Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: landy2 on February 24, 2010, 06:04:20 pm
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e bay is full of them
here is full of them
the roads are full of them
why dont they all go and do something else its just being flooded with wana be cleaners who will low the prices and when there proper jobs get going again will all go back and leave this industry in a mess
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it happeneds loads round here, time after time. then the custys say.....
my last window cleaner only charged..... >:( >:( p's me rite off >:( >:(
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i agree with the "lower the prices".... its already started... lady said leaflet through door half my price. :o
Listen all you newbies on here...... go out and get your work, but do your research and keep your prices up..... not only will you be a busy fool with a crap round,
You will destroy the industry and we will all be on £3 per house.... JUST LIKE YOU !!
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i know pepole will say theres plenty to go around yes there is but not for the amount of new starters i have been doing this job for 17 years and still learning but when you talk to these new ones they want to run before they can walk
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when customers say that to me, I say thats why there not here now because they have not priced it properly and have chuck it, or went out of business.
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newbies with there £3 houses are all busy, but aint earning any thing, then they all seem to think that there is big money in commercial as well, because after about 3 months they all seem to want to do commercial only, is this becasue they are working all week for £200
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yes but the damage is done and they think you are ripping them of
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yep... a guy once bought a van off me.... he said oh you are a window cleaner too....
he said well im just starting up and plan to do commercial only,,, make big money he said....
i laughed and wished him luck.....
he jacked it in after 3 months.!
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i presume someone has taken all your cusys away then?
yes but the damage is done and they think you are ripping them of
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yep... a guy once bought a van off me.... he said oh you are a window cleaner too....
he said well im just starting up and plan to do commercial only,,, make big money he said....
i laughed and wished him luck.....
he jacked it in after 3 months.!
thats because all they think they have to do is knock a few doors and tell the custy that they need the windows done every week, so only need 80 custys
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when customers say that to me, I say thats why there not here now because they have not priced it properly and have chuck it, or went out of business.
Thats wot i say. Quoted a big house with conservatory other day. £20. "The other cleaner only charged £10 but he hasn't been back". I wonder why. ::) Also i clean a bungalow,£6. Leaflet popped through door saying £4 fixed to 2012. WHATEVER NEXT >:(
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no nobody took any of mine but if you open your eyes and read my post i said you have to look on e bay on the streets nothing but pepole looking to clean windows
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One honest piece of advice I would give to all newbies reading this is if you are happy with what you earn and your customers are happy to pay that price, then its a fair price regardless of anyone else.
However building rounds up take allot of time and effort and good marketing skills, and by time I mean years, not weeks, so if you want to jack everything in and go down that road, prepare for a long hall. But its a long hall that many have done before and got far enough down the road to say they have done ok, but many do give up as well.
So don't go into it thinking anything is easy because that can be the furthest from the truth, but again very much worth any hardship if you put the effort in.
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i presume someone has taken all your cusys away then?
yes but the damage is done and they think you are ripping them of
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He means generally speaking [/q]uote
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If you want to change the fact that newbies lowballing bring down the accepted price of the market then give then advice and make yourself approachable, rather than complaining about it. Its a fact of life that you are going to have competitors, not matter what there experience is.
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Thata what this topic is about..... so the newbies read it i presume. ;)
Otherwise failing that, it would be a mammoth task hunting them down on the streets. ::)
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Thata what this topic is about..... so the newbies read it i presume. ;)
Otherwise failing that, it would be a mammoth task hunting them down on the streets. ::)
it seems that way or hes worried hes gonna lose all his customers!
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e bay is full of them
Whats the starting price or do they have a buy it now price. ;D
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had a look on ebay for window cleaning rounds.... nothing really....apart from
wanted window cleaning round....quite a lot of that...
so i do get his point
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e bay is full of them
here is full of them
the roads are full of them
why dont they all go and do something else its just being flooded with wana be cleaners who will low the prices and when there proper jobs get going again will all go back and leave this industry in a mess
So what other line of work do you suggest they/we flock to?
I am about to start up myself. I am not looking at it being an easy ride, & realise it is likely to take sometime to get established, & I have no intention of under cutting to get customers.
The job front is in trouble at the moment, & I guess many look at it as an easy business to start up, & then there is going to be others that see how much you charge for time takenm, & it looks like an attractive proposition.
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ian take no notice of these people they make out they are experts because they have cleaned windows for 10 and 15 years.
i have seen some of the so called experienced window cleaners around my way,ive seen the results of there cleans and some are terrible to be honest,im getting lots of new customers who wasnt happy with there old windys!
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Its not about being an expert, its about pricing ok, ....maybe when all the new starters have undercut and priced all the houses at £3....
we should then go in the same area and price them all at £1.50... how does that sound.?
Now can you see the implications? ::)
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I just thought it was me that had noticed the change. When I started in 2006 I picked about £200 a month in work up in my first few weeks, then over my first year I picked up about £1000 a month in work. Then I lost a lot of my work because I was subbing work from a local firm. I started building a round up again last year and the difference is massive. I can't believe how many cars are flying round with ladders on with scrims tied round them and how many lads there are out with hoody's on and holsters. Canvassing wise I spent hours the other week knocking and 1 job. Today I went out for about 4 hours and must of seen about 6 window cleaners and I only went up the road to do a few houses then came home. I can't believe how many window cleaners have popped up in my area.
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Its not about being an expert, its about pricing ok, ....maybe when all the new starters have undercut and priced all the houses at £3....
we should then go in the same area and price them all at £1.50... how does that sound.?
Now can you see the implications? ::)
Oh okay, I get your point, & I will try & have a word with the rest of them when I see them. ::)
In the meantime, how do you suggest we get ALL established window cleaners that charge high prices for minutes of work, to keep their prices secret from their customers, & who may have a relation/friend out of work, thay has earned a fraction of this for a 40hr week? ???
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i have noticed a few new windys starting up near me lately.even had a custy phone me up the other day saying a guy has been leafleting my round and do you want his number so you can have a word with him!i declined!
i just concentrate on my own business,do a good job and charge a fair price.ive been window cleaning 16 years and have a very established round.if a guy wants to charge £3 to clean a whole house thats up to him!you can charge what you want!he.ll soon lose interest at them prices and find it hard to get a compact round together and make half decent money.
why would a custy take a stranger on they dont know for a few quid cheaper?most custys know most window cleaners are a bit flakey and not reliable and decent custys dont want to lose a good reliable and trustworthy one like me!! ;D ;D
only time to worry is if you do a crap job and overcharge and youve only been goin 6 months or so!
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ive got nothing to worry about if this fella is anything to go by, two minutes earlier he was cleaning the window to his right with a MOP haha, i could believe it so spun round and got this shot of him, there is nothing securing the ladders and the floor was also wet from rain
(http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h175/bob5373/IMG00013-20100225-1008.jpg)[/img]
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I would consider myself a 'Newbie' as I have only been wfp since October. To date, I have 65 customers and have also done several gutter cleans. I got all the info I needed from the more experienced guys on here and continue to read posts that might teach me something.
My pricing for wc is:
Standard windows £1.00
Bay Windows £2.00
Patio & French Doors £1.50
Front & Rear Doors .50
Gutter cleaning priced £3.50 - £4.00 per metre. depending on how good or bad they are and also access is taken into consideration.
These are prices that I got from info on CIU so if they are a little low or you wish to make any comment about them, then please feel free to do so.
I have used my own money to invest in equipment and I am in this business now for the long haul and hopefully I can one day make a decent income from it.
Rob
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Oh okay, I get your point, & I will try & have a word with the rest of them when I see them. Roll Eyes
In the meantime, how do you suggest we get ALL established window cleaners that charge high prices for minutes of work, to keep their prices secret from their customers, & who may have a relation/friend out of work, thay has earned a fraction of this for a 40hr week? Huh
Hi Ian,
How far along in the setup process are you? Are you going WFP or trad? How much are you looking to earn per week? Whereabouts in the country are you?
It's not easy setting up a viable window cleaning business, it does take time, and not many earn the kind of money that is boasted about on this forum! - I hope it works out for you!
Andy
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i agree with the "lower the prices".... its already started... lady said leaflet through door half my price. :o
Listen all you newbies on here...... go out and get your work, but do your research and keep your prices up..... not only will you be a busy fool with a crap round,
You will destroy the industry and we will all be on £3 per house.... JUST LIKE YOU !!
£3.00 per house when i get stared in march i was only going to charge 50p a house that way i will be very busy ;D
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i agree with the "lower the prices".... its already started... lady said leaflet through door half my price. :o
Listen all you newbies on here...... go out and get your work, but do your research and keep your prices up..... not only will you be a busy fool with a crap round,
You will destroy the industry and we will all be on £3 per house.... JUST LIKE YOU !!
£3.00 per house when i get stared in march i was only going to charge 50p a house that way i will be very busy ;D
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You could have been less greedy and considered £3.00 a street :)
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Hi Andy,
I am hoping to start within the next 2 weeks, & will be going trad to begin with.
I have set my prices similar to rg1`s, & will be going all out to reach the minimum wage rate of £5.80 x 40 hrs =£232.00 per week as soon as I can really. I thought that would be an ideal target to aim for.
I am in Sussex, & I have just purchased a car for both business & personal use. I just don`t want to risk being stuck in any one area, a bit like putting all your eggs in basket.
Many thanks.
Ian.
Ian,
No disrespect but you won't last long if you're aiming at only earning £5.80 per hour... What about insurance and fuel costs? You need to think of it as a business, not just a job.
Aim For The Stars And Maybe You'll Reach The Sky... Aim for the gutter and you'll hit it!
Andy
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I started in November,at first i was trying to charge £1 per window £1.50 bay windows £2 french doors etc,as suggested by many on here.Customers nearly fell through the floor when i gave them the quote(managed to get a couple of good ones though).I now charge around 75p per window,£1-£1.50 on bays and french doors,and 50p per normal door.I add it all up,and then come to a price in my head i am happy with,and what i think customer will be ok with.I got 102 customers so far.
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I started in November,at first i was trying to charge £1 per window £1.50 bay windows £2 french doors etc,as suggested by many on here.Customers nearly fell through the floor when i gave them the quote(managed to get a couple of good ones though).I now charge around 75p per window,£1-£1.50 on bays and french doors,and 50p per normal door.I add it all up,and then come to a price in my head i am happy with,and what i think customer will be ok with.I got 102 customers so far.
I don't charge per window etc... I look at the house, think about how long it might take me to clean and quote based on that.
I appreciate it's difficult to quote like that if you're just starting out, but try moving onto that system as soon as you can.
Andy
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when i quote i also look at how long it will take to clean at the moment im getting around £14 to 15 an hour doing it traditional , i see a lot off gangs of four and five people window cleaning when im out i don't know how they make there money i just work on my own then at least it all my wages once Ive payed my costs etc
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u must b doin something rite gr workin fron a land rover freelander ::) v nice m8 ;D
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e bay is full of them
here is full of them
the roads are full of them
why dont they all go and do something else its just being flooded with wana be cleaners who will low the prices and when there proper jobs get going again will all go back and leave this industry in a mess
Been thinking about whether I should post this as not wishing to offend any "Non Newbies" ...As a very much a newbie I find your post to be offensive or at the very least a knee jerk reaction not very well thought out
Its like me coming on here and saying all old hands are lazy and ignorant to moving with the times and prone to using terms along the lines of "this my patch so feck off or I will do your legs"
Not all new window cleaners will be lowering prices and I am leaving a "proper job" to become a window cleaner (part of a bigger plan).... not all newbies are looking to window cleaning as a temp measure and if the old hands cant compete then perhaps thet should go and do something different !!
Get a grip ... business is full of competition and window cleaning is no different.
I will charge what I see fit and if it undercuts others then its just tango sierra.
Like I say not wishing to offend all the experianced guys but not all newbies are idiots who dont know how to run a business.
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Thata what this topic is about..... so the newbies read it i presume. ;)
Otherwise failing that, it would be a mammoth task hunting them down on the streets. ::)
Its not about being an expert, its about pricing ok, ....maybe when all the new starters have undercut and priced all the houses at £3....
we should then go in the same area and price them all at £1.50... how does that sound.?
Now can you see the implications? ::)
Oh okay, I get your point, & I will try & have a word with the rest of them when I see them. ::)
In the meantime, how do you suggest we get ALL established window cleaners that charge high prices for minutes of work, to keep their prices secret from their customers, & who may have a relation/friend out of work, thay has earned a fraction of this for a 40hr week? ???
Thata what this topic is about..... so the newbies read it i presume. ;)
Otherwise failing that, it would be a mammoth task hunting them down on the streets. ::)
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This thread is a wind up ye?
Anybody can join this forum, from guys on the dole to tax inspectors.
If members keep falling for the old "how much do you make per day?" posts and add to them posts you are effectively taking food out of your own childrens mouths, as word spreads, and as you are finding out, business will be lost to the newbies.
What other trade can you enter with no experience, small start up costs, and half a brain?
Exactly!
Go check out other trade forums, sparkies, plumbers, chippies etc. You never read posts of them bragging how much they earn do you? Well done guys, give yourself a pat on the back.
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Steady on mate, anyone with half a brain on here is over-qualified :P
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What other trade can you enter with no experience, small start up costs, and half a brain?
You don't have much of an opinion of window cleaners do you. If you ask them what they make in profit you might find it does sound as attractive as they may let on.
Newbies who lowball to get work dont last, I have seen too many come and go. Thats what we are trying to get at, the prices we charge is what we have to charge to make profit, and people who charge £3 a house are kidding themselfs on, and inevitably being taken for a ride by there customers. Because in the end they realise they are working for less that what they would get in an employed job after deductions come off.
Then there is the other bread of have low prices because there dont have the proper insuance, licences, national insurance contributions, or tax, plus dole money from the honest tax payer while they take our customers at half the price, and make it look like we charge too much.
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Ladder garder,
I agree with what your saying 100%. I was having a dig at the fools who brag about how much they earn. There are so many on here its frightening and it is those buffoons who are killing the trade. Then they wonder why they are losing customers?
Window cleaner hey? nod, nod, wink, wink, cash is king ye? how many times have you heard that or something similair. Word spreads, posting details on here about glorified incomes helps who?
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Ladder garder,
I agree with what your saying 100%. I was having a dig at the fools who brag about how much they earn. There are so many on here its frightening and it is those buffoons who are killing the trade. Then they wonder why they are losing customers?
Window cleaner hey? nod, nod, wink, wink, cash is king ye? how many times have you heard that or something similair. Word spreads, posting details on here about glorified incomes helps who?
islwyn, I will try & explain this again!
If you do a clean for a customer that is unemployed, in a crap job, or has family or friends in this situation, & you charge say for example £10.00 for 15 minutes work, then don`t you think that you could be killing your own trade?
Like I said in my previous post, it`s an attractive proposition.
I guess some people get a bit too greedy at times. ::)
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Hi i'm starting on monday and was panicking a bit coz round here the prices are as low as 2.50.How can they survive on that.Gonna stick to my pricing all the way.Also customers are saying ooh the last cleaner only charged xxx and havnt seen him in months.mmm wonder why??
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This thread is a wind up ye?
Anybody can join this forum, from guys on the dole to tax inspectors.
If members keep falling for the old "how much do you make per day?" posts and add to them posts you are effectively taking food out of your own childrens mouths, as word spreads, and as you are finding out, business will be lost to the newbies.
What other trade can you enter with no experience, small start up costs, and half a brain?
Exactly!
Go check out other trade forums, sparkies, plumbers, chippies etc. You never read posts of them bragging how much they earn do you? Well done guys, give yourself a pat on the back.
Oh, I forgot to say welcome to the forum, & have you been here before ??? ;D ;D
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I rest my case, nothing at all against newbies, but any w/c who have mentioned price and are now reading this must feel regret. The two guys who posted after my last post haven't even started a round yet. Ian75 is even adding grinning faces asking me if ive been on here before?
Somebody please start a vote about whoever mentions earnings on this website should be kneecapped?
Or, who thinks this forum is killing our trade?
Please all you clean it up gods, go get a hobby, or look behind you at your wife or girlfriend who is now staring into space dreaming of what you should be doing to her right now instead of reading this?
I know i'm getting a few backs up here, but you know i'm right.
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I rest my case, nothing at all against newbies, but any w/c who have mentioned price and are now reading this must feel regret. The two guys who posted after my last post haven't even started a round yet. Ian75 is even adding grinning faces asking me if ive been on here before?
Somebody please start a vote about whoever mentions earnings on this website should be kneecapped?
Or, who thinks this forum is killing our trade?
Please all you clean it up gods, go get a hobby, or look behind you at your wife or girlfriend who is now staring into space dreaming of what you should be doing to her right now instead of reading this?
I know i'm getting a few backs up here, but you know i'm right.
This is a wind up, who are you really? Whats your real username. ;)
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wonder who this is lol ;D ;D ;D ::)
agree with the post regardies newbies up there commenting on prices, and undercutting...
when they have not even got a round yet lol... ::)
but hey, who are we to judge , we are experienced and knowledgable , been where they are now....bright and breezy, and welcome them all. ;D ;D
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Bang on.... i was wondering where he was coming from... could not work out if he was an old hand, or just one of those guys who knows everything about everything.... now...er
where did i put the moon i nearly landed on ;D ;D ;D
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Ian75n,
I will answer that question after you have explained why earlier in this topic you stated you are about to start a cleaning round, yet you are a senior member with over 125 posts?
I take it you are single? if not, give me your address and i would be more than happy to come round and alleviate your wifes boredom. ;)
I knew it, it is a wind up, so what name do you want to be called lol ;D ;D
In all seriousness, I think you will find pretty much all of my posts are questions & the odd bit of messing. But regarding this newbie undercutting business, have a read back through this thread, & take in what was actually written.
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islwyn, I will try & explain this again!
If you do a clean for a customer that is unemployed, in a crap job, or has family or friends in this situation, & you charge say for example £10.00 for 15 minutes work, then don`t you think that you could be killing your own trade?
Like I said in my previous post, it`s an attractive proposition.
I guess some people get a bit too greedy at times. ::)
What a load of rubbish, Im not one for posting comments on other peoples topics on the forum, unless its a joke , or trying to be helped, or trying to help someone else...
but this comment is utter rubbish,
When the window cleaning industry is being flooded with people trying their hand at it because they think its easy, or easy pickings... then people on here who have worked hard to get rid of the stigma attached to window cleaning,...and move away from the penny brigade...well, they have a right to feel aggrieved when some bright eyed , would be business man... comes on here and says they will undercut, because they feel sorry for poor people , err friends....who have to pay for there windows cleaning!!!!
Im sorry but if you asked your friend to clean all your windows with a rag, ..and if he could find a ladder..
do you think he would do it for a quid??
of course not...
do you feel sorry for them when a plumber charges the correct price?
Anyway, you get out there and build yourself a round on compassion, ...i wont be buying your round bud.
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Today is 25.02.2010 Check new arrivals on the forum the day after ian 126 posts leaves this site. guaranteed he'll rejoin the next day under a different name.
I feel ive had a very productive evening, if you havent sussed it out yet you never will.
For those in the now, keep gob schtuum, BIG BROTHER is watching!
Got to get some shut eye now coz got a 3 hour day tomorrow, another grand in the bank, hard life innit?xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
What's he on about i knew it was a wind up? i serious pal, if you cant see the link between posting issues about money on here and losing customers you must be brain dead. Go on tell me there isnt a link, and how come you got so many posts with no round?
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Today is 25.02.2010 Check new arrivals on the forum the day after ian 126 posts leaves this site. guaranteed he'll rejoin the next day under a different name.
I feel ive had a very productive evening, if you havent sussed it out yet you never will.
For those in the now, keep gob schtuum, BIG BROTHER is watching!
Got to get some shut eye now coz got a 3 hour day tomorrow, another grand in the bank, hard life innit?xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
What's he on about i knew it was a wind up? i serious pal, if you cant see the link between posting issues about money on here and losing customers you must be brain dead. Go on tell me there isnt a link, and how come you got so many posts with no round?
Night Gazza ;D ;D
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I think a few of them posts about peoples wifes are out of line, joking or not.
I agree with the post about customers see what we charge has more of the blame for the industry being viewed as easy money that posts on here has.
When I first started, one of the reasons I though about it was because I had a window cleaner before, and thought I could improve the service, and the money seemed very good.
I have improved the service, but I now realise that the money is more reasonable that I had previously thought, before entering the industry.
Secondly I think islwyn has been on as someone else before, but he does have a fair point. If you look at the laws on price fixing, we shouldn't be discussing prices at all with each other, or telling newbies to raise there prices, as inevitably it could be the window cleaner up the street that we are trading posts with.
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Ladder garder, we are singing from the same hymn sheet here. Just read a few of your posts and you seem to post on a lot of the undercutting topics so it is obviously a subject you have strong views on. That said why on posts 43 and 155 do you bring money into it?
You also make a fantastic point about taxi drivers, or if you prefer we could call them last decades w/c's, a lot of them made good money, word spread and now most of their day is spent waiting on a rank for £3 fares.
A friend of mine recently joined facebook and recieved lots of friend requests from people who blank him in the streets, discussed this with a few people and it appears a lot of people regard it as a status thing, the more friends you have the better, makes them feel important.
How many posts do i have to make on here to become a god, will i be more popular if each post mentions earnings, i notice all the stars you can achieve, does it make you impotent?, sorry spelt important wrong there.
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islwyn,
the first one was because the guy said he wanted 300 new customers, and had posts as far back as three years prior, so I got the impression that his prices must be low if he thinks he needs that many customers.
The other one wasn't so much about prices it was about a guy wanting to shed of 200 of his custies at 5x the price but could do the other 600 on his no probs, so I was just hinting that his prices must be quite low also.
However I have in the past took part in pricing poles, I even started one at one point, but it was more too see how much the prices on here really do vary, i.e. highlight how much bragging goes on.
I suppose that does make me a bit of a hypocrite for saying that we shouldn't, when I have in the past. However it is an opinion that I have formed over time and by experience, and admittedly not advice that I have always followed in the past. However I do intend to in the future.
For every pricing pole that I have read on here or taken part in, I have never went away feeling that I had been enlightened in any way what so ever. The prices quoted vary so much and I think it is because of a number of factors...
1. WFP cost more to run than trad
2. Speed of a window cleaner plays a large factor on what they have to charge - for instance some may get in every corner and some might be the terry burrows of this world and doing them while jogging past, drinking coffee.
3. Level of service also plays a part, for instance trad that does frames and sills, or trad that doesnt will have a different pricing structure
4. Then what about a team full of young lads on £3 an hour, or the experienced windies.
5. What equipement they carry or invest in, and not just water fed pole, the range of equipement they maintain and where they buy it from and at what cost is important for instance the expensive wc soaps, tescos white label fairy liquid.
6. Area also plays a part, Window cleaners in my town will have a smaller average that the inner city of london for instance.
7. THe type of jobs you do, if you do all large com biuldings, with cradles and absailers you will have a very different pricing structure to someone biulding up a small dommestic round.
So does pricing poles even help all those newbie window cleaners wanting to know what they should charge, no I dont really think so. It is always easy to charge what your compeditors charge and be led by the industry, or you can do your homework, and work out what it is going to cost you to offer your service and base your prices on that. If you just take it on what people say on here, you could end up making a loss, because you have charge to little, or not getting enough work because you have charged to much. So you should always try to have a better grasp of your own figures and business model as someone elses can be very different.
Oh sorry...
8. People just bragging, in an attempt to raise the customers willing to spend price, but inevitably causing allot to flock to the industry clueless to the reality of it.
I really like the 'turn over for vanity, profits for sanity' comment, it does say allot about people who talk about what they make in a day.
Also yes, I do like to use taxi drivers as a comparison to our industry, however different it may be. The window cleaning industry could go the exact same way, over run, with allot of people desperate to make a living working for too little.
However I would not say that is the industries fault, it is just the kind of times we are in. If you have a family to feed, do you take the £60 from the dole or what ever it is, or do you get up early go out and spend 12 hours a day 6 days a week sitting in a car, to put more food on the plate.
I would, and I have a great amount of respect for the hundred and thousands that do it every day. I think a big problem is the licensing system, and the fact that is is illegal for a company to fix prices, like the construction industry thing that was in the news not that long ago. But what about the taxi industry, the local councils set the tariffs and the hours they work, that is fix pricing as well, and look what has happened.
i think the real info that people are after is who makes the most(profit) and how do they do it. Is there someone they are missing out on, some magic technique that someone had trying and is laughing there way to the bank.
Lets face it, its not what people charge that many are intrested in, its how much more or less they are than you. Do I make more or could I get away with charging more. Forget about costs of running the business, how much can I make - I heard you can make a fortune window cleaning.
You heard wrong, if you charge too much your customers will soon send you packing, if you charge too little you wont make profits, and as more come we will all end up sitting in our van next to the taxi drivers.
At the end of the day we are all in it for money. If there is people flocking to the industry, its because there is not better alternative, but the ship can only hold so many before it sinks!
I read a book once about luxury, and the guy said something that rung very true to me, Its not the nice threads or the good leather, the logo or anything else, its having something that nobody else has, and have something that they want. Its status.
If you value yourself, and see that if you dont charge the decent price you will be better of in a shop, working behind a counter. Its safer, you will be dry and responability free.
Or you learn the true value of your time, and the ship will float.
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islwyn, I will try & explain this again!
If you do a clean for a customer that is unemployed, in a crap job, or has family or friends in this situation, & you charge say for example £10.00 for 15 minutes work, then don`t you think that you could be killing your own trade?
Like I said in my previous post, it`s an attractive proposition.
I guess some people get a bit too greedy at times. ::)
What a load of rubbish, Im not one for posting comments on other peoples topics on the forum, unless its a joke , or trying to be helped, or trying to help someone else...
but this comment is utter rubbish,
When the window cleaning industry is being flooded with people trying their hand at it because they think its easy, or easy pickings... then people on here who have worked hard to get rid of the stigma attached to window cleaning,...and move away from the penny brigade...well, they have a right to feel aggrieved when some bright eyed , would be business man... comes on here and says they will undercut, because they feel sorry for poor people , err friends....who have to pay for there windows cleaning!!!!
Im sorry but if you asked your friend to clean all your windows with a rag, ..and if he could find a ladder..
do you think he would do it for a quid??
of course not...
do you feel sorry for them when a plumber charges the correct price?
Anyway, you get out there and build yourself a round on compassion, ...i wont be buying your round bud.
Hi,
Apologies about dragging this back up to the top, but I feel it is important to make a couple of things absolutely clear, as I feel my comments have been totally misinterpreted!
Basically, I have absolutely no intention of undercutting anyone else, & have decided to enter the trade because of reasons similar to a great deal of you.
I hope you don`t mind me quoting you Ladder Garder, but I think you word things a little better than I do, & it is easier to understand,
When I first started, one of the reasons I though about it was because I had a window cleaner before, and thought I could improve the service, and the money seemed very good.
I have improved the service, but I now realise that the money is more reasonable that I had previously thought, before entering the industry
Many thanks,
Ian.