[Smurf]

I have just recently gone wfp after 26 years trad and love it but still trad some ground floor stuff if i fancy it
Any time i do a quote i don't mention the method as imo they are asking how much to clean their windows so that is what i do
Haven't even mentioned it to existing customers unless they come out and ask as i don't see they need to know how you do the job you are paid to do
I wouldn't say to a mechanic "use hand tools mate i don't like that pneumatic stuff"
I used to use trad pole and wagtail for a lot of maintenance cleans and never felt i needed to ask can i use my pole or do you want me to use ladders..same thing with wfp i reckon

Well about time Dave you got into stick waggling 

[dave budden]

You said I'd get addicted smurfy

[Smurf]

You said I'd get addicted smurfy

Indeed and I'm betting you  are thinking you should have  started wfp years ago  now too   

[dave budden]

Definitely i have been missing out for years

[Smurf]

It's defo a no brianer if you ask me as many trad cleaners have found out over the years.

Definitely i have been missing out for years

[dave f]

am quite happy to charge what ever price I like . I do quite well for my self. I find that there that many window cleaners around here, I price my work accordingly  so  hopefully I don't get under cut .the amount of work I have  picked up lately .from custys who are fed up with paying  o t t . .I will  be out tonight door knocking offering good quality service with out  ripping  somebody's arm off.

[Johnny B]

am quite happy to charge what ever price I like . I do quite well for my self. I find that there that many window cleaners around here, I price my work accordingly  so  hopefully I don't get under cut .the amount of work I have  picked up lately .from custys who are fed up with paying  o t t . .I will  be out tonight door knocking offering good quality service with out  ripping  somebody's arm off.

I am with you on this Dave. I reckon on doing a top job for a modest price. That way, the customer gets real value for money, new work keeps on coming in through recommendations, and there's little if any room for serious competition. I've had this ethos for the whole 18 years I have been in this game, and for me, it works.

John

[dave the rave]

Dave F do you read you old posts before putting a new one up? The reason i ask is you moan about undercutting but admit to being too cheap to undercut.Moan about canvassers  but are going out tonight to do the same. Have you thought one of the reasons why you keeping dumping work is your  targeting the wrong people .Customers will pay good money for a professional service.(as Jess J says its not all about the money)

[NWH]

Anyone pricing without fear of competition IMO is not charging enough,you shouldn't have to worry about losing work because of your relationship with the customer not a few quid on price. I am confident that even if I'm a lot more expensive than others I still won't lose work,it's all down to if you come across well to people who's house you will be calling round from time to time when there not around. If they don't like the look of you forget it even if your doing it for peanuts.

[dave f]

theirs canvasing and then there is blatent undercutting .and of course I moan like any one else its the nature of the beast.l am happy with what I do. as I am sure you are ,

[dave the rave]

Again do you read your posts?

[geoffreyspecht]

Don't want to sound a snob, but all the trad cleaners in our area are really cheap !
They don't clean the frames, but they are seasoned cleaners coming up to retirement age, they are the " don't come on my patch generation " 

a lot of wfd guys in my area are cheap as well.

[Smurf]

Don't want to sound a snob, but all the trad cleaners in our area are really cheap !
They don't clean the frames, but they are seasoned cleaners coming up to retirement age, they are the " don't come on my patch generation " 

a lot of wfd guys in my area are cheap as well.

I would have to agree on that one as wfp guy's are going around undercutting trad & wfp cleaners around here too.
Mostly are new startups then they realise they are not making any real money so either pack it in or start to bump their prices up.

[Joey Eastwood]

id love to go wfp but id have to build up a whole new buisiness, the vast majority of my rounds would be a pain wfp, alot have over garage roof rear access  so id need ladderd anyway, alot are big houses spread out so id be forever reeling in and out and moving and parking,  and iv got a few rounds where i do 15 fronts and go round and do 15 backs  through a field and a small wooded area behind the houses with no vehicle acess and no hose long enough lmao. i do alright trad make a good living and tske my time and be safe, in my area theres me and 1 wfp guy i regularly take work off him because custies arent happy lol

[Walter Mitty]

id love to go wfp but id have to build up a whole new buisiness, the vast majority of my rounds would be a pain wfp, alot have over garage roof rear access  so id need ladderd anyway, alot are big houses spread out so id be forever reeling in and out and moving and parking,  and iv got a few rounds where i do 15 fronts and go round and do 15 backs  through a field and a small wooded area behind the houses with no vehicle acess and no hose long enough lmao. i do alright trad make a good living and tske my time and be safe, in my area theres me and 1 wfp guy i regularly take work off him because custies arent happy lol

It's funny how, after switching to WFP, that sort of work slowly becomes history - particularly going over roofs.  I won't touch jobs like that.  I will go up onto a roof if necessary but not down the other side; there's no way to test how slippery the surface is that you are climbing down onto.  I do have a couple of jobs where IU need to daisychain two reels but they are worth doing.

[Amazin]

so have we agreed on how much more charge?

I'm thinking 15% more at least

[dazmond]

Evening all,
I'm 95%  WFP and get asked to clean trad by a few newly recommended customers. Not wanting to turn work down I have been pricing them the same way I would doing them via pole, then when they take twice as long I'm getting pretty p*****d off. Do you price higher for trad or just bite the bullet and crack on, not wanting to offend the customer.
Thanks, Phil 

ive never had a new customer tell me what method of cleaning to use!apart from the odd "your not using that pole thingy machine are you?its crap!"

when a new customer says something like this i simply say "if your not happy with the results,dont pay me!"

ive never not been paid yet and all are now  regular customers.

i would never use ladders just because the customer wants me to instead of the pole.your making a rod for your own back pal.

[dazmond]

id love to go wfp but id have to build up a whole new buisiness, the vast majority of my rounds would be a pain wfp, alot have over garage roof rear access  so id need ladderd anyway, alot are big houses spread out so id be forever reeling in and out and moving and parking,  and iv got a few rounds where i do 15 fronts and go round and do 15 backs  through a field and a small wooded area behind the houses with no vehicle acess and no hose long enough lmao. i do alright trad make a good living and tske my time and be safe, in my area theres me and 1 wfp guy i regularly take work off him because custies arent happy lol

its an old attitude most of us had before we went wfp mate.

you d be fine if you switched.the terraced houses would be a doddle(backpack for tops only for the backs).large houses spaced out are easy with wfp.you ll be faster on these jobs when your experienced with wfp.

the "up and over" flat roof jobs ive got on estate work have turned into "front only" jobs unless their in to open the garage so i can trail my hose through.

[Jonny 87]

id love to go wfp but id have to build up a whole new buisiness, the vast majority of my rounds would be a pain wfp, alot have over garage roof rear access  so id need ladderd anyway, alot are big houses spread out so id be forever reeling in and out and moving and parking,  and iv got a few rounds where i do 15 fronts and go round and do 15 backs  through a field and a small wooded area behind the houses with no vehicle acess and no hose long enough lmao. i do alright trad make a good living and tske my time and be safe, in my area theres me and 1 wfp guy i regularly take work off him because custies arent happy lol

Even more reason for you to go wfp. He's obviously a bad wfp operator, so if you came along and did it properly, both you and the customer would see it actually gives a superior finish to trad in most cases, and you could probably put two vans on the road with the amount of work you'd have.

It's also far quicker in most cases to grab a pole, reel out your hose and start working, than it is to take your ladders off, wet your applicator, walk to a window and climb up your ladder.

Been there, done that, never going back.

[SeanK]

id love to go wfp but id have to build up a whole new buisiness, the vast majority of my rounds would be a pain wfp, alot have over garage roof rear access  so id need ladderd anyway, alot are big houses spread out so id be forever reeling in and out and moving and parking,  and iv got a few rounds where i do 15 fronts and go round and do 15 backs  through a field and a small wooded area behind the houses with no vehicle acess and no hose long enough lmao. i do alright trad make a good living and tske my time and be safe, in my area theres me and 1 wfp guy i regularly take work off him because custies arent happy lol

Joey take what you read about WFP on here with a pinch of salt, in my area I wouldn't advise anybody to buy into it which is
a shame because its a lot safer than working on a ladder.
I'm still a WFP'er because I spent a small fortune on the equipment and there was no way I wasn't going to get my money
back on it or make it work.
I had to dump a massive amount of good paying work just because I couldn't get them to a decent standard using WFP quick enough.
The problem with WFP is the frames and where water can gather in those frames, get enough problem ones on your round
and it will be hell from the start.
Most WFP guys don't last long in my area for that reason and most traditional guys wont touch it for the same.