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Steven White

  • Posts: 71
And finally ... the truth came out
« on: November 16, 2012, 06:59:07 pm »
I've got three victorian style houses together. The most dangerous ladder work back when I was trad. The one on the right fine, no problem. The middle one nightmare, dissolving putty and powdery old paint causing white runs (wondering if heated water will sort this problem). But the one on the left I thought was fine and is freshly painted, she is one of my first original customers and I would hate to loose her and she is a bit influencial in the village. She starts to complain about the new WFP system (and I'm putting this down to the middle one slagging off the new system), I ask her what is up with them and she is very vague and just says they don't look as good, she picks over this and that and we go over the fact the brushes are very soft and won't ruin the paint work. Then finally she says what I think is the real reason "well there doesn't seem to be enough elbow grease in it". My cleaning side kick I just took on said she ought to try waving these pole about all day and see if she thinks it isn't hard work. So I come to an agreement with her that I can't do the tops anymore and I certainly can't send my side kick up them, so I'll do the tops wfp and the bottoms trad. I stipulated that I just nearly bankrupted myself spending £6K on the gear and if the rest of the village hears or sees me doing her bottoms trad then that's the end of the road and I'm finished. I told her I can't find any other trad window cleaners that will do the ladder work and she doesn't trust or will have the only other cleaners in the village. But there you go ... the real reason people don't like WFP in my opinion is they don't think your working hard enough.
Steve White (SWS Window Cleaning)

Window Washers

  • Posts: 9036
Re: And finally ... the truth came out
« Reply #1 on: November 16, 2012, 07:08:51 pm »
I've got three victorian style houses together. The most dangerous ladder work back when I was trad. The one on the right fine, no problem. The middle one nightmare, dissolving putty and powdery old paint causing white runs (wondering if heated water will sort this problem). But the one on the left I thought was fine and is freshly painted, she is one of my first original customers and I would hate to loose her and she is a bit influencial in the village. She starts to complain about the new WFP system (and I'm putting this down to the middle one slagging off the new system), I ask her what is up with them and she is very vague and just says they don't look as good, she picks over this and that and we go over the fact the brushes are very soft and won't ruin the paint work. Then finally she says what I think is the real reason "well there doesn't seem to be enough elbow grease in it". My cleaning side kick I just took on said she ought to try waving these pole about all day and see if she thinks it isn't hard work. So I come to an agreement with her that I can't do the tops anymore and I certainly can't send my side kick up them, so I'll do the tops wfp and the bottoms trad. I stipulated that I just nearly bankrupted myself spending £6K on the gear and if the rest of the village hears or sees me doing her bottoms trad then that's the end of the road and I'm finished. I told her I can't find any other trad window cleaners that will do the ladder work and she doesn't trust or will have the only other cleaners in the village. But there you go ... the real reason people don't like WFP in my opinion is they don't think your working hard enough.
or the person doing it is not very good at it as a massive reason people dont like, another is change they hate that to. show them the benifit to them, if they dont like it move on :)
If your not willing to learn, No one can help you, If you are determined to learn, No one can stop you ;)

magic moments

  • Posts: 579
Re: And finally ... the truth came out
« Reply #2 on: November 16, 2012, 07:41:49 pm »
And you don't help matters by going back to tradding the downstairs,should be your way or the highway,you have just shown no faith in your system.

lozsing

  • Posts: 406
Re: And finally ... the truth came out
« Reply #3 on: November 16, 2012, 09:47:48 pm »
I agree with magic

AuRavelling79

  • Posts: 25404
Re: And finally ... the truth came out
« Reply #4 on: November 16, 2012, 10:12:20 pm »
I agree with magic too. I cannot believe the cow-towing some of us do to keep uneducated people as customers.

It's a game of three halves!

scud

  • Posts: 683
Re: And finally ... the truth came out
« Reply #5 on: November 16, 2012, 10:30:41 pm »
  Would she expect a builder to mix concrete by hand?

  Or Sainsburys to input every item rather than scan?

  Or a secretary to use a typewriter?

  Everything moves on, she needs to.

sean mcc

  • Posts: 230
Re: And finally ... the truth came out
« Reply #6 on: November 16, 2012, 10:33:05 pm »
Hi Steven
    I think people watch you with wfp and think hes only been there 10 mins and he wants £10,they then say to themselves,i go to work for a full hour for £10,they think you are getting your money easy and dont like it,they would rather see you sweating your b******s off for an hour,people like to get their moneys worth,just tell her its the future ;D

Ian101

  • Posts: 7887
Re: And finally ... the truth came out
« Reply #7 on: November 16, 2012, 11:08:15 pm »
Zanussi - the appliance of science

Steven White

  • Posts: 71
Re: And finally ... the truth came out
« Reply #8 on: November 17, 2012, 04:58:40 pm »
Yep your all completely right. 99% of my customers are completely happy with the wfp (since April) and a lot even think it's better. We do work our socks off and if you've been waving poles about all day you do feel it. No one seems to get it, I mean in trad a ladder and blades and cloth and your off, with this it's a lot of money your investing and months of blood sweat and tears getting it all up and running - you need a bloody masters degree in plumbing, not to mention digging trenches and laying underground pipe for a delivery system. Then you got all the time you loose winding in hoses, packing up, billing and driving to the next one. You also have running costs, like new filters and resin and carrying extra weight in the van is not good for diesel consumption. People who made the conversion from trad to wfp in my opinion are good business people with an eye on the future and probably deserve a medal.

That said 'it's my way or the highway' was my initial reaction. But I took time to think it through. The problem is in a village of say 100 cutomers there is going to be (for me anyway) at least a dozen really good clients who have as much loyalty to you (and I know you may say it's not good business) if feel it back to them. They have given me large painting jobs and other work and if it wasn't for them I'd have never grown to what I have now. Also in a village there are key people who have a lot of influence and this was also a major factor. So I may live to regret it but I made the decision to keep her onside as some lions take longer to tame than others. I'm just going to have to work at her over time and whittle her down.
Steve White (SWS Window Cleaning)

gewindows

Re: And finally ... the truth came out
« Reply #9 on: November 17, 2012, 05:35:06 pm »
There might be people who are influential in your village, in mine it's me.

Re: And finally ... the truth came out
« Reply #10 on: November 17, 2012, 05:41:31 pm »
Leave the frames a couple of cleans, she'll see sense.

Susan Dean (1stclean)

  • Posts: 2064
Re: And finally ... the truth came out
« Reply #11 on: November 17, 2012, 06:51:16 pm »
i had some cansell for the same reason said they werent there that long and he was going to get his son to do it to where i replyed

me "may i be the frist to say sorry about your son "

c.  "sorry what do you mean"

me " i want to be the frist to say sorry about your son falling off the ladder smashing his back and wheelchairing himself for the rest of his life because his dad thought we were to quick "

i put the phone down after that what are theres people on

deeege

  • Posts: 5010
Re: And finally ... the truth came out
« Reply #12 on: November 17, 2012, 07:21:55 pm »
There might be people who are influential in your village, in mine it's me.

This made me LOL! An influential window cleaner.
"....and it's lend me ten pounds, I'll buy you a drink, and mother wake me early in the morning."

gewindows

Re: And finally ... the truth came out
« Reply #13 on: November 17, 2012, 07:33:57 pm »
Don't you influence your business in the places you work? I do.