[Tony Warren]

Set up my new RO 300GPD RO system this week and it works a treat. If you need one these they are the cheapest i have seen and quality is good.

It was from purewaterproducts.co.uk

I paid £105 for it and also ordered 3 years worth of pre filters (6 of each filter, 18 in total) for only £40 thats £145 total, not seen any cheaper than that.

If you buy online the cost for the above is £139 for the system (including membrains) and £60 for the filters which is still a good price. Buy from the ebay site as i did and its even cheaper. There is one one there now item no 370115236735

I have no connections with this company just pleased with the deal and thought i would pass it on.

[Glyn H]

Makes me wonder how long they can possibly stay in business.
To me its no different to cleaning windows of a 4 bed detached house for £1.50.

Anyone who fancies having a go at window cleaning can now setup for a few hundred quid charge £2 or £3.00   to clean houses or flats and quickly destroy the local regular reliable window cleaners business.

In fact at these prices any householder could buy this system a cheap pole and clean their own windows, conservatory etc. and sack their window cleaners and in a few months they have saved what they would have spent with ther window cleaner.
Dont be suprised if in these times of fear through the credit crunch this happens.

[Chris Galloway]

that and combined with all the window cleaning teaching lessons on utube and your away I better start applying to install sky 

[ftp]

I suppose that's why all the Omnipole kit is so expensive then - it's to look after us windowcleaners and protect our jobs. Never looked at it from that angle before - thanks Glyn.                 :

[matt]

I suppose that's why all the Omnipole kit is so expensive then - it's to look after us windowcleaners and protect our jobs. Never looked at it from that angle before - thanks Glyn. 

 

[Mr H]

We all better send a card and a prezzie to Ionics then..... What with their prices they must be protecting the whole industry......

Regards
Mr H

[davids3511]

Makes me wonder how long they can possibly stay in business.
To me its no different to cleaning windows of a 4 bed detached house for £1.50.

Anyone who fancies having a go at window cleaning can now setup for a few hundred quid charge £2 or £3.00   to clean houses or flats and quickly destroy the local regular reliable window cleaners business.

In fact at these prices any householder could buy this system a cheap pole and clean their own windows, conservatory etc. and sack their window cleaners and in a few months they have saved what they would have spent with ther window cleaner.
Dont be suprised if in these times of fear through the credit crunch this happens.

Are they going to 'magic' the water up the pole too or will they need to spend a little more than your post would have us believe?

[David Slater]

Makes me wonder how long they can possibly stay in business.
To me its no different to cleaning windows of a 4 bed detached house for £1.50.

Anyone who fancies having a go at window cleaning can now setup for a few hundred quid charge £2 or £3.00   to clean houses or flats and quickly destroy the local regular reliable window cleaners business.

In fact at these prices any householder could buy this system a cheap pole and clean their own windows, conservatory etc. and sack their window cleaners and in a few months they have saved what they would have spent with ther window cleaner.
Dont be suprised if in these times of fear through the credit crunch this happens.

Are they going to 'magic' the water up the pole too or will they need to spend a little more than your post would have us believe?

Hozelock 7 Litre pressurer sprayer from B&Q for £32.98 should 'magic' it up the pole a treat 

LINK - www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9956462&fh_view_size=6&fh_location=%2f%2fcatalog01%2fen_GB&fh_search=pump+sprayer&fh_eds=%c3%9f&fh_refview=search&ts=1227285622359&isSearch=true

[Chris Galloway]

Look at it this way, cleaning is one of the worst chores you can have!

This is why many people have a window cleaner, if they can do it themselves they would! Just like their cars, the ones that can and do have the time clean it themselves, those that cant or dont have the time or dont want to, will get someone else to clean it for them.

[Glyn H]

I just knew many of you just wouldnt get my point.

Which to reiteraate further is
How can you justify charging your customer £10 or £12.00 for 15 minutes work to clean their windows - when very likely they earn that amount for an hours work.
If you could say to them I charge that amount because my tools of the trade cost x £1000 - then charging them high rates are justified.

If it only cost you a couple hundred quid to set up a budget system -
which they can easily find out on the internet .... they will feel they are being ripped off.
How hard is it to clean a house windows with a WFP .... Its not hard at all its one of easiest  skills to learn, particularly if its your house and you are saving £10 - £20.00 by cleaning them.

Its the lower priced customers (£10 - £20) that will be looking to clean their own windows in the future months/years because of the media propoganda about doom and gloom credit crunch.
And its these price range customers that are likly to have a super budget setup window cleaner.

If you cant see my point thats ok ... I dont want to start a war over it.

[David Slater]

And your point is.....?

It has been proved that you can indeed set up a system to clean you own property for a few pounds so where does that leave us?



1. The customer is indeed being ripped?

2. There is a 'percieved value' to the job above and beyond 'The Equipment' ?

[geefree]

we can all do gardening.... but a lot hire gardeners....

we can all paint rooms, but we hire decorators.

we can clean our own wheelie bins, but we pay to have them cleaned.

we can wash our own cars, but we take them to... and pay a carwash.

Stop worrying lads, we will be ok.... think positive. 

[groundhog]

I can see your point Glyn, but I don't think it will happen. Maybe a small number of householders will try it, but most will soon get fed up with the hassle, I have many customers who had purchased window cleaning equipment in the past but never got round to using it. I don't think we have anything to worry about on this one!!  

[Glyn H]

we can all do gardening.... but a lot hire gardeners....

we can all paint rooms, but we hire decorators.

we can clean our own wheelie bins, but we pay to have them cleaned.

we can wash our own cars, but we take them to... and pay a carwash

But none of the above charge or earn the amount window cleaners do.
If any of the above was charging £40 or more an hour then the story would be different.

[matt]

glyn, i think you might have forgotten iwrongincs sell the home cleaning kit for nothing money

so its hardly as if manufacturers are allways thinking of us window cleaners, is it ? ? ? ??

[geefree]

fair  comment,  i simply meant.. people pay to have jobs done. when they could do them, themselves, .... they always will ,

I wasn't relating to individual tradesmens price structure...

God that sounded intelligent , for me !  

[ftp]

Glyn, for a business man you don't half talk some tripe! I can go into B&Q and buy a bucket for seventy pence a squeegie and applicator for not much and a set of ladders if i want. So can my customers. I have a feeling you don't like competition because your'e being forced to compete with a cheaper supplier. It's business, it happens same for us. I hardly think inflating suppliers prices will help us do you? I know lets charge a grand for an ro unit that will stop them!
Are you trying to say windowcleaners earn too much money as well?
If you are talking about justifying prices then i suggest you look at your own business too.
What does a customer think when you point out that £5000 can be earned a month or £70,000 a year with ONE guttervac like you do in your ebay advert?
Not starting a war by the way. 

[David Slater]

we can all do gardening.... but a lot hire gardeners....

we can all paint rooms, but we hire decorators.

we can clean our own wheelie bins, but we pay to have them cleaned.

we can wash our own cars, but we take them to... and pay a carwash

But none of the above charge or earn the amount window cleaners do.
If any of the above was charging £40 or more an hour then the story would be different.

Glyn,

Maybe I was too cryptic in my post....

If you aim to win and keep customers with this mystical new thing called WFP.....then you're on to a loser.
The internet is wonderful tool for everybody! (including your customers) You cant keep this WFP thing a 'secret' and hope to prosper.

What I'm saying is ADD VALUE to your service - you are insured. You are trained. You are recognised by trade organisations....

What if that customer who was using a WFP and Hozelock pump dropped it on a neighbours car!!!!!

Not a problem for you!...you're fully insured and covered  

What about the H&S aspect of your work (you're trained) and a "competent person" to issue risk assessments  

What about the the hazards associated with with Working at Height?...are they aware?
Are they covered under their 'home policy'


ADD VALUE my friend  

If you dont have the skills/knowledge.........get them pronto!

As Gazza mentioned, we can all do these jobs, but do we 'want to'....do we feel able to meet the challenges of performing these tasks?

Dont treat WFP as some 'big secret' nobody else should know about....rather, develop your skills to 'use' the equipment in a way that is professional and trustworhty with "ADDED VALUE"



Do you see what I'm saying?  



 

[Glyn H]

FTP
These prices have no effect on either our window cleaning buisiness or our water fed pole manufacturing business. Our window cleaning customers are mostly but not exclusivly facilty management organisations or organisations that are funded by government.

The vast majority of our wfp customers are either divisions of service corporations, large window cleaning contractors or high end window cleaners.

It is highly unlikely that the purchasers of these RO's would purchase from us,or the likes of Ionic, Tucker etc. Its a different market place.
Some customers of ours are spending £3,000,000 each and every  month on new equipment eg. dustcarts,environmental equipment,road sweeping lorries etc.  Unfortunatly they dont spend it with us

[Glyn H]

David
I see exactly what you are saying, please see my previous post
Glyn