Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: bobplum on December 14, 2009, 07:37:49 pm

Title: its happened again!
Post by: bobplum on December 14, 2009, 07:37:49 pm
another custy,monthly £10.00,
can we have them done every 3 months!
(it seems to be happening a lot lately)
yes-that will be £15.00 sir
why?
because i have to remove 3 months dirt sir
oh,well heres your ten

i didnt get a tip !

but ive got one for him         "find yourself another window cleaner" ;D

part of this thread is to find out what wc would charge starting from the £10.00 base line
all views welcome
bob
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: p1w1 on December 14, 2009, 07:45:52 pm
i wouldn't do the 3 monthly either. if its a £10 house i add an extra £3 on the price if they change to 2 monthly £11-£15 i add £4 and £16-£20 i add £5 . Have done this for about a year now and never had a problem with it just wished i had started doing it earlier.

paul
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: krave on December 14, 2009, 07:51:26 pm
I have a customer that I do three monthly. Her windows I dont charge any more than a 1 monthly. I clean in her road every month an her windows every three months are still the cleanest?
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: Gav Camm lammy 283 on December 14, 2009, 07:56:50 pm
brasses u clean off ad same m8 people tigtening their belts all ways up her way is thinking ill be i0 quid a ,month better off custys dont think window cleaner ewill be 10 quid worse off keep to yr guns at 15 wen you get another custy drop the 3,mthy
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: Andy@w.c.s on December 14, 2009, 08:00:38 pm
I do very few 3 monthly work
My reasoning is that if they have them done that frequently then they may as well not have them done at all

unless its a big house with loads of windows that is out in the middle of no where and then they don't seem to be that dirty

but the run of the mill stuff latest 8 weeks
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: martinsadie on December 14, 2009, 08:08:23 pm
I have a customer that I do three monthly. Her windows I dont charge any more than a 1 monthly. I clean in her road every month an her windows every three months are still the cleanest?
same here why be greedy when they are strapped for cash
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: ccmids on December 14, 2009, 08:20:15 pm
It all adds up ;)
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: bobplum on December 14, 2009, 08:35:40 pm
I have a customer that I do three monthly. Her windows I dont charge any more than a 1 monthly. I clean in her road every month an her windows every three months are still the cleanest?
same here why be greedy when they are strapped for cash
evening stan,trouble is i dont think they are strapped for cash
but we willl never know i suppose ???
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: martinsadie on December 14, 2009, 08:38:35 pm
i give a price and its for whatever gap,mine are all 2 and 4 weekly apart from one old girl whos 8 weekly and an Indian whos 3 monthly but i refuse to put him on the round and just clean when asked which was this morning as it happens
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: Window Washers on December 14, 2009, 08:41:01 pm
another custy,monthly £10.00,
can we have them done every 3 months!
(it seems to be happening a lot lately)
yes-that will be £15.00 sir
why?
because i have to remove 3 months dirt sir
oh,well heres your ten

i didnt get a tip !

but ive got one for him         "find yourself another window cleaner" ;D

part of this thread is to find out what wc would charge starting from the £10.00 base line
all views welcome
bob
Double for 12 weekly a little more for 8 weekly than that of 4 weekly, I do not work monthly as do not ever work window cleaning on sundays and monthly you would have to or lose money (losing money seems to hurt me)
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: ccmids on December 14, 2009, 08:41:38 pm
was the windows bad stan?
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: martinsadie on December 14, 2009, 08:44:08 pm
was the windows bad stan?
no thats what i dont get they are never much dirtier
had a new customer in a house i havnt cleaned for 4 years and they were dirty but didnt take much longer,so price i gave is same for first clean
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: ccmids on December 14, 2009, 08:46:19 pm
i find this with some of mine , every three months.i never turn anyone away its all money whatever.
my wife needs feeding , ;D
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: bobplum on December 14, 2009, 08:50:30 pm
i havent dumped him yet,(i said it under my breathe as i dont like confrontation) thats why got married to have a minder ;D
ill wait till the new year and see how i feel ;)
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: paulben on December 14, 2009, 08:53:38 pm
I have a couple of 3 monthlies and there windows seem just as clean as 4 weeklies must be area they live in cos 4oo yards away windows filthy after 4 weeks
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: martinsadie on December 14, 2009, 08:54:02 pm
another custy,monthly £10.00,
can we have them done every 3 months!
(it seems to be happening a lot lately)
yes-that will be £15.00 sir
why?
because i have to remove 3 months dirt sir
oh,well heres your ten

Quote
so if he asked you to do them every 2 weeks would you reduce the price as there would be less dirt on  ;D ;D
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: martinsadie on December 14, 2009, 08:56:53 pm
I have a couple of 3 monthlies and there windows seem just as clean as 4 weeklies must be area they live in cos 4oo yards away windows filthy after 4 weeks
depends how close they are to a road and how busy it is
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: Skyglide on December 14, 2009, 09:01:27 pm
Work it out - do you need the money? Yes, do it, it's all money coming in. No not really (£40 per year take off ALL your expenses comes down to peanuts) drop like a stone.
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: martinsadie on December 14, 2009, 09:06:26 pm
Work it out - do you need the money? Yes, do it, it's all money coming in. No not really (£40 per year take off ALL your expenses comes down to peanuts) drop like a stone.
if you have a compact round its not a problem
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: ronnie paton on December 14, 2009, 09:10:58 pm
i here some cr@p on here windows that are cleaned every month are not much quicker than a first clean that hasnt been done in years.

ye and my car that i clean every week takes te same time as when i clean every year.............................and thats funny its same with the grass i cut ::)
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: martinsadie on December 14, 2009, 09:12:21 pm
i here some cr@p on here windows that are cleaned every month are not much quicker than a first clean that hasnt been done in years.

ye and my car that i clean every week takes te same time as when i clean every year.............................and thats funny its same with the grass i cut ::)
not often we agree Ronnie  ;D ;D
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: Edge Clean on December 14, 2009, 09:17:14 pm
In the past, when i used to employ, if an existing or a new customer asked me for a 2 or 3 monthly clean, I charged them 50% more. When asked why, I explained to them that my employees hours are 9 to 3, Mon to Fri and those hours were for scheduled 4 weekly customers, if 2 and 3 monthly customers were included in daily worksheets, it usually took them over their contracted hours and that i had to pay them overtime, this is why it cost more for an irregular clean.
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: martinsadie on December 14, 2009, 09:29:35 pm
In the past, when i used to employ, if an existing or a new customer asked me for a 2 or 3 monthly clean, I charged them 50% more. When asked why, I explained to them that my employees hours are 9 to 3, Mon to Fri and those hours were for scheduled 4 weekly customers, if 2 and 3 monthly customers were included in daily worksheets, it usually took them over their contracted hours and that i had to pay them overtime, this is why it cost more for an irregular clean.
30 hours then overtime not bad in a factory its 40 hours before overtime
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: 1wayno on December 14, 2009, 09:37:59 pm
sum custies jus dont get it,i have a different price for fornightly,monthly,8 weeks,and so on,always ad between 2-10quid dependin on the size of the house,
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: jonnyald on December 14, 2009, 09:40:56 pm
bob, id say it counts as 1 strike .       i swear by the 3strikes and you are out rule
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: dazmond on December 14, 2009, 09:42:00 pm
maybe ur a little too expensive for ur area bob.where are u by the way?is it just a standard 3 bed semi?if its a stand alone account fair enough.but if its on compact work maybe a little pricey.most of my round is 4 weekly with some stand alones at 6/8 weekly.never done a 12 weekly!and nobody has asked for it!some of my new work is priced higher but some opt for 8 weekly as i think they think im expensive!if u want monthly work maybe u need to price lower! ;)
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: 1wayno on December 14, 2009, 09:57:52 pm
yeh dont take crap of people who try n mess u around,they the ones bein awkward by askin you to do it every 3 months,and u want extra for ur troubles remember,charge wat u think is rite,not to high tho,but like u sed a fiver on top sounds reasonable :)
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: SherwoodCleaningSe on December 14, 2009, 10:22:45 pm
The windows do get dirtier at longer intervals which is one reason to up the price.  Another reason to up the price is that it can be potentially very damaging to your business.  If you do a row of houses and one asks for the 3 monthly service and you do it at the same price, before long you may be earning a third as much on that row.

For me the price increase for extended frequency is more to make the customer think twice about it than removing extra dirt.  If though you get enough at longer frequencies and higher prices you can make a nice little earner.

Simon.
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: 1wayno on December 14, 2009, 10:24:14 pm
The windows do get dirtier at longer intervals which is one reason to up the price.  Another reason to up the price is that it can be potentially very damaging to your business.  If you do a row of houses and one asks for the 3 monthly service and you do it at the same price, before long you may be earning a third as much on that row.

For me the price increase for extended frequency is more to make the customer think twice about it than removing extra dirt.  If though you get enough at longer frequencies and higher prices you can make a nice little earner.

Simon.

right on sister!!! lol
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: R.V.A Window Cleaning Services on December 14, 2009, 10:24:35 pm
I Price all my houses on a 4 weekly clean, then if they want it done on a 6 or 8 weekly clean i add £1.25 extra per week on top of the 4 weekly price. Seems to work for me
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: tam Moffat on December 14, 2009, 10:30:57 pm
Using wfp, 2w/4w/3mth, no differance!!!!   Just charge a nominal fee.
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: 1wayno on December 14, 2009, 10:33:50 pm
Using wfp, 2w/4w/3mth, no differance!!!!   Just charge a nominal fee.


well thats no good is it,how u earnin ur dime then? 3month worth of dirt on frame and glass = alot more time,sorry but personally id have to charge more for the extra time n effort,plus if everyone found that out ud have ur rounds turnin from a monthly to a 3monthly before u know it,and that not a good thing  ;)
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: R.V.A Window Cleaning Services on December 14, 2009, 10:46:15 pm
I think you will find a big difference how dirty a window will get if it is by  a busy road, close to rivers, streams etc ( a lot more spiders poo will be on them ) or windows under trees will all get sap on them. Charge what you wish but if one person in a road where you clean 15 houses wants it changed from 4 to 8 weeks and you don't put the price up, well you do the maths :o
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: AuRavelling79 on December 14, 2009, 11:45:41 pm
It makes poor business sense to charge the same amount of money regardless of the frequency. In answer to Stan's tongue in cheek question about if they went to fortnightly from monthly them would we charge less well the answer is it depends.

If I had several fortnightly's that I went to in a street then I would knock a bit off; but if I had to go specially then I would either keep it the same or say no.

About a year ago I had a lady come up to me and ask for fortnightly and I explained that my minimum was monthly and that with using me and changing to wfp they would stand that "gap" between cleans but that if she had a special occasion to call me out then I would attend.

So all other things being equal let's say I have a £20 house in among several other £20 houses I would charge: (with some flexibility)

Monthly £20
Every two months £25

I wouldn't offer every three months except in exceptional circumstances but for the sake of this discussion I would say £30.

I would also charge £30 for the first clean or occasional cleans depending how soiled it was.
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: daz1977 on December 14, 2009, 11:58:51 pm
i have had a a few asking to go 2 monthly as well,   

this is a bit off topic, when i am going back to clean the windows, after 4/5 weeks, they are pretty clean still,  as i keep wondering in my mind of they have a other wc lol,  could it be the fact that wfp keeps them cleaner for long is the reason that so many want to go to 2 monthly
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: geefree on December 15, 2009, 12:55:42 am
depends how busy you are...

if you are just building a round, then dog poop on your hose is worth a tenner.. ;D ...  4 times a year.

apart from that ..

just blow them out. ;D





Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: bobplum on December 15, 2009, 07:49:05 am
another custy,monthly £10.00,
can we have them done every 3 months!
(it seems to be happening a lot lately)
yes-that will be £15.00 sir
why?
because i have to remove 3 months dirt sir
oh,well heres your ten

Quote
so if he asked you to do them every 2 weeks would you reduce the price as there would be less dirt on  ;D ;D
yes,because im that kind of guy ;D
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: dazmond on December 15, 2009, 08:12:33 am
ive been guilty in the past of charging the same if they decide to change frequency but not anymore!.GOLD hit the nail on the head.IT DOESNT MAKE GOOD BUSINESS SENSE!!i add a couple of quid/fiver if a bigger property.they do take more effort to clean!! ;D ;D
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: amayze on December 15, 2009, 08:32:42 am
I'm starting to get a little tired of these type of threads ......

If your customer is strapped for cash, surely it's better to keep them albeit at every 3 months rather than lose them entirely. Yes, sure it's a slight inconvience to a 4 weekly based round, but at the end of the day, it's only one additional job every three months and most of us can squeeze one more job in a week.

By retaining that customer, it still means that you have the chance of offering any additional services, such as gutter & fascia cleaning, not to mention keeping open the possibility of gaining a referral from that customer.

I'm sure that just as referrals work in our favour, the same can be said when our arrogance works against us.
All it takes is your custy to tell another that they'ev been dumped and you have a round where you've lost the goodwill, making it much easier for another window cleaner to start up in an area.

Like it or not, we are in a service based industry and a customer is a customer regardless of the amount they spend, and at the moment, many places, would be happy that they spent something with them than nothing at all.
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: leapstallbuildings on December 15, 2009, 08:46:53 am
I'm starting to get a little tired of these type of threads ......

If your customer is strapped for cash, surely it's better to keep them albeit at every 3 months rather than lose them entirely. Yes, sure it's a slight inconvience to a 4 weekly based round, but at the end of the day, it's only one additional job every three months and most of us can squeeze one more job in a week.

By retaining that customer, it still means that you have the chance of offering any additional services, such as gutter & fascia cleaning, not to mention keeping open the possibility of gaining a referral from that customer.

I'm sure that just as referrals work in our favour, the same can be said when our arrogance works against us.
All it takes is your custy to tell another that they'ev been dumped and you have a round where you've lost the goodwill, making it much easier for another window cleaner to start up in an area.

Like it or not, we are in a service based industry and a customer is a customer regardless of the amount they spend, and at the moment, many places, would be happy that they spent something with them than nothing at all.

That's all very well when it is one job on its own.  However, you get one customer in a street do it and the other customers in that street find out, it spreads like a disease.  I've had it happen.  I just went knocking one day and replaced the lot (and a lot more) in a few days.  Maybe one or two were doing it due to finances but I doubt that all of them were.
I don't get too much of this happening these days though.  I've run my round as a 6 weekly service for quite a few years but it's actually a 6 - 8 weekly service anyway.
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: amayze on December 15, 2009, 09:01:57 am
Leapstallbuildings,

Then surely the idea would be to route the round accordingly, so that on wk 1, customer A has her windows cleaned, wk5 customer B and wk 9 customer C has the windows cleaned.

Same no. of jobs per day/wk but three different custys!
Title: Re: its happened again!
Post by: Mike 108 on December 15, 2009, 02:08:48 pm
The big danger in allowing customers to change from one monthly to two monthly (without a price change) is that more of your other customers might want to do the same.

I agree that we are in the 'service industry' and should be willing and able to offer frequencies of clean to suit the customer - but anything that requires us to deviate from our normal pattern of working (three monthly cleans/special cleans/'one-offs' should attract a higher charge and, in my experience, customers accept that.

The thing is - to explain it to the customer in a clear (and courteous) manner.

After all, they are not obliged to give you work and you're not obliged to clean their windows. Either one can cancel the 'contract'.

Just don't fall out over it!

Mike