[nathankaye]

Dont you just love getting new work, where you agree a price and accept the terms of the arrangments. Only for a couple of months down line, they start to moan at price.........lol, they probably over spent on weekly shop or desperately wanting another pair of shoes 
Yet they argue over price. I simply state it was an agreed price and if they dont like it,  they can go to whoever gave them a cheaper price. Whilst also highlighting that the only regular window cleaner in the area for 15 yrs is myself  (esp if i know they have lived in area for some yrs), as these silly prices that they have been given doesnt support a descent living wage and not to expect longevity.
It does make me laugh 
(Please note its in  relation to customers being tight, not quality of work or orofessionalism...)

[Tosh]

If you're not professional and the quality of your work isn't up to scratch its to be expected.

[SB Cleaning]

I don't think I've ever had someone moan at the price after I've quoted...

I must be too cheap

[8weekly]

I had one recently. Quoted £201 to clean & clear gutters. Got this email:

Hi Sue

I have your Agleam Windows bill in front of me for £201.00 from Monday 15th August.  I'm sorry I can't remember the name of the window cleaner, who I have to say is very pleasant.

The reason for writing is that the window cleaner gave me a quote for cleaning the conservatory roof, gutters and facias etc, which I agreed to, though at the time thought it rather steep, but then I also assumed it would be an excellent job with every nook and cranny covered..  However, for £201.00 it took 1.5 hours and as a professional cleaner myself not up to my standard!  I feel like I want to cry - my husband and I work really hard and we don't get anywhere near that hourly rate, let alone daily rate.  I've just had my kitchen refitted and the chap didn't charge that a day and neither did the electrician.

Needless to say I feel upset to be expected to pay £201 for approximately 1.5 hours work.  I'd be happy to discuss this with you over the telephone, however, I'm not available until Monday morning as I'm making a wedding cake, which in itself is rather stressful.  It's taken me a whole week to make and the cost to make is £100 and I've priced my time out at £100 a day, which is probably 8-hours roughly a day.

My telephone number is 07979 XXXXXX.  I'll be leaving home at 9.30am on Monday so if you're not available before that time I'll be contactable after 6pm.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kindest regards
Deborah

The job was nigh on perfect. She admitted later that she got the time wrong - it was 2 1/2 hours.

[Tom White]

I'm the  'stroppy new window cleaner'.

You've got to get in there first; tell them how it is.

[Tom White]

and as a professional cleaner myself not up to my standard!

What does she clean?

There's a big difference between running a hoover around a carpet, or rubbing coffee rings off a desk when you compare it to cleaning gutters and conservatory roofs.

She sounds like a right whinge; you're only a ruddy window cleaner.  Just how flippin' dare you charge that much (even if you have got all the equipment to make the job quick).

I'd just dump her.

[8weekly]

and as a professional cleaner myself not up to my standard!

What does she clean?

There's a big difference between running a hoover around a carpet, or rubbing coffee rings off a desk when you compare it to cleaning gutters and conservatory roofs.

No idea. She was clearly off her rocker though. She paid up in full and hasn't cancelled her regular window clean. I replied with:

Hi Deborah,

Sue has forwarded your email to me.

Dan (who did the job) says that the job took at least 2 ½ hours which he checked as he had a phone that he could peg to a time soon after he’d finished. To be honest I would find it astonishing to complete that amount of work in 1.5 hours even if they were fairly clean before starting.

But leaving that aside, we price gutter clearance and cleaning by the metre. I estimate from Streetview you have around 25 metres of guttering. So we would have charged £3 per metre to clear then £3 per metre to clean. These prices are very competitive. The average cost for a gutter clear only is £125 - £175  for a 3 bed semi in the south. In addition we have cleaned the fascias and cleaned your conservatory roof. We price conservatory roofs by the panel. A price list is attached for transparency.

http://quotationcheck.com/average-cost-clear-roof-gutters/

However, if you are dissatisfied with the standard that is a different matter. I can pop back and have a look next week at anything you are unhappy about and try to rectify it.

Regards,

Steve Seddon

As I said, the job was spot on. Nothing wrong at all.

[8weekly]

I wish I'd thought to write this:

"There's a big difference between running a hoover around a carpet, or rubbing coffee rings off a desk when you compare it to cleaning gutters and conservatory roofs." 

[Tosh]

People! Cuh.

[Tosh]

Actually people. I picked up a nice one today. Its a three monthly out in the sticks job; £140.00. Once we're up and running it'll be 2 hours - tops.

First visit this Thursday will be £275.00. She took it like a ravenous rat.  I should've said first one will be £350.00 People. Cuh!

[Tom White]

I've an awkward one to quote for tomorrow.  She's had at least three other local window cleaners before me and I've heard one of them (Ian Giles) moan about her, so I'm going to charge high, charge an initial cleaning fee, and be ultra ultra clear and direct with regards frequency.  I'm guessing she's running out of local window cleaners to mess about, so hopefully will be more 'positive' with me.

It's a big place, they've tennis courts 'n' stuff, but the customer is absolutely drop dead gorgeous too; she's a fitness instructor, tall, curves in the right places, long blonde hair; really fit.

Wor Lass thinks we shouldn't quote for the job though. 

[Tosh]

Bend her over the kitchen table and stick it up her modded whilst you do her modded with your rancid old modded when you give her the bad news.

She'll be gagging for you to visit twice monthly if you know how to handle her.

[8weekly]

Bend her over the kitchen table and stick it up her modded whilst you do her modded with your rancid old modded when you give her the financial cost of servicing her requirements.

She'll be gagging for you to visit twice monthly if you know how to handle her.

The secrets of success. 

[DaveG]

Bend her over the kitchen table and stick it up her modded whilst you do her modded with your rancid old modded when you give her the bad news.

She'll be gagging for you to visit twice monthly if you know how to handle her.

 

[Tom White]

Bend her over the kitchen table and stick it up her modded whilst you do her modded with your rancid old modded when you give her the bad news.

She'll be gagging for you to visit twice monthly if you know how to handle her.

The ending would be that I get ripped from her by police dogs and truncheons.

[jk999]

I might just visit south once a month for a week at a time wow i could clean up with facia and gutter cleaning and clearing gutters out £100 quid cheaper and i would still make a fortune

[Smurf]

I might just visit south once a month for a week at a time wow i could clean up with facia and gutter cleaning and clearing gutters out £100 quid cheaper and i would still make a fortune

100 squid less Nah they would think you were a cowboy or something     

[Tom White]

I might just visit south once a month for a week at a time wow i could clean up with facia and gutter cleaning and clearing gutters out £100 quid cheaper and i would still make a fortune

A good few years ago, a JW moved from here (South East Wales/Wye Vally area) oop Narth, and still kept a sizeable amount of work.  He'd drive down, once a month, stay with friends for about 7 days and just smash a load of work out, and head back oop narth.

He did this for quite a long time.

[jk999]

Lol

[AuRavelling79]

I might just visit south once a month for a week at a time wow i could clean up with facia and gutter cleaning and clearing gutters out £100 quid cheaper and i would still make a fortune

A good few years ago, a JW moved from here (South East Wales/Wye Vally area) oop Narth, and still kept a sizeable amount of work.  He'd drive down, once a month, stay with friends for about 7 days and just smash a load of work out, and head back oop narth.

He did this for quite a long time.

Seems to be JW theme.

I know one (Taffy lad who came over and nicked one of the young ladies wot are much prettier "round our way" than those in the valleys  ) and who lives the wrong side of Swansea (is there a right side?) who has two stonking days work in Bristol and he drives over with some laddie and knocks out a reputed £400/500 day and goes back to his log cabin he's built on the edge of the Brecon Beacons.