[dai]

When two dogs fight one may kill the other but the winning dog is often in barely better state himself.

Price wars benefit nobody, you may be able to kill off the undercutting newbies but the damage they do remains.

What annoys me is when the newbies have bright shiney new vans and you know that somebody within the trade (no names but most of us know who) has put them up to it, filling their heads with big ideas while emptying their bank account in the process.

Your right mate, how often do we hear, "my mum only pays £3.50 and her house is bigger".
It's not only underpricing WFP newbies either, we still have to compete against the guys paying £40 a day cash in hand to young guys working oFf ladders.
I know one that has been getting away with it for years, he say's he's not employing them, just renting his round out to them, but it's the boss who collects and pays the wages. He also drops them off in an area and picks them up later.

[Richard Neal]

You only have to look on the fleabay, there is always hardly used vans and equipment for sale, they may have given up but the damage is still left behind.

[Londoner]

You are right, they are always there on ebay. I would love some of them to come on here and tell their stories but I guess thats hoping for too much.

There have been several around in my area that have subsequently disappeared again. I think they all gave up after a short while although to be honest I can't see why because with a bit of perseverence its a fertile area and they could so easily have carved out a niche for themselves.

One lot I know were far to highly priced, £36 a house. They were a Franchise, gone in no time but they did actually get some business even at those prices. I saw them cleaning windows.

Some others were too low, less than half the going rate. I have some of their customers still now at twice what they were charging. They just vanished after about eight months, two young guys in a new van.
OK, if they got the prices wrong, just reprice and keep on going. Nobody gets it right first time around.

But what I would really like to know is what they were told about the business and by who. Why did they become so disillusioned so quckly. Its as though they had been sold a line thats its just money for nothing. when they find out its actually hard graft they give up.

[Alex Allen]

I was talking to a mate of mine from Prestatyn yesterday. He has a newbie Wfp window cleaner. 6 windows and a large con £4.00.
I read on here every week about guys earning £300 a day. I wish these newbies would sod off and move to their areas.
Underpricing in order to get work. is the number one mistake newbies make.

I agree mate, i dont think its just under pricing though
the real problem is some never learn tp price
no matter how many years they window clean

[keen n clean]

One year in the game so newbie i am!!!!!! thoughts on pricing.............aim high,offer a better service than the cheaper alternative and do NOT i repeat do NOT undercut the cheaper alternative,one customer said to me a few weeks back my friend around the corner has the same service for £5 cheaper,so i said politely i'd go for the cheaper option but you will not get the same level of service i am offering me lady!!!Garage door,front soffitt a couple of times a year etc etc....and if you are i will (even if i didnt want to)match that price,she came back to me a couple of weeks later.........can you go and quote my friend around the corner,the window cleaner has disappeared!!!.....
So i did.......£5 higher than she was paying before!!!!!!!!!!and shes well happy now

[geoffreyspecht]

I was talking to a mate of mine from Prestatyn yesterday. He has a newbie Wfp window cleaner. 6 windows and a large con £4.00.
I read on here every week about guys earning £300 a day. I wish these newbies would sod off and move to their areas.
Underpricing in order to get work. is the number one mistake newbies make.

just wondered how many window cleaners on here turning over £1500 per week then

[darren clarke]

a lot undercut by mistake as they still think that if they earn £10 ph then that is good money, it is only after they pay out fuel and for gear for a few months that they realise tha they are really cheap,  they either sell up or dump the crap work and get better jobs

[geefree]

They will also do a second and third rate job after a short while, once they realise they cannot earn anything after their overheads have been taken out,

Then the customer notices, and realises she has a rubbish window cleaner ,

and sack him.... or he will give up.

That is damage i welcome, more customers for me!......and when they see what they are getting, they will be happy to pay the right price.

How many times have you been told   " Oh my last window cleaner refused to clean the frames and sills,.. he was rubbish and all done in 5 minutes"
?

Now,  ,... i just love that , its my turn to get my sales pitch in, explaining how thorough we are, and we clean all frames , sills and doors,

And thats why we charge more, we do a full professional clean, leaving no dirt behind.

Its not all doom and gloom if approached in the right way

 

[Londoner]

I was talking to a mate of mine from Prestatyn yesterday. He has a newbie Wfp window cleaner. 6 windows and a large con £4.00.
I read on here every week about guys earning £300 a day. I wish these newbies would sod off and move to their areas.
Underpricing in order to get work. is the number one mistake newbies make.

just wondered how many window cleaners on here turning over £1500 per week then

I know one who isn't - me.

[bobby p]

i heard it myself before i even started as a cleaner- pole methods easy money-im not sure where i heard it tho !

 im trad and one thing i notice is that apart from 1 exception(very old tranny van) all the wfpolers in my area have very new vans but these vans arent out working as you would think,theyre often sitting on their driveway in the daytime. maybe they work differently to us trad guys, quote very high and then whizz out to do the big 1 offs and back home again . certainly i never see those w.f.pole vans on the council estates where i mostly work. im guessing but maybe they sell a luxury service to toffs ?

[Alex Allen]

i heard it myself before i even started as a cleaner- pole methods easy money-im not sure where i heard it tho !

 im trad and one thing i notice is that apart from 1 exception(very old tranny van) all the wfpolers in my area have very new vans but these vans arent out working as you would think,theyre often sitting on their driveway in the daytime. maybe they work differently to us trad guys, quote very high and then whizz out to do the big 1 offs and back home again . certainly i never see those w.f.pole vans on the council estates where i mostly work. im guessing but maybe they sell a luxury service to toffs ?

i bet there is some truth in that
but i know loads of trad cleaners working hard for little money
putting in loads more time than anybody

i dont think its that black and white though
because i know trad cleaners who earn £45k a year
and work less than some wfp cleaners

[Richard Neal]

£1500 a week? i thought you meant every day....................... in my dreams 

[Londoner]

I was working at a house today and the gardener who was working there as well  said Its funny, I never used to see many window cleaners about but now I see loads.

I think he's right, we will get swamped eventually.

[dai]

I was working at a house today and the gardener who was working there as well  said Its funny, I never used to see many window cleaners about but now I see loads.

I think he's right, we will get swamped eventually.

He's right Vince, never seen so many, it makes you think twice about putting your prices up.
As more and more lose their jobs the situation can only get worse.

[Alex Allen]

dosent make me think about putting up my prices

you will always have some customers who choose the window cleaner on price
and you will always have window cleaners charging to little
leave them both them to it
i dont want those customers and it keeps those window cleaners busy

[dai]

dosent make me think about putting up my prices

you will always have some customers who choose the window cleaner on price
and you will always have window cleaners charging to little
leave them both them to it
i dont want those customers and it keeps those window cleaners busy

Alex, in normal times I would agree with you, but I have noticed a big drop off in new clients, not only that but when many of my customers sell their house, the new occupier doesn't want a window cleaner.
Two or three times a week I used to have people pull up and ask if I did so and so street, I am lucky if I get one pull up a month now.
Things are even worse than they were back in the early 90's recession.

[Richard Neal]

Im glad that i am not trying to start up now, a lot of my new customers are recommended or have seen me around for ages, to start from nothing these days must be very hard.

[Taylor & Taylor WC Services]

Newbies popping up all the the place around here (Stamford) I started 2 years ago and theres loads more knocking about now!! I mean some right chancers!! I believe if you provide a reputable service and a possess a professional image you will always prevail over undercutters no matter what the price difference.

I am currently canvassing again after my initial canvass 2 yrs ago and people remember me from back then who had a window cleaner when I visited and declined my services but they're not about these days........I just quote them that we're proof that 'we're not here today, gone tomorrow.

Although with those that requested quotes that had window cleaners I found I was 90% of the time more expensive but still took on many new customers. (Theres only one reason they're willing to pay more...and that's because the low priced window cleaners are working for pittance and do not take as much pride in the service they provide)

[Alex Allen]

dosent make me think about putting up my prices

you will always have some customers who choose the window cleaner on price
and you will always have window cleaners charging to little
leave them both them to it
i dont want those customers and it keeps those window cleaners busy

Alex, in normal times I would agree with you, but I have noticed a big drop off in new clients, not only that but when many of my customers sell their house, the new occupier doesn't want a window cleaner.
Two or three times a week I used to have people pull up and ask if I did so and so street, I am lucky if I get one pull up a month now.
Things are even worse than they were back in the early 90's recession.

Dai, how many new customers do you need each year?
my new customer turnover is low so i make sure they are all at a better price

[Newannaive]

£1500 a week? i thought you meant every day....................... in my dreams 

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