[Peter.]

Hi All,

I have been a window cleaner for a year now and only managed to get enough customers to call my round very small. I thought window-cleaning would be a nice part-time job to supplement my pension, however it has been a hard slog all the way, window cleaning is a physically demanding job and then there’s the customers and the weather to put up with. I have had customers who moved house and didn’t pay me  and one customer kept me waiting for almost an hour before letting me in through the locked gates to clean her windows, then never paid the bill until just before the next clean. I have been bitten by a dog and then there’s the rain, rain and more rain. 

In between all this I have been in and out of hospital suffering from kidney stones, I did have five stones, I’ve passed two and I am having ultra sound treatment for the other three, a very painful experience as I usually pass-out from the pain, trying to get the treatment as an out patient is another story as it is a constant battle with the NHS.

So I have taken the decision to retire, I’ve had enough, I do get a very small pension from my previous employer which I shall just have to get used to living on.

I wish you all well and thank all those I have spoken to now and again on this forum.

Oh, and I may have some equipment to sell which I shall post on here or ebay.

Peter.

[d s windowcleaning]

all the best to you mate hope you get your health sorted out soon .

[*john garnett]

Always looking for a bargain, so post what you got mate. 

[tonylee]

Peter
good luck to you. You never know you may find something else that suits you better.
all the best
tony

[frames to panes]

Good luck - kidney stones are crap - i've only had one! Trouble is your supposed to drink like a fish which can be hard when you need to pee every half hour with this job.

[alanwilson]

peter - I'm really sorry to hear of your troubles my friend.  have you considered keeping only the best of your round, at least it will give you a supplement to your pension whilst keeping you physically active.


my best wishes to you whatever your decision.

Alan

[Walter Pole]

Peter

Sorry to hear of your troubles and undersatnd the reasons why you feel you have had enough....

Whereabouts in mid-Devon are you?  Have you thought about selling your round?  I am in East Devon and have thoughts about buying more work.

All the best for the future.

Mark

PS  you are welcome to email me off forum if easier......www.amrwindows.co.uk

[mark dew]

it's a shame to hear a fellow wc who hasn't had a good time with it. As you have found it hard work i assume you have been cleaning traditionally.
Getting setup cheaply with a backpack, small RO and pole would change that.
Also getting the names of your customers so if they do a runner they can't escape paying without a ccj would help.
Do you have their names?
You could go to this site:
www.192.com
if you haven't got their full names. You will need to register but once you have credits and put in an address the names come up.
Once you have their names you could then go here:
https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/csmco2/index.jsp
and register a claim against them. It will cost you £30 initially but it is added onto their bill.
With wfp and getting your money back off customers who take the pee makes window cleaning so so much easier to bear.
There aren't many alternatives to window cleaning that you can earn yourself a nice bit of pocket money in very little time to supplement your pension.
If that's it anyway then all the best to you. At least you gave something a try.

ps read your back posts you do have wfp. ignore my lecture. 

[Ian W]

Sorry to hear that Peter. All the best for the future.

[johnny_h]

wait nearly an hour for access wow man you really must be a patient guy lol

[Wayne Thomas]

Hello Peter,
sorry to hear it didn't work out for you, you deserved to make it as you're a grafter with a very pleasant mannerism. You could always work with me again if you want on a sub contract basis. I'm taking someone on as a PAYE again, so if you are interested in selling any work I may be interested depending on what your selling. Drop me an email via my website link on the left hand side. All the best Peter.

[mark dew]

Hello Peter,
sorry to hear it didn't work out for you, you deserved to make it as you're a grafter with a very pleasant mannerism. You could always work with me again if you want on a sub contract basis. I'm taking someone on as a PAYE again, so if you are interested in selling any work I may be interested depending on what your selling. Drop me an email via my website link on the left hand side. All the best Peter.

That's a nice gesture. Fair play to you.

[leepaton1]

sorry to hear of your problems wish you well for the future , i read your post with intrest as im just starting window cleaning .

[Blackbushe Windows]

Shame you've had such an experience. It's not surprising you've had enough.

Look after your health. Hope things go better for you.


Peter

[rugby]

all the very best to you peter and good luck for the future m8. I wonder if you are being a little hasty giving up though,you have come into window cleaning in what has been one of the worst years ever for rain and floods and rain and rain and more bloody rain.i bet if you ask the guys on here if they can remember a tougher year they will be hard pressed to think of one.

if i had started window cleaning the same time as you im sure i would be thinking of calling it a day too,but it realy has been Exceptionally bad weather and if you hold off untill the summer i think you will see the job in a new light.

as for waiting for customers for an hour to open gates etc,thats all down to experiance peter,before long  you will find you wont and dont have to put up with customers like this,if im kept waiting more than a few minutes the customer would open the gate to find me gone and you will develop the same work ethic.

im in the same boat as you,i now have a small pension coming in and only need window cleaning as a boost to my income and as such i have reduced my round considerably.you realy wont find a better job than this peter where you can be your own boss and work just the amount you need to boost your pension as much or as little as you need.

you have just been unlucky enough to come into window cleaning during a realy realy crap year,but it will become so much easier as the weather improves and  i reckon you will start to enjoy it.
just give it a little more time 

[Peter.]

Wow,

Thank you to all that have replied to my posting, some of you have almost convinced me to reconsider but then, “Hey”, I have the scares on my fingers where a customers dog almost bit them off and yes I have been doing it traditionally and it’s bloody hard work. In August I was diagnosed as having five kidney stones (Renal Colic) so when it did stop raining I found myself in hospital.

Every month I seemed to struggle with one thing or another, maybe it was never meant to be, so thanks to you all and I certainly wish the very best of luck to those who are just starting and to those who have been doing window cleaning for some time, give yourself a pat on the back because you must be made of tuff stuff.

Peter.

[Blackbushe Windows]

Works both ways Peter - we've encouraged you, you've encouraged us! 


Peter

[philboy]

All the best to ya, hope you pass ya stones soon!!

[AuRavelling79]

Peter - don't throw the baby out with the bath water!

Don't put up with crappy customers! An hour for gates! Wow you must have the patience of your namesake!

Keep the best, just canvass bungalows and keep a half day a week to get you out of the house - even at £60 a half day that's £250 a month extra.

Anyway all the best to you and yours ...

[AuRavelling79]

Peter - don't throw the baby out with the bath water!

Don't put up with crappy customers! An hour for gates! Wow you must have the patience of your namesake!

Keep the best, just canvass bungalows and keep a half day a week to get you out of the house - even at £60 a half day that's £250 a month extra.

Anyway all the best to you and yours ...