[jeff68]

Just finished one house,when the owner comes out with a flyer in hand."what do you think of this "he says.I look at it and read it and to my amazement on it says that to clean all the windows on his 3 bed semi with pure filtered water will cost £4.50 with no price increase for 3 years.Also to clean a conservatory and roof will cost just 2.20 and wash the car at same time for £2.00.
I charge £15.00 to do his house.£100 to clean his conservatory and I don't clean cars.I use traditional methods,i.e squeegee and scrim etc.He asked me what am I going to do about my prices,I said I ain't going to do nothing,if you want to use them to clean your windows etc then feel free.But I did warn him when they don't come back after a couple of months I will have filled his slot with another house.Haste to say he is thinking it over.
Why do people charge these stupidly low prices.I can't compete with them.I'm not greedy,just work hard and do a good job.I think my prices are fair for my area(south coast bournemouth).Has anyone eles had  similar experiances as I would like to know if this is the face of window cleaning as we know it.

[tatman]

i have come across window cleaners charging £4 for a 3 bed semi but these were trad guys. i cant see how people can work for this unless they sign on. But i do know wages have come to a stand still in this country. Im earning the same money as i was 5years ago although im in a different trade now. What im getting at is standard of living goes up wages stay the same. All this mass influx of people from cheaper countries aint helping im afraid. Theyll work for peanuts

[jeff68]

You're right there mate.There seams to be alot of eastern europeans around my area.

[Neil Williams]

Possibly someone with a full time shift work type job. A fireman around here charges £7 for a 4 bed detached with leaded windows. Yes he uses WFP.
I would have trouble getting below £15 to justify this particular property.
How/why does he do it? Because it's just some extra beer token money.

[tatman]

theres eastern europeans everywhere mate The goverment doctor the real figures to stop scare mongering

[Pat Purcell]

Sounds more to me like a large co. trying to corner the market, Was it a proffesional looking flyer or a quick bodge job
A large co, here in the US is offering the first year free to potential customers with no long term contract, the idea is to out last the local w/cs and when they go out of business start to make a serious profit then

[matt]

if he had a ionics system he could charge 30 quid

its the truth i tell ya, just ask John Peters 

[jeff68]

ITs just a printed flyer(two colours).only a mobile number ,no fixed line(alarm bells ringing there)

[poleman]

I think my prices are fair for my area(south coast bournemouth).Has anyone eles had  similar experiances as I would like to know if this is the face of window cleaning as we know it.

HELLOOOO I work in this area! have you seen my van http://img264.i.us/img264/4797/smartcleaningltdvanwrapea3.jpg

I have to agree, prices are all over the place here, we dont go for low pricing as it does no good to anyone - we just stick to are price (which isnt cheap) and if the customer goes eles where then its down to them - but they dont as we give a very good service

Andy
PS jeff68 do I know you!   

[jeff68]

Hi Andy.NO I dont know you.I have only been down here 1 year.Yes I have seen your van(looks smart).

[poleman]

Thats good to know my van gets seen  (can only be good for business) pleased to meet you Jeff 

Andy

[robbie14000]

Poleman , Can I ask you where you got your van done up as it looks great and I am looking to have mine done.
Thanks Robbie _ clearshine

[scrimit2]

i have come across window cleaners charging £4 for a 3 bed semi but these were trad guys. i cant see how people can work for this unless they sign on. But i do know wages have come to a stand still in this country. Im earning the same money as i was 5years ago although im in a different trade now. What im getting at is standard of living goes up wages stay the same. All this mass influx of people from cheaper countries aint helping im afraid. Theyll work for peanuts

Hi, I took over an estate from a guy and they are priced at £4 for 3 bed semi's, and yeah they are too cheap and due a rise, but there are alot of them close together, and that & hard work helps me earn my money, I aim for a minimum of £15 hour, ,I recently passed some work on to other window cleaners, and they instantly put the prices up 50%, but they reckon they only earn £10 per hour, of course price is the biggest factor (mine need sorting out) but I was amazed at how those new guys expect to earn a 3rd less an hour than me, and with 50% price rise,

[poleman]

Poleman , Can I ask you where you got your van done up as it looks great and I am looking to have mine done.
Thanks Robbie _ clearshine

Local company to me, its was about one and half thousand pounds - money well spent for 24 - 7 ad - we get a lot of work from this type of high brand advertising (paid for its self)   

Andy 

[AuRavelling79]

Is that really £2.20 for conservatory and roof? Or £22.00? Or what?

[edd]

why the hell everyone can't have a min of £10 is beyond me ,we did this two years ago and now its £12 no-one bats an eyelid because they now that they are getting an expert job fact Edd

[Paul Coleman]

I've had a minimum of £10 for a couple of years now but that was only for new work.  Some of my very old work is pretty underpriced these days.  I was working on an estate today where I have about 5 houses (4 underpriced from way back) when I met a fireman/part-time window cleaner I haven't seen for ages.  He works the trad way ands I do WFP.  We got chatiing and it got around to prices.  I was doing a job for £8.  It takes me about 12 minutes.  He was charging £15 for pretty much the same type of house.  Mind you, he only usually does about one and a half per hour.  The funny thing was that the house he was doing was for an old customer of mine who ditched me when I was ill several years ago.  I think I was doing it for £6 (trad) at the time.
Although I am happy with the prices I have been charging for work in very recent years, I still have a fair bit of work that either needs a massive increase or needs dropping/passing on.
After today's conversation I'm starting to think that, on part of my work anyway, that I'm a mug.
I'm going on a big push again in the next few weeks to sort these issues out.

[jeff68]

Yes it is 2.20 for a coservatory + ROOF.!!!What I might do is get them to do the jobs I quote £100 for and make 97.80 mark up profit.ha.ha.but i'm not like that,I just want to earn a good days wage(@100)and I will be happy.

[ok cleaning]

 i tink this is a wind up noone nowhere can clean windows and a cons that cheap and pay even the most important expenses and of course how about tax?

[KarlJones]

God knows why they do it.
Well actually, thats not true.

I know.

It is a bone idle attitude of not wanting to knock doors and rather post a leaflet.  They realise that the only way a leaflet works is if they sell themselves.  What they end up doing is whacking a price on and undercutting everyone.

Its up to them, if they want to do that.  Personally I think it is madness.  I would rather sign on than work for nowt.