[David 'Duck' Clare]

Hello Group

I know there have been a couple of posts like this before, but after canvassing for 3 1/2 hours solid today I feeling very tired and to be honest a bit miffied! I only got 5 new customers, all £10 + but i quoted for a further 8 people and 4 of these said I was expensive. Which is strange as Im normally told Im either cheap or on par with what people have had before! The other 4 said they would call during the week (yet to be seen). Ive never had a day like this before. The Mrs says keep my head up, but I feel really upset right now and my feet are killing!

Here is the description of 3 of these 8 houses, would people please respond with prices they would charge. For everyones info Im based in Sussex (South East).

1. Semi Detached house. lead windows to front. 1 x front door, 1x living room window and 1x downstairs bath room window. 2x upstairs windows. Rear, normal windows. 2 x upstairs, 2x downstairs + 1x french doors.

2. Detached house. normal windows all the way around. Front 1x front door, 3x downstairs windows (all are those fake bay windows, not that big mind), upstairs 3x windows. Rear 2x french doors, 1 x kitchen downstairs window. 4x upstairs windows.

3. Small semi det house. normal windows all around. FRONT, 1x front door, 2x windows. Upstairs 1x window. REAR 1x french doors, 1 x window (large ish), 2 x windows upstairs.


I quoted £8.50 for No1, £11.50 for No2 and £6.50 for No3.

Please correct me if Im way of the boil on my quotes but I thought they were fair!

Many thanks people!

[www.mrgutters.co.uk]

very well priced for the area you are i have a min charge of £10 and i charge ave house with normal pvc windows

1)  £14

2) £18.00 anyone with a detached house has got a bit of money ... 

3) £10

i picked up 3 townhouses on fri people came up to me and were asking i told the £40 for the first clean then £20 a month after that 4 wind front 5 windows at the rear and patio doors .

all them said i was pricey so i told them that i dont negotiate my prices at all and i am fully insured etc etc .. plus clean the frames for free.. all three then said yet and one gave me a tip for doing a good job

so dont worry about the moaners thats the reason they havent got a window cleaner ..

shawn

[Paul Coleman]

Hello Group

I know there have been a couple of posts like this before, but after canvassing for 3 1/2 hours solid today I feeling very tired and to be honest a bit miffied! I only got 5 new customers, all £10 + but i quoted for a further 8 people and 4 of these said I was expensive. Which is strange as Im normally told Im either cheap or on par with what people have had before! The other 4 said they would call during the week (yet to be seen). Ive never had a day like this before. The Mrs says keep my head up, but I feel really upset right now and my feet are killing!

Here is the description of 3 of these 8 houses, would people please respond with prices they would charge. For everyones info Im based in Sussex (South East).

1. Semi Detached house. lead windows to front. 1 x front door, 1x living room window and 1x downstairs bath room window. 2x upstairs windows. Rear, normal windows. 2 x upstairs, 2x downstairs + 1x french doors.

2. Detached house. normal windows all the way around. Front 1x front door, 3x downstairs windows (all are those fake bay windows, not that big mind), upstairs 3x windows. Rear 2x french doors, 1 x kitchen downstairs window. 4x upstairs windows.

3. Small semi det house. normal windows all around. FRONT, 1x front door, 2x windows. Upstairs 1x window. REAR 1x french doors, 1 x window (large ish), 2 x windows upstairs.


I quoted £8.50 for No1, £11.50 for No2 and £6.50 for No3.

Please correct me if Im way of the boil on my quotes but I thought they were fair!

Many thanks people!

It's hard to give a quotation when reading it on a forum but my hunch would be somewhere around
1. £10 - £12
2. £14 - £16
3. £10  (as it sounds like it just comes within my minimum charge)

Of course a lot depends on the access and where exactly the work is.  Darkest Broadfield/Bewbush or the middle of a council estate might carry a lower rate than the above.  If it's a bit of a nicer area, it might be possible to charge a bit more.
Remember that if people tell you that you are too expensive, all they are probably saying is that a previous window cleaner (who has disappeared because he couldn't make it pay) was charging less.  Stand your ground on pricing unless you are desparate.  If you are desparate now, you can always replace them later when you're not.

[David 'Duck' Clare]

These were in 'new' broadfield, tollgate hill area

IM TOO CHEAP thats it im adding 20% to all my prices going forward

DC

[Paul Coleman]

very well priced for the area you are i have a min charge of £10 and i charge ave house with normal pvc windows

1)  £14

2) £18.00 anyone with a detached house has got a bit of money ... 

3) £10

i picked up 3 townhouses on fri people came up to me and were asking i told the £40 for the first clean then £20 a month after that 4 wind front 5 windows at the rear and patio doors .

all them said i was pricey so i told them that i dont negotiate my prices at all and i am fully insured etc etc .. plus clean the frames for free.. all three then said yet and one gave me a tip for doing a good job

so dont worry about the moaners thats the reason they havent got a window cleaner ..

shawn

Hi Shawn.
I've gone aa little bit lower than you as I know the area.  Sunbury is a bit wealthier than Crawley (David's area) I think.  Although Crawley is in the Surrey/Sussex border area, it has a working class base and a lot of council houses which tends to keep the rates a little bit lower.

[Paul Coleman]

These were in 'new' broadfield, tollgate hill area

IM TOO CHEAP thats it im adding 20% to all my prices going forward

DC

I tend to go out of town for most of my work because there are a lot of properties in Crawley where there is no back access at all.  It can be a hassle working your way around the Courts and Walks in Bewbush and Broadfield.  Things are a bit better around Tollgate Hill I think.  I prefer to have a smaller number of larger customers - without putting my eggs in too few baskets.  I started off in 1991 in Langley Green running an appointment system and taking ladders through the house.  Never again !!.  I gave them away after a year.  They were all badly undercharged too.  I had a lot of work in Handcross/Lower Beeding until about 4 or 5 years ago.  I ended up giving it away when I moved to East Grinstead for a while (prices were too low to charge for the round).

[www.mrgutters.co.uk]

when i started out a year and a half ago i was charging 6-7 per avg 3 bed semi but now i pick and choosewho i have i dont have a big round i am officaly up to 900 a month which is not much but i only do work which is worth my while.. i do contract out to another friend who is a window cleaner at a flat daily rate to top up my money until i get a full round... although shiner .. i live in sunbury but i am not wealthy LOL....

you need to charge what ever works few you ... i have just gotten brave with my pricing.. 

[simbo]

its dificult when starting, as you need the work, but try to get top price from the word go as later on when you have plenty you will think nothing of pricing high as you don't really need it but if you don't do this you will end up with low priced work that you do not want
good luck simb0

[AuRavelling79]

Mrs David Clare is right! I think you've done well with your canvassing too - 5 new customers now, 1 or 2 more will come from those who said they'd phone and when you start you'll get some more because they'll feel able to trust you. ( because you've turned up and started work on their neighbours) - it's herd mentality see.

Your pricing is deffo not too dear!