[24-7 S C Services]

Hi everyone,

SHOCKED totally SHOCKED, that was me today, I would ever say horrified.

Was out quoting this afternoon and was asked to quote this really nice (LARGE HOUSE), so knocked at the door, made my introductions and then viewed all the windows, (again there where lots of them), went back to the van, put some literature together, prepared the quote. The first figure I came to was to be expected, then I gave a £7 discount for being a new customer in a new street (this discount only applies to the first customer in the street). So, the quote was £44 monthly or £50 6 weekly.

So off I trot to this nice woman’s door, knock again and run through everything with her. Now here we go, ‘Oh dear she says, that is dear’ I replied, ‘Do you think so, oh, the quotation represents the amount of windows you have and how long it will take to clean them and as you can see, we have already applied a discount for you’. Well she then goes on, ‘Oh I know what you are saying, but my current window cleaner only charges £15’, - smack bang wallop, my jaw hit the floor and I really didn’t know what to say apart from, ‘You are joking?, you must be, no one in their right minds would get up out of bed to come and clean your windows for £15 unless he was claiming benefits on the side’.

And I left it at that turned and walked away, honestly people, if you would have seen this house, no one, would charge £15, but I really think she was serious and was not trying to pull a fast one.

Andrew

[Andrew McCann]

I ain't shocked at all.

I priced a place up last week. I wanted an "in" to this paricular area so went in a bit cheap, only a bit though. My price was £35.00. He agreed that it was a fair price and we left it that I would do it next time in the area. Got a phone call from him to say thanks but I have had another window cleaner call who will do it for £8.00!!!!!!!!!.  I asked how he got the quote and he said that someone who had used this guy for the last 5 years had recommended him so I don't think he is a here today gone tomorrow type.

Doing that house trad as the other guy is will take him at least 90 mins. Work that one out.

Andrew

[windows_chepstow]

I've came across similar (but not as bad) as both the Andrew's posts.

Recently I've had a lad canvass one of my residential houses offering to clean the house and conservatory for £7.00.  I charge £12.00 for the same underpriced job.

What you've got to do is to educate your fellow window cleaners.  They're not underpricing out of 'badness'.  They just don't know.

Every window cleaner I meet and get talking to, I always mention this forum.

Why do you think there's so many here from the Chepstow area (Ian_Giles, Tomo, Rog (I won't work in the rain)) and a few more who don't post but read here.

My advice is to advertise the forums and let other window cleaners see how much others are charging and we can all earn a decent living for what is a difficult job.

[gaza]

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF UNDER CUTTING.NOT  NICE IS IT?
Trouble is people begin to think these prices are fair prices and when theve got the estate and pack up you carnt shift these prices up by much,

 gaza

[rosskesava]

I know the jaw drop thing.

An old lady in a row of terraced ex council houses ask to for a quote while we were cleaning the windows of a pub.

It was a quick simple easy job and next door to the pub and so could be done at the same time with no real loss of time.

We broke our rule of £15 minimum charge because the 2 together would mean more profit and so my mate quoted a tenner.

This lady looked absolutely agast with shock and horror and said her old w/c who had recently retired charged £2.

TWO QUID.....  and I think she was being truthfull.

Then she went on about 'money for a few minutes work' and how she wished she could earn that much.

The thing was that she had a brand new car on the drive. A nice new Datsun something.

My mate was diplomatic and polite. I wouldn't have been.

Hi Gaza

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF UNDER CUTTING.NOT  NICE IS IT?

Stop seeing the problems. You won't change other people. Find a nice rich estate somewhere and canvass and keep going back every few months. You will get work there.

No one has 'all the work on an estate'. Stop seeing the negative. Find some rich people who are prepared to pay good money for decent work.

We've been undercut a few times and my view is good luck to them. In 6 months time at those prices those w/c's will be long gone.

5 years on, we're still going strong. And you are also still w/c'ing.

How's it going re your van that caught fire?

Cheers

[TopGlass]

I did the whole jaw dropping thing the other day as well!

I had a call from this woman saying she despretly needs a w/c and could I come round and quote, so I say yeah sure, she then says that it's an unusual house and is floor to ceiling of glass, no problem!!!

So I pull in the drive and she weren't fibbin, turns out her hubbie is an architect and designed and built it himself. So I walk round and this place is just covered in glass, theres decking all round and metal bits poking out all over the place, ( typical architect, house looks nice but how you meant to clean it ). She then tells me that they want inside and out doing, ( at which point I start grinning cause this place is filthy ££££). 

There's a massive two storey hall way on this place and to clean inside would mean a big ladder and an extra bod supporting as there is this slippery vinyl flooring throughout. Anyway, I would have to move alot of furniture to do inside as well, so there is a major h&s issue with this.

To cut a long story short I quoted £150 for first clean and then £100 after that, and they want the outside doing every 2 months and inside every 6 months, so I said £50 for each!

The husband then turns round and says their last guy did inside and out for £45!!!! SHOCK!!! I asked what happened to him and apparently he went out of business, SURPRISE!!!

Daz

P.S. They didn't say no, I'm still waiting to hear!!!

[windolene]

Hi,

As I have said on previous posts there are a lot of people out there willing to work for £200 per week. I can only see the situation getting worse as almost anyone can turn their hands to window cleaning. A domestic house cleaner said to me recently that his boss can get Filipino cleaners who are willing to work for £4 per hour. I have just read in a cleaning mag that a contractor has been approached by a group of eastern people desperate to work below what he's paying his staff now. Soon they will cotton on about this window cleaning lark. As i have also said before the domestic customer does not care two hoots if she has not a window cleaner, she will clean them herself or just not bother. 

I think we have to take stock of what other some other people are working for  i.e  bus drivers , building site labours , dustman & people working for these council contractors. the list goes on.

Kevin. (domestic window cleaner)

[neil100]

Their allways has and allways will be w/c who will undercut your prices.

You have to develop a personal and freindly rapport with your customers, Its harder for them to switch to a cheaper w/c if they view you as a freind.The longer they are on your books the harder it is for them to switch as they just dont think its worth switching to save a couple of quid.

You will lose the odd customer but the core of your round will remain in tact.I know 26 years and still going strong.

IN fact just yesterday a chap pulled up on his way to work and asked if i would clean his windows again. He switched years ago to save pennys and said the w/c's he had are rubbish,he's sacked them and wants me to clean them whatever it costs.

IT pays to do a good job, never price match. and have a good realtionship with your customers.Though I tell my female customers I'm a married man and their is a line I will not cross. Its not allways easy looking like a male model but it allways helps when I'm putting the price up.

[brett walker]

Sometimes it can work the other way round, the previous window cleaner may have charged more than you , in one case i was asked to quote a small bungalow inside and out i was looking as charging 15 got talking to the woman before i gave her the price.  I asked her what the previous w-c was charging out of interest she said 30 so i said ok i'll do it for the same.  She was well happy !

Nearly undercut myself now shes had some extra windows in i charge her 40 good little job for a hours work

So now when im quoting i try and find out what previous w-c's charged

Shocked      yes i often am , some customers think because it was 2.50   14yrs ago  think it is still going to be 2.50 today  lol

Brett

[brett walker]

Hi Andrew

Nice to see you back.

Regards
 
Brett     

[ValueValeting]

A domestic house cleaner said to me recently that his boss can get Filipino cleaners who are willing to work for £4 per hour. I have just read in a cleaning mag that a contractor has been approached by a group of eastern people desperate to work below what he's paying his staff now.
Kevin. (domestic window cleaner)

Snipped a bit of the above.

£4 - did this guy employ the filipino cleaners, If so give us his name and telephone number - coz I know some people who will want a word.......http://www.dti.gov.uk/er/nmw/

I'm not a WC but this sort of thing affects pretty much everybody who uses the cleanitup forums.

Regards

Phil B
www.valuevaleting.co.uk

[AuRavelling79]

There's always the reliability and "feeling at ease" factors too.

Many "nice" middle class customers don't really care whether they are charged (e.g.) £10 or £20 for their windows  - it's a minor difference to pay for knowing you aren't going to case the joint, intimidate their aged mother or go back to the gippo camp (in their view) with their garden ornaments.

Also. IMO there is with some a nationalistic prejudice just underneath the surface and although I disagree with such narrow views, I do think that if you are British, articulate, with a reasonable demeanour and you dress reasonably well it goes a long way to your being retained as their cleaner.

[Justin H]

I clean the windows of a private school and have done for the last 7 years.The new Bursar is a genuinely nice guy and pays me the following week after he gets my bill.
Cleaned them this week and he tells me he wants to discuss a few things with me.
He arrived an hour after we had arranged.By this time I had cleaned very nearly the whole front of the main entrance to the school.
Now he wanted me to clean most of the inside windows instead of the outside windows as "some of the front outside windows had already been cleaned".Also he wants me to clean them once a year instead of twice yearly as arranged.
These windows that had "already been cleaned" were 3 windows around the kitchen area that had been wiped over with a v dirty cloth by the looks of them.
So I told the Bursar that I used to clean the windows quarterly when I first quoted, but agreed to clean 3 times a year(cos the previous Bursar was v convincing ,I have seen out quite a few Bursars & headmasters & I did get a few v good recommedations from him).
I do not clean inside windows unless all furniture is moved & I am given safe & quick access to ALL windows, with an updated quotation.
Also and more importantly to myself, that there is alot more to window cleaning than wiping over a window with a dirty bit of rag with washing up liquid.
He was a wee bit taken aback.
He then asked me to clean a couple of windows inside that had been remarked upon & we will discuss any changes to be made in the future.
I am pretty proffesional in my outlook but quite frankly I couldn't give too hoots whether I lose the job or not.Every single window is black around the frames with cobwebs which have to be cleaned/brushed before you even attempt to clean the windows.
Why should we do more & more work for  less dosh.You can only compromise so far............is this off topic,i forget?

[clairekuccuk39]

Firstly we would just like to say hi to everyone on this forum. We have been reading the posts since starting our window cleaning business last October and the info from the posts and replies has been invaluable.  Just wanted to say that being foreign doesnt mean that you are at a disadvantage.  My husband is Turkish and only a year ago had never cleaned a window in his life but with the help of this forum and lots of enthusiasm, he decided to set up his own business.  There has been lots to learn and mistakes have been made but one year on and business is growing really well.  We dont think it really matters too much about nationality as long as you can speak english and you do a first class job.  Weve now added pressure washing and gutter cleaning and are looking to make the move into reach and wash in 2006.  I know this post has strayed off the original topic abit but just wanted any newbies to know that if my husband can make a success of this anybody can. All it takes is lots of determination and hardwork!

[Sarah Sarill]

Hi Claire,

This forum is great and never morso than when you are taking the leap into wfp - its a minefield.  The guys on here are so experienced you'll never fail to get an answer to any problem or question.

Regards,

Sarah

[windows_chepstow]

Welcome to the forum, Claire.  Get your husband posting too.  We've already got an international contingent here with Americans, Australians, Dutch and Japanese window cleaners; even one Scot.

And there's already quite a few female members here to, so you're not the only one.  All I ask is that you keep the 'Eastenders' chat to a bare minimum.

It's a friendly forum; so never be frightened to ask a daft question.  I ask 'em all the time.

Regards,

Tosh

[Londoner]

My mate John lives in a house that I would say is about £10 - £12 at the local going rate.
He has a regular WC who has been doing his windows for over 15 years and still charges £4. The price has never gone up. The bloke is regular as clockwork summer and winter alike.
Anyone canvassing in that street would get the shock of their life.

We assume that low prices = cowboys or benefit fraudsters but sometimes its just some old guy plodding along doing what he's always done.

[Grafters Cleaning Services]

my neighbour works in an small office and the ask me to give them a price, in and out £50 was my price

that was 5 weeks ago, she has since told me they had a cheaper guy come in at £20

when she told me i had to laugh and tell her that "at that price he wont last long"

she replied "funny you should say that, because he hasn't even been round yet and the windows are still filthy"

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD HONEY

[Andrew McCann]

My mate John lives in a house that I would say is about £10 - £12 at the local going rate.
He has a regular WC who has been doing his windows for over 15 years and still charges £4. The price has never gone up. The bloke is regular as clockwork summer and winter alike.
Anyone canvassing in that street would get the shock of their life.

We assume that low prices = cowboys or benefit fraudsters but sometimes its just some old guy plodding along doing what he's always done.

Very true Vince.

I know a local WC who must be 70 yrs old. He has done it all his life. I often chat to him and he seems one of the most contented folks I know. His prices are prehistoric but he says quality of life is the most important thing to him. You can't argue with that.

If you are getting what you want out of your business then what more can you ask for?
I don't mind at all anyone charging less than I would. It's their business and they run it as they like ( as long as they are legit ) We all have differing needs and aspirations. I have seen a few posts on forums deriding what others charge. I charge what I NEED to in order to get where I want to be. Others charge less.. others more. It doesn't make them any better or worse than me. There is room out there for all of us.

Andrew

[matt]

Here is my underpricing story

the local town is done by a old J.W WC'er, he must be at retirement age by now

i mean 90% of the town, i was asked to price a shop up, 8 quid i say

Oh its ok, the other guy charges 1.50

 

he spends all week just walking around doing the town shops, Ive watched him, my mrs works in a place and she saw him clean the window, notice some dirt still on it, so spit on the window and run is off with his sleeve

he must only change his water every week aswell

BUT, he is cheap, so people keep him