[johnny bravo]

Aldi in middlesbrough  had a company cleaning them,   and most in teesside region,     i was talking to their caretaker  who told his manager @ aldi store he used to clean windows.     he now does all the stores around teesside    he said he gets paid minimum wage for his time to do them and a £15 fuel allowance    he said its given him xtra hours on his pay slip.         DOH. What aldi paid their previous cleaner,     he does them for £6.19.,  i told him he should have given a lower quote and cashed in.   hes happy just getting xtra hours a week.

[Smudger]

pricing is a funny old game - many commercial jobs have middlemen who take a big % just for passing on the work
no one has to take on low price work but the reality is you still need an income and the pressure is there to work
for virtually nothing that the harsh reality of life - danger is getting stuck in low priced work and then not being
able to get better work beacause your busy earning nothing

we are getting loads of enquiries at the moment as a fellow w/c has had to go in for a hip replacement ( i believe he's in his sixty's ) but our prices are twice and even 3 times his basically he's doing 4 bed detached with extention and climbing
up a sloping roof ( approx 15 windows and doors ) for £8.00 but thats what feels he can charge or needs to earn on that
job personally i value my time and services much higher

Darran

[pitcher]

why on here do you get at the guys who do this type of work
do you really think we earn no money
do any of you ever look at why we do this type of work
do you think we run 2 / 3 vans and  staff and make no money
so many off you put this type of work down
we that do this type off work dont put you down with your resy work
so if you dont want this type off work then all well and good
but why get at us that do
i do loads and live quite nicely

[Johnny B]

why on here do you get at the guys who do this type of work
do you really think we earn no money
do any of you ever look at why we do this type of work
do you think we run 2 / 3 vans and  staff and make no money
so many off you put this type of work down
we that do this type off work dont put you down with your resy work
so if you dont want this type off work then all well and good
but why get at us that do
i do loads and live quite nicely

Very well said. I set my own prices, and although they are lower than others in my locality, I do not undercut to get my work.

I am a one man band traddy, therefore my operating costs are low, and so I don't see the need to charge more than I do because I am content with what I have. In these days of austerity and hardship, I consider myself to be very fortunate when there are many thousands of people who are desperate to find work, even for minimum wage.

I also consider the old schooler who charges £8 for a large house with extensions and connys to be a trooper, who works hard for his money. My hat goes off to him.

John

[Smudger]

I also consider the old schooler who charges £8 for a large house with extensions and connys to be a trooper, who works hard for his money. My hat goes off to him.

John

yep - i'm sure he did work very hard indeed and risked life and limb cleaning windows that can only be reached by walking up the
pitch of the roof - and how have these customers repayed him now he cant earn ?  dump him and get some one else in, do they
care he cant earn anymore ? or for the next few months until his new hip is better - NO - and at that rate he charged it would
be difficault to have set money aside for times when you cant work.
As a tradder your overheads are lower but the jobs slower so i reckon it all evens itself out,  don't confuse a business rate with
PAYE rates -  £15 to £20 self employed is not sufficent as a biz rate (IMO  )

Darran

[AuRavelling79]

Darran has answered well; but to zero in on "pitcher's" post; you say you have "loads" - and that's the key really - if you bang out one after another with no driving it can work and even more so if you pay staff who may do a mediocre job then it can work.

Most owner operator/family businesses like to do a good job for good money I surmise and will not want a handful of piddly little jobs to waste their time on.

Horses for Courses.

[Smudger]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
spot on Mr Gold



Darran

[Johnny B]

I also consider the old schooler who charges £8 for a large house with extensions and connys to be a trooper, who works hard for his money. My hat goes off to him.

John

yep - i'm sure he did work very hard indeed and risked life and limb cleaning windows that can only be reached by walking up the
pitch of the roof - and how have these customers repayed him now he cant earn ?  dump him and get some one else in, do they
care he cant earn anymore ? or for the next few months until his new hip is better - NO - and at that rate he charged it would
be difficault to have set money aside for times when you cant work.
As a tradder your overheads are lower but the jobs slower so i reckon it all evens itself out,  don't confuse a business rate with
PAYE rates -  £15 to £20 self employed is not sufficent as a biz rate (IMO  )

Darran

Some good points made Darren. Loyalty is wonderful, especially when it is reciprocated, but it isn't guaranteed and therefore it would be unwise to take it for granted. When I get old and decrepit, (every day it's getting closer!) I don't expect my customers will worry about me.

I realize that trad is slower, and by trad standards, I would be behind the tortoise in a speed test!

Everyone's personal circumstances are different, and I work within mine. I am content with what I earn on the glass, and if it is less than others, that's fine.

Business or wage? Doesn't matter to me, as long as it means enough money to live reasonably.

Regards,
John

 

[richard jagger]

I don`t remember anyone telling any one to fit the boot, but if you fit the boot yourself don`t complain about the pain it may cause." As they say if the boot fits."ware it. My advice is don`t put it on.

[windiewasher]

doc windows , who was the calling company ?

Rich

01205 number