[groundhog]

@ groundhog. by the way if anyone threatened me like you have just done they better be ready to back it up with actions!!!

Well I'm a semi pro boxer so that would not be a problem!!! 

[Darranvps]

@ groundhog. by the way if anyone threatened me like you have just done they better be ready to back it up with actions!!!

Well I'm a semi pro boxer so that would not be a problem!!! 

LOL I bet he went quiet

[paul rulton]

Well I'm a semi pro boxer so that would not be a problem!!! 

good man  the sport of men 

[Sapphire Window Cleaning]

The biggest half of my work now is large houses out in the sticks, but I also clean over 100 houses on a nice estate in my town, I started canvassing the houses here as soon as they were built. The other local window cleaners know this and refer any inquiries they get for work on this estate to me, and in turn I do the same for them on areas where I know they have a lot of work. It makes things work nicely between the local shiners, and helps to keep our rounds compact.

Sure I get the odd out of town window cleaner show up on my estate, I generally let them get on with it, and most of the time they soon realise that I have virtually all the work there and they go elsewhere, I only really get upset when they try to steal my work using dirty tricks such as telling people I have stopped working in the area etc!!

I agree this is out of order, but I was getting the impression you were warning other guys away.



Matt

[david watts]

i have found when you start leafleting you end up with other wc crap'
only ever used flyers on new builds.

[andyjm1]

Someone can only steal your customers by telling them you've packed up if you haven't turned up for ages.

[Darranvps]

To me, business is business.
If you are a good regular window cleaner, you won't lose your customers anyway, well at least the decent ones.
Perhaps the window cleaners who are scared of "poachers" LOL , should clean more regularly and to a higher standard
And I bet most of the ones who don't like poachers are still stuck on ladders and haven't moved on with the times
Probably have banjo's and all that
For me, I am going to market my business hard, but professionally. You have been warned

[Darranvps]

Someone can only steal your customers by telling them you've packed up if you haven't turned up for ages.

And if you haven't turned up for ages you ain't doing your job properly

[martinsadie]

To me, business is business.
If you are a good regular window cleaner, you won't lose your customers anyway, well at least the decent ones.
Perhaps the window cleaners who are scared of "poachers" LOL , should clean more regularly and to a higher standard
And I bet most of the ones who don't like poachers are still stuck on ladders and haven't moved on with the times
Probably have banjo's and all that
For me, I am going to market my business hard, but professionally. You have been warned

professionally lol your name sounds like a lap dancing club 

[Darranvps]

But I bet you remember the name

[Ste M]

I used to beleive in patches, im also a northerner, im in liverpool. Patches now dont interest me, if i get a call or see an estate that i think needs cleaning then i will canvass the estate or the surrounding houses of the new customer. the reason i dont believe in them is that most of the people who do are not legit, this in my opinion is not on, there robbing both me and the customers as we are mostly hard working tax payers, they use threats and intimidation to scare people off.

Ive had my houses canvassed many times before but they are always told no, why? not because its my patch, because im bloody good at my job, some people who clean windows really need to take a long hard look at themselves, most on here are oldish fellas, 40 plus, yet you act like kids in a playground threatening people with violence. Not just that but on here everyone seems to be some sort of martial arts expert or a cage fighter.

If your good at your job and charge a competitive rate then you will not lose your customers. its as simple as that. If someone threatened me outside a customers house then i would simply explain why im there and what im doing, i would not start fighting for the sake of some cleaning, i pay insurance, tax, NI, running costs an god knows what else to be in this game and i always have, no way am i going to start scrapping like some 10 year old in a playground

THIS IS ALL IN MY OPINION.

have a nice day, ste

[Sean Dyer]

well said mate

[groundhog]

The biggest half of my work now is large houses out in the sticks, but I also clean over 100 houses on a nice estate in my town, I started canvassing the houses here as soon as they were built. The other local window cleaners know this and refer any inquiries they get for work on this estate to me, and in turn I do the same for them on areas where I know they have a lot of work. It makes things work nicely between the local shiners, and helps to keep our rounds compact.

Sure I get the odd out of town window cleaner show up on my estate, I generally let them get on with it, and most of the time they soon realise that I have virtually all the work there and they go elsewhere, I only really get upset when they try to steal my work using dirty tricks such as telling people I have stopped working in the area etc!!

I agree this is out of order, but I was getting the impression you were warning other guys away.



Matt

No, I'm a nice guy really Matt!! 

[paul saunders]

I used to beleive in patches, im also a northerner, im in liverpool. Patches now dont interest me, if i get a call or see an estate that i think needs cleaning then i will canvass the estate or the surrounding houses of the new customer. the reason i dont believe in them is that most of the people who do are not legit, this in my opinion is not on, there robbing both me and the customers as we are mostly hard working tax payers, they use threats and intimidation to scare people off.

Ive had my houses canvassed many times before but they are always told no, why? not because its my patch, because im bloody good at my job, some people who clean windows really need to take a long hard look at themselves, most on here are oldish fellas, 40 plus, yet you act like kids in a playground threatening people with violence. Not just that but on here everyone seems to be some sort of martial arts expert or a cage fighter.

If your good at your job and charge a competitive rate then you will not lose your customers. its as simple as that. If someone threatened me outside a customers house then i would simply explain why im there and what im doing, i would not start fighting for the sake of some cleaning, i pay insurance, tax, NI, running costs an god knows what else to be in this game and i always have, no way am i going to start scrapping like some 10 year old in a playground

THIS IS ALL IN MY OPINION.

have a nice day, ste

They're just keyboard warriors ............... the worlds full of em. :

[GB Window Cleaning]

I used to beleive in patches, im also a northerner, im in liverpool. Patches now dont interest me, if i get a call or see an estate that i think needs cleaning then i will canvass the estate or the surrounding houses of the new customer. the reason i dont believe in them is that most of the people who do are not legit, this in my opinion is not on, there robbing both me and the customers as we are mostly hard working tax payers, they use threats and intimidation to scare people off.

Ive had my houses canvassed many times before but they are always told no, why? not because its my patch, because im bloody good at my job, some people who clean windows really need to take a long hard look at themselves, most on here are oldish fellas, 40 plus, yet you act like kids in a playground threatening people with violence. Not just that but on here everyone seems to be some sort of martial arts expert or a cage fighter.



If your good at your job and charge a competitive rate then you will not lose your customers. its as simple as that. If someone threatened me outside a customers house then i would simply explain why im there and what im doing, i would not start fighting for the sake of some cleaning, i pay insurance, tax, NI, running costs an god knows what else to be in this game and i always have, no way am i going to start scrapping like some 10 year old in a playground

THIS IS ALL IN MY OPINION.

have a nice day, ste

well said mate

[groundhog]

Patches can be a positive thing, it works well where I live. All of the local window cleaners know one another and get on well, we all know where the others have the majority of their work, as I said before, if I get an enquiry from a custy who lives in an area that one of the local window cleaners work then I will pass the job onto them and they do the same for me. It keeps our rounds compact, and there is no bad feelings between the local window cleaners, any out of towners start to give one of us trouble then we help each other out!! Just the way it should be. 

[Murdie window cleaning]

Patches can be a positive thing, it works well where I live. All of the local window cleaners know one another and get on well, we all know where the others have the majority of their work, as I said before, if I get an enquiry from a custy who lives in an area that one of the local window cleaners work then I will pass the job onto them and they do the same for me. It keeps our rounds compact, and there is no bad feelings between the local window cleaners, any out of towners start to give one of us trouble then we help each other out!! Just the way it should be. 

So what happens if a new guy starts up and starts picking up work in various "patches" ? Does he get a visit from the boys to be made aware of how it works round here !

When I started up last year I got a great deal of advice and encouragment from the guys local to me, they sugested areas to try and canvas ect. The way it should be in my opinion, if your doing your job well the customers will in the main stay loyal.

[Ste M]

Patches can be a positive thing, it works well where I live. All of the local window cleaners know one another and get on well, we all know where the others have the majority of their work, as I said before, if I get an enquiry from a custy who lives in an area that one of the local window cleaners work then I will pass the job onto them and they do the same for me. It keeps our rounds compact, and there is no bad feelings between the local window cleaners, any out of towners start to give one of us trouble then we help each other out!! Just the way it should be. 

Positive for who? It sounds to me like you use group intimidation to scare anyone off? what would you do if i got a call to clean a house right slap bang in the middle of your work from someone who you dont clean? then from that i picked up a couple of others by them contacting me and not the other way round? i am a fully legit business and i pay all of my taxes and insurances.

[groundhog]

When I started up last year I got a great deal of advice and encouragment from the guys local to me, they sugested areas to try and canvas ect. The way it should be in my opinion, if your doing your job well the customers will in the main stay loyal.

And thats exactly what I got, because I respected the other window cleaners areas and found an opening to start my own on a newly built estate. You may change your mind when there are more and more window cleaners starting up and pushing the price of window cleaning down lower and lower!!!

[Neil271052]

So around your way how does a new window cleaner ever start up?

Does he have to wait until a new estate is built?  :

Patches, never heard such a load of old rubbish in my life.

It's the customers I feel sorry for, they have to endure a crap window cleaner because there is no competition?

I see three or four other WC's where I work around my way and we pass the time of day not attack each other.