Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Mike #1 on November 05, 2009, 06:37:02 pm

Title: undercutting
Post by: Mike #1 on November 05, 2009, 06:37:02 pm
called on 2 custys tonight and they said someone has tried to undercut put a card thourgh door saying they will clean windows for £5.00 i charge a fair bit more cheeky so and so .
how can he say he will charge fiver without knowing how many windows there are
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: fergus77 on November 05, 2009, 06:38:03 pm
Some people need a damn good kicking  ;)
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: ronnie paton on November 05, 2009, 06:38:34 pm
thats not really undercutting unless he knows your price
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: A & J Owen Window Cleaning on November 05, 2009, 06:45:46 pm
its a loss leader when they get the custies they always up there prices ad it dun to me a few times mate unless they are from poland or sumfin
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: Mike #1 on November 05, 2009, 06:46:48 pm
true ronnie but any decent window cleaner knows  a 4 bed detached house is to be priced more than a fiver , to give a price without seeing back of house they both have large extension's aswell
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: daz1977 on November 05, 2009, 06:47:56 pm
someone probably just wanting to build up a round, then in a few months put price up or sell it on to a newbie who doesnt know the prices
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: Ian Lancaster on November 05, 2009, 06:48:33 pm
If your custy takes them up on it, the custy wasn't worth having in the first place
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: chopsie on November 05, 2009, 06:48:42 pm
well i came home tonight and asked one of the neighbours i saw on the street(i only recently moved to the area and am considering starting up)if there was a window cleaner came round and how much he charges her.he comes round once a fortnight,cleans her house one clean and house and conny other clean.three bed end terrace.2.50 for house and 4.00 for house and conny!!! I don,t think he needs a good kicking,just a good shrink!!!
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: Mike #1 on November 05, 2009, 06:49:47 pm
luckily they are good custys i have most of the street and get on well with all custys i am confident they will stick with me as 2 mentioned above have
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: Mike #1 on November 05, 2009, 06:52:15 pm
£4.00 for a house with conny i charge that for small 2 bed bungalow with 5windows and 2 doors
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: Murdie window cleaning on November 05, 2009, 06:53:44 pm
well i came home tonight and asked one of the neighbours i saw on the street(i only recently moved to the area and am considering starting up)if there was a window cleaner came round and how much he charges her.he comes round once a fortnight,cleans her house one clean and house and conny other clean.three bed end terrace.2.50 for house and 4.00 for house and conny!!! I don,t think he needs a good kicking,just a good shrink!!!

Probably an old timer who hasn't put his prices up since he started, but don't let it put you off from starting out.
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: daz1977 on November 05, 2009, 06:54:06 pm
he must be making a fortune chopsie

its guys like this that make it hard to get proper priced work, when they will work for about 7 pounds an hour,  but he probably cant do a full week as has to take time off to go sign on  
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: chopsie on November 05, 2009, 07:01:38 pm
the woman says he got another job so she assumes thats how he keeps it so cheap.she even said herself it was cheap and would not complain if he put prices up.I told her he can do mine for 2.50!
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: geefree on November 06, 2009, 12:05:44 pm
minimum charge for me is £6....

if they ring and its a tiny house, its £6.... if they take it ,its good for me... if they dont.....its good for me.

but they do.  ;)
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: JRDEasiReach on November 06, 2009, 04:40:12 pm
Likewise, my min house price is £6 although that may go up to £7 in new year as the price of diesel is going up steadily the past few weeks, not cheap to drive the miles around, first month i got away with £40 for fuel, last month with the same run virtually, it was up by £10!!! Not on!!  From now on its £1 a frame minimum :)
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: heathrow100 on November 06, 2009, 06:57:27 pm
I never undercut,in fact I quote more money if told by a customer they or a neighbour that is presently being paid and explain the benefits of our services,so many unprofessional WC,ers about.I pick up quite a few by carging more money.

Heath
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: Mr Bungalow on November 15, 2009, 01:42:22 pm
Your not the only one having that problem.

It happens to us all and to be honest they are definitely not cleaning all the windows if at all.  Makes me angry;D

I believe most so called window cleaners like that are just looking at the front the property and only quoting for what they do at the front.

What we need to do is to re-educate the customer to that sort of problem as a lot of customers that are quoted for like that assume that they are going to clean the whole house.

I hope this helps you.

Kind regard :)s.
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: JRDEasiReach on November 16, 2009, 03:55:48 pm
this is becoming a big problem i think lads, just the other day i called to a house and the potential custie told me 'oh i have a window cleaner he comes once a month, does my frames and all for £6' i said ok but when i left the estate i could see the back of her house from the top of the hill and noticed she had around 12-14 windows altogether so this guy is seriously undercutting, how can it pay him to wash a house of that size for so cheap??
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: d.ward on November 16, 2009, 03:57:03 pm
doesnt pay taxes?

Four £6 is £24 an hour....he might work fast
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: d.ward on November 16, 2009, 03:57:35 pm
PS ive found that after the first clean general maintenance is easy
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: d.ward on November 16, 2009, 03:59:12 pm
thats not really undercutting unless he knows your price

Thats just knowing the competition.

Asda and tesco have price wars all the time
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: JRDEasiReach on November 16, 2009, 04:08:38 pm
So have i found that maintenance is easy after the first clean but to charge just £6 is madness, but i reckon he does it for this cheap as he has another guy with him meaning he can do the place in half the time, not fair on lads like me who work 'on our own'
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: simon smith50 on November 16, 2009, 04:12:26 pm
undercutting is a nonsense
we all have diferent outgoings so all need different amounts to break even ,
found a couple of lads local charging £10 a house started in june and by october had quite a round according to them . asked what system they use wfp ,trad ,
a ladder ,a spounge and a rag was their response .
how much was their insurance i asked them ., the response to this was oh yes must get some of that , they are now so called professional gardeners . makes you spit , cant clean windows its winter and cold they told me
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: johnny_h on November 16, 2009, 04:39:05 pm
a mate of mine used to be a window cleaner worked for a right dodgy bunch he said they would go into an area charge £1 a house for the first 3 months then wack the price right up if the customer complained they got a bit heavy
Title: Re: undercutting
Post by: d.ward on November 16, 2009, 07:14:16 pm
a mate of mine used to be a window cleaner worked for a right dodgy bunch he said they would go into an area charge £1 a house for the first 3 months then wack the price right up if the customer complained they got a bit heavy

One of my customers got a gardening company like this. They sent out two men to walk around the property and kept increaseing the bill. Then when she said she didnt want them they kept returning and started to intimidate her. She was a pensioner on her own so was an easy target. She eventually phoned trading standards and the police. Think they disapeared after the atthorities got involved but there are companies like that out there