[julianbiggs]

Evening chaps.

We converted to wfp last August. Its all going really well apart from a couple of points that we need answers to !
We do a couple of really big jobs, £1,000,000 houses and they back on to fields  .Last couple of times there they've said that when we left,  the windows were fine, but, obviously wet. Then the dust blew in and made them dirty again quickly cause the dust stuck to the wet windows. We don't want to pee these people off cause they're big houses and big payers.

Also just out of curiosity when you converted  from trad to wfp after a couple of months  if customers basically say
 " we don't like  this new system" then do you get rid of them or just do them trad to keep them sweet ?

[deeege]

Explain that this is the way you work now, explain the benefits, clean frames, sills, safety aspect etc etc. if they would still prefer you use ladders then unfortunately they are now an ex customer.

[stig]

Why give work up mate, if they can be done trad then do um trad, .......trad or waterfed, as long as you are safe doing it then earn your crust....

[David Kent @ KentKleen]

Hi winds with dry dusty fields trying too wfp is a no no. IMO
We dont clean in towns let alone rural areas when its really strong gusty wind and very dry and dusty.
hope this helps.

[Darren Spreadbury]

If its just one side of the property that's getting dusty then trad that and do the rest wfp.

[Richard iSparkle]

i wouldn't really worry with the wind and dust thing.

it will happen sometimes, but it is really unusual.

we clean in really high winds and haven't had a problem.

every now and then we'll get a callback when there were some roadworks nearby, or whatever and the windows dried dirty, but it's very uncommon to be honest.

maybe a couple of callbacks a year in total.

as they say just explain that you'll always come back if things aren't 100% to their satisfaction

you'll always loose some clients who WFP doesnt work for, for whatever reason, but they are few and far between

[G Griffin]

Wfp 'um and blade 'um off?

[luther1]

Why give work up mate, if they can be done trad then do um trad, .......trad or waterfed, as long as you are safe doing it then earn your crust....

This

[stig]

?

[one eyed window cleaning]

Wfp 'um and blade 'um off?

Why ? So why not just trad its quicker ;-)

[G Griffin]

Wfp 'um and blade 'um off?

Why ? So why not just trad its quicker ;-)

Because you might fall of your ladder and land on the customer's sausage dog and lose the job.
Inaccessible with ladders, maybe.

[Positivity]

We had a few moans yesterday after last months cleaning after the snow with the salt and dust blowing on the windows even though we did pay special attention extra rinsing etc..
Most customers don't realise the special weather conditions we had lately.
Apart from that some I know don't like the system and while the trad boys are all coming out again I expect we might lose some more.
What amazes me the most is how quickly they forget the state their windows were in before we started with the WFP.
I had one yesterday who said "I don't want you to use that pole thing again - the windows are worse when you finish than when you start!"
Total load of rubbish, her frames had not been cleaned for years and took ages on the 1st clean to get up to standard, leaves and cobwebs and filth, including 3 plastic Georgian type doors with all the moulding - now spotless.
I have cleaned them 8 times with no trouble but now they are worse than they were before I started.
Total Rot !
Some just don't like the system and that is that IMO

[Smudger]

we are rural with lots of open fields around most properties and being on the east coast the last 6 weeks
have seen sand and salt deposits on properties 15 miles inland
we have cleaned every day bar 1 when the gusts were over 30 mph

if its windy you can still clean wfp however you need to take into account the property and its placement
a straight cross wind shouldn't effect the clean as the wind dries off the glass
if working in an area with swirling winds where you can see it picking up leaves/rubbish dust then you
can clean and rinse heavily but be prepared to return to re-clean

in these conditions extra rinsing to remove existing dust always helps but the best thing is customer contact and service - ie.. point out that the wind MAY cause some problems but your happy to return and re clean
always tell customers should a problem develope you WILL ALWAYS come back and correct a mistake ( after all we are only human and we all make mistakes ! )

Darran

[rg1]

Over the years, I have found that the more you put yourself out for customers, it rarely makes a difference anyway.  I didn't spend thousands on kit to keep going up ladders.  However, as these are big places, it may be worthwhile breaking with schedule and doing them on days that aren't windy.  So long as the distance isn't too far and it's worth making a special journey for two very big houses, my way would be to WFP but avoid windy days.  If that isn't an option then I would start looking for replacement work.  It sounds harsh but I found thast once I let customers start controlling aspects of my business, the business might as well be theirs rather than mine.

Absolutely! I also found this out the hard way.

[ascjim]

If the wind is blowing dust about, no matter how you clean them the dust will still go on the windows.