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johnny bravo

  • Posts: 2697
trad v wfp
« on: January 19, 2020, 06:03:16 pm »
lost a few customers to a chap advertising to clean trad  for them.    no big loss  on my side,  3 customers out of around 150 in  one area.       you never know what your customers  will do.   you have a lot of banter with them not realising they will just leave for 50p   less   after years of cleaning,    im  glad they are not my customers  anymore.     one has dog crap in garden,    no big miss       


RPCCS

  • Posts: 970
Re: trad v wfp
« Reply #1 on: January 19, 2020, 06:18:22 pm »
My thoughts exactly, if they are happy to drop you for 50p, then they aren’t worth keeping as customers. I have had a couple  over the years say they had a quote from someone  who is £1/2 cheaper and will I price match. I say to them it’s your house, your money and your prerogative as to who you have to clean your windows. I won’t price match or go cheaper, but if you want to change, that’s your choice, but just bear in mind if you  dispense of my services, and your new window cleaner turns out to be crap,or let’s you down, and doesn’t come back, you can’t come back to me.  Doesn’t make any difference to some, but one or two decided to stay..
Cheers Rich

Crystal-clear

  • Posts: 3029
Re: trad v wfp
« Reply #2 on: January 19, 2020, 07:05:48 pm »
Just remember he won't be able to cover as much ground as you so they may get their windows "rubbed" for now but he will definitely have a full round pretty soon which is going to be probably about one-third of yours.
Eventually he prob go WFP soon and then he might have the same problems as you did
You see so you're both connected in a way :)

SB Cleaning

  • Posts: 4285
Re: trad v wfp
« Reply #3 on: January 19, 2020, 07:30:59 pm »
Trad is better though.

nathankaye

  • Posts: 5366
Re: trad v wfp
« Reply #4 on: January 19, 2020, 08:07:37 pm »
I have an old dear customer, who is quite sweet n makes a drink etc on every clean.  She is part of a round that i was contemplating selling and at the time I told her I had someone who was interested in the round. She asked me if he was trad as she preferred that method.  Shes been with me since I was trad. The reason, she simply doesnt like the water being left to dry.  Shes more than happy with the quality its just the old engrained traditional way of thinking.    I dont take it personnally, shes still with me.
So perhaps dont take it so personally
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1NKServices.co.uk

M & C Window Cleaning

  • Posts: 1581
Re: trad v wfp
« Reply #5 on: January 19, 2020, 08:30:24 pm »
I have an old dear customer, who is quite sweet n makes a drink etc on every clean.  She is part of a round that i was contemplating selling and at the time I told her I had someone who was interested in the round. She asked me if he was trad as she preferred that method.  Shes been with me since I was trad. The reason, she simply doesnt like the water being left to dry.  Shes more than happy with the quality its just the old engrained traditional way of thinking.    I dont take it personnally, shes still with me.
So perhaps dont take it so personally

I have a similar customer.  She has politely told me on numerous occasions that she doesn't really like WFP because it leaves her windows spotty and she hates waiting for it to dry, but she won't change to anybody else because she trusts me and she doesn't want me running up and down ladders.
I've been bemused by this spotting business for some considerable time because they always look great to me even when I'm due to clean them again. Then last time round she said to me that she 'knows it doesn't do as good a job as traditional window cleaning because every time she splashes water from her sink onto her windows it always dries spotty if she doesn't wipe it off.'
I just wanted to laugh out loud but restrained myself. I began to explain again but then thought, if she doesn't want to change why bother.

Stoots

  • Posts: 6194
Re: trad v wfp
« Reply #6 on: January 19, 2020, 08:37:49 pm »
Some people prefer them to be cleaned trad.

Sometimes down to ignorance, sometimes due to some one doing a poor job wfp.

I don't really care, plenty of work out there let them crack on with ladders if they want.

p1w1

  • Posts: 3873
Re: trad v wfp
« Reply #7 on: January 19, 2020, 09:32:41 pm »
Why would you even clean a house with dog turd in the garden in the first place?

RPCCS

  • Posts: 970
Re: trad v wfp
« Reply #8 on: January 20, 2020, 08:21:07 am »
I think overall 95% of my customers aren’t bothered which method I use to clean their windows, 3% don’t like wfp and  2% prefer it.
Cheers Rich

dazmond

  • Posts: 23936
Re: trad v wfp
« Reply #9 on: January 20, 2020, 08:26:28 am »
lost a few customers to a chap advertising to clean trad  for them.    no big loss  on my side,  3 customers out of around 150 in  one area.       you never know what your customers  will do.   you have a lot of banter with them not realising they will just leave for 50p   less   after years of cleaning,    im  glad they are not my customers  anymore.     one has dog crap in garden,    no big miss     

I lost a long standing customer a few years ago  to some trad lads( £3 cheaper)also they have to climb on 2 sloping roofs to access some of the windows...their welcome!👍 ;D

I've bumped into them a few times.....they clean 2 houses on the estate...I clean 90+.... ;)
price higher/work harder!

AuRavelling79

  • Posts: 25339
Re: trad v wfp
« Reply #10 on: January 20, 2020, 09:39:25 am »
Trad is better though.

Not for me it's not.  ;)
It's a game of three halves!

Mr B shine

  • Posts: 145
Re: trad v wfp
« Reply #11 on: January 20, 2020, 04:04:47 pm »
I'm switching my round from trad to wfp just now.
 So far nobody seems bothered, if anything the customers are happy the frames are being done.

NWH

  • Posts: 16952
Re: trad v wfp
« Reply #12 on: January 20, 2020, 05:19:01 pm »
I haven’t had any of this for years now I’d rather have a trad guy etc,even if I take on a new job the method is not questioned.

the king

  • Posts: 1437
Re: trad v wfp
« Reply #13 on: January 20, 2020, 06:45:24 pm »
i have had the odd one that dont like wfp but there the pain in the ars ones that moan about everything

dazmond

  • Posts: 23936
Re: trad v wfp
« Reply #14 on: January 20, 2020, 06:49:07 pm »
i do both but trad work is around 1% of the work i do these days!(and even then its ground floor windows!) ;D
price higher/work harder!

harleyman

  • Posts: 432
Re: trad v wfp
« Reply #15 on: January 20, 2020, 07:57:39 pm »
I would never do trad again why would  you risk your life for a few quid when there is an alternative dont make sence. Un less you only do bungalows

jk999

  • Posts: 2088
Re: trad v wfp
« Reply #16 on: January 20, 2020, 11:42:32 pm »
Would never go back to trad been wfp for around twenty five years now ,you will always get the odd one that wants it trad but i still think wfp is alot better

Dry Clean

  • Posts: 8856
Re: trad v wfp
« Reply #17 on: January 21, 2020, 09:27:11 am »
Would never go back to trad been wfp for around twenty five years now ,you will always get the odd one that wants it trad but i still think wfp is alot better

25 years , there wouldn't have been many polers about when you started Jk.

nathankaye

  • Posts: 5366
Re: trad v wfp
« Reply #18 on: January 21, 2020, 10:46:11 am »
Met with another window cleaner over the weekend and was talking work as you do. He was telling of a chap, his customer who had a large house town, which he wfp cleaned. Anyway after some years of being a good customer, he started paying later n later. So my friend sent a message asking for payment within 14 days of the clean.  As he was in the area, he knocked for payment. My mate was told he was no longer needed as he was going to do them himself.  But what about the back windows, its not safe from ladders to do so, said mg friend. Anyway some time passes and the neighbour of the customer bumped into my friend (as they knew each other) and got talking of the neighbour, his customer.  He only came off the ladder and did some serious damage to his back. Spent a good chunk of time in hospital!
Now you could argue he wasnt a pro trad window cleaner, but even pro's come off ladders!   It just isnt worth the risk!  Wfp all the way
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NWH

  • Posts: 16952
Re: trad v wfp
« Reply #19 on: January 21, 2020, 12:01:55 pm »
It never really took off until about 2006-7 since then more and more vans appeared with a pole system.