Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: suffolkclean on June 10, 2009, 01:51:10 pm
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Could be getting a van, at the moment ours is signwritten. Would like our van to stand out from the crowd & be noticed. Who would like to show me their van & let me know how much it cost to do. Ours only cost about £120 but has done the job, not sure if spending £1K+ is worth it. Would love to hear your comments.
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mine was 350 plus vat already got money back twice in 6 weeks
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Hi Richard - Thanks can't see pic
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click on attachment below pic
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£300, 2 sides and the back. Excludes the blue which was already on.
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quite catching Joe,
only one thing i would have ommited, " no shrinkage " my opinion is it puts a little doubt in the custys minds, when the thought of shrinkage proberbly never even entered their heads.
Why so the seeds of doubt ? if its a concern to them you can always reasure when surveying.
geoff
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They both look really good for the money spent
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Hi Geoff
Actually I got a job just the other week and when I was asking the lady why did she pick me she said "you were the only one that said no shrinkage and thats what I am worried about".
Its a funny world.
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joe you got enough writing on ur van??? i'd have to follow you for 10 minutes just to read it,
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Billy
The big writing is for those seeing it as I am passing - what I am + tel no or website.
The smaller writing is for those walking past when I am stationary at a job - they have more time.
It works too - have had some come to me when I am at the van, have a read and talk more.
Its a continuing image for their mind too - my leaflets are very similar and some of my adverts too.
See the van - see an advert or get a leaflet thro door - memory check.
and vice versa.
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Getting a wrap is a lot more expensive, but a lot more effective. The best looking van I have seen is Dave Roleants from Lakeland Carpet Cleaning. Maybe Dave could post a pic on here. I think for a quality wrap you are looking at about £2000.
Phil
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I've got a local company quoting for a full wrap. Thinking of ideas to give them for design. I really like the pics of baby lying on carpet, thought if that was on the back of the van with a list of our services it'd get peoples attention?
Any really good ideas let me know
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Susan Dean's van is the best I've seen.... Wonder if she'll show us it again :)
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That van is different class. well worth searching the archives for.who`s the handsome guy on the side of joe`s van.
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Susan - Can you show me your van?? I want something that really stands out from the crowd, thought about bubbles, splats, finger prints all across it too? :-\
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Susan's van was class - but then I believe it cost approx £ 3k !
Steve
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Heres the link:http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=66723.40
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Thanx so much for the link - can't believe susans got a little person on her van too - great minds think alike!! I'm defo getting our van wrapped now - will post pics in a few weeks when its done ;D
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The Cleaning Doctor who used to be about here had a picture of a baby on his van - ugly little sod too! :o ;D ;)
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Oh Dennis :o :-X
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Seems like both the cleaning doctors have gone, the one in Caister and Norwich. Good old franchises eh ???
Good luck with the van writing suffolkclean ;)
All the best,
Jason.
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Seems like both the cleaning doctors have gone, the one in Caister and Norwich. Good old franchises eh ???
Good luck with the van writing suffolkclean ;)
All the best,
Jason.
Not to be confused with "Yours Truly". BTW I'm not a franchise. :)
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Seems like both the cleaning doctors have gone, the one in Caister and Norwich. Good old franchises eh ???
Jason.
I think CD Norwich has gone company owned as the website now has Beverley near Hull as the address.
http://www.chemdryclean.co.uk/norwich/about/contact
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Think the cleaning doctor in the cheshire area has also gone ::)
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NHS cut backs? ;D ;D ;D
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Colin ;D (sorry Clinton)
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They must have caused some confusion for your customers Roger.
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The web sites are still in full flow and advertising the franchise.
Best wrap I've seen has to be Susan Dean's cost £3k
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Hi Guys
The wraps look superb BUT are they cost effective, at 3k think how esle you could spend that money on marketing etc.
If you are really building a corporate image then it may be worth it, but a one man CC business, debatable.
Cheers
Doug
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They must have caused some confusion for your customers Roger.
Well, there's Cleaning Doctor franchise, there's Carpet Doctor franchise and I've seen advertised a cleaning product called Doctor Carpet.
I've got legal ownership of the limited company, the trading name and ".co.uk" domain name. I've also spoken to a solicitor whose an expert in trade name legislation and he said that "passing off" as it's known is difficult to prove. But yes I am aware of passing -off and what measures can be taken if necessary.
To answer your question directly some clients have mentioned the confusion but it's usually resolved itself. Those few people who have used one of the other companies when they had actually meant me find that the customer service/job quality control wasn't the same and then they realised their mistake and come back to me.
Having said that those who wanted me, went to the other companies and then never came back to me, well......... ??? ??? ???
It basically comes down to building brand awareness/corporate identity
How do you guys build your brand awareness? Do you think you've got a strong brand, a strong brand name and how do you promote it?
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I think if you have a vehicle that people say wow look at that van - they will remember you, it's good to stand out from the crowd & be noticed. A new local florist has a van with big bright daiseys wrapped around it, you can instantly see what her business does & it looks very different to anything I've seen locally. I use them for any flowers I need
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Hi Roger
I've thought about pushing the 1st 4 carpet Cleaning brand on a semi franchisable basis , through websites etc.
It's something I may gradualy build, although any brand name building is difficult.
The Dry60 dry (almost) is another possible brand idea I have.
Cheers
Doug
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Doug
I agree. Whilst Doctor Carpet sounds like a brand, in reality it's just a man and a machine. Friends have said "You should franchise it" but of course what most clients are buying at the end of the day is not Doctor Carpet but a guy called Roger who they feel comfortable to have in their house, who does an acceptable job of cleaning their carpets and who they can identify with and build an on-going relationship with.
Roger
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i personally think spending 3 k on signwriting is over the top. fair enough get done to look prof. but its an awful lot of money to have laid out. you can spend this money elsewhere and get a lot more back than you would do from the van.
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Its a lot of money to spend 3k on a vehicle wrap i think ???
Does it really pull more work in ???
Always found a nice sign written van easy to read will get you noticed and bring in extra work :)
Roger
Is the carpet doctor still going near us ???
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I'm sure over time it will pay for itself, a very long time.
I think it's more taking pride in your business and to some extent ego. Each to their own, but a well crafted sign written van costing a few hundred quid does just as good a job I'm sure.
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mine is simple you can tell what i do by the graphics and the text and it cost me 350 plus vat i have had it done for 2 months now and its just about payed its self back now. and bare in mind i live in a rural area so no passing traffic when not working.
to be honest we have to ask ourselfs how many times have we seen a van for anything and written the number down.
its all about building an image and a logo/ layout/ name recognition that can bounce off other advertising eg logo mags/ papers flyers.
thats just my opinion.
if you change your van every 3 years 3 k is too much because before you know it you will pay again for it and by then prob more.
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My van is just about to celebrate its 10th birthday. And yes it looks about 10 years old as well ;D
My signage cost £250 and whilst I still get work off it at the same rate as I did in year 1 I would still have to say that as a generator of work it brings in very little.
Not planning in changing my van in the near future either. (Only do about 9000/9500 miles a year.)
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vista print are doin a free magnet at moment you just pay the postage. i have go the words free please take a flyer. will stick it on the van when working wonder if my £ 2.84 plus cost of holder and flyer will make me a profit. lol
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Can't talk for Susan/Justin, but I think the wrap was part of a completely new image suggested / encouraged by others who constantly told them it was wrong to charge low prices...........
Thing is, their original business was very, very successful and had been running for around 20 years ...............should they have changed ?
A post a couple of days ago mentioned one t/m doing zilch for over a month and the other doing little.
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They could always go back to the cheaper prices if they wanted.
They took the decision to go higher, they can take the decision to go lower.
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I've decided to go for some full colour digital pictures with signwritting but not a full wrap. The van can still look good without having it wrapped. I will show you all once its done.
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These are mine. The Boxer, mine, cost £420, and the expert, for my tech, cost £300, The both have reflective writting on them and get a very good response.
Cheers Goron
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From This (including a respray)
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To this, already 3 calls in 2 weeks saying from the van, cant remeber anytime with the old design
sorry cant upload the picture it says its too big will try in a while
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my wrap as half paid for itself in the frist year ;D it works well in higher end houses and the custy love it ....
ok we may have very little work but this still as nt stopped me getting the second one done and when my new van comes on the frist of september that will be done as well ;D
as for the work i could half my prices right now but we going to stick it out and get more for our work its been a long hard struggle getting the prices up and im not letting a bad year change my mind
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Dosn't it worry you Susan having a few vans lots of equipment & very little work?
We're very quiet too at the moment.
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neil, where is the picture of the new van?
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my wrap as half paid for itself in the frist year ;D it works well in higher end houses and the custy love it ....
ok we may have very little work but this still as nt stopped me getting the second one done and when my new van comes on the frist of september that will be done as well ;D
as for the work i could half my prices right now but we going to stick it out and get more for our work its been a long hard struggle getting the prices up and im not letting a bad year change my mind
each to there own susan but i think half paying for vehicle rap in one year is not that great. sure it looks the dogs but profit is what its all about.
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Here we go
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hi all i'm doing a bit of carpet cleaning as i mainly clean windows ,gutter and conservatories.i added carpet cleaning as for the bad winter and rainy days.
at the moment i'm thinking of signing my van.i the wrapping looks very expensive and don't know how much cost effective is.i like my van to stand out from the crowd but this also means will put off a lot of people thinking that u look expensive.
also these days u need to look well after expenses.
so i think i'll go for a low cost sign which in my opinion is good enough for the moment.i'll attach the picture of it .
by the way the cost of it is £100.thanks
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Neil
Was going to ask the picture on your van was your avator on here ???
cheers
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Clinton
That was Sanjuro you thinking of. Mark from Leeds area (or near).
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Clinton
I found that on google images a while ago and use it on all my ads, leaflets etc.
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Van looks good Neil.
I've just purchased a scudo and am gonna get it half wrapped. It's gonna cost around £700 but the wrapped vans i've seen really do look the dogs b******s, very eye catching indeed.
I'll post a pic when I get it done.
will
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Joe
Thanks for that thought i had seen it before just couldnt remember :)
Neil
Nice van design by the way and easy to read..
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Nice van Neil.
and J&A - you did well to get all that for £100, good deal.
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Neil I think your van looks good, I like the picture too. I've been told by the sign writters that I need to find images that are royalty free! If you found your image on google did you just copy it ?
Barbara
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Neil - just spotted something - hope you dont mind me commenting.
on your van
your web site is nr-group
yet toward the back of the van you have nr.group (looks like a dot even though its square.
My thoughts it would be better to have that as a clear - so it reads nr-group.
need the continuity and avoid possible confusion.
Only my thoughts!
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For the baby fans. ;D A bit cheesy (American) but looks good.
(http://www.cicarpetcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/cicc-van.jpg)
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Like that one Dennis.
I remember when Shaun got his new machine and van.
He took some photos with his kids playing in the back.
Someone suggested he used one in his adverts saying something like "look what my dads bought to clean your carpets". I would add "making them clean, fresh and safe".
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my wrap as half paid for itself in the frist year ;D it works well in higher end houses and the custy love it ....
ok we may have very little work but this still as nt stopped me getting the second one done and when my new van comes on the frist of september that will be done as well ;D
as for the work i could half my prices right now but we going to stick it out and get more for our work its been a long hard struggle getting the prices up and im not letting a bad year change my mind
each to there own susan but i think half paying for vehicle rap in one year is not that great. sure it looks the dogs but profit is what its all about.
Richard, your way of thinking is so typical of why many do not last. Your business should be about a million and 1 other things first, and if you make the right choices then profit.
Susan should stick with it, she is trying to improve the business and it's image, first impressions really do last in this game. Whether Susan realises it or not, right now she is seperating the wheat from the chaff, if she hangs on she will have a full well paying customer base.
In effect she is almost starting over, and in my opinion if any business makes a profit in its first year then you are fortunate.
Take your pt cleaning service website....money well spent, nice site etc. a customers first impression will be positive.
Then you go and spoil it all with those 2 cheap and nasty carpet cleaning sites you got someone else to do for you. Just one look as a customer and i would look elsewhere.
Choices!
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i think a comment like i am typical of people who do not last is a little unfair.
its each t their own how and and in which direction they spend their budget.
and for your information those websites were done by a respectable fellow carpet cleaner who was good enough to get me going with a decent position on google. as i cant afford right now to have my site optimized to its full potential
no good having the flashes site but no one can find it but at this point position on the web is crucial to me.
my adverts i place in mags and leaflets are all designed correctly to match the brand image i am trying to produce i have put a lot of thought into the direction i am heading.
but i think if you are goin to make assumptions on the way i go about things with my business i think maybe you should put your details on the forum so i can pick through yours
it was not meaning to be offensive to susans choices i was just stating that 3k for awrap is lot to spend out. i know first impressions count a great deal and i get really positive comments on my adverts and van
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Richard, take a breath, just as you were not meaning to offend susan, neither was i meaning to offend you.
Simply pointing out the facts, and if you re -read what i said, i did not say YOU were typical of people who did not last, i said that your way of thinking meaning that particular 'attitude' is why some business's do not last.
However what you have said is contradictory, why optomise a site or sites that will never get you any work in the first place. And i am well aware of who produced that rubbish for you, he has done dozens of others.
I am intitled to my opinion as you are, and in your reply to Susan you voiced yours. Now i have stated mine, you get upset...thats crazy and a little immature.
If your adverts and original site are of good quality, and they are for sure, then in my opinion you should not lower that standard just to get positioning on google, there are other ways, after all you have been in the number 1 google sponsor link position for weeks with your good site. Maybe you should have saved that money for some descent SEO, again choices. If you think you will gain more work from those 2 horrible sites at position number 6 or 7 or whatever compared to your good site at top then you really are crazy, i know it costs, but hey, its your choice. Its just my opinion, no need to get defensive.
Regarding the profile thing, well thats my choice! and plenty others on here choose to do what i do also. The only time it ever gets picked up on is when someone sails slightly too close to the truth.
Anyway, i guess in a moment or so you will be contemplating and considering your response, but keep in mind if you are going to be so open on here regarding your business, van, websites etc etc, dont expect people not to be browsing around looking at you, thats what browsers are for and thats why they are called browsers.
I chose to keep my business information private, as many others do also.
*by the way, complete, good quality van wraps, excluding the roof can be found for little more than £1000.
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keep it simple.
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Dosn't it worry you Susan having a few vans lots of equipment & very little work?
We're very quiet too at the moment.
not really as im looking more of what will happen with them in three years time , you have to put in to take out and ive been takeing out for many years , ok some may say ive spend to much on my vans but i want them right ask the h.m. team they will tell you what a pain i was with the vans ;D
i knew that my work would drop when i went for the upper market and after talking to alot of people and sitting with hubby we made to move and im not looking back long gone are the days of doing a suite for 30 pounds busting yr gutts for three hours for northing
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It's been very time consuming but this is the final proof of what we're getting put on our van, not going for a wrap, not sure how much this is going to cost yet? It's cost £270 to get to this stage with the design & buying the pictures/graphics.
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Sides
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Very eye catching, I like the dirty hand prints!
I need to re do mine me thinks!!!
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I've always used a clear van but with the fantastic artwork available nowadays you can immediately create an impact and an image.
Just make sure you live up to it :)
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I like the front however my initial reaction is the sides and the back are too cluttered with graphics and don't actually do anything for you.
Can't you get a website like kesgrave-cleaning.co.uk and make that prominent. It may not look as flash but would have thought it would get you more business, which is the idea isn't it?
I know it's not easy because my van is still unwritten trying to decide what to do and that brings in absolutely zilch at the moment LOL.
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I really like it. how do you go using such a small van?
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Thanks for your positive comments. It is a bit of a squeeze sometimes as we have a prochem steampro which takes up a bit of room, hubby packs it up nice & compact. Also as we do window cleaning we need a van with a lowish roof to beable to get the ladders on & off easily.
Barbara
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looks good to me 8)
should pay for itself in no time :)
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Looks good - until you take it for a service....... " It took ages but our valeter managed to get all those dirty handprints off." ;D ;)
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I would say exactly what cleaning you do on the sides. A potential customer only sees it briefly at lights, passing etc, and it has to trigger what service they want.
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Sides
Where did you get it done please, looks great. ;D
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I had an idea of what I wanted & got a graphic designer to do the rest for me, she's been great shes comming tomorrow to measure up the panels etc of the van so she can then do the final disc for signwritters.
Barbara
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Barbara if she speaks to the signwriters she should be able to get a template to do the design in so that the sizes are exact rather than rely in measuring it up.
Simon
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Wow 3k for sign writing, I would not pay that take far to long and to much work to see ROI.
Hope you dont lower prices again because with 50 quid jobs you would have to to 60 jobs to get your money back :o
I be happier imo with about 2 or 3 jobs covering my van signage cost, or that would be one good day 8)
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Hi
Went to see about getting my van sign written today, will post it when proofs or it gets done.
Regards
Martin 8)
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Hi absolutecleaning, I have been to another signwritters to start off with thinking they knew what they were doing regards to design ::) even they measured all the panels etc as they said there's so many different versions of vans, panels etc that they always measure.
The sign writters who did our old van are charging £490 + Vat to do the van, getting it done in 3 weeks time - can't wait ;D