Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: karlosdaze on October 03, 2009, 12:50:40 am

Title: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: karlosdaze on October 03, 2009, 12:50:40 am
Interested to know what your biggest problem in general is within window cleaning related work?
Would it be - getting customers, winter working, rain, getting paid, technique, crap gear, to far to travel?
Anything you can think of?

List your top 5 problems - preferably No. 1 being the worse problem.
Cheers, folks.
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: Sir Squeaky on October 03, 2009, 12:54:02 am
1: Equipment faults
2: Weather
3: Motivation!
4: Difficult customers
5: Not getting decent jobs

I'm going to bed, so any questions about that I'll reply tomorrow.
Cheers.
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: dazmond on October 03, 2009, 01:01:46 am
1.defo wet and windy weather.

2.motivation to get out of bed when its wet and windy first thing ;D

3
.odd custy who hides when i knock on door after cleaning their windowsDROPPED WEN I GET PAID

4.DOG MUCK OR CAT poop.NO MATTER HOW CAREFUL I AM I FORGET SOMETIMES TO LOOK DOWN ::

5.savin money for the taxman.THIS SHOULD BE NO1 :-\
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: dazmond on October 03, 2009, 01:13:48 am
6.gettin to a out of the way job and gettin A NOT TODAY >:(

7.going round for ur money then custy says u didnt do kitchen window.then u remember chattin to neighbour and completely forgot :o

8.half way home then u realise u left squeegy and mop on a wall 5 miles away

9.coming home after a good wk and melting into chair and no energy for anything else

10.snail trails,tree sap,egg,barbecue grease
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: G Griffin on October 03, 2009, 01:22:23 am
1.defo wet and windy weather.

2.motivation to get out of bed when its wet and windy first thing ;D

3
.odd custy who hides when i knock on door after cleaning their windowsDROPPED WEN I GET PAID

4.DOG MUCK OR CAT poop.NO MATTER HOW CAREFUL I AM I FORGET SOMETIMES TO LOOK DOWN ::

5.savin money for the taxman.THIS SHOULD BE NO1 :-\
Wrong Dazmond, leave first 2 as they are  ;)
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: leapstallbuildings on October 03, 2009, 02:38:35 am
Interested to know what your biggest problem in general is within window cleaning related work?
Would it be - getting customers, winter working, rain, getting paid, technique, crap gear, to far to travel?
Anything you can think of?

List your top 5 problems - preferably No. 1 being the worse problem.
Cheers, folks.

1. Awkward customers
2. Awkward customers
3. Awkward customers
4. Awkward customers
5. Awkward customers
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: jouk45 on October 03, 2009, 06:24:04 am
1.vehicle break down when your busy,
2.customers that say they have paid already when they have not
3.downstairs custys complaining of water hitting there window
4 when nature calls, no public toilets are available,,and customers not in ;D
5.you never reach your target for the day, as you spend at least 5mins chatting, or explaining wfp with custys
sure i will think of more
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: Small but perfectley formed on October 03, 2009, 06:45:17 am
Equipment not doing what the manufacturer has stated
Dealing with people who dont understand that you are a business not a charitable organisation
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: Jeff Brimble on October 03, 2009, 06:54:38 am
Paper work, need a secretary.
Too hot/cold.
Explaining the new technology.
Too much work.
Old age  :'(  :D
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: simon knight on October 03, 2009, 08:28:00 am

Trying to get the missus and daughter to understand that just because dad's wallet has lots of readies in it doesn't mean that it's the equivalent of the office petty cash tin...there for them to dip into as and when they run short...and that it's my wages that has to be paid into the bank to meet bills.

Oh and all of the other problems posted!
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: Sean Dyer on October 03, 2009, 09:52:15 am
1. motivation

2. getting new work

3. weather

4. Finding decent staff

5. Getting bored of the job/ kinda in there with motivation

6. Too competitive/saturated a market at times
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: Pureandclean on October 03, 2009, 10:04:19 am
(1) Bad Weather
(2) Saying no to new work
(3) Keeping up to date with paperwork
(4) Getting sons out of bed and out to work
(5) Back ache
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: Ian W on October 03, 2009, 10:50:03 am
Awkward customers
Custies not paying up when they should
Trailing plants and bushes covering windows
Equipment failure
Forgetting / losing equipment  :'(  ;D
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: Niall McAllister on October 03, 2009, 10:53:25 am
motivation, just cant find my mojo at the moment :'(
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: Davie T on October 03, 2009, 10:59:42 am
Price of the longer poles - especially carbon fibre.

Late payers
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: Gleaming windows on October 03, 2009, 11:00:02 am
Cant get my wallet in my back pocket anymore  ;D
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: Niall McAllister on October 03, 2009, 11:03:25 am
Cant get my wallet in my back pocket anymore  ;D
eat less pies and your bum won't be so big ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
problem solved
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: mick partington on October 03, 2009, 11:23:15 am
1/ dog poop
2/ washing lines [specially with cloths on them]
3/ locked gates
4/ spiders/wasps/snails [in any order]
5/custies [might swap this with nu 1/]
6/ my hands and face begining to look like leather [shut it]
7/ wife wont help [stuck up bitch will only work behind a desk]
that just about covers it, i feel better now its out my system   ;D
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: gerard mcmanus on October 03, 2009, 11:52:40 am
today its the wind   :'(
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: Gleaming windows on October 03, 2009, 11:54:24 am
Stay off the prunes.
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: gerard mcmanus on October 03, 2009, 11:57:08 am
If I take prunes its not wind I get,  :-[
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: pingu on October 03, 2009, 12:53:22 pm
. Late payers
. Motivation
. Weather
. Boredom
. Spider/snail/fly/wilderbeast spit/poo
. That bird at number 56 who thinks I can walk on water and clean that window!
. 19% VAT
. Income tax
. The million and 1 insurance's I have to pay



Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: steven ainger on October 03, 2009, 12:59:01 pm
1- motivation
2- weather
3- snagged hose
4- aches n pains
5- the odd pita custy
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: dazmond on October 03, 2009, 01:46:45 pm
11.when ur dying for a pee and all ur custys are in offering u cups of tea when u just want them to go out so u can take a pee in their grid round the back.dont say u havent done it.we all have at some point ;D

12.will u just take that ivy out of gutters while ur there?heres the secatuers?can u fix the skydish?ill give u an extra 2quid for ur trouble

13.low sun in sky while u go collecting and u see a birds cacked on the window AFTER uv cleaned them

14.miserable selfish people who never give u the time of day when its freezin and their makin a brew in kitchen and uv not had a brew all morning

15.custys who watch u clean the windows then when uv finished go upstairs and spend 10mins gettin ur money
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: simon knight on October 03, 2009, 01:56:11 pm
11.when ur dying for a pee and all ur custys are in offering u cups of tea when u just want them to go out so u can take a pee in their grid round the back.dont say u havent done it.we all have at some point ;D


Er...why don't you just say "Sorry Mrs Smith can I use your loo please"? instead of slashing in their garden like some kind of ferral cat  ;D

Mind you, saying "Sorry Mrs Smith can I use your loo please"? and then having an almightly smelly dump is a bit of a liberty  ;D ;D
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: JSMC on October 03, 2009, 02:10:02 pm
1. motivation
2. getting decent work

nothing else really gets to me much these days.
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: daz1977 on October 03, 2009, 03:09:28 pm
thank god other people have probs with motivation, i thought it was just me, i find that the first house is hardest to do then after that i am ok all day
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: leapstallbuildings on October 03, 2009, 03:13:22 pm
Stay off the prunes.

This seems to go with the bit about not being able to fit your wallet in the back pocket  ;D
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: JSMC on October 03, 2009, 04:13:32 pm
thank god other people have probs with motivation, i thought it was just me, i find that the first house is hardest to do then after that i am ok all day

find myself easing off around 2-3pm quite a bit
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: Niall McAllister on October 03, 2009, 04:48:39 pm
I find myself starting at 2-3 pm quite a bit
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: windowswashed on October 03, 2009, 04:56:28 pm
1. persistent late payers (dumped)
2. paperwork (life's a bitch)
3. banking cheques (pass on to g/friend)
4 bad payers (collected and dumped)
5. Customers moving house when sold without informing me. (re-canvass new customer)
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: ♠Winp®oClean♠ on October 03, 2009, 05:12:57 pm
1.Weather
2.Hose snagging

Nothing much else really at the mo'

All other pains/niggles are related to these two!
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: pingu on October 03, 2009, 06:09:20 pm
Motivation...ehm...I supose loads of us do suffer from motivation/lack and I would imagine to a certain extent lonleyness...

So how's about you lot...and I mean those in the U.K..why don't you all get together and do a sms/photo competition....

So this week the 1st competition is to photograph the 1st Red Robin and then sms all those on the 'sms list' the winner has to post that photo on the 'competition' thread here on CIU...the winner then gets to pick the next subject...

Just a thought but it could provide a little light relief during the weeks...

Cheers
Dave.

Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: Gleaming windows on October 03, 2009, 06:51:54 pm
Stay off the prunes.

This seems to go with the bit about not being able to fit your wallet in the back pocket  ;D

You could have a point there  ;)
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: simon knight on October 03, 2009, 06:54:14 pm
A lot of people seem to list motivation as a problem.

Think on this:

If you had a boss who wanted you in at 8.30 your motivation would be to get there for 8.30 or risk losing your job.

Since I've been self-employed I've made it my business to be my own task master.

It's always tempting to look out the window at 7am and think "it looks like rain, best I stay indoors and perhaps venture out mid-morning if it doesn't rain".

If you had a boss and suggested that he'd say: "OI!!! get yer lazy arse here and OK if it rains then you go home".

For myself I find Cheltenham & Gloucester a good enough motivator >:(

...and BT and EDF and Sky and Thames Water and Wandsworth Borough Council and Black Horse Home Insurance and and and and..the effing list is endless >:(
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: Sean Dyer on October 03, 2009, 07:04:01 pm
very true simon, the trouble is there is no boss and it makes a world of difference most weeks i am great but sometimes, it easy if your that way inclined to take it easy and not push yourself!

besides i though you didnt work in the rain?
Title: Re: Whats your biggest problem with WC?
Post by: simon knight on October 03, 2009, 07:10:16 pm
very true simon, the trouble is there is no boss and it makes a world of difference most weeks i am great but sometimes, it easy if your that way inclined to take it easy and not push yourself!

besides i though you didnt work in the rain?

Quite right I don't work in rain. But I NEVER stay indoors because it "might" rain.