'm quite pleased they don't take it up most of the time  :)
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: weetot on May 18, 2009, 08:33:46 pm
Yeh i charge about that, tell them to have a go themselves without wfp, then stand back and laugh. ;D ;D ;D :-*
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: Pureandclean on May 18, 2009, 09:09:49 pm
Yes, many customers think it is just a 5 minute job. But there are still plenty that will pay the right price, so stick to your price, and don't be tempted to drop your prices any lower.
 Once you have done the roof for them, you should find they are more then willing to agree to have them done every 12 months. Then when the word gets out how well the rooves clean up, you should start to pick up some of their friends.
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: GWCS on May 18, 2009, 09:18:52 pm
most conny roofs take me about 2 hours on a conny roof ladder when green algae/black mould- up close and personal with hot pure water - immaculate! include ext gutters too.

from £79.

If they just need a going over to get the dust off, then its about a tenner.
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: peter holley on May 18, 2009, 09:27:23 pm
Yeh i charge about that, tell them to have a go themselves without wfp, then stand back and laugh. ;D ;D ;D :-*

lol....lol...lol... its funny how their attitude changes after they try it themselves... ;D ;D ;D.... lol lol lol
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: bad trippy on May 18, 2009, 09:41:16 pm
years ago i used to clean a post office, one day the owner said could you do the insides i say yes sure, had to move the usual stuff out the way, take down posters and remove cellotape from glass etc, when i finished the job he held out his hand and said heres something extra for doing the insides, i nearly died it was a 50 pence piece, i never returned after that
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: peter holley on May 18, 2009, 09:44:01 pm
years ago i used to clean a post office, one day the owner said could you do the insides i say yes sure, had to move the usual stuff out the way, take down posters and remove cellotape from glass etc, when i finished the job he held out his hand and said heres something extra for doing the insides, i nearly died it was a 50 pence piece, i never returned after that

thats because thats what people think were worth  ::).... lol... lo...loll
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: bad trippy on May 18, 2009, 09:57:05 pm
years ago i used to clean a post office, one day the owner said could you do the insides i say yes sure, had to move the usual stuff out the way, take down posters and remove cellotape from glass etc, when i finished the job he held out his hand and said heres something extra for doing the insides, i nearly died it was a 50 pence piece, i never returned after that

thats because thats what people think were worth  ::).... lol... lo...loll
Dogs mess under their shoe lol, hey we are scum, scabs pikeys low lifes, cant think of anymore lol
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: Londoner on May 18, 2009, 10:07:36 pm
I quoted £20 for a house I do that has a big conservatory. Three way roof and quite dirty. The lady nearly fell over. I'm not sorry, if they don't want to pay my price they can do it themselves.
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: geefree on May 18, 2009, 10:44:22 pm
Thanks for the input, looks like i am ok with prices, i do go over £50 if its large, and green !

I had the same drop dead look,... the other day too, only this was a quote for a detached house, white plastic, ish.... cladding, all the way round the top half of the house....... i thought  nice wash and rinse all the way around.... maybe an hour, or a bit more... so i worked out quickly, £10 per side.... £40 .....

you would have thought i had just pulled a gun on him, by the shocked look on his face!....

i though the same as you guys...... Do it yourself mate on a ladder..... then you may just wish you had parted with that £40.....


But, once they knock me back..... i never do it if they change their minds ,and ask me weeks later.

Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: Londoner on May 19, 2009, 07:00:20 am
You hear of companies allegedly charging £300+  for conservatories but I don't know where they find the customers from. The planet Zog I would imagine.
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: simon knight on May 19, 2009, 01:00:07 pm
You hear of companies allegedly charging £300+  for conservatories but I don't know where they find the customers from. The planet Zog I would imagine.

I imagine these sort of companies spend the entire day and bring it up to as new...rather than the quick scrub down with a yard brush and hose-off that I do for £20 ;D
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: [GQC] Tim on May 19, 2009, 01:50:11 pm
Personally, I do not see the point of having a conservatory. The roof is dirty again the next day with a bit of luck.
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: weetot on May 19, 2009, 03:19:31 pm
Planet zogs right, and the custires are usually mork & mindy ;)
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: AuRavelling79 on May 19, 2009, 03:20:27 pm
Planet zogs right, and the custires are usually mork & mindy ;)

Nanu, nanu ...
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: dave allen on May 19, 2009, 03:35:19 pm
gave a quote to a customer recently,normally charge £15 for her windows, she wanted her conservatory roof cleaned, she has large 4bed house and the conservatory was P shaped right accross the back,told her price would be £25 and she seemed ok with that. Returned to clean windows and roof which took 2 of us just over an hour, roof was really hard work!!when i knocked for the money she couldnt belive the £25 didnt include the windows aswell!!!She had right ump, didnt have enough money so ill have to pop back. Then i thought, did she expect us to work hard for £5 an hour each???
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: simon knight on May 19, 2009, 03:58:33 pm
Then i thought, did she expect us to work hard for £5 an hour each???

Of course! Who the hell do you think you are?  You should be grateful the good lady lets you clean her windows at all. ;D ;D
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: john tomkins on May 19, 2009, 04:27:26 pm
gave a quote to a customer recently,normally charge £15 for her windows, she wanted her conservatory roof cleaned, she has large 4bed house and the conservatory was P shaped right accross the back,told her price would be £25 and she seemed ok with that. Returned to clean windows and roof which took 2 of us just over an hour, roof was really hard work!!when i knocked for the money she couldnt belive the £25 didnt include the windows aswell!!!She had right ump, didnt have enough money so ill have to pop back. Then i thought, did she expect us to work hard for £5 an hour each???

Maybe my calculator is playing up but you said
Quote
Returned to clean windows and roof which took 2 of us just over an hour
You priced £25 roof £15 windows = £40  = £20 per man/hour
She thought £25 for roof and windows = £25 = £12.50 per man/hour.... not brilliant but certainly not £5 per hour :-\
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: weetot on May 19, 2009, 06:44:37 pm
Shazbot ::)
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: pingu on May 19, 2009, 07:10:45 pm
As a reversal..I picked a customer the other day..(English lady) and when I told her the price she nearly fainted I swear...

I explained that I pay all my taxes blah, blah and I had no dount that if she rang around she could get the price down no worries....she then asked if she did that would I match it...No I replied...

She took me on....and the 1st clean price I asked which was a nice price...

Oh I do the posh house over the road that she said she really liked....

Keeping up with the Jones's?

Dave.
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: Londoner on May 21, 2009, 08:11:28 am
gave a quote to a customer recently,normally charge £15 for her windows, she wanted her conservatory roof cleaned, she has large 4bed house and the conservatory was P shaped right accross the back,told her price would be £25 and she seemed ok with that. Returned to clean windows and roof which took 2 of us just over an hour, roof was really hard work!!when i knocked for the money she couldnt belive the £25 didnt include the windows aswell!!!She had right ump, didnt have enough money so ill have to pop back. Then i thought, did she expect us to work hard for £5 an hour each???

I have had the same situation, you have to make sure the customer understands that the £25 is extra.
I always say ".......and it will take me a good hour and a half to do"
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: Nathanael Jones on May 21, 2009, 09:27:49 am
I quoted €170 for gutter fascia & soffit cleaning on a big 4 bed with a granny flat on Tuesday for a regular custie, he wasn't impressed at all. I explained that it included cleaning the windows too, it'd take half the day, price included VAT etc. Stuck to my guns and walked away.
An hour later I got a call for gutter cleaning,.. all the gear was in the van so I did it straight away. It worked out at €60 per hour, and the woman (who was home and watching me while I cleaned) was extremely appreciative and asked for cards to give to her friends!
Not everyone wants everything for nothing, & its nice to find the ones that still appreciate our work!
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: GWCS on May 21, 2009, 09:47:38 am
I always find that your regular custies who pay for example £12 for their windows, when you tell them the price for a proper time consuming, job will always be shocked.

Its those that are new to you, that will be happy to pay for the other services, and then sign you up for a regular clean (and you dont even have to ask if they would want that).

funny how it works sometimes.
Title: Re: People want everything for nothing.
Post by: [GQC] Tim on May 21, 2009, 06:05:16 pm
Saw a bill from a Gardening company.

Over £2000 for 3 small trees to be trimmed, a couple of bushes, and some extra turf. Would have taken a crew of three about a day I think. Plumbers are expensive, electricians charge the world. Except the cleaners are expected to charge peanuts, even after spending thousands on their systems. Silly.