[ryanst1982]

Hi All

Got a new customer who wants windows and gutters cleaned. But she doesnt want gutters cleaned out just the actual gutters (which are white) cleaned because there dirty. She wants front and back done.

S anyway I said ok, il give it a try and charge £10 for front and extra £10 for back. She then said her daughter would like hers done to although she has a window cleaner but he wont do the gutters.

Basically Id like to know if anyone else on here cleans the gutters but doesnt clean them out and also why would her daughters w/c say no, surely its easy money or am i missing something here. (wouldnt be the first time)

ta

[wezzy32]

dont worry his loss your gain

[wezzy32]

sorry ment to say i have 2 jobs next week were they want full clean fac,guttering sof,con roof they also have a w/c but he doesnt do it.happy days

[nathanharrison]

It can be quite hard work as you have to apply pressure upwards whilst sliding the brush along the gutter, and angle the brush upwards for the underneath.  This way you also get a lot of dribble down the pole which makes you soaking wet!
It takes longer than just cleaning windows as you also have to be carefull when you get near the brackets and joints. for a normal sized 3 bed semi I would charge in the region of £35-40 as you would still need to clean the windows afterwards due to splashes.
I have found that lots of bungalow customers like to have it because the gutter lines are a lot lower they are more visible.

[ok cleaning]

too cheap

[C.C.S.]

it's way to cheap.i would charge about £20-25 a side just to clean it outside not clearing it ,and that;s for a standard 3 bed semi.it's hard work but good money a had a lot of jobs where the window cleaner would do it.i actually can do a 2 sides in about 30-40 min which is not bad money

[ryanst1982]

Wasnt sure on price but its a terraced house and guttering is only about5 metres front and 5 metres back so nt to much

[Blue Frog Systems]

10 metres would be £60 with easy access and not too dirty, price goes up with more length and the dirtyer they are

Do them and you'll realise you need to charge more

[ryanst1982]

Looking at comments now im sure i probably will but its all a learning curve, cant change price now, if im honest I was more concerned with getting her as a customer for my window cleaning round which is still in start up period with her now being my tenth customer so that probably had something to do with it but mainly didnt know what to charge so just said same cost for both gutters that im charging for her windows, now seems like a bad way to cost up 

[jeff1]

Like the guy's have already said its to cheap, tell your custy you have made a mistake with your price because you are new to it and tell her your happy to keep to your original price with her but tell her that if you do her daughters it will have to reflect the new price.

Don't be frightened to explain your error to your customer, they are quite often very good about it and you often find that you will get a little extra at the end if they know that 1. You priced wrong and 2. They appreciate a good deal when they see it.

You don't say if your Trad or wfp?

[ryanst1982]

Cheers Jeff,

Thats good advice and I think il use it. Im trad which Id imagine means cleaning the gutters will be even harder

[jeff1]

Use a stand off and a safety device, Just a bucket of warm soapy water washing up liquid is fine and take a couple of cloths up with you and you'll do an excellent Job, no need for all these expensive cleaners, I know I used them all and fairy liquid is ideal even for the grubby ones.

[ryanst1982]

Cheers Jeff

Top Man

[dazmond]

im trad as well{15 yrs!} ::)i charge 20quid a side on a normal 3 bedder and takes me about an hour normally.i use 2 cloths and windowlene.come up great.i dont go lookin for this work as i have a full round so i always price on about 40quid an hour.the same for inside gutter cleans,soffits,fascias etc.itll take u longer than u think but once uv done a few ull have a better idea what to charge.when i started 15 yrs ago i did all sorts to get work and earn money,im not bothered if they say no anymore!always use a ladderstopper if u work alone and mitts.good luck!

regards dazmond

[ryanst1982]

Cheers Dazmond

Havnt got a ladder stopper, having been using bags of sand, but will invest in one. Not really planning on doing this as aservice but if it means getting new customers on my round for w/c and doing this a few times a year im ok with it, building my round up is the most important thing for me right now as im sure you can imagine