[Mr Sparkle]

HI FOLKS I'M IN DEEP SHOCK JUST BEEN TO DO A QUOTE ON A LARGE 4 BEDROOM DETACHED HOUSE, I QUOTED £10 FOR THE WHOLE HOUSE , BECAUSE I'VE JUST STARTED UP TO GET A FEW CUSTOMERS, THOUGHT I'D GO IN CHEAP TO GET THE JOB THEN I WAS TOLD NO THANKS THE OTHER WINDOW CLEANER USED TO DO IT FOR £4,
HOW THE HELL CAN ANYONE DO THIS AND MAKE A LIVING? ARE WE BEING TOOK OVER BY A LOAD OF DOLE DOSSERS OUT FOR BEER MONEY? IT MAKES ME ANGRY THINKING ABOUT IT

[Ricky M]

£10 for what the whole house ?

[Bob Robertson]

Mr Sparkle

You would be better posting this in the window cleaning section.

Bob

[Ian Lancaster]

Mr Sparkle

You would be better posting this in the window cleaning section.

Bob

 

[steven ainger]

did you ask the customer, where the old £4 window cleaner was, and when they say he doesnt turn up anymore,  you say its because hes starved to death.

[wightsurf]

Mr Sparkle

You would be better posting this in the window cleaning section.

Bob

 

Had to laught 

[macmac]

THE OTHER WINDOW CLEANER USED TO DO IT FOR £4,

This is the most significant part of the reply!

Why doesn't he STILL do it for 4 quid?

Tony

[simon knight]

Don't just assume the customer is telling the truth! It could easily be that the customer said £4 hoping you'd match it.

I've become very cynical in this job.

[supernova77]

I QUOTED £10 FOR THE WHOLE HOUSE , BECAUSE I'VE JUST STARTED UP TO GET A FEW CUSTOMERS, THOUGHT I'D GO IN CHEAP TO GET THE JOB

Big mistake!

Never go in cheap just to get a job... You will regret it in the long run.

Andy

[chrisyg]

Just say, "sorry i cannot do it at that price...

You are better off sticking with your £4 window cleaner (even if he no longer does it - which is probably why they called you)

But feel free to contact me in the future if i can help you, but note my quotation is vaild for 7 days only.

Have a good day, sorry to have wasted your time"

Leave it friendly, say sorry even though they are to blame (in our eyes) it leave it open for them to contact you at a later date. And by saying the quote is valid for 7 days, it allows for increasing the price after that period, when you become more established and a better window cleaner.

stick to your own prices and pricing scheme, dont reduce just to get a job, unless there is something in it for you (long term!)

[Chris Cottrell]

Its always the same old story, I have been to quote a large barn conversion this morning & it was a big un too they said over the last 20 yrs they have had 3/4 window cleaners none that lasted more than 5yrs all dissapeared without so much as a goodbye I priced it at £50 which they were surprised at then told me the last 2 guys charge £12 & £16 , this place is going to take me a couple of hrs or so to do on my own

[supernova77]

Its always the same old story, I have been to quote a large barn conversion this morning & it was a big un too they said over the last 20 yrs they have had 3/4 window cleaners none that lasted more than 5yrs all dissapeared without so much as a goodbye I priced it at £50 which they were surprised at then told me the last 2 guys charge £12 & £16 , this place is going to take me a couple of hrs or so to do on my own

Chris,

Did they agree to £50?

If they did be careful they don't just use you as a one-off!

Andy

[landy2]

somebody came over to me when cleaning my round and asked can i do there town house i said ten pound they said last window cleaner did it for four pound i sain can not do it for that they said ok we will wait to see if the old one comes back

[Tosh]

If the guy cleaned the property for £4.00 and the customer was happy with the job; how is he a cowboy?

I would agree that he's probably not insured, but we don't know that for sure, but he's just underselling himself rather than being a cowboy.

A cowboy is something you see on Rogue Traders on the TV!

[chrisyg]

If the guy cleaned the property for £4.00 and the customer was happy with the job; how is he a cowboy?

I would agree that he's probably not insured, but we don't know that for sure, but he's just underselling himself rather than being a cowboy.

A cowboy is something you see on Rogue Traders on the TV!

You dont have to have insurance - its just better to have it, so just cos your not insured, doesn't make you a cowboy if your running a business, and cleaning properly.

[landy2]

what i am saying is if he cleaned ten town houses he would get forty pounds for most of the day how can anyone make a living out of that  £200 pound a week without outlays

[chrisyg]

what i am saying is if he cleaned ten town houses he would get forty pounds for most of the day how can anyone make a living out of that  £200 pound a week without outlays

Doing that trad is basically no outlay.

I used to work in an office on minimum wage for £180 a week, so its no real difference. A lot of people do live on that very type of wage, and thats more common further north, than down the south.

Still quite possible a benefits fraudster so obviously getting extra money there too.

[Window Cleaning Services]

Mr Sparkle

You would be better posting this in the window cleaning section.

Bob

[sageorgeta]

If the guy cleaned the property for £4.00 and the customer was happy with the job; how is he a cowboy?

I would agree that he's probably not insured, but we don't know that for sure, but he's just underselling himself rather than being a cowboy.

A cowboy is something you see on Rogue Traders on the TV!

What is the big problem with not being insured....i presume you mean public liabilty cover...it is not a legal requirement to trade as a wc without this type of insurance so why does one assume that a wc without insurance coverage of this nature is a cowboy?
I work mainly domestics but have a small amount of council contracts of which specify that i have to have a pl policy to cover me working on their premises,but if i did not have this council work i would not take out this cover for my domestic rounds,i see no point.Ok if some silly sod trips over your hose and dies of a heart attack then i will probably get sued left right and centre,but it is a choice of the individual and it certainly doesn't mean they are cowboys.

[Oakley Windows]

If you havent got public liability insurance what happens if your ladder is blown over in the wind and damages someones property, maybe on a car, or causes someone personal injury?

If I was a victim of that I'd wanted financial recompense, wouldnt most people? It strikes me as irresponsible not to. We have a moral duty to allow for most foreseeable eventualities surely?