[simon knight]

£25 per hour is what I charge....anybody charging more in my area is fair game as far as I'm concerned and I'll snaffle their customer as soon as blink.

Don't care: I'm looking out for me and family!

[Jason Atwell]

She then tells me she's got someone else coming next week, but he wanted £14!

Hey,

I reckon that's me!  I quoted £14.00 for a place this morning; and a tenner for her daughter who lives just round the corner; neither are big places.

Was this in Tutshill?

(If it is the same place, I honestly don't mind, I'm cleaning similar properties for much more than you ).

No, nowhere near.

Squeaks,

I'm still cleaning those four - or was it five - properties you used to charge £6.00 each; in Hardwick Avenue; but then dropped; and I took over charging the same customers £12.00 each (and I tussled with myself; I really wanted to charge them £15 each, but didn't 'cos I knew their previous window cleaner was really cheap).

They all love me too.

There's a lesson to be learnt here somewhere!

Yeah, the lesson is, you love your self!

[TennetClean]

Hey listen, please don't stop doing whatever it is you are doing.

It is only because of being able to be compared to window cleaners like your good self that others like me can rise above and hence charge the higher prices.  I actually have a lot to thank you (and those like you) for.

You say tripe, but again, which one of us is earning 2/3rd the price of someone else in the same area for exactly the same work?

[Sir Squeaky]

Hey listen, please don't stop doing whatever it is you are doing.

It is only because of being able to be compared to window cleaners like your good self that others like me can rise above and hence charge the higher prices.  I actually have a lot to thank you (and those like you) for.

You say tripe, but again, which one of us is earning 2/3rd the price of someone else in the same area for exactly the same work?

Not me.
He charges too much and doesn't get it.
I expect the next one he prices will be a bit cheaper.

[jampot]

at the end of the day its each to their own. whether your earning £10 hour or £150 hour as long as your happy thats the main thing. there is valid points for all sides,
i thought we were all here to help eachother 

[Sir Squeaky]

at the end of the day its each to their own. whether your earning £10 hour or £150 hour as long as your happy thats the main thing. there is valid points for all sides,
i thought we were all here to help eachother 

Yeah, I just had to mention it because there's so much talk of I charge lots etc...
I wanted to point out that it can backfire, and see what people's reaction was.

[simon knight]

  Usually followed by "Don't ever give up will you?

I'd be quite spooked if a customer said that to me

[Paul Coleman]

That's not undercutting...just charging a sensible price for the job, good luck to you!

Can't quite understand though why she's got a guy coming next week and is now checking out prices

The other way around really.
She asked to her neighbour to get me to call, but got someone else before I turned up.

Oh I see.  Anyway I personally don't deliberately undercut...EXCEPT when the current w/c is charging way way over the odds.

As an example: A job i picked up last year. Big house with lots of glass, but all very accessable. Current w/c charging.....wait for it.......

..............wait for it............

.......£140...........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is 2 hours top whack.  She saw me over the road doing a similar house and came over and asked how much I charged for it.

£50 I said.   Obviously her then current w/c got the old tin tack and I took the thieving rascals place.

Do I feel guilty?....Do I heck

I do a job for £28 that someone else quoted at about £120.  I do it in half an hour so it's not as if I am selling myself short.  I was unaware of the other quotation until I had cleaned several times.
I know the other guy works trad ands it would be a bit more fiddly working that way but I find it hard to see how £120 can be justified.

[simon knight]

Shiner, how the other w/c chose to do it and how long it takes him is his concern. All customer wants is shiny windows.

If he's trad and takes 3 hours...yeah i can see £120 (well almost :)

You wfp 1/2 hour....yeah £28

You've invested in the technology....perhaps £28 might be a tad cheap?

[Bobs Window Cleaning]

Lets change the title of this post to


Lets all have another go at Squeaky :

Get a life guys, it was a simple honest post.

[Paul Coleman]

Shiner, how the other w/c chose to do it and how long it takes him is his concern. All customer wants is shiny windows.

If he's trad and takes 3 hours...yeah i can see £120 (well almost :)

You wfp 1/2 hour....yeah £28

You've invested in the technology....perhaps £28 might be a tad cheap?

Maybe I could have squeezed a little more out of it but I'm OK with £28 for a half hour job.  Anyway, the next clean is the last one for that job as they are moving to Italy - so there's not much point increasing it now   .  There is no way that the other guy would have taken 3 hours to do the job.  He's an experienced W/C.  Maybe an hour at most if he was picky but no more than that.  But as you say, that's not my concern.  I got the job.  I earn quite well out of it and I'm fine with that.  Hope I don't get paid in euros next time though.

[simon knight]

Good weekend mate

[SherwoodCleaningSe]

It might have been a case of the other wc not having any work in that area and being asked to quote and so thinking he'll say £14 to make it worthwhile. 

I can see the point of trying to look as professional as you can to try and charge a little more.  You just build the illusion of being the best window cleaner, but if it keeps you customers sweet then fair enough.

I don't really see a problem in taking a customer off of another window cleaner who has a higher price.  I wouldn't deliberately do it, but if you put in your quote and it's cheaper then it would be silly to turn down the job if you've priced it at a rate you feel happy with.

I also think that there are very few loyal customers out there, and that some create the illusion of being loyal the same way that we do of being a good wc.  We've been dropped from so called loyal customers for minor reasons like price increases.

I also think £9 for 10 mins is a good rate especially if you are there all ready.

Simon.

[L.J.Thorpe]

It might have been a case of the other wc not having any work in that area and being asked to quote and so thinking he'll say £14 to make it worthwhile. 

I can see the point of trying to look as professional as you can to try and charge a little more.  You just build the illusion of being the best window cleaner, but if it keeps you customers sweet then fair enough.

I don't really see a problem in taking a customer off of another window cleaner who has a higher price.  I wouldn't deliberately do it, but if you put in your quote and it's cheaper then it would be silly to turn down the job if you've priced it at a rate you feel happy with.

I also think that there are very few loyal customers out there, and that some create the illusion of being loyal the same way that we do of being a good wc.  We've been dropped from so called loyal customers for minor reasons like price increases.

I also think £9 for 10 mins is a good rate especially if you are there all ready.

Simon.

spot on post,particularly the bit about "loyal" customers

[macmac]

You want a new pole

GARDINERS are selling them at 300 quid

CLEANTECH are selling them at 900 quid

Who do you buy from

Now, am i a hypocrite, a mad man, an idiot, what do i do   It's such a difficult decission   I'll go with cleantech, why not

Idiots breeding idiots.

Tony

[NWH]

It might have been a case of the other wc not having any work in that area and being asked to quote and so thinking he'll say £14 to make it worthwhile. 

I can see the point of trying to look as professional as you can to try and charge a little more.  You just build the illusion of being the best window cleaner, but if it keeps you customers sweet then fair enough.

I don't really see a problem in taking a customer off of another window cleaner who has a higher price.  I wouldn't deliberately do it, but if you put in your quote and it's cheaper then it would be silly to turn down the job if you've priced it at a rate you feel happy with.

I also think that there are very few loyal customers out there, and that some create the illusion of being loyal the same way that we do of being a good wc.  We've been dropped from so called loyal customers for minor reasons like price increases.

I also think £9 for 10 mins is a good rate especially if you are there all ready.

Simon.

spot on post,particularly the bit about "loyal" customers

Exactly so why do some go in so cheap,most of us have come to the conclusion that there`s no loyalty anyway so why the cheap prices.

[L.J.Thorpe]

i dont go in cheap i just give my price
plenty round here are cheaper,but several are more expensive
i know how much i want and thats good enough for me

[Wayne Thomas]

When I give a quote to a new customer I submit a price I'm happy to do the work for regardless of how cheap or expensive the previous window cleaner was before me.
I'm happy picking up 1 in every 2 or 3 quotes I give because that's the ratio I gain according to my prices.
I'm not interested whether I'm undercutting or overcharging. I just want to be happy to earn what I feel I can achieve.
Who doesn't want to earn more today than they did last year, it's only natural. If you lose some customers to some other window cleaner, all it means is that they haven't reached the stage where you are at in relation to pricing, it's life, live with it and move on.

[TennetClean]

LOL I love you too, but flattery will get you nowhere.

(i didnt say they saw me as a friend, they see me as an unusually professional window cleaner.  If i was their friend I'd do them for nothing, which I don't)

[L.J.Thorpe]

actually flattery gets you most places
bottom line is squeeks was happy with his price
i dont know how long you have been cleaning windows but i am sure you know what you want to earn
i have picked up work because i was cheaper
i have picked up work despite being more expensive
i dont over analyze why i got the job,i just get on with it