[Trevor Knight]

My domestic customer are increased every two years and commercial contracts every year. With commercial its never a problem, with domestic you do get the odd complaint but as posted below by the other guys, explain in person why?

I tell my customers if they can find a petrol station that is decreasing its prices, a county council that doesn't increase its council tax, a VAT man that won't take 17.5% of my money and a Tax man that will let me off this year then I will be happy to maintain their prices.

Am still waiting for a customer to find them for me, if they do I will post for you!

The main points to raise with an awkward customer are these:

Your reliable - How many previous w/c's have you had and lost?
You do a good job! Have they complained about your work this year?

Some people will always go elsewhere to look for a cheaper alternative and they normally come unstuck and then have to pick the phone up and grovel, I always increase these guys by 25%, my way of saying "told ya so"!

Stick to your gun's Tosh and get their prices up,

Nice trick JINKY, made me laugh 

[Simon Carter]

Trevor,
Just took a look at your web sight. What's this ' All our operatives are registered with the local police'?. How does that work?

[Trevor Knight]

Basically I got sick and tired of people calling the police, particularly when we were in quiet villages, assuming we were robbing the place. I had a week when were we stopped by the police 3 times and I said to the officers that there must be a way to stop wasting both our times with these silly checks. I was told to go into our local station and register our names and vehicle registration with them using that form G4, that way if anyone wanted to ring up they could check us without having to send out a car.

This maybe a local arrangement not sure if its avalable throughout the country, does work though and gives customers great peace of mind.

regards, Trev

[scrimit2]

I've just put up £1000 pounds worth of work by around 11%, so this amount is now worth £1120 (all figures are accurate; give or take £15).

But I've had two complaints in the past hour; one of them saying they'll phone me back after speaking to her other half, after telling me that there's window cleaners who'll do it for £5 or £6.00.

I told her to 'go for it' and get one, but I doubt she could.  These are big semi's. 

The other asking if I could do 'tops only'.  I cancelled that one.

These were both from one particular street where I've 12 semis.

Two years ago I charged £5.50 for them; grossly underpriced; then increased them to £7.00 last year.

Then put them up another £1.00 this year.

So I can see why they complained.  I did explain to both that the reason was  that they were underpriced to start with.

What tact do you take with complaints like this?

Tosh when you say these houses are semi's, how many window do they have? I'm just curious to compare my pricing,

On price rises, every other bill goes up, electric,water,fuel,council tax, we need to cover those increases, so our prices need to go up accordingly, I think the electric alone has gone up 20% this year.

[AuRavelling79]

Interested in what Mark Dew said cuz I do the opposite - a note stating the increase and why (fuel/bank charges/inflation - I don't mention EGT ) and to some who I don't mind losing I offer every other month at 50% extra on the new price.

BTW - my round is full - I don't want staff - and I haven't lost more than a handful of customers in the last five years.

[simbag]

I can't remember where I read this, but I remember reading on  a thread regarding price increases:

If you increase you prices by 11% (as Tosh did) then really you can afford to loose 11% of your customers (or thereabouts, depending on your prices). OK, you won't be getting any more money, but you will have a more compact round that is the same value, therefore allowing more profitable work to be canvassed.

...does that make sense!!

[matt]

im putting mine up a quid a time right now, done it for the last 2 weeks (so 6 days) and not had 1 complaint

this is my first increase in 2 and 1/2 years

it got to a point when 2 or 3 were asking me everyday "when you putting your prices up"  i took the hint

[AuRavelling79]

I can't remember where I read this, but I remember reading on  a thread regarding price increases:

If you increase you prices by 11% (as Tosh did) then really you can afford to loose 11% of your customers (or thereabouts, depending on your prices). OK, you won't be getting any more money, but you will have a more compact round that is the same value, therefore allowing more profitable work to be canvassed.

...does that make sense!!

Yeh! So if I increase my prices by 100% and lose 100% of my customers that'd work eh?

Actually it's exponential.

[matt]

my thoughts on it are

put em up by 1 quid

if 1 in 10 cancel then you still have the same earnings, just a little earlier home OR space for another house (thus 1 quid  better off )

[simbag]

I can't remember where I read this, but I remember reading on  a thread regarding price increases:

If you increase you prices by 11% (as Tosh did) then really you can afford to loose 11% of your customers (or thereabouts, depending on your prices). OK, you won't be getting any more money, but you will have a more compact round that is the same value, therefore allowing more profitable work to be canvassed.

...does that make sense!!

Yeh! So if I increase my prices by 100% and lose 100% of my customers that'd work eh?

Actually it's exponential.

I think you're probably right there, I'm sure if my prices went up a 100%, I probably would loose them all!

[thewindowcleaner1]

I still pick up more than I loose...
I try and increase my prices just after Christmas, when the weather is realy foul and the casual work force are still in the pub all day, just before the credit card bills hit the letterbox, and the budget ain't in the news

(every year) by .50p (jobs price Ok so this increase works without priceing myself out of the market)

I used to have comments that I was increasing by around 15%to 20% but as the prices rise I now achieve an increase rate of around 8%
(soon be time to increase my increase figure)

Another trick for the tight customers (a few months before increase s due) is that I tell them how pleased I am that I have just picked up a lot of work a few miles down the road (same style house but I'm charging £3 to £4 more per clean

And like you say Tosh you tend to loose the ones you don't like anyway (saves you dropping them)

[dai]

I told some customers last week that when I came to their estate my earnings dropped by 30%. I said that I could not continue cleaning at the price I was charging. I was telling the truth. I said I had to choose between taking on some of the houses on my waiting list at a higher price and drop the estate, or charge a substancial increase. I told them that I understood that higher costs were affecting them too, and I would be prepaired to continue cleaning their windows for a 50% increase, and do them bi-monthly. They opted for the latter option. after two customers had aggreed to this I told the rest my proposal, saying the others had agreed to it. They are a bit like sheep really. Once they hear the others have accepted it, they tend to follow suit.
YOU HAVE TO TELL THEM FACE TO FACE THOUGH. Dai

[gaza]

IVE JUST HAD A MOMENT: Why not put a note through a customers door telling them of a pay rise,and if its not accepatible to ring and let you know.saves all that running around explaining yourself,you can sit there with a beer.
 {but dont put a phone no on it}

  gaza