[david_h]

Hi All!

I currently do carpet cleaning part time in addition to my day job and am thinking of doing window cleaning as well..

Our usual window cleaner (A one man, bucket 'n' ladder outfit) has been very unreliable-he's meant to come every six weeks-sometimes it can be four, five or even six months before he re-appears, usually with some sob story as to why he hasn't been round. (Ill/someone died/wife left/house burnt down/car crash etc..)

I have spoken to neigbours in the street who have had the same problem and phoning up other window cleaners they either say they are far too busy or they don't cover our area.

Obviously there is an opportunity here for a reliable cleaner and I'm considering starting a "pole wash" round. 

My question is this: Is it acceptable to leaflet 'his' area offering a "reliable service" and take his customers?

I'm assuming that I'd end up getting most of his customers but is this acceptable or is there some unwritten rule that you don't step on someone elses patch?

Also, doing the maths, the potential earnings seem very good...At £8 per house (what he currently charges) would mean a tidy living! So, what am I missing?

[williamx]

You will find that some cleaners will object when other cleaners move into their area, in my opinon everyone is allowed to canvass where they like providing that they don't rubbish the other cleaner or cleaners who already work the area.

I would certainly canvass this area.

By the way where is the area

[david_h]

All I'll say is that it's on the South coast!

The way I look at it is that a lot of people have been let down by this window cleaner and has done very little to keep his existing customers.

All it would have taken was a polite note through the door explaining that he wouldn't be round for a few months..he could even have sub-sontracted the round out so as not to leave his customers in the lurch.

[dennis buller]

david, this is my first month and i canvass and i have encountered unhappy customers who have changed over to me, no window cleaner has come knocking.... might be because i am 6'7" and 18st.
go for it, complacency has it's costs (sorry to sound arrogant)

[gaza]

Friends come and go a good enemy stays for life,and youve no friends in buissness.Just think how many toes has he stood on
to get customers,
A lad came on to my manor,I spoke to him and told him my price for cleans,gave him some tips cus everything was bright and shinny but told him all he would get is my old bad customers,never seen him after a couple of cleans. pity cus Icould do with the help now my round is to big for me.

GAZA

[Paul Coleman]

Hi All!

I currently do carpet cleaning part time in addition to my day job and am thinking of doing window cleaning as well..

Our usual window cleaner (A one man, bucket 'n' ladder outfit) has been very unreliable-he's meant to come every six weeks-sometimes it can be four, five or even six months before he re-appears, usually with some sob story as to why he hasn't been round. (Ill/someone died/wife left/house burnt down/car crash etc..)

I have spoken to neigbours in the street who have had the same problem and phoning up other window cleaners they either say they are far too busy or they don't cover our area.

Obviously there is an opportunity here for a reliable cleaner and I'm considering starting a "pole wash" round. 

My question is this: Is it acceptable to leaflet 'his' area offering a "reliable service" and take his customers?

I'm assuming that I'd end up getting most of his customers but is this acceptable or is there some unwritten rule that you don't step on someone elses patch?

Also, doing the maths, the potential earnings seem very good...At £8 per house (what he currently charges) would mean a tidy living! So, what am I missing?

Hi David

I had to smile at your post.  It could almost have been me that you were writing about  although I've been reliable again since around November when I got my health back.  Over a two/three year period, all the things you listed went wrong in my life (plus a few others too) except for the house burning down.  Mind you, at least I wrote to them all.  The funny thing was that I never asked any of them to stick with me.  All I asked was that if they wished to cancel, could they let me know.  Most of the cancellers didn't bother.  I spent about £70 on a mailshot that I could ill afford at the time and many of them couldn't be bothered to make a brief call or letter to cancel.  On the flip side, I did get some really good support from a few special customers.
As for the bit about subcontracting the work out - that's easier said than done IMO - especially when someone is already having serious stress problems and especially if the prices are too tight.  Most decent window cleaners will already have a full workload and most of the others will either do a crap job or not persevere with it.
I'm not going to get paranoid about this  .  Although I'm in the southeast, I don't work anywhere near the coast.
The nbest bit about this was that I heard on the grapevine how much some of the cancelling customers were being charged by the other guy(s).  They were paying quite a bit more and it opened my eyes to how little I had been charging.  I intend to adjust the prices.  Some I already have.

[matt2323]

if the last wc is chargin £8 charge £10 AND YOU WONT FEEL AS BAD.LOL.