[reflection]

ressession hits and all of a sudden theres new window cleaners popping up every where they make me so angry i know wot your all gonna say as long as im doing my work right i shouldn need to worry but when they are charging such stuppid prices the customers cant resist and i understand that because every one is trying to save money at the minute anyway they come into the estate canvis charge stupid prices get ten or so of your houses do them for a few months then the customer realises how bad they are and ask to come back on to our list im really starting to lose the head with these cowboys

[Mike_G]

There is an awful lot of newbies appearing at the moment that is for sure.

[tonylee]

It's a good thing!
Most will fail and disappear without trace. It's very hard to start up and create enough income to live on, even if they have some money behind them. They see this dwindle and  wonder if it's the right thing for them to do.
How many turn up once or twice and never return? I use this when chatting to my new quotes.
I am more worried about people who are just looking to suspend the windows while things are tight
Sorry bud. not much help!
Tony

[johns window kleen]

I dont hate them , it's a free country an all that, but I think the low price merchants are sad little parasitical creatures, who deflate the market value of the job, and willing poach work by underpricing.
I told a couple of people few who asked me to come back, after the low cost merchant realised he couldnt make the job pay and chucked it in, that I'm not Sinatra and I dont do come backs.
They can sod off and find someone else.
Just dust yourself of an move on, you find great satisfaction in looking at minging bird poo ridden windows at the house next door to the one your cleaning you know the one that you used to do.
As for newbies on here asking daft arsed questions just laugh at it, and help the ones that appear worth helping.
I dont now if the Earnings braggers have caused some of this, as if thay are willing to say how much thay earn on here regularily, {God I am so impressed } then Im sure they will tell anyone, including their milkman , the postie, the lady next door , etc,etc .
Dont worry be happy.
 

[SteveAllan]

So where did you start then mate?
Your type p*ss me off, im out there trying to make a go of this after redundancy, have invested in wfp, had some training, do both wfp and trad and quote sensible prices and im not a cowboy thanks and have no intention of jacking in after 2 cleans. I could however head down the route of quoting low to get the work and would have had a lot more custys than i now have but chose not to.
Dont see your problem mate, if your doing a good job then you will retain your custys - adapt and overcome.

[trevor povey]

ressession hits and all of a sudden theres new window cleaners popping up every where they make me so angry i know wot your all gonna say as long as im doing my work right i shouldn need to worry but when they are charging such stuppid prices the customers cant resist and i understand that because every one is trying to save money at the minute anyway they come into the estate canvis charge stupid prices get ten or so of your houses do them for a few months then the customer realises how bad they are and ask to come back on to our list im really starting to lose the head with these cowboys

give us a basic idea what you are charging for say a bog standard modern semi and what these undercutters are charging

[R W C]

So where did you start then mate?
Your type p*ss me off, im out there trying to make a go of this after redundancy, have invested in wfp, had some training, do both wfp and trad and quote sensible prices and im not a cowboy thanks and have no intention of jacking in after 2 cleans. I could however head down the route of quoting low to get the work and would have had a lot more custys than i now have but chose not to.
Dont see your problem mate, if your doing a good job then you will retain your custys - adapt and overcome.

I dont think its aimed at newbies like you more the ones who think "my mums window cleaner charges her £10 if i go and quote on house similar at £6 ill get loads" they also dont ask the people at the door they canvass "do you have a window cleaner" and when told yes we have, theyll then undercut to get job. Im still a newbie but theres certain newbies i wont help on here and there the ones who havent done any homework at all, just come on here and ask questions.

Chris

[collins82002]

I've been going now for 5 months and still find it hard and now i'm w/c full time as a was made redundant 3 weeks ago the added pressure of newbies under cutting.  I'm investing in wfp system now so this all needs to pay off and dont want it to flop to under cutters out there

[R W C]

I've been going now for 5 months and still find it hard and now i'm w/c full time as a was made redundant 3 weeks ago the added pressure of newbies under cutting.  I'm investing in wfp system now so this all needs to pay off and dont want it to flop to under cutters out there

Nice one chris, I picked up a £150 nursing home today, happy days.

Chris

[collins82002]

well done. 
excited about wfp system,  starting to get it all now and going to cleaning show to get stuff too.
gonna be like a child with new toy

[R W C]

well done. 
excited about wfp system,  starting to get it all now and going to cleaning show to get stuff too.
gonna be like a child with new toy

Yer you wont regret it, make sure you have a list of what you need as i wasted so much money on bits that i ended up selling on ebay as where rubbish, friend of mine said that you can get some really good bargains at the show.
Have fun.

Chris

[Fieldsy]

Well I started about 2 months ago, haven't undercharged at all and basically picked up where a w/c has never returned or retired or couldn't do such and such window because of...(insert excuse).

I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I have no intention of giving it up. I provide a good service, on time and thorough (even if I do say so myself...lol). Have picked up 40 customers in two months and hope to get more. Doing it trade and not wfp. Customers are very pleased with results and so far have been getting £2-£4 tips on top of price, so I must be doing something right.

My intention is to build and try to get a good basic round which will give me a relatively substantial income, but I have no intention of going around charging £4,£5 or £6 etc...., as I see that as basically pointless. Quote price, get job, do a good job and customer will remain....................well thats the theory...lol    but so far so good.

[collins82002]

well done,
pickup some the other day
had 1 phone wasn'tt happy with her current w/c
while cleaning
had an old dear for conservatory clean
and opposite her had old bloke want upper windows cleaning cause he can do the lower ones.

Got flyers coming soon cant wait to get out and flood the town

[reflection]

i agree its a free country and all that but everyone just thinks we get it so easy.
they lose their job and think i know il start window cleaning il just go and canvis over this estate its as easy as that. thats fair enough if their gonna stick at it and really try and make a proper go of it but you know in three months time their just gonna move on to somthing else their rats and its they who give us window cleaners a bad name.
as for me i worked for someone for years and when he decided to move on i took over and he let me pay him off in three years i have over trippled the work and agree with the unwritten rule that you do not go into another window cleaners area.
saying that i also think that if their not doing their job right and you are getting countless ammounts of people asking you to come into that area then its fair game. i also never ask for another window cleaners price before i quote i give my quote and if mines cheaper then fair enough if its not then its not il not drop my price because i beleive i give a fair price and do not over charge and will never do a job for less than i would be happy with.
as for you steveallan lose the attitude youve obviously invested money in this game and intende on sticking at it fair play to you i do not put you in the same class as these rats i class you as fair compitition

[steve bell]

I might be a bit of a newbie, but I started off with a sensible head on. I will not undercut. The only person to win then is the customer. I will quote a job at a price that I'm happy at, if that happens to be under the current guy, then that's just the way it is. I make a point of not asking what people are paying at the moment.

Not that I activly go out canvassing another guys work either you understand. But I have found that the established window cleaners in any one area will not clean every single house on a street. And there certainly won't furnish me with a list of what they don't do.

Itry my best not to step on anyones toes, but until someone else pays my mortgage for me, I'll just carry on. I'm not the cheapest and I'm not the most expensive, but I try to offer what the customer wants, not what I want to offer. Being genuine when speaking to prospective clients helps too. I don't want to rob anyone, Just survive these dark times like everyone else.

[collins82002]

I try my best not to step on anyones toes, but until someone else pays my mortgage for me, I'll just carry on. I'm not the cheapest and I'm not the most expensive, but I try to offer what the customer wants, not what I want to offer. Being genuine when speaking to prospective clients helps too. I don't want to rob anyone, Just survive these dark times like everyone else.

TRUE WORDS

[gerard mcmanus]

hate is a very harsh word, I will always believe in a competitive market and welcome anyone to the business, in fact if anyone is starting out in Inverclyde I you can e-mail me and I will give any advice and help I can, spend the day with me if you like to see what it is really like.

Anyone quoting unprofitable prices won’t be around for long, and if they are around for a while then I might ask myself if I am overcharging, or they must be running a more efficient business than me. I am generally not concerned if another window cleaner is charging £1 less than me, I believe I offer a very good quality of work and service that justifies my price and welcome the competition.

There was two post that I would like to comment on, one Tony Lee, I completely agree with this and definitely think most will quit, it takes a certain kind of character to do the job of a window cleaner, and allot of commitment to build a round from scratch.

A secondly, Steve Allan. Your obviously a bit annoyed by this topic, and as a newbie I am not surprised but think this is mainly targeted at people charging 50% of less the average self-employed window cleaner and is generally on the dole or someone starting out that hasn't really researched the business properly and at the end of the year realises they have made a loss and quits, but it sound like you are on the right track and should do very well mate, and all the best to you. In fact I applaud you for getting up and getting on with it, instead of ending up on the dole.

[ftp]

Will newbies quit?

If there are no jobs about what choices does anyone have - get fed up and do what exactly?

[reflection]

why would you want to help out potential compitition to start up their business i dont under stand that its business after all and the less window cleaners there is the better it should be for you

[ZaNo]

I totally agree with Reflection on this one, Dont know why you guys are going off the wall about this, Dont get me wrong if someone wants to start w/c thats upto them and fair is fair, but they'v got to at least know a sensible price for the houses they flyer/knock, not stupid money thats going to eventually turn w/c into a pointless job.

KNOW YOUR PRICES, KNOW YOUR ROLE! im out