[G Griffin]

Why such a price difference?

Salaries can't be that different can they?

Price of house should make no difference to the cost of the clean!!

It's not just the wage difference, it;s what the customers think is the going rate.
people know what their family pay, and if someones doing them for £4.00, you must be a right rip off merchant if your charging a tenner.

Spot on, Dai.
And what`s funny is, some wc`ers are exactly the same about other goods and services.

[windiewasher]

I would never undersell myself my average is tenner plus
For a bungalow I have a few at 12 and 13 wouldn't do them for 6.
But if you think 6 is good then fair play to you.
 I find if you get your prices right you won't feel you have to put,them up so quick.

[David Kent @ KentKleen]

Here here idealrob and dai!!!
I am not saying all my bungalows are that price ( ) but the average size that i charge £6 for have been getting cleaned by a 2 man team(another company) for the last 20 years and there current price is £2.50, it makes it incredibly hard even tho IMO they are getting a much better service for us newbies to charge better prices.

I am not worried, I have more than enough work at good prices.

I just wanted to show that its not just 'newbies' that charge too low some of the old time served window cleaners are well behind the times.

 

[bad trippy]

Would be interesting to hear what Suds has to say on the subject, he's from Middlesborugh, im sure his prices aint to diffirent from down south

[Ian Rochester]

We've just started putting up most of our prices, we have an estate where we do 84 houses and have increased the basic price from £8 to £10.  I had 6 phone calls on Friday from people complaining about the price increase, two cancelled because they had been approached by another window cleaner (newbie) who offered to do them for £5.00!!!

[G Griffin]

I would never undersell myself my average is tenner plus
For a bungalow I have a few at 12 and 13 wouldn't do them for 6.
But if you think 6 is good then fair play to you.
 I find if you get your prices right you won't feel you have to put,them up so quick.

Fair play to you doc, but it`s more to do with the customers` idea of a price. If a customer expects to pay £2.50 or £6 and you quote £12, then it`s going to set the alarm bells ringing.
I`m not saying either price is right or wrong.

[David Kent @ KentKleen]

Im sure dave from suds will confirm the amount of 'cheap' window cleaners we 'up north' have to contend with trippy.
I also know that idealrob has one of the largest window cleaning outfits in the boro and is well qualified to comment on the problem (check out his post) Rob highlights another constant battle we face (old timers and newbies with ladders fastened to there push bikes wearing shell suit bottoms with old white trainers on cleaning for next to nothing and claiming every benefit they can)

[David Kent @ KentKleen]

Ian I know where you are coming from mate, I am in the middle of cleaning (builders cleans) a new development in redcar. 179 houses, some of these have been released and now have people living in them, a new tennant approached me and said she would like to have her windows cleaned. I gave the price of 7.50 (2 bed semi) she fell through the floor, She thought i was the guy who had put leaflets through offering to clean for £3.50.
       

[ronaldo]

£10 is the minimum we charge weather its got 2 windows or or 8 thats the price and we,ve been doing that for the past two years at the end of the day i,m doing it to earn a living ! not to just get the clean and be a busy fool, them days went many years ago.

To me it is and always has been the quality of the work that counts and not the ammount.

[trevor povey]

can,t get more than 4.50 on a bungalow in leeds..some people must think old folks are made of money!

[Steve CM]

if you can't get more than a tenner then your in the wrong game. i know northeners are as tight as a ducks arse but if you have the right approach i'm sure it can be done

[Jackal]

what happened to £1 a window thats what most seem to go on,a standard bung has 4-5 windows so why is £6 to cheap  ,just cus some folk dont charge a tenner doesnt mean your in the wrong business,4-5 windows aint even going take 10 mins so at them prices you are on £60 an hour

[Steve CM]

what happened to £1 a window thats what most seem to go on,a standard bung has 4-5 windows so why is £6 to cheap  ,just cus some folk dont charge a tenner doesnt mean your in the wrong business,4-5 windows aint even going take 10 mins so at them prices you are on £60 an hour

the argument was you couldn't get 10 as a minimum. We have plenty of cheap wc'ers round here to

[Klean07]

I charge £1 per window but with a minimum price of £6. Works for me.

[Rogue Trader]

I am in the South and minimum is £12 - it is a different world up north though with prices of everything,

Example: I was in Hartlepool the other day and a house that would cost £215,000 down here is £70,000 up there (3 bed terrace), that same house for rent up there is £400 and down here more like £900.

As i said its a different world.

[Jackal]

I am in the South and minimum is £12 - it is a different world up north though with prices of everything,

Example: I was in Hartlepool the other day and a house that would cost £215,000 down here is £70,000 up there (3 bed terrace), that same house for rent up there is £400 and down here more like £900.

As i said its a different world.

exactly mate,thats why i dont agree with people telling others what to charge as everywhere is different

[DaveG]

If these "oldies" are making a living, ie mortgage/rent is getting paid etc etc, then whats the problem?
Some guys need £50 a day to get by, while others need £150.
 In some areas I work there are guys doing bungalows for £4, while I charge more and vise versa. There are more windows than window cleaners, so if you are making a nice living (and most are), then I really cant see why what the problem is.
Are house prices really THAT cheap oop north?!

[Matthew Bateman]

It seems to me there have as this thread progressed been some more realistic responses. This isn't about 'oldies', this is about either 'dolies' or marketing skills, strategy and confidence. There are custards down here in the south who will only have cheap-as-chips window cleaners, so dont work for them.

Get out there and market yourself. Its your responsibility, so what if someone wants to do it for pocket-money, that isnt limited to the north, theres a fireman down here does it for thalf the price I do. I get a call, the custard says matey hasnt been round in ages I say I charge twice what he does. Theyre generally happy to pay the extra because half-a-job-bob aint worth nought.

This is simply a numbers game, get out there and eventually youll build a round of worthy custards, the others can sink with their bodgit-n-scarper ladder monkey.


How do you know they are getting all these benefits? Have you been told either by them or the dole office? Or is this something you imagine they are doing because you cant get by on what they are?

[Steve CM]

It seems to me there have as this thread progressed been some more realistic responses. This isn't about 'oldies', this is about either 'dolies' or marketing skills, strategy and confidence. There are custards down here in the south who will only have cheap-as-chips window cleaners, so dont work for them.

Get out there and market yourself. Its your responsibility, so what if someone wants to do it for pocket-money, that isnt limited to the north, theres a fireman down here does it for thalf the price I do. I get a call, the custard says matey hasnt been round in ages I say I charge twice what he does. Theyre generally happy to pay the extra because half-a-job-bob aint worth nought.

This is simply a numbers game, get out there and eventually youll build a round of worthy custards, the others can sink with their bodgit-n-scarper ladder monkey.


How do you know they are getting all these benefits? Have you been told either by them or the dole office? Or is this something you imagine they are doing because you cant get by on what they are?

and thats what its all about!

don't undersell yourself

[windiewasher]

Explain why if wfp. Better results.environmentally friendly
Sills and  frames cleaned every time.
If they want theres done cheap by somebody let them.
You run a all year round service and a professional business with insurances etc
Sell yourself

I would never undersell myself my average is tenner plus
For a bungalow I have a few at 12 and 13 wouldn't do them for 6.
But if you think 6 is good then fair play to you.
 I find if you get your prices right you won't feel you have to put,them up so quick.

Fair play to you doc, but it`s more to do with the customers` idea of a price. If a customer expects to pay £2.50 or £6 and you quote £12, then it`s going to set the alarm bells ringing.
I`m not saying either price is right or wrong.