[Ian101]

I know money is money but when looking at a house for 1st time do you kinda qualify the job in your head.

EG

Was approached whilst working by a lady last week who said the old classic "Im desperate to get a window cleaner - the old one just stopped coming" ... took address and went around to quote later that day.

House was in middle of 5 others - no access to rear apart from thru house    obviously lady had to be home to get to rear. Told her as access virually non existing and she worked shifts so not always home that I wasnt going to quote for a regular visit as we just prefer to turn up and clean.

Offered her our new service of irregular visits and quoted her £45 for an as and when visit - too high she says last cleaner did em for £8 (for a monthly my charge would have been £14)

Would you have done anything else differently ?

[bobplum]

i have two on the books like this,one is only in on Thursdays and i tend to get to that area on a Friday so she never gets done and the second tends to be in
on the whole i would never take on any more like that,even at a higher price
dragging a hose thru a house is not ideal
you did right

[Banbury Window Cleaning]

sod that! wen i started out i used to take on anything! however now I would have done exactly the same as you did offer a massive price for the inconvience if they say yes then great and if they say no you aint lost anything have ya!?

[Frankybadboy]

i have two on the books like this,one is only in on Thursdays and i tend to get to that area on a Friday so she never gets done and the second tends to be in
on the whole i would never take on any more like that,even at a higher price
dragging a hose thru a house is not ideal
you did right

thats what backpacks are for

[Small but perfectley formed]

Only take easy work and good payers ,what the point in making things harder than they have to be?

[Nathanael Jones]

75% of the jobs I get asked to quote I turn down - why bother with the awkward ones if you've enough of the easy work?!

[andyjm1]

Just agree a price for the front which you can do on your round and do the back when she's in. Charge the back at a higher rate for the inconvenience.  

[R.C Property]

i have some like this. i just do the fronts and if they are in, take my portable system through and do the backs as and when!

if others on that street see and know that you can only do the fronts could pick up loads of £5-6 fronts only!
how long would it take you to do 10 of these! easy to do them in an hour! £60 an hour, i'll have a bit of that!

[Scrimble]

i had a recent one with poor access to the rear which involved a narrow path inbetween fences was a nightmare to pull the hose round all the corners, went round the back and there was dog crap everywhere, so i shut the gate and turned back,

charged them 10 for the fronts which was 3 windows and a door and told them i dont do houses with dog toilets for gardens

[PoleKing]

I agree with Andy. We don't use backpacks. Fronts every month, backs when they're in. I've got a few in a row where I do the end one with a side gate then hop the fence and get backs done too. Obviously only works if you've got all of them in a row...

[SunShineCleaning]

If an awkward job was your only job of the day and took 2 hours for £250 you would have to be a fool to not do it. So for me a jobs awkwardness is down to its value.

I would have done as you did and priced it at a point where the awkwardness was negated by the price.

[bobplum]

i have two on the books like this,one is only in on Thursdays and i tend to get to that area on a Friday so she never gets done and the second tends to be in
on the whole i would never take on any more like that,even at a higher price
dragging a hose thru a house is not ideal
you did right

thats what backpacks are for

if you had enough of this type of work i could see the logic of investing in more equipment
but i can still feel the love coming thru

[d s windowcleaning]

£14 for regular , going to £45 for missing a few months you having a laff aint you .

[AuRavelling79]

£14 for regular , going to £45 for missing a few months you having a laff aint you .

I think the OP is very wise, he knows the custy will say no and then he doesn't have to bother with a time wasting/awkward access job. Then some one like you will take it on instead which means you're happy, the custy is happy and most of all the OP is happy!

[gewindows]

You don't want to tell them?

Why not, haven't got the balls?

[Johnny B]

I don't often turn work away. To me, a job is a job, and so long as I am paid what I ask, I am happy.

I also like to give people the opportunity to become good customers. Most do. The rest, after due consideration and enough chances to turn around, forfeit their privilege to have my services.

John