[dazmond]

new customer......stand alone 4 bedder with a flat roof at the back with windows set back and a little glass roof so i need to get my ladders off.leaded windows and 4  large patio doors at the back.text night before required for locked side gate.large driveway/front garden/back garden,very affluent area.this house was bought for £835,000 in nov last year.....

....and shes moaning about paying £40 to have her windows cleaned every 8 weeks...

she said "my last window cleaner charged me £25 for a bigger house than this when we lived in birmingham.can you negotiate on the price please?"

...errr...no!my price is my price....it took me an hour to clean them first clean(30 mins i reckon on maintenance cleans).i didnt charge her a first clean price (as its one of my girlfriends clients)....

...i reckon she ll cancel before the next clean is due.......

some people expect you to work for next to nothing....

[Cookie]

I refuse to get ladders off for new customers on maintenance cleans now. They can either chose for me to miss a window or just get another window cleaner who's willing to do it!

[Splash & dash]

new customer......stand alone 4 bedder with a flat roof at the back with windows set back and a little glass roof so i need to get my ladders off.leaded windows and 4  large patio doors at the back.text night before required for locked side gate.large driveway/front garden/back garden,very affluent area.this house was bought for £835,000 in nov last year.....

....and shes moaning about paying £40 to have her windows cleaned every 8 weeks...

she said "my last window cleaner charged me £25 for a bigger house than this when we lived in birmingham.can you negotiate on the price please?"

...errr...no!my price is my price....it took me an hour to clean them first clean(30 mins i reckon on maintenance cleans).i didnt charge her a first clean price (as its one of my girlfriends clients)....

...i reckon she ll cancel before the next clean is due.......

some people expect you to work for next to nothing....

Lol I know what you mean I had a phone call from a local buisness mans wife this guy is a multi millionaire wanted a price for cleaning his windows  to be fair it’s not that big takes 20 muinets I said it would be £40  for a 4 weekly clean , she said we are pensioners you know can you do it 8 weekly !!!!!!  Some people are unbelievable!!!! More fool me I now do it 8 weekly for the £40 should be more on an 8 weekly but not bad for 20 muinets work and it’s only yards from other customers

[dazmond]

i feel like replying to her with "its not my ambition to be the cheapest window cleaner in the area!"

[Stoots]

I wouldn't even do it if it involved ladders but £40 for 30mins is good going if you can get it.

[nathankaye]

I wont turn away new work as im always looking at expanding, but I wont compromise my prices in order to do so.

It reminds me when in first couple of years trad cleaning I gave a price to a potential customer and initially thought the house was the same size as the rest on the street. She did the whole pensioner thing and I halfed my price for her! Then I opened the side gate and saw a massive extension, it was the biggest house in the street.  I dropped tools and went back and knocked on the door.  The daughter was visiting and answered, I explained the situation and said I could not honour the price I said etc etc infact its more than I first quoted as well. Said choice is theirs, I can leave it as it is and no charge for the work ive done so far or to continue work with the new charge. Daughter said continue and that she does this all the time.
I learnt from that and these old dears are wise and have been around the block two or three times more than me. They know exactly what they are doing and I dont trust any of them 

[deeege]

I wont turn away new work as im always looking at expanding, but I wont compromise my prices in order to do so.

It reminds me when in first couple of years trad cleaning I gave a price to a potential customer and initially thought the house was the same size as the rest on the street. She did the whole pensioner thing and I halfed my price for her! Then I opened the side gate and saw a massive extension, it was the biggest house in the street.  I dropped tools and went back and knocked on the door.  The daughter was visiting and answered, I explained the situation and said I could not honour the price I said etc etc infact its more than I first quoted as well. Said choice is theirs, I can leave it as it is and no charge for the work ive done so far or to continue work with the new charge. Daughter said continue and that she does this all the time.
I learnt from that and these old dears are wise and have been around the block two or three times more than me. They know exactly what they are doing and I dont trust any of them 

I’d suggest it may be worth looking at the whole house before submitting your price in future!

[nathankaye]

I wont turn away new work as im always looking at expanding, but I wont compromise my prices in order to do so.

It reminds me when in first couple of years trad cleaning I gave a price to a potential customer and initially thought the house was the same size as the rest on the street. She did the whole pensioner thing and I halfed my price for her! Then I opened the side gate and saw a massive extension, it was the biggest house in the street.  I dropped tools and went back and knocked on the door.  The daughter was visiting and answered, I explained the situation and said I could not honour the price I said etc etc infact its more than I first quoted as well. Said choice is theirs, I can leave it as it is and no charge for the work ive done so far or to continue work with the new charge. Daughter said continue and that she does this all the time.
I learnt from that and these old dears are wise and have been around the block two or three times more than me. They know exactly what they are doing and I dont trust any of them 

I’d suggest it may be worth looking at the whole house before submitting your price in future!

This experience was about 12/13 years back

[Walter Mitty]

new customer......stand alone 4 bedder with a flat roof at the back with windows set back and a little glass roof so i need to get my ladders off.leaded windows and 4  large patio doors at the back.text night before required for locked side gate.large driveway/front garden/back garden,very affluent area.this house was bought for £835,000 in nov last year.....

....and shes moaning about paying £40 to have her windows cleaned every 8 weeks...

she said "my last window cleaner charged me £25 for a bigger house than this when we lived in birmingham.can you negotiate on the price please?"

...errr...no!my price is my price....it took me an hour to clean them first clean(30 mins i reckon on maintenance cleans).i didnt charge her a first clean price (as its one of my girlfriends clients)....

...i reckon she ll cancel before the next clean is due.......

some people expect you to work for next to nothing....

I've never yet taken on a haggler who turns out to be a good customer.  Even if they don't try beating down the price later, they often try to get little extras for nothing or reduce frequency without paying more for it.
If someone starts haggling from the start, I take one of several approaches.  I thank them for their interest and decline the job saying that we clearly have a very different idea on price so it won't work out.  Or I might offer a lower frequency at a one-third higher unit cost.  If they persist with haggling, I decline.  I've even been known to ask them for a reason I should clean for them more cheaply than my existing customers.
To be honest, I'm more likely to walk away.  When I have allowed myself to be haggled down in the past, I've always resented going there after a while.  It never feels good.

[dazmond]

I wouldn't even do it if it involved ladders but £40 for 30mins is good going if you can get it.

its a large flat roof adam and easy to get on to(i dont have to rest my ladders on the gutters).i clean quite a few houses like this and £40 is the norm for me for these types of houses.no one has even mentioned the price before.....

[dazmond]

i also told her to put her first line of address in the ref section so i can identify her BACS payment.....yes you guessed it she put ....WINDOWS..!

[dazmond]

I refuse to get ladders off for new customers on maintenance cleans now. They can either chose for me to miss a window or just get another window cleaner who's willing to do it!

WHY? if its safe to do so and the price is good for the job.......its a flat roof(not a sloping roof with dodgy tiles!)

[Slacky]

i feel like replying to her with "its not my ambition to be the cheapest window cleaner in the area!"

I think thats a cracking response.

[dazmond]

new customer......stand alone 4 bedder with a flat roof at the back with windows set back and a little glass roof so i need to get my ladders off.leaded windows and 4  large patio doors at the back.text night before required for locked side gate.large driveway/front garden/back garden,very affluent area.this house was bought for £835,000 in nov last year.....

....and shes moaning about paying £40 to have her windows cleaned every 8 weeks...

she said "my last window cleaner charged me £25 for a bigger house than this when we lived in birmingham.can you negotiate on the price please?"

...errr...no!my price is my price....it took me an hour to clean them first clean(30 mins i reckon on maintenance cleans).i didnt charge her a first clean price (as its one of my girlfriends clients)....

...i reckon she ll cancel before the next clean is due.......

some people expect you to work for next to nothing....

I've never yet taken on a haggler who turns out to be a good customer.  Even if they don't try beating down the price later, they often try to get little extras for nothing or reduce frequency without paying more for it.
If someone starts haggling from the start, I take one of several approaches.  I thank them for their interest and decline the job saying that we clearly have a very different idea on price so it won't work out.  Or I might offer a lower frequency at a one-third higher unit cost.  If they persist with haggling, I decline.  I've even been known to ask them for a reason I should clean for them more cheaply than my existing customers.
To be honest, I'm more likely to walk away.  When I have allowed myself to be haggled down in the past, I've always resented going there after a while.  It never feels good.

i just replied with "im sorry mrs ****but i dont negotiate on price.kind regards.Darren.

i didnt go on a long winded rant about how im more expensive than her last window cleaner from birmingham because of ..blah..blah....like some on here would..!

[lal]

new customer......stand alone 4 bedder with a flat roof at the back with windows set back and a little glass roof so i need to get my ladders off.leaded windows and 4  large patio doors at the back.text night before required for locked side gate.large driveway/front garden/back garden,very affluent area.this house was bought for £835,000 in nov last year.....

....and shes moaning about paying £40 to have her windows cleaned every 8 weeks...

she said "my last window cleaner charged me £25 for a bigger house than this when we lived in birmingham.can you negotiate on the price please?"

...errr...no!my price is my price....it took me an hour to clean them first clean(30 mins i reckon on maintenance cleans).i didnt charge her a first clean price (as its one of my girlfriends clients)....

...i reckon she ll cancel before the next clean is due.......

some people expect you to work for next to nothing....

I've never yet taken on a haggler who turns out to be a good customer.  Even if they don't try beating down the price later, they often try to get little extras for nothing or reduce frequency without paying more for it.
If someone starts haggling from the start, I take one of several approaches.  I thank them for their interest and decline the job saying that we clearly have a very different idea on price so it won't work out.  Or I might offer a lower frequency at a one-third higher unit cost.  If they persist with haggling, I decline.  I've even been known to ask them for a reason I should clean for them more cheaply than my existing customers.
To be honest, I'm more likely to walk away.  When I have allowed myself to be haggled down in the past, I've always resented going there after a while.  It never feels good.

 Hi Walter,  what i do when i give someone a price, if they say can you do it for such & such, i just say sorry thats the price
and i wouldn't be interested in doing it for less, at that point if they keep trying to Haggle, i just say look ive got to go now
to another job, if you decide later you want to go ahead with it, give me a ring, then i go leaving them to think about it,
sometimes they call later in the week, sometimes they don't, thats business,  it just saves a lot of time.

[Cookie]

I refuse to get ladders off for new customers on maintenance cleans now. They can either chose for me to miss a window or just get another window cleaner who's willing to do it!

WHY? if its safe to do so and the price is good for the job.......its a flat roof(not a sloping roof with dodgy tiles!)

It means I have to remove ladders from the garage & secure on the van in the morning before I start out. Once on the job I have to remove & re-secure ladders on van. At the end of the day I have to remove ladders from van & return to garage - It's just not worth the hassle for a couple of windows IMO, it slows me down & also it gives me an excuse turn down the little extra jobs that the "can you just brigade..." tend to ask. My response being I haven't got the ladders today.

I have a couple of regular jobs where I do use a ladder to go on flat roofs but these were very early customers that I took on & one of them even puts his ladder up when I'm due to call so it makes it nice & easy for me...

Also I'm lucky enough to have a full round now so I can pick & choose who I take on. 

[NWH]

I wouldn’t give a monkeys what he charged I’d say it’s £40 you’ll only regret it if you do it for less,you haven’t cleaned them and you are already off on the wrong foot.

[֍Winp®oClean֍]

She will always be a pain in the arse! It's not the money, it's a control issue. She wants to set the price- only then could she be satisfied. She will never settle with you setting a price higher than she thinks is reasonable. If you had started at 60 and she got you down to 40 there most probably wouldn't be an issue!!

[֍Winp®oClean֍]

On the other hand... she's also every right to try and negotiate- nobody wants to pay more than they need to for most things!!

[Dane]

Today I got round to the clean from my post the other week dazmond - the one where she wanted to negotiate the price on her new bigger house, I stuck to my price and she paid it today.. seemed happy enough, I like you was expecting a cancellation but I got a good vibe from her today.

Fingers crossed for us all that they understand if you want a good company then you’ve got to pay for it