[garry]

 Has any one noticed over the last year or so how much wfp has gone up by, it seems to me that the big compianes are making a killing now that more wc are changing over to wfp.
I mean what nutter would pay £6950 + vat for a big water tank a couple of poles ro system or over £9000 for hot water system which does not clean any better than cold water.
crikey you can get set up for less than a grand and do just as good a job.
 18 foot pole £90
  200 gallans a day ro  £199 + vat.
  bag of resin £80
  ommitrolly £525+vat i notice this has gone up by £50 within the last 12 months .
 water butt £25.
jerry cans 10 cost about £50
 thats all you need does just a good a job much less than £6950.
               RANT OVER

[matt]

 

a few people here wont like reading that post

your right though

http://d.co.uk

[garry]

a few people here wont like reading that post

your right though

http://d.co.uk
[
/
quote] Dont know why anybody wont like what i said iv only spoken the truth.
glad you agree with me matt

[jeff1]

The more people join in with wfp the higher the price will go, thats why i'm building my own,

[supernova77]

Dont know why anybody wont like what i said iv only spoken the truth.

It's because a couple of the big boy WFP suppliers sponsor this forum  :

Andy

[rosskesava]

I've noticed that at our local supplier that poles made by a large company have gone up by about £80 this year. Same poles, same supplier, same everything.

When I was shocked at the price I was told that the company needs to get back their developement costs so how, 18 months later, has the price gone up by so much? Also, what is s-o-o-o complex that it's needs developing about fibre glass poles and a few clasps  that obviously weren't very well 'developed' as they keep breaking?

And the brush heads are a ridiculous price as is a simple goose neck at £65 which is just a bit of bent bright mild steel that has been anodised? I made my own with a 10mm diameter bar of metal, cost £1.65, some brazing spleter, cost £2.20, and other odd bits I found in my garage and a blow torch. Total cost - under £4.00 and I anodised it using some engine oil. Not only that I can make 3 more for free as I bought more stuff than I needed to make just one.

So how much profit is made from charging £65?

At the same supplier last week they had a set of carbon fibre poles that screw together made by another well known company. The price of them was astronomical.

That's my rant over.

Quite right Matt - http://d.co.uk

[paul mather]

Surely as more of us change over to WFP that should force the price down. It's up to us newbies to make sure we use one of the reasonably priced web based companies that are recommended by others on this forum.
My whole set up has cost me less than £1100 & I can't see why anyone would need to pay thousands more

[abacus]

Hi ross

if you meen your friend and mine down in brighton you know hes not the cheapest for anything bager him a bit he gives discount if you a lot from him  maybe not on pole stock but scrims and the like he will

I have been keeping my out for firms that produce the items we use but are not in the window trade as such I reco I could build systems for half the price and still make a profit

I have been offered hole sale price on brushes including a new one coming out soon not sure I have the time to try and sell them though also found som good bases for trollys not sack barrows mostly you come across the by accident

I know the and they cost a bomb but boy they felt soooo light

regards grant

[paul mather]

abacus,
I think you need to check your postings before you add them, that last one made little sense

[rosskesava]

I understood it though.

I know the and they cost a bomb but boy they felt soooo light

They are seriously light aren't they?

PS - they're made by Unger a big company.

[Trevor Knight]

Isn't this always a hot topic and a difficult one to balance.

The only way I can describe this situation is like with cars.

You can buy a car for £10,000 that will get you where you want to get to, be reliable, look ok and certainly do the job. However, you can also buy a car that costs over £50,000, gets you there as well, is reliable and also looks the part.

The only real difference is in the engine and the interior, yes,granted looks may be a bit flashy but thats just visual.

Likewise with WFP companies. YES without doub't you can set up your own system or go to a supplier and purchase a set up for the region of £1,500. The system will be able to do the job to a high standard, will be reliable and easy to maintian, depending on how it is installed it will look nice as well.

However, you can also go to a high end manufacturer, purchase a system for say £3,500 upwards, it will do the same job and also be reliable. The difference is it will be visually probably more attractive, possibly built with stronger natural materials and may be put together in a slightly neater format.

The real thing to remember is this, for every person in this world we are all unique, we all have personal thoughts and opinions regarding everything. Therefore, companies and manufacturers can tailor their products to suit their potential market place and demographics.

Personally I am happy to sit in the middle of this. I use some DIY products as well as High End manufacturers. It really is down to choice.

I think they are only a rip off if they are the only one's in the market place and command rediculous prices, in reality we do have several "other" options.

Best wishes,


Trev

[matt]

Trevor

the cars arguement is slightly flawed though

VW and Skoda and Seat

same factories and mostly a mismash of same parts

BUT, most will go for a VW as its a "name" of quaity

[Alex Gardiner]

I would like to disagree with the first posting and not because we now run a supply firm!

I invested in WFP equipment 5 years for my commercial round and back then there was very little choice, I bought from one of the big companies and assembled most of it myself and fitted out our 2 vehicles the cost of system and poles came to about £7500, and that was as cheap as I could get it back then.

In real terms it is now MUCH cheaper to set up with a WFP system, there is much more competition in the market place and a proliferation of DIY information, I just wish I had been setting up in todays market as I would have only spent about £2500 to get exactly the same products if not better  products.

In defense of those who supply High-end systems at high-prices, these will always appeal to big commercial outfits who want zero hassle, just drop the vehicles off and pick them up and this is exactly what they are able to supply, but it is not for everyone hence the large competitive market that exists.

The great thing now is that we all have a choice, what's that worth?

Alex

[Easyclean Windows]

I have to agree with alex back when i started wfp theres wasnt the option of "build your own" you had no choice but to part with a small fortune but you pay for what you get and weather it cost 100 or 10,000 you put it through your books at the end of the year

[Davie T]

For Trevor, Comparing cars to WFP is an unfortunate choice.  You mention cars :-  Most of the sales spiel on cars is " features".  With the few exceptions of safety/braking and handling which are all benefits, most points in the sales pitch are all features, ( Top speed, 0 - 60 mph, sat nav., alloys. leather etc etc etc are all features. )When you look at the WFP as a system you have the to ask yourself, is it a feature or is it a benefit? 

[Trevor Knight]

Hi Davie,

I thought my comparison was quite apt?

Isn't the sales spiel from the "Big Manufacturers" all about features? I know when I went to see my demo's all I got was features, features, features when at the end of the day they will still end up with the same result. A clean Window?

I could start to list all the "features" each one said was why they were the best, but thats another story.

Best wishes,

Trev

[Morph]

If you had the choice, what would you prefer?

A Jaguar?
A Ford?

Quel surpris!  Jaguars are made by Ford.

Trouble is these days, you don't know what you've bought till it's too late to send it back.

[Londoner]

Comimg back to the original point on prices. The key thing is that most of us are new to the WFP game and put our trust in one supplier or another and rely on him to see us through.
Provided that trust is justified, and I think generally it has been, you are buying a lot more than just a piece of kit. In some cases it training and everything thrown in.

Prices only become an issue once you have had time to build up the knowledge and experience. Then you are entitled to shop around and any rip off supplier will soon find his phone will stop ringing.

[Trevor Knight]

Hi Vince,

Just a quick point for ya. You mention training and support is thrown in for free. To be fair my friend, if you pay any of the smaller WFP companies £4000 for a system I am sure they will give you a days training for Free.

Nothing is ever for free, they just hide to cost in another place. Do you realise just how much a company makes on finance deals alone?

I bet if you went to a company who offers free training and said you want to attend the course each month along with your staff until your happy you can do the work ok,  they wouldn't be so welcoming and charges would start to raise their heads.

Regards,

Trev

[EasyClean]

Comparison of WFP equipment is definitely cheaper now than say 5 years ago because there is more competition to supply us which is a good thing. We are the ones who make our choices. We are fortunate now with the internet as it allows us to compare suppliers/distributors from the comfort of our own chair sat in a comfy warm home and not having to rely on the nearest local available one closest. I think whoever started this thread is reaching middle age and is fast becoming a grumpy old man. Maybe they need to get their leg over a bit more to control their hormones.  Window cleaners are no different to the suppliers/distributors as we all want to raise our prices at the first opportunity we feel secure knowing that our services are in demand. Luckily we have several window cleaning forums especially this one to have our say and give our honest opinions about matters and to pick up tips and to ask for help!