Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Paul_Rolfe on August 22, 2009, 07:46:59 pm
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So custy rings up and everything tells me shes going to be a PITA.
Needless to say theres no one home during the week, theres no rear access apart from a dopey 16 y/o son who lies in bed fiddling with his gonads all morning before having six hours on the x-box.
And it goes on. Anyway, its a three bed semi, should take 20 minutes. I quote her a ridiculous £24 (!) for this thinking she'll tell me where to get off...
But no! She goes for it! I can't take money off this silly woman like this, there should be a law against it. I only said £24 to try to put her off, I never thought she'd say ok.
So shall I tell her it's £18, which it should be, and go from there, or carry regardless?
This is a serious question btw.!
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what stuff did she say making you think shes going to be a PITA ?
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whats a PITA ???
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I have a three bed semi and if you quoted me even the £18 to clean it ( Plymouth ) I'd tell you where to go.
Boody day light robbery :o
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I have a three bed semi and if you quoted me even the £18 to clean it ( Plymouth ) I'd tell you where to go.
Boody day light robbery :o
i think all us plymouth guys would say that ;D ;D
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I have a three bed semi and if you quoted me even the £18 to clean it ( Plymouth ) I'd tell you where to go.
Boody day light robbery :o
agreed ;D
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like Stan said whats a PITA come on spill the beans
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Pain in the 'arris
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No problem with £18 in Eastbourne. £24 should be enough to put them off IMO. £15-16 is the bottom end.
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IV GOGELD IT and yesthatswot erban dic says didly is not wrong
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what stuff did she say making you think shes going to be a PITA ?
Cindy gibt vollgas
Probably ;D
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whats a PITA ???
keeps your kebab together doesn't it ?
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yes stan shud have konw that ;D ;D ;D but i thinks he wonted the deep er mening ,if ther is one
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No problem with £18 in Eastbourne. £24 should be enough to put them off IMO. £15-16 is the bottom end.
is this property in eastbourne then
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No problem with £18 in Eastbourne. £24 should be enough to put them off IMO. £15-16 is the bottom end.
is this property in eastbourne then
if it is it must have a connie as thats not the normal price for a standard 3 bed semi maybe £12 or £15 if its a house like the ones in roselands.
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18 quid for a 3 bed semi :o :o
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20 minutes work £18. at least dick turpin wore a mask ;D ;D
if she is daft enough to pay £24 then she shouldn't be allowed real money.
but to answer the original question you entered into an agreement, so you should honor your side and charge the price you quoted
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im a bit worried that Wolfie knows the son plays with himself :o
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what stuff did she say making you think shes going to be a PITA ?
Cindy gibt vollgas
Probably ;D
What is "Cindy gibt vollgas" ?
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im a bit worried that Wolfie knows the son plays with himself :o
I'm a bit worried that Wolfie is making a lot of things up 8)
For Tommy that should read: im aveing wury wilfy is marking a lit af fings up ;)
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That is out of order and the second dig at Tomys spelling tonight!! I understand what he is saying as do most of ciu.
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what is Cindy gibt vollgas. come on tell us.
dean
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i agree it took me a while but now i understand him on the first read,we are window cleaners not a level studants spelling is part of the job,unless its a quote then you get someone else to do it
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what is Cindy gibt vollgas. come on tell us.
dean
german jibberish ;D
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Can't you lot read? I did actually say that £18 was very toppy, and that £24 was plain stupid, and that usual price would be £15-16. This one is off St Annes Road.
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and I've no idea what Cindy gibt vollgas means.
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so what was it she said that so narked you ,you then jumped your price ?
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not what she said, the poor access I got the impression noone would be in therefore no access unless the boy would be awake. I can't live like that.
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and I've no idea what Cindy gibt vollgas means.
It doesn't mean anything really. It's something like "Cindy goes at full speed", Like a film title.
Here ends ze Guuurman lesson already.
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not what she said, the poor access I got the impression noone would be in therefore no access unless the boy would be awake. I can't live like that.
whens this lad startin working for u wolfie ?/
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Why when someone mentions a price do some need to make comments like 'it's robbery'?
Lets face it most things are priced at what the market will bare(bear not sure about spelling)...if someone can get 24 quid for a job that some only charge 15 quid for then thats ok as long as all parties agree...but what about if someone then jumps into the thread and lives in an area where 15 quid is unusal as their normal price is 3,50...who's wrong and whos right?
Not having a dig but prices are so different...I have one customer who's house I clean it take me 45 minutes tops and she gets charged around 65quid every 8 weeks and she is happy as when I 1st started cleaning for her it was every 4 weeks.
Am I robbing her? or providing a excellent service which she can rely on and is more than happy with?
Personally I do undercharge some elderly people as I think in my head thats right whilst some other people have prices a little higer.
Cheers - Not having a dig...
Dave.
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Yes Dave, I've got a weak spot for old biddies though. I reckon everyone has a couple of plum jobs like that one you mentioned. They make up for other "borderline" custies. I don't feel guilty though if I find I have overcharged because, if both parties are happy, then that's a good thing.
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now you've quoted it, I would carry on regardless and drop it at the first sign of difficulty gaining access.
i've recently decided that i'm not going to take any more of these kinds of houses on as it makes planning your day too time consuming (unless it's a fair sized house that I really want!)
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not what she said, the poor access I got the impression noone would be in therefore no access unless the boy would be awake. I can't live like that.
its simple mate, if you think £24 is way to high for that job then your knowingly ripping her off and personally I don't think you wanna do that because you have posted it on here which shows you have a conscience.
I bet like the rest of us you have slated benefit cheats and piky's who make money without paying taxes and sponging off the state at our expense ? well ripping someone off on a regular basis i.e. once a month falls into the same category.
why not for the inconvenience of the job call her next time your due round there and say you have revalued the job at £20 which will have you in her good books and will probably get her recommending people to you in the future, and you can feel good knowing the price is a fair and worthwhile one and you won't be feeling bad about yourself.
at the end of the day we can all be a PITA but even a PITA can have some good points.
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Now I know what area it is I probably would of priced myself out too, the area has probably the oldest houses in Eastbourne, no upvc windows, no access to rears except through the house, I do a couple of flats around this road and there all sash. I also a major road into the town, If id priced it at £18-£20 I probs would of dropped it after a few cleans so id want over the odds for it, I dont think its a standard 3 bed terraced. where you travelling from wolfie to do this as your profile says West Sussex, but are you in East Sussex.
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I'm in Worthing but travel east once a month. Eastbourne is the limit really. But it all depends on the price doesn't it? £24 and i'm making more than enough to cover travel, £18 is acceptable, but I wouldn't touch it for £15 unless I had something else closeish, but that said, I hate driving ANY distance to find I cant get around the back, so even if she were closer I would still not want it. I think you have to pare down your round so you only have what suits you, price, travel, time to do it etc.
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I'm in Worthing but travel east once a month. Eastbourne is the limit really. But it all depends on the price doesn't it? £24 and i'm making more than enough to cover travel, £18 is acceptable, but I wouldn't touch it for £15 unless I had something else closeish, but that said, I hate driving ANY distance to find I cant get around the back, so even if she were closer I would still not want it. I think you have to pare down your round so you only have what suits you, price, travel, time to do it etc.
rather you then me, Id never travel that far for domestic, if you ever sell it you know where I am, was it a recomendation from another custy or do you advertise around here.
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30 miles, you just have to factor in the cost to the price. She got my number out of a local rag here she found in a clinic when visiting. I'll let you know how it goes, but I'm not dropping from £24 :D. Cheers.
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not what she said, the poor access I got the impression noone would be in therefore no access unless the boy would be awake. I can't live like that.
whens this lad startin working for u wolfie ?/
;D ;D ;D
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???
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Def charge the £24. For pita custies you gotta factor in the furutre hassle you might get off them
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The problem is in thinking that £24.00 is a lot of money!
If she is a Lawer, Doctor, Vet, Dentist or any other professional £24.00 is a half decent bottle of wine at lunch time.
If a garage charges £95.00 an hour for their services, is their a reason a window cleaner shouldnt?
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If a garage charges £95.00 an hour for their services, is their a reason a window cleaner shouldnt?
Yes the costs associated to be able to operate a window cleaning business are peanuts compared to that of a garage.
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Yes the costs associated to be able to operate a window cleaning business are peanuts compared to that of a garage.
Many window cleaning companies work from premises that their vehicles and equipment are stored in and have accounts,surveying, sales, customer service, departments.
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The problem is in thinking that £24.00 is a lot of money!
If she is a Lawer, Doctor, Vet, Dentist or any other professional £24.00 is a half decent bottle of wine at lunch time.
If a garage charges £95.00 an hour for their services, is their a reason a window cleaner shouldnt?
Good point there, £24 isn't a lot of money for a professional cleaner for 20 minutes or more. As mentioned, if she's comfortably off £24 to her may be the equivalent of £2.40 to us..
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The problem is in thinking that £24.00 is a lot of money!
If she is a Lawer, Doctor, Vet, Dentist or any other professional £24.00 is a half decent bottle of wine at lunch time.
If a garage charges £95.00 an hour for their services, is their a reason a window cleaner shouldnt?
Good point Glyn, do you charge 95 quid an hour? If not, would you try it? I know we all have the odd well paying jobs that could be worked out at that rate, but you couldn't expect to hit 95 an hour on avarage.
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Good point Glyn, do you charge 95 quid an hour? If not, would you try it? I know we all have the odd well paying jobs that could be worked out at that rate, but you couldn't expect to hit 95 an hour on avarage.
Its fair to say we do not earn that amount each and every hour 7.30 - 4.30 but we do have many large commercial monthly jobs that pay considrably more than that.
Many on this forum will have seen the large amount of tools and equipment we carry on the vans for example as well as 1200 litres of water (800 litre + 400 litre tanks) running off of fixed pumps we carry portable pumps,,spare batteries,backup DI bottles, ladders held on internal racks,backpacks,trollies, jerry cans,over a dozen different size poles and close to 20 brushes,scrubbing pads, different size and shape goosenecks some brushes are just for one specific job. It means we are very rarely caught out without the right tool.
By having exactly the right tool for a particular job speeds the work up and earnings considerabily.
We do both commercial and domestic work the domestic van doesnt have quite as much equipment but has more than enouth to tackle any new extra job that we may be asked to carry out that day.
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Yes mate, but the guy is on about low priced dom jobs at about 3 quid. I get your point but it doesn't really apply in this case, nice if it did, but he has a problem as you can see.
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Yes mate, but the guy is on about low priced dom jobs at about 3 quid. I get your point but it doesn't really apply in this case, nice if it did, but he has a problem as you can see.
His problem is that he is frightened to charge £24.00 for the job!
I have never encountered this problem with any trades that have worked at my home or business premises.
A builder turns up gives me a price which is usually in the thousands and I say yes or no, I dont work out how long he will be doing the job nor does the time have any bearing on the price.
I am happiest when they are quicker than I thought they would be as they are not disrupting me, wife, staff, dogs etc.
So if a carpenter charges a couple of thousand for labour for fitting a kitchen or bedroom furniture and is only there for a day or two great.... I am happy and so is he.
Provided of course the job is perfect
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I agree, £24 is not a huge amount for that area ...eg , how mush does a house like that cost to buy in that area?
well then,, they can afford it!!
more to the point, if its a PITA job , can you afford to do it for less?
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Yes mate, but the guy is on about low priced dom jobs at about 3 quid. I get your point but it doesn't really apply in this case, nice if it did, but he has a problem as you can see.
His problem is that he is frightened to charge £24.00 for the job!
I have never encountered this problem with any trades that have worked at my home or business premises.
A builder turns up gives me a price which is usually in the thousands and I say yes or no, I dont work out how long he will be doing the job nor does the time have any bearing on the price.
I am happiest when they are quicker than I thought they would be as they are not disrupting me, wife, staff, dogs etc.
So if a carpenter charges a couple of thousand for labour for fitting a kitchen or bedroom furniture and is only there for a day or two great.... I am happy and so is he.
Provided of course the job is perfect
I think the same, i used to think "you cant charge that" but as you get more used to the job and the expenses involved etc, i think if you get a good price and keep them happy - well done, in fact to do well as a sole trader in this business, you have to be hard working and efficient and quick, but pricing is the main thing, you can only earn as much as you have priced, and there are only so many hours to work, so you gotta price right!!
I might get a good job now, and in a few months i feel it is average, its strange how it goes like that, im gonna start price rising soon, its been too long :)
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We worry too much about what we charge being too high for window cleaning. If the customers happy to pay that for a small clean then it's their choice
{I only wished I could find a few more like that}
Some bloke fixed my up and over garage door, which had got stuck open. Took him 2 hammer blows and a tug of the door. 5 minutes work. £47.00 + VAT.
And some of us think we are robbers!!!
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It's the fact that it is £24 when the neighbours would be paying £16-£18, that feels a bit too cheeky for me to do similar.
Prices go up but 50% over 'going rate' for the area is a big increase.
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Yes the costs associated to be able to operate a window cleaning business are peanuts compared to that of a garage.
Many window cleaning companies work from premises that their vehicles and equipment are stored in and have accounts,surveying, sales, customer service, departments.
You need to look at the kit in the average well stocked garage (any idea how much the average hydraulic vehicle ramp costs these days?) like this
(http://www.stertiluk.com/stertilkoni/images/st4040.jpg)
They have all the expenses youve listed plus many more.
Additionally, the window cleaning business youve described Glyn isnt in the 'many' category, it is in the minority category.
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If the customer agrees to the price before work has begun then it is IMPOSSIBLE to overcharge. £24 for 20 mins is good money,.. but take into account setting up, packing away, travelling to the next job etc, and it'll prob be closer to 40 mins.
Then pay your VAT, tax, fuel, expenses etc etc and you'll be earning a wage that isn't nearly as extortionate as you think.
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Additionally, the window cleaning business youve described Glyn isnt in the 'many' category, it is in the minority category.
Sorry but this is not in my experiance.
Who is it you think cleans all the millions of panes of glass in every major building, all those thousands of complexes,that every city has.
The window cleaning jobs that are worth hundreds of thousands of pounds a years.
The buildings that have teams of static window cleaners working five days a week every week of the year of which their are thousands of.
Virtually every large building you see has a window cleaning company servicing it, when you start counting the buildings you soon realise how many work in the business and how much the window cleaning industry is worth.
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One point that you should think about is, a mechanic needs a 3 year training course just to learn the basics of the trade. His hourly rate will be relative to what he costs the garage for him to be there with all the kit he needs to do the job.Most people are under the impresion that window cleaning is unskilled and any prat can learn it in a few hours. That's not true, but that's what some custies think.
So, if a WC tips up and wants 90 odd quid an hour, I reckon the custy might get a little upset. I can't charge 90 quid an hour because some firms in this game are massive and have millions in turnover. It's just common sense surely.
Yes the indusry is worth many millions in turnover every year. But it's not all MY turnover is it?
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Additionally, the window cleaning business youve described Glyn isnt in the 'many' category, it is in the minority category.
Sorry but this is not in my experiance.
Who is it you think cleans all the millions of panes of glass in every major building, all those thousands of complexes,that every city has.
The window cleaning jobs that are worth hundreds of thousands of pounds a years.
The buildings that have teams of static window cleaners working five days a week every week of the year of which their are thousands of.
Virtually every large building you see has a window cleaning company servicing it, when you start counting the buildings you soon realise how many work in the business and how much the window cleaning industry is worth.
And for every company of that size, theres 150 one man bands servicing more glass in residential estates.
Thus, those companies you mentioned are the minority.
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A one man band washing machine or boiler engineer will charge around £60 just to turn up. Customers just seem to accept that without much quibble.
Far less physical and they are working indoors in the dry and warm - and more likely to be offered tea and a cake or occasionally even more :o !!
Their operating costs can't be much different to window cleaners with a small van.
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A one man band washing machine or boiler engineer will charge around £60 just to turn up. Customers just seem to accept that without much quibble.
Far less physical and they are working indoors in the dry and warm - and more likely to be offered tea and a cake or occasionally even more :o !!
Their operating costs can't be much different to window cleaners with a small van.
No but their work is completey random unlike cleaning windows where a lot of it is regular. The washing machine and boiler men have to fund the times they are not actually working. Not that I am saying the author of this post is wrong to be charging what he is; after all the client did agree to it, though i can't help but think she is going to demand her £24's worth of flesh of him ;D and in practice i don't like the idea of 'overpricing' to avoid jobs; saying "I can' t fit it in @ the moment" works for me. But no, what i am saying is that window cleaning can't be compared to how a washing machine man runs his businesss.
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A one man band washing machine or boiler engineer will charge around £60 just to turn up. Customers just seem to accept that without much quibble.
Far less physical and they are working indoors in the dry and warm - and more likely to be offered tea and a cake or occasionally even more :o !!
Their operating costs can't be much different to window cleaners with a small van.
No but their work is completey random unlike cleaning windows where a lot of it is regular. The washing machine and boiler men have to fund the times they are not actually working. Not that I am saying the author of this post is wrong to be charging what he is; after all the client did agree to it, though i can't help but think she is going to demand her £24's worth of flesh of him ;D and in practice i don't like the idea of 'overpricing' to avoid jobs; saying "I can' t fit it in @ the moment" works for me. But no, what i am saying is that window cleaning can't be compared to how a washing machine man runs his businesss.
Hi
Fair comment on washing machines but boiler engineers work on a regular service contract. Twice a year for Agas and once a year for standard boilers so if they have enough customers they should be in a reasonable situation to schedule their work.
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A one man band washing machine or boiler engineer will charge around £60 just to turn up. Customers just seem to accept that without much quibble.
Far less physical and they are working indoors in the dry and warm - and more likely to be offered tea and a cake or occasionally even more :o !!
Their operating costs can't be much different to window cleaners with a small van.
No but their work is completey random unlike cleaning windows where a lot of it is regular. The washing machine and boiler men have to fund the times they are not actually working. Not that I am saying the author of this post is wrong to be charging what he is; after all the client did agree to it, though i can't help but think she is going to demand her £24's worth of flesh of him ;D and in practice i don't like the idea of 'overpricing' to avoid jobs; saying "I can' t fit it in @ the moment" works for me. But no, what i am saying is that window cleaning can't be compared to how a washing machine man runs his businesss.
Hi
Fair comment on washing machines but boiler engineers work on a regular service contract. Twice a year for Agas and once a year for standard boilers so if they have enough customers they should be in a reasonable situation to schedule their work.
Customers, as we all know, are fickle. The only people who are dead-cert to have their boilers serviced annually are those who are in a contract to get this done. I speak now of my own plumber; people are cutting back on some things as we know and my plumber has said that servicing boilers is not what they like spending their money on at present. Granted he still has breakdown repairs to do and other plumbing gas installing Jobs, but nothing is guaranteed.
I am sorry to high-jack this thread with my pedantic banter (never let it be said I never realized when I was going off on one) but I am really protective of the self-employed and small-business people (being in both categories myself) and don’t particularly like people making judgments about what they do and what they charge. This isn’t aimed at you John as some sort of personal attack, I am making the point in general. None of us ever really know what it’s like to run someone else’s business, I for instance have never run a window or oven or carpet cleaning business in my life, therefore I wouldn’t comment on how you guys charge for what you do.
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Bit of an update, ok?
I turned up 10 minutes early (roll eyes!), rang bell and saw a bird in the front room hurridly tidying things up. Ok, I think, I gets stuff ready. No reply at door, so press it hard again (I'm not going to messed around), door opens, but it's not sloppy son who answers but the bird, looking like she just got up and holding a banana in her hand, all sleepy eyed blah blah.
Smade a phone call to the owner and after some faffing over what door opens and what door doesn't, I got access to her rear. (Funny, huh?). Did the job, fnarr fnarr, and got out, left the effing great bill for eyeing a bit of 20 y/0 tit and ass and skiddaddled.
Gone, £24 the richer if the momma pays.
Will anyone let me in next time, huh? If not, if on-going access problems...
Still, a reasonably nice 20 minutes with a bit of fantasy.
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I'd say she was the '£24.00'
Looks like you did the job for nothing when payment was presented to you on a plate.
Still, live and learn mate ;) one day she might not be fantasy ;D ;D
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No,no, the bird wasn't the £24, honest. The £24 was the has been workaholic lie there and take it, my boobs aren't all flapping-around-for-nothing type of gal, I promise. The bird is the tart-of-the-moment for the sleepy one.
As for on a plate.. no thanks, it wasn't that nice. But do-able, I would have thought.