This is an advertisement
Interested In Advertising? | Contact Us Here

Warning!

 

Welcome to Clean It Up; the UK`s largest cleaning forum with over 34,000 members

 

Please login or register to post and reply to topics.      

 

Forgot your password? Click here

julianbiggs

  • Posts: 395
Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« on: December 06, 2006, 10:02:04 pm »
Hi guys ..ive been offered a really big contract...only problem is the guy before did it all WFP and did a rubbish job...only there for less than half the time of trad and apparently left spots all over the windows...flooded all the paths and did not touch the sills or frames. I am trad and can happily do this work..this makes me ask..

Why do you WFP boys bang on about it being sooooooo much better than trad ?




j.v. price ltd

  • Posts: 830
Re: Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« Reply #1 on: December 06, 2006, 10:04:01 pm »
All the best to you sir happens with us a lot but i'm clad you asked the question....

poleman

  • Posts: 2854
Re: Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« Reply #2 on: December 06, 2006, 10:06:58 pm »
Because if used right it is  :o

Andy

craig jwc

  • Posts: 1076
Re: Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« Reply #3 on: December 06, 2006, 10:41:36 pm »
Because if used right it is  :o

Andy

I agree.

Re: Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2006, 10:42:18 pm »
yes i have to agree if used correctly wfp can do a great job .

Sir Squeaky

  • Posts: 8341
Re: Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2006, 11:01:56 pm »
Yeah, but not better.
Most of the time not as good.
Most people other than wfp users will tell you that.
You can see for yourself the finish isn't as good,
but...

I'm considering wfp myself, but I'll never say it's as good.
It's just less effort, that's what interests me, because I'm lazy.

It's a lazy man's tool, and at the moment I'm grafting. :(

matt

Re: Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« Reply #6 on: December 06, 2006, 11:20:04 pm »
Yeah, but not better.
Most of the time not as good.
Most people other than wfp users will tell you that.
You can see for yourself the finish isn't as good,
but...

I'm considering wfp myself, but I'll never say it's as good.
It's just less effort, that's what interests me, because I'm lazy.

It's a lazy man's tool, and at the moment I'm grafting. :(


i consider myself a good WC'er doing it the tradional way

i have to agree, when i do downstairs ( trad ) i know its 99 % VERY GOOD

upstairs is done WFP and i know they are clean, but you still get the odd run of dirty water spots ( you know what i mean, a line of a few spots that dry dirty ) or it doesnt get of the odd bit of spider / fly poo

and Before the knockers start, ive been using WFP near 3 years now, so know how it works

supernova77

  • Posts: 3547
Re: Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« Reply #7 on: December 07, 2006, 12:09:35 am »
Quote
It's just less effort

I wouldn't agree with that at all... On some houses WFP can be more awkward and take more effort than using a ladder.

Andy

Ian_Giles

  • Posts: 2997
Re: Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« Reply #8 on: December 07, 2006, 06:34:48 am »
Yeah, but not better.
Most of the time not as good.
Most people other than wfp users will tell you that.
You can see for yourself the finish isn't as good,
but...

I'm considering wfp myself, but I'll never say it's as good.
It's just less effort, that's what interests me, because I'm lazy.

It's a lazy man's tool, and at the moment I'm grafting. :(


A lazy mans tool?

I'd say it's a smart mans tool.

If you want to dig a trench, do you get out your shovel and pickaxe and graft?
Or get a JCB and do it with that?

Does a farmer still go around fields grafting away stacking small bales by hand? Or cutting fields of corn with a scythe??

Don't make the mistake of thinking that WFP is the lazy mans tool, it isn't, it's merely a more efficient way of getting more work done.

If I was being really pedantic I could claim quite truthfully that WFP leaves the glass cleaner than trad, trad leaves behind a residue that is sticky at the microscopic level, WFP doesn't.
I am not going to though, Rog is for the most part being pedantic in the other direction.
How good a job you do depends on several factors, your experience and skill level, the type of glass, the type of frames and the weather.

You may be able to WORK in conditions that you couldn't with trad (High winds and driving rain for instance) but you will most certainly do a poor job with WFP if you do.

Generally WFP does a far more thorough job than trad, frames and sills can all be washed down at the same time as the glass and you will still be far quicker than a trad guy just doing the glass and sills.

The guy who was doing this job (in the topic) was obviously doing a crap job...he  just wasn't any good with WFP.
Some people seem to think there is nothing to it, you just rub a brush over the glass and move on....not so, not by a long way...

Work beckons.....60 mph winds and WFP....oh joy :-\....sigh :'(

Ian
Ian. ISM CLEANING SERVICES

Paul Coleman

Re: Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« Reply #9 on: December 07, 2006, 07:13:18 am »
I'm trying to work out how someone who works three days a week can call someone lazy.  I use WFP AND probably work an average of 4 days a week.  I must be a right dosser.   ;D
The truth is that none of us on here are truly lazy.  Some may choose to work part-time for a full time income and there is nothing wrong with that.  Others may choose to invest in equipment that makes their work easier.  Nothing wrong with that either.  Yet others may choose to do both.  The real point is that we don't sit back and expect others or the state to do it for us.  Even those who choose to employ people and make profit from others' labour are not lazy either.  It takes a lot of hard graft to build up a business to that degree.

Trevor Knight

  • Posts: 1825
Re: Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« Reply #10 on: December 07, 2006, 08:01:04 am »
Hi guys ..ive been offered a really big contract...only problem is the guy before did it all WFP and did a rubbish job...only there for less than half the time of trad and apparently left spots all over the windows...flooded all the paths and did not touch the sills or frames. I am trad and can happily do this work..this makes me ask..

Why do you WFP boys bang on about it being sooooooo much better than trad ?

Congratulations on what appears to be your first 5 figure contract.

For every bad job with WFP you come across you can find just as many bad traditional jobs??? It really is that simple.

WFP is not magic, its not some clever self cleaning wand, its a tool of the trade that just like any other if used badly will give bad result?

We have several contracts in this bracket and the biggest focus point is H&S. I guarentee when you look for the next step up in contract value they don't care about your cleaning technique but will scrutinise your methods, H&S and Safety policies. You will now experience on some sites ladders are not permitted.

Its not the WFP boy's you should be looking at but more like the guy in Germany who has sanctioned this Directive and directly affected the working process of thousands of window cleaners?

Good luck on your new contract.

Covering Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey, Berkshire

paul mather

  • Posts: 528
Re: Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« Reply #11 on: December 07, 2006, 08:07:55 am »
Just a word of warning, be careful of putting all your eggs in one basket, if possible don't ditch any of your other work until you are certain that this contract is a perminent one. Oh & be careful of companies that want to renew your contract on a yearly basis, the chances are they will probably look for cheaper quotes than yours, each anniversary.

I'm very pleased for you but in my experience I would much prefer lots of small jobs than one big one.
Use the wand of power !!


Warrington, Cheshire

idealrob

  • Posts: 666
Re: Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« Reply #12 on: December 08, 2006, 12:52:48 am »
Not getting involved with trad/wfp argument, but acording to WAHR you can ny use ladders thet are secured at bottom and at top id=f using over 6m ladder. If an accident took place you would both be sued by HSE. Fact You have to only use aladder after considering all methods, andthe firm giiving you the 5 figure salary could be sued for corporate manslaughter.

robert t


Trevor Knight

  • Posts: 1825
Re: Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« Reply #13 on: December 08, 2006, 08:18:26 am »
Not getting involved with trad/wfp argument, but acording to WAHR you can ny use ladders thet are secured at bottom and at top id=f using over 6m ladder. If an accident took place you would both be sued by HSE. Fact You have to only use aladder after considering all methods, andthe firm giiving you the 5 figure salary could be sued for corporate manslaughter.

robert t



Correctamondo!!
Covering Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey, Berkshire

Re: Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« Reply #14 on: December 08, 2006, 10:35:19 am »
Not getting involved with trad/wfp argument, but acording to WAHR you can ny use ladders thet are secured at bottom and at top id=f using over 6m ladder. If an accident took place you would both be sued by HSE. Fact You have to only use aladder after considering all methods, andthe firm giiving you the 5 figure salary could be sued for corporate manslaughter.

robert t



Well said!
 ;D

Re: Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« Reply #15 on: December 08, 2006, 07:54:51 pm »
Quote
Not getting involved with trad/wfp argument, but acording to WAHR you can ny use ladders thet are secured at bottom and at top id=f using over 6m ladder. If an accident took place you would both be sued by HSE. Fact You have to only use aladder after considering all methods, andthe firm giiving you the 5 figure salary could be sued for corporate manslaughter.

robert t

i do not know of any commercial company who still uses window cleaners on a ladder???

Most wont and the ones that do, have a facilities manager who hasnt a clue on health and safety so they would let anyone clean their windows.

i have just spent the best part of three months aquiring safe contractor approved which most of my clients have asked for.

A big job five figure sum so thats a lot of windows..alot of windows means spending more time up a ladder than wahd will allow.

Like everyone else has said wfp will work just as good if not better than cleaning traditional.

I have just finished cleaning 50 flats every friday for the last three months for a housing developer and guess what because they are " well known " building developer ladders and squegees were not an option i asked why "health and safety" every time.

When im cleaning 3,4 storie buildings for 5,6,7 hours non stop i know which method i will be using.



And again in simple terms :

If you clean windows on a ladder by hand and you have a serious accident or fatal one you will be liable to prosecution if they prove youre risk assesment could have shown another way of cleaning them other than by ladder.  "telling them you cannot afford a wfp or dont want one will not be good enough.

And im sure those with wives,partners and children will tell you that they would rather be coming home each day after using their wfp  than identifying them in a morgue because they fell off a ladder to get that nice big 5 figure sum.







Moderator David@stives

  • Posts: 8829
Re: Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« Reply #16 on: December 08, 2006, 08:30:13 pm »
Julian

Well done for getting the contract.

It could be a case of the last guy wasnt very good with a pole.

I have just took a big job off some trad guys heres why.

Windows were full of squeegie trails
frames were black,
balconies were damaged badly from the ladders
a lot of windows were never cleaned.

As you can see its all swings and round abouts, some you win some you lose

Dave

julianbiggs

  • Posts: 395
Re: Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« Reply #17 on: December 08, 2006, 09:16:50 pm »
Thanks for all the those positive comments guys...can i just say there is no work higher than first storey windows on houses...They just happen to be between £500,000 and  £700,000 houses and there are 25 of them!!!!

D woods

Re: Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« Reply #18 on: December 08, 2006, 09:22:45 pm »
Are you getting £10000 to clean 25 houses?

julianbiggs

  • Posts: 395
Re: Ive been offered a huge 5 figure contract..
« Reply #19 on: December 08, 2006, 09:24:11 pm »
Yes...But we have to clean each of them 3 times. So 75 cleans in total.