[geoffreyspecht]

i agree with u. u get some mean people living in big houses

[Cleaner Windows]

mine is 50 quid over the last bloke

i charge 75 quid

previous guy 25 quid

all leaded windows and a glass conserv roof

she has recommended me to loads of people, all with BIG houses and ive picked up most of them aswell, the lady is on the board of gov's of a private school and allways says i do a good job

get in there matey!!! loadsa money!

[Londoner]

I have picked up several house recently where the previous window cleaner has disappeared. He was charging £8 and I am coming in around £15.
I think this happens because the window cleaner before didn't know how to put the prices up.
This "syndrome" is something that ought to be recognised now that we are getting more professional.

You can call it "static price syndrome". Its where someone takes on a job at a certain price and then does it for years at the same price.
Probably as time goes by he gets more fed up with it but can't put the price up because to get a realistic price means a big hike.
In the end he just drops the job and cuts his losses.

Most of us are guilty of it to some extent. Its easier to just go on year in year out. Sometime there is a good reason like where the customer is an OAP but not always.

My friend John has had his window done for £4 by the same bloke for 15 years. If I was going in there to quote I would say £12 minimum.

[Mike George]

I'm usually 1.5 to 2 times the price of others in this area, but I have been as much as three times the previous price. My price always includes frames and sills.

[www.mrgutters.co.uk]

hi all


i charge 40 for a house the last cleaner charged 12.00 .... house in weybridge in surrey its worth 4.6 million... but she moaned at 40... the people with the money never want to pay.. had another on a new estate starting price of house 1.6mill and i quoted 30 once a month she said how much will it be if we clean the bottoms and you clean the tops... so i said 30... she said ok she will ring me back a week later she did... tight as !!!

shawn

[Sir Squeaky]

It seems like people are copying the example of others on this forum and overcharging badly.
It's just greed because so-and-so charges this much or that much.

Funny how all the "previous" wc'ers aren't forum members.
It's a case of following like sheep and trying to keep up with the others, just like this forum is wfp crazy.
Even though it barely exists away from it.
The large majority of expensive rip-offs are wfp users, as they they think they're somehow more "professional"....quite the opposite in reality... :

I feel no need to rip people right off, and I won't copy the poor example of others around here.
No wonder I get up to 10 times more Xmas tips than others, people actually like me.
Sorry, but it's something that really bugs me.

[Trevor Knight]

It seems like people are copying the example of others on this forum and overcharging badly.
It's just greed because so-and-so charges this much or that much.

Funny how all the "previous" wc'ers aren't forum members.
It's a case of following like sheep and trying to keep up with the others, just like this forum is wfp crazy.
Even though it barely exists away from it.
The large majority of expensive rip-offs are wfp users, as they they think they're somehow more "professional"....quite the opposite in reality... :
I feel no need to rip people right off, and I won't copy the poor example of others around here.
No wonder I get up to 10 times more Xmas tips than others, people actually like me.
Sorry, but it's something that really bugs me.

Squeeky, you really need to chill out about WFP. I think you may be getting stressed over nothing.

WFP is as professional as any traditional window cleaner.
All my clients like me and my teams.
Last year we received £1311 xmas tips, if you get 10 x that, congratulations.

At the end of the day whatever anyone charges should not be reflected against others. The fact that location has a great deal to do with pricing. Why charge someone £5 IF they would be prepared to pay £10 (location in mind) You can only clean so many houses in a day and thats a fact. I made a business decision many years ago to not work harder but to work smarter. Year on year my company turnover grows in excess of 15%. Last year our client base topped 2000.

But hey, what does it really matter, I don't sit and bear grudges against OCS who spend more in a year on fleet vehicles than I turnover, I just concentrate on what I am doing and focus on improving my business.

Come on mate, stop judging books by covers, accept that there are WFP and Traditional window cleaners out there that are just as professional as each other and equally do as good a job as anyone.

Best wishes,

Trev

[Sir Squeaky]

Cheers Trev, good post and fair points.

I wasn't trying to start another flame-war, just that it seems all the expensive cleaners are the ones with the expensive kit.
That's their choice to go that route, and it shouldn't be taken out on the customer.

Oh, and by the way....

2000 customers, £1300 xmas tips? Pah!
180-odd customers, £395 tips!

Rog.

[Paul Coleman]

Cheers Trev, good post and fair points.

I wasn't trying to start another flame-war, just that it seems all the expensive cleaners are the ones with the expensive kit.
That's their choice to go that route, and it shouldn't be taken out on the customer.

Oh, and by the way....

2000 customers, £1300 xmas tips? Pah!
180-odd customers, £395 tips!

Rog.

Rog.
Around my way there are plenty of trad window cleaners charging more than me.  I believe it's more about pricing for a business versus pricing for a wage rather than anything to do with the equipment used.
Although the pounds per hour turnover  is often higher with WFP, so are the outgoings as well.
Also, this bit about "taking it out on the customer" is not really how I see it (but I'm biased    ).   Although there is disagreement about H & S regs on here, many of those who have switched to WFP felthat they had little choice.  When the costs of ANY industry are increased due to regulation changes (not just H & S), it is inevitable that the business either learns to cope with a reduced profit margin or it increases its prices.  This is so if fuel prices escalate, the burden of paperwork is increased by the state, or new equipment is needed in order to comply with new regs.  I do realise that there is debate as to exactly what the WAHR means and I don't wish to debate that here.  My point is that if someone's business expenses are increased, that has to be coped with somehow.

[sunshine windows]

180-odd customers, £395 tips!
 

All declared to the tax man of course, eh Squeaky

Sunshine

[Sir Squeaky]

All given to the taxman for a xmas gift actually.
What a wonderful job they do.

[matt]

Cheers Trev, good post and fair points.

I wasn't trying to start another flame-war, just that it seems all the expensive cleaners are the ones with the expensive kit.
That's their choice to go that route, and it shouldn't be taken out on the customer.

Oh, and by the way....

2000 customers, £1300 xmas tips? Pah!
180-odd customers, £395 tips!

Rog.

squeaky, you know me, i dont have the expensive kit, completely the opposite really

i do have a "rich tax" though, some1 who can afford to live in a Massive/expensive house pays a little extra

i see it as helping spread the wealth

[Morph]

Well, I certainly wouldn't "batter my eyelids"

[windows_chepstow]

No wonder I get up to 10 times more Xmas tips than others, people actually like me.
Sorry, but it's something that really bugs me.

So £395 pounds worth of Christmas tips is worth underpricing all year round?

[Sir Squeaky]

I'm not underpricing.
You're overpricing. :

I'm always more than the last guy, but only by a pound or two, not £10.

[windows_chepstow]

You're overpricing. :

No such thing as 'overpricing'.  'Pricing well', yes!

Anyway, on my mainly residential terraced and semi detached round, there's no way I could charge £10 more than the previous window cleaner; apart from a very few accounts I have.

But there are guys still charging £5 or £6 in streets where I charge £8.50 plus.

Close to where I live I do the majority of the small terraced houses and charge £7.00 each.  On Friday, Wor Lass and I knocked out 25 of them in slightly less than five hours solid work (We can do five an hour at least and Wor Lass is 'slow and fussy'); some had conservatories and were obviously priced higher.

Okay, so what?

The going rate was and still is £6.00 for the ones I don't have; but I've not lost one single customer to the '£6.00 guy' (whose a friend (Terry Peates) and he would tell me if any of my customers approached him for a quote).

So just by charging £1.00 extra we did made an extra £25 for no extra work.

It may not be big boys league here, but on our types of residential round, it makes a difference.

[Trevor Knight]

Cheers Trev, good post and fair points.

2000 customers, £1300 xmas tips? Pah!
180-odd customers, £395 tips!

Rog.

Rog,

Over half my customers are commercial, I am lucky to get paid from them within 30 days let alone a xmas tip 

Trev

[Londoner]

Try and get a plumber to come to your house and spend the same amount of time as you would spend cleaning the windows. (say 20mins )
I bet he won't charge what you do. Last time we called out someone when we had a leak he charged us £95 to come and turn the water off. I could have done that myself.

Price is whatever you are prepared to pay.

[windows_chepstow]

Try and get a plumber to come to your house and spend the same amount of time as you would spend cleaning the windows. (say 20mins )
I bet he won't charge what you do. Last time we called out someone when we had a leak he charged us £95 to come and turn the water off. I could have done that myself.

Price is whatever you are prepared to pay.

I got a washing-machine 'fixer' round a couple of weeks ago.  He charged me £75.50 to replace the carbon brushes on the electric motor and it took him 20 minutes.

I was pleased that he came out on the same day I phoned him.

[EasyClean]

If you're giving a quote to a possibly new customer 'remote' in the sticks (countryside) ask the customer why they don't have a window cleaner anymore? Quote a sensible price and mark up extra for any unforseen problems, include the travelling time between jobs and don't sell yourself short just to get the job as they (the customer) are paying for your time as well as your w/c service.
If you quote the customer a price that is 2-3 times higher than the previous w/c and the customer is not happy with the price point out to them the reasons why the previous w/c stopped and the fact that you will do a professional job, regularly and be prepared to compromise to a mutual agreement. If all that fails at least you have an idea of what not to charge in that area the next time around. Don't forget to have faith in yourself and be confident in approaching others and to have an answer to all their questions beforehand.