[g newton]

the problems everywhere and not restricted just the this industry construction is on its knees due to the influx of cheap foreign labour (less than 6 quid a hour for a labourer ) disgusting !! once deductions taken into account and expenses whats that  _-less than 4 quid in a mans hand a hour
and the government expect someone to work for that---its ok when you get a dozen poles sharing a caravan for a bullseye a week rent and a loaf and a sausage to eat--they can make it work plus the 600 quid in working tax credits they get sent back home each month for there families back home

theyre laughing at us
thanks very much labour its a mess and the government need to grow some balls and sort it out

but i think its to late

[Dean Boughton]

hi im from peterborough only just started cleaned my first custys today and picked another 3 up today
my son is also a windy and he does hampton in peterborough charges 30 quid for a 3 story and gains 2 or 3 new custys every month .sez he aint seen or heard of any eastern europeans cleaning windows here, at one time they seem to all be plumbers but they do such a crap job because of the low prices they charge that they dont last long anyway

[S]

Once the Asians took over the shops were open all hours. .

Yes,  but the shop laws where changed, to be able to open all hours.

[mci services]

hi im from peterborough only just started cleaned my first custys today and picked another 3 up today
my son is also a windy and he does hampton in peterborough charges 30 quid for a 3 story and gains 2 or 3 new custys every month .sez he aint seen or heard of any eastern europeans cleaning windows here, at one time they seem to all be plumbers but they do such a crap job because of the low prices they charge that they dont last long anyway

At last an unbiased view from a local

[NBwcs]

Hi Dean, thanks for replying. Thats good news, gonna try and talk to the bloke who told me about this, he claims to be a  mate of the wc in question and try and find out more. Two differing accounts, I prefer yours.  £30 , nice one.

[NBwcs]

"Sorry to argue on my first post on here, but if you lose "half your round" to anyone, you're doing something seriously wrong.  Anyone came to my customers asking for £4, they would smell a rat and tell them to get lost.  Some I might lose, but half?"

 Hi Dave, welcome to the forum. Generally speaking, the impact from the £4/ £5 brigade is fairly limited, they may pinch a few and be an anoyance but they tend to be individuals, and dont really pose any great threat, and as you say, cusys see trough them. The potential danger from the Eastern Europeans is different in that they are very much a close community and just as they have now monopolised the hand car wash business, they have the potential to have a big impact on us. Dont underestimate them, my experience of them is that their work ethic is superb, cheap with them doesnt mean shoddy. Just because weve not been affected too much by cheap prices in the past doesnt mean things cant change. To lose half your business is extreme hence why I asked locals to clarify the situation and hopefully looks like it has been exaggerated. But if is was true and they have been successfull with these sort of prices, then everyones got reason to be concerned.

[scud]

   Nick, I have been told the same thing by a cleaner from Peterborough, he said they work in gangs of about 10 and just blitz the houses for £5 a time, any house for £5.

  I will be in peterborough next week, I have a day there, I will ask my customers if they have had any offers from these people.

  I do also bump into other cleaners there regularly, I will ask them if they know anything about it, while I don't work on the Hamptons, I know a couple of the other guys from the Sugar Estate do some work over there.

[NBwcs]

Hello Mark, havnt seen you for a while, hope your ok. You might even know the wc in question, dont have a name but he lives in Crowland, which isnt the biggest place in the world and i know you get out that way. Well if their working in gangs of that sort of number,the minimum wage sure isnt being applied.

[paulben]

Not got a prob with poles this side of P/Boro ( March ) prob just a matter of time

[scud]

Hello Mark, havnt seen you for a while, hope your ok. You might even know the wc in question, dont have a name but he lives in Crowland, which isnt the biggest place in the world and i know you get out that way. Well if their working in gangs of that sort of number,the minimum wage sure isnt being applied.

 Nick, is he the lad with the maroon mondeo, or maybe now an old white van?

  If so, I do know him, but cant remember his name! I will ask him next time I see him, their is another cleaner who lives in Crowland but doesn't do any work in Crowland, I don't see him very often, only when cleaning all his neighbours and he comes home.

 I don't think minimum wage comes into things with the poles, come to think of it I very much doubt tax, ni or insurances feature highly on their lists of things to do.

[mikecam]

Now they do mobile washes in tesco car park's hastling you soon as you get out of your car.

Maybe they're operating without Tescos permission? I thought you had to have some sort of waste water permit to allow commercial washing of vehicles due to run off. Tescos customer care desk should be able to sort them for you if they aint legit, and stop them hasseling you if they are.

[NBwcs]

Just a bit of an update, i had a word with the bloke who told me ,and whos also his mate.. The wc in question lives in Peterborough( not Crowland) and works  predominately in Peterborough and Crowland (sorry Mark). Hes apparently lost £7,000 pa  , and blames it on Eastern Europeans charging £4 for any size house, lost a lot of his work on Hampton Estate. Thats about £150 a week which is shocking, not to mention a touch concerning. Odd that one bloke should lose so much if others arnt seeing a difference. If he uses this forum at all, then you have my sympathy mate. 

[scud]

Just a bit of an update, i had a word with the bloke who told me ,and whos also his mate.. The wc in question lives in Peterborough( not Crowland) and works  predominately in Peterborough and Crowland (sorry Mark). Hes apparently lost £7,000 pa  , and blames it on Eastern Europeans charging £4 for any size house, lost a lot of his work on Hampton Estate. Thats about £150 a week which is shocking, not to mention a touch concerning. Odd that one bloke should lose so much if others arnt seeing a difference. If he uses this forum at all, then you have my sympathy mate. 

 Nick, if it's the bloke I think it is, he would loose work to anyone (I have had plenty of his).

  He is rude, arrogant, scruffy, un-reliable and to top that off, a bloody crap window cleaner.

  How he has gone for so long is beyond me, and I doubt he is on here as he struggles with spoken words without putting a keyboard in the mix

[PAIN IN THE GLASS]

This is the sorry state of how the country is getting unfortunately, But I would suggest to anyone who is having problems and losing work through this method is to diversafy. Other custys another service as well or have a ya windows cleaned and I give you 20%  of a gutter clean at the same time or something different like a patio clean. I know not everyone will go for it but some will.
Also after 4 cleans give ya loyal custy a bit of a discount on there 5th clean.

[dazmond]

anybody who is losing lots of work is either well overpriced for the area,poor quality work,rude,arrogant with no people skills or all of them!!!

losing lots of work(domestic)  simply does not happen if your looking after your business and customers.


dazmond

[Richard iSparkle]

Love your comment Rhinoman.  Finally a bit of sanity!

[ian1972]

It's not the eastern Europeans Asians chinese or any other foreigner that's at fault.....it's our own government that's to blame look at other countries at the min all over the world that are demonstrating cause of the state of how there countries are and they are winning.we British just put up with the crap the taxes the vat rise after all we are British and take it all with a stiff upper lip.....or is it we like being shafted??

[Londoner]

Working at a house today, over the road the house opposite is having an extension. Two Polish registered builders vans and a Polish registered car blocking up the road.
Now my objection is that those Polish builders won't pay tax on what they are getting paid and will be ultimately taking the money they earn back to Poland. So how is that good for anyone except the Polish Builders?

[bobby p]

that dodge of using a foreign number plated car/van over here should be stopped . i bet millions is being lost in car tax and i bet they arent properly insured or MOTd .

[ian1972]

Lol it's ashame we are not more like the Egyptians in that at least they have the balls to stand up for what they belive,,,yes it might of taken them a mere 30 years but they got rid of the government that was making there lives a misery now we all no us British will take whatever our government throws at us!!!!! It's a fact same as why were no good at haggling lack of balls or is it we care touch what others think???