[dave f]

hi you lot update been out yesterday door knocking for about 4hrs wot a eye opener got a cluster of 14 new custermers still plenty moore to do. abit concerned though some of the work is on a patch of 2 different w/c .another thing i found odd 3 custermers said hope you dont use one of those pole things? why came the reply. dont like th look of em??? as any one come across before?iwas gonna buy one once i get agood round going there a lot of new builds quite high with no w/c i managed to blag 2 with out doing the tops 

[jonnyald]

you should be able to do them tops with a trad pole ,easy enuf with a WAGTAIL  flipper .  one tip=often i set my ladder away to one side and pole the high windows  from halfway up the ladder , if you use a  fishing pole they are very light

[pingu]

Hi Dave and welcome....you'll enjoy it here and get loads of info here...take all the banter with a touch of salt .

Thingy on a stick...it's called WFP(water fed pole)...search the threads and you'll find loads of info.

Nothing wrong with WFP or trad come to that...there are pro's and cons for each given different situations, locations etc.

Sounds like you have got off on the right foot...14 customers already...keep on canvassing...

Rounds & patches...to be honest there is no longer much of 'this is my patch' but on occassion this does pop up...I do know in parts of Manchester it can get a little 'heated' if you were to start cleaning in particular area's.  On the whole don't underprice(you'll regret doing this) or undercut other window cleaners...just price as you go.

Remember hourly rate and business turn-over are 2 very different beasts..The tax man will want his money.

One very good thing is to start reading back posts on this forum as there is a wealth on information along with a load of nonesense, as with all things in life it's a matter of sorting the wheat from the chaff.

Cheers and good luck.

Dave.

[dave f]

who sells the wagtail flipper ? ???how much tried looking but only found in the us.

[Blue Frog Systems]

Welcome to the forum Dave,

I started out begining of April from scratch. Its hard work to start with, but well worth it.

Best thing I did !

As said above... Go back and read read read into previous posts. There is so much information there.

www.windowcleaningwarehouse.co.uk they sell all the wagtail stuff and lots more

[ftp]

If you go down the wagtail flipper route a word of warning - they aren't easy to use - mine's still in the back of the van and never gets used because i couldn't do a satisfactory job with it. It's designed more for open areas of glass rather than the casement windows found on residential homes in uk.
Any of the wagtail experts out there - please make a vidio for us to look at.

[jonnyald]

its true Wagtail flipper takes practice practice .   and at the end of a week boy does my arm ache , i use the 18inch  one  but keep a 12 and 14 in my bucket for the little windows . the 14 is the best for poling  as its easier to flip


(iv modded all mine with a diffrent pad,to scrub better

[ftp]

If you are pulling down a pane how do you cope with the flap squashing up under the blade at the end of the stroke? I've found it just bunches up preventing the bottom inch of the pane being cleaned and the flap just squishes into the dirt on the bottom of the frame and on the sill?

[leapstallbuildings]

hi you lot update been out yesterday door knocking for about 4hrs wot a eye opener got a cluster of 14 new custermers still plenty moore to do. abit concerned though some of the work is on a patch of 2 different w/c .another thing i found odd 3 custermers said hope you dont use one of those pole things? why came the reply. dont like th look of em??? as any one come across before?iwas gonna buy one once i get agood round going there a lot of new builds quite high with no w/c i managed to blag 2 with out doing the tops 

You must set your stall out from the start.  You cannot let the customer decide upon the work method or you will make trouble for yourself.

The customer cannot decide the work method.  Of course, the customer is entitled to go elsewhere.
Likewise, you cannot insist that the customer has to have their windows cleaned with WFP.  You also have the right to end the arrangement.
IMO, it only becomes wrong when one party tries to impose its will upon the other.

When I had an issue like this (when I first switched to WFP - as I wouldn't offer it now), I told them that the first clean or two may have a few imperfections and that this can happen.  If they were dissatisfied with the third clean, I would not charge them for it and we would part with good grace.  I also stipulated that the offer was only about the quality of the actual window cleaning - NOT about water down the walls, leaving glass wet etc., but purley about the cleanliness of the windows once they had dried off.
No-one ever asked for the freebie.  I only offered it to people who I felt would give an honest assessment rather than those who I felt might try to take the p.

[SteveAllan]

i have also made that mod in the pic so the mop is flips over the top instead of underneath, this helps so you can see more clearly and keeps it away from the bottom frame (when using pole for upstairs) - works well

[dave f]

cheers plenty food for thought and more head banging what amount of cleaner to oblong bucket

[ftp]

i have also made that mod in the pic so the mop is flips over the top instead of underneath, this helps so you can see more clearly and keeps it away from the bottom frame (when using pole for upstairs) - works well

Good idea, so effectively you are now cleaning the glass with a flip flop!

[jonnyald]

If you are pulling down a pane how do you cope with the flap squashing up under the blade at the end of the stroke? I've found it just bunches up preventing the bottom inch of the pane being cleaned and the flap just squishes into the dirt on the bottom of the frame and on the sill?
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generally i  dont pull down as its better to fan or pull to the side to finish . moving sideways rather than an up and down pull means you can see what you are doing .   this usually means standing to one side a bit , and by doing that it makes flipping the pad easier .   i  forced myself to get the hang of it by leaving my regular squeegee at home  , so there was no option to get using it