[Blue Frog Systems]

Its the time of year when you find out those "leave it till march" customers.

Now what are your thoughts on contracts for residential customers ? Many do contracts for commercial work.

My idea would be to have three pricing plans obviously with price increases the shorter the term...

1) 12 monthly contract
2)   7 month contract (march till Oct)
3) No contract, ring when they want it doing

By getting customers into one of the above, you would know where you stood with them. You rent a house... Contract, mobile phone... Contract, many utility bills... Contract. So why has this not been introduced to residential window cleaning do you think ?

Will be interesting to hear the replys.

I'll admit this is something I'm considering myself. I think we have all had people have one or two cleans then cancel. By introducing a contract, you would find out those who are messers straight away.

[p1w1]

I would say no as people are not going to want spending time reading contracts just for some windows to be cleaned and to be honest where do you really stand if they don't stick to it as for the odd messer well that's just that's just part and parcel of the window cleaning game
Paul

[G Griffin]

 Yeah, what would a contract be worth?
 Can you imagine a "leave them this time" and you reply "but you`re under contract for 7 months", Mar-Oct.  Do you think this would convince them?
  And would you sue them for breach of contract?
 Another point- how long would a contract be binding?  Yearly? So, you`d have to go through the process every year.
  You may get a 7 monther wanting to go monthly, would do you do then? Turn work down as they are not contracted to it  . 
   And what if you want to dump someone, is it ok for you to break the contract?   

  I`d just stick to a verbal agreement.

[mlscontractcleaner]

To be honest mate a contract wouldn't be worth the paper it's written on; if they want to mess you about they will; either paying or " not this time".

Even most commercial work is just a verbal agreement so save your time and paper

[prestige cleaners]

i did try it for a time, well it wasnt worded as a contract, just t&c's which were signed, but ended up losing interest in it. as said i wouldnt have done anything if they had cancelled. it was a waste of time, paper, and space.

what you could do is make sure you charge an extra 25% on 1st time cleans, then if they do cancel at least you havent been used and abused.

if you have a contract it might put off good custs as well as the bad, so not worth it in my opinion, just take the messers as part and parcel of window cleaning.

[dazmond]

definitely NAY!!

i dont have any messers and if i do they get dumped quickly!contracts would just put people off IMO.

WASTE OF TIME!



dazmond

[gewindows]

IMO its life, you get those who dont take the service you offer as seriously as you do. I guess its understandable really. Why should they, theyre only looking out for their own corner.

We call them messers on here and some get highly annoyed with them. I dont really see any difference in them to us looking for cheap deals on poles, but its just their/our nature.  Looking for a less than ideal bargain.

Have to get up, brush yourself off and start again.

[Ross G]

nay nay and thrice nay not workable in my opinion

[Jack Wallace]

I can see it now.....

Me, Thank you for your custom madame, we will be round evry 4 weeks ok?
Her, oooh lovely clean windows every month, fantastic, thank you so much.
Me, Now would you mind signing this please
Her. oh I can stop you in oct can I? hmmm come to think of it perhaps I dont need you in the winter
Me, er well er yes you can stop me, it says so here in the contract
Her, great well its october now so see you again in March
Me, ok thank you, see you in March.

[clearlyclean]

I can see it now.....

Me, Thank you for your custom madame, we will be round evry 4 weeks ok?
Her, oooh lovely clean windows every month, fantastic, thank you so much.
Me, Now would you mind signing this please
Her. oh I can stop you in oct can I? hmmm come to think of it perhaps I dont need you in the winter
Me, er well er yes you can stop me, it says so here in the contract
Her, great well its october now so see you again in March
Me, ok thank you, see you in March.

nice one no cold mornings wake me up in march

[kate1]

I think that would be very difficult to get people to commit

[Gutter]

only ever clean with a contract... i am a professional business and intend on being treated as such. Just like WFP i have never looked back regarding contracts and i have not lost a client for over 3 years... i believe it was one of the best things i ever did, clients will rather wait untill i can sqeeze them in rather than go elsewere.

we need to seperate ourselves from the dole scroungers etc, beleive me there are plenty of people happy to have some sort of security about window cleaning

[clearlyclean]

I agree with gutter I suppose you could go about the contract thing but keep it simple to regular cleans and regular payments both signed but not legal unless witness by some one else? but i work well with a verbal contract and a hand shake any slow payers they get dropped till they fall in line or go else where and they become some one else problem I see there windows getting dirtier each month they ask and i say "yeah yeah sure If i get time but got loads on".don't think i would benefit from written contracts.I hope my customers respect me the same i respect their property . I have loads that pay six months in advance to keep me and they don't have a contract just a phone number and my word that i will keep coming and not stealing their money.

[Dave Anderson]

I know here in Holland contracts for window cleaners are common but for me t&c's are just the ticket whilst you cannot force an issue you can make it clear for both parties what is being agreed upon.

Cheers
Dave.

[kelley]

ummm im not a window cleaner but i like reading the window cleaning bit because its more fun than the general cleaning area!!
speaking from a customers point of view i would sign a contract but only if i was setting up a direct debit like i do with my bin cleaners. i agree with gutter who said it seperates you and just gives a good impression.
 

[barry mallett]

thats one way to make a custy run a mile

[Gutter]

thats one way to make a custy run a mile

I suppose it's all about what your happy with??  i do not clean at any house, anywhere. i choose my clients they never choose me & i like to them to know who is in charge from the get go,   but having said that if you are charging £8-10  to clean ahouses on the local estate then no way would i ask them to sign the contract... however this is not nor ever will be my market audience, like i said it's all about doing what makes you happy & what will grow your business the best.

please remember each of us on here are very different & almost certainly have different goals & ambitions?   i just choose to be fussy about who i clean for and as such our business is in high demand because we are perceived as being cleaners for the V.I.P brigade... and that was what we had set out to do, dont get me wrong we will never be the size of some on here and it has taken 8 years to get where we are at present... but we are and always will be different from the other 99% who try to get our type of client... FACT

think of it another way, when you go out with family/friends etc i bet more often than not you wear designer clothing?  WHY  it just a top , shoes etc but you feel better maybe even proud to wear it (secretly hoping people notice) now that is what we do in a business sense, we create a image of being exclusive and as such no longer need to advertise our services BECAUSE some people just want that image and are happy to pay handsomely for it and having a contract really helps us to implement this status.

why not try and stand out from the crowd... it maybe just whats needed to get better profits?

[gewindows]

Gutter where are you based?

[Gutter]

Leicester... 

[A & J Owen Window Cleaning]

In an ideal world it would be great to have something like this but unless you are going to threaten to sue then it's not worth the paper it's written on.

If they mess you about; they go. We have 3 strikes and you're out and we don't do cleans for anyone who doesn't use us in the winter!