[Paul Coleman]

wfp is a joke, any tom dick or harry can brush a window with a water stick brush so i aint suprised that you've been sacked

And Billy Goat Gruff went trip trap trip trap over the bridge.   

[NickOZ]

You'll have to excuse me for the next question as i'm an Aussie ....  but could someone please enlighten me on how these 'WFP converts' clean the insides?

According to Colin-Glenn he's ditched the Trad, gone the WFP and can do a whole house!
That's amazing, if someone could please send me a pic of someone using WFP inside i'd be very happy indeed, because this, i just have to see....



Here in Oz everyone expects the insides done as well, 'why get a dog and bark yourself' is the way Aussies look at it.
Besides, every house has got flyscreens, so even you did have a WFP you'd still be getting the ladder off the truck to get the flyscreens off.

I can see the benefits of WFP on Industrial Parks and difficult access stuff, but on houses?
 Plus some of you boys have spent thousands on fitting out your trucks are doing 3 quid jobs?
i would'nt get out of my van for 3 quid.....

And just a final note, according to JM123 you use salt water to clean windows? Right?

No wonder you WFP are losing jobs....

[Paul Coleman]

You'll have to excuse me for the next question as i'm an Aussie ....  but could someone please enlighten me on how these 'WFP converts' clean the insides?

According to Colin-Glenn he's ditched the Trad, gone the WFP and can do a whole house!
That's amazing, if someone could please send me a pic of someone using WFP inside i'd be very happy indeed, because this, i just have to see....



Here in Oz everyone expects the insides done as well, 'why get a dog and bark yourself' is the way Aussies look at it.
Besides, every house has got flyscreens, so even you did have a WFP you'd still be getting the ladder off the truck to get the flyscreens off.

I can see the benefits of WFP on Industrial Parks and difficult access stuff, but on houses?
 Plus some of you boys have spent thousands on fitting out your trucks are doing 3 quid jobs?
i would'nt get out of my van for 3 quid.....

And just a final note, according to JM123 you use salt water to clean windows? Right?

No wonder you WFP are losing jobs....

I think you misunderstood.  WFP is not for insides although a company has just developed one that they say can do it (it dries as it cleans).
We don't have fly screens here.
Could you link to the post where JM123 says he uses salt water please?  I think you may have misread something.
Some people may use WFP for £3 jobs but that's probably where they have a lot of work close together.  Personally, the smallest job where I use WFP is £7.50 and that is next door to a larger house so only one set up.
Bear in mind that many have invested in WFP to go for larger jobs but there is a transitional period before they can afford to pass on the smaller jobs.  Not much point letting smaller jobs go if there is no larger job with which to fill the gap is there?

[NickOZ]

how daft are some people? - wants to save water!! Its a joke, over 70% of earth is covered in the stuff!!

Here's ya link.Now what i have i misread? Or do you have a desalination plant in those trucks as well?....

[choice.clean]

i started with wfp 5 years ago lost 30% of my customers in first 3 months but i just would not quit it was a wonder i didn't have a coronary over the next 2 years getting my business off hte ground but you know what i now work 1 day a week if i really want too employ 2 men and have loads of time for my family and hobbies.
ignore all the negative people they will always be self employed not business people use the wfp to your advantage and just regard the public who let you down as part of the rocky road to building a real business. i well remember one who decided to not have me because of wfp she phoned me up the other week was begging me to come and give her a quote too busy love i said and referred her to a local up the ladder guy. wfp is here to stay the public will learn eventually.

[Ian_Giles]

wfp is a joke, any tom dick or harry can brush a window with a water stick brush so i aint suprised that you've been sacked

As usual there is always someone who thinks WFP is a piece of cake, to a degree it is, but those who start have no end of frustration trying to get it right, just like with doing trad (and lets face, thats easy too) it still takes time to become any good at it.

Of course there are downsides, it's easier to screw it up, some windows you will never get right, the equipment is more complex (you don't think so? take a look at the Ionics gear!! )
Running costs are higher, and many lower their prices because they are quicker, and then end out earning less in the long run than they would if they'd stayed trad!

And of course many customers hate change, and when you first start it can take a couple of cleans before you get it done to a decent standard.
Some customers want it spot on straight away, they'll see some streaks and spots and sack you without giving you the chance to get it right....

But big deal, if you are a bit on the cack handed side it may take you a little longer than some to get your work up to an acceptable standard, but your losses will only really be in the first month or so, and you'll pick up far more than you lose anyway.

Ian

[Sir Squeaky]

Of course there are downsides, it's easier to screw it up, some windows you will never get right, the equipment is more complex (you don't think so? take a look at the Ionics gear!! )
Running costs are higher, and many lower their prices because they are quicker, and then end out earning less in the long run than they would if they'd stayed trad!

And of course many customers hate change, and when you first start it can take a couple of cleans before you get it done to a decent standard.
Some customers want it spot on straight away, they'll see some streaks and spots and sack you without giving you the chance to get it right....

Thanks for all that Ian.
After I've gone and got all the kit...

 

[Ian_Giles]

You're lucky Rog!
At least you've got me & Tosh to call on if you have a problem!

You've got to re-think the way you do everything now, but once you are up and running and got through that transitional phase, you will be fine.

Ian

[pylofm]

NickOZ you wrote....

You'll have to excuse me for the next question as i'm an Aussie ....  but could someone please enlighten me on how these 'WFP converts' clean the insides?

According to Colin-Glenn he's ditched the Trad, gone the WFP and can do a whole house!
That's amazing, if someone could please send me a pic of someone using WFP inside i'd be very happy indeed, because this, i just have to see....

Nick here is the picture you wanted to see http://www.baudoin.nl/content_nl/pag3_01.php

Cheers Dave

[drakestar!]

hi thanks for everyones import, didnt expect this many posts on my little thread. im glad im not the only one to lose work because of wfp. cheers

[Russell Macdonald]

This time last year i lost the odd customer here & there. Now the work is flooding in because of how good Wfp is.

A few have asked me to start cleaning theirs again, revenge is sweet, no chance  . There is so much work out there if you want it. I laugh to myself when i see their windows compared to either side.

Macc

[AuRavelling79]

wfp is a joke, any tom dick or harry can brush a window with a water stick brush so i aint suprised that you've been sacked

Wahay! Thank goodness for Markberesford. I thought that once Squeaky had come over to the dark side we'd have no more uninformed inexperienced opinion about wfp.

Thankfully (and not for the last time) I was wrong!

 

Oh and if we're to have non-British Isles resident posters on the forum telling us what we should or shouldn't be doing NickOZ then give me Pat Purcell, PyloFm and (especially, yum yum  ) Texas Girl anytime!

[neil100]

Darkstar the customers you lost did not like the fact that water drips down the walls and it looks messy. I bet they were customers who where in when you cleaned them so they would have been nearly haveing a heart attack listening to the driping.                                                                                                     

And the mess look at the BLOODY MESS on the floor Doris.

I had a customer come scurring to the door in her Dressing gown at 8.05am yesterday morning. STOP STOP I dont want my windows cleaning with all that water its ruining my paintwork.

I looked at her windows and said theirs nothing to ruin they should have been painted 5 years ago. I am more concerned if your paintwork is going to damage my brush.

She said, I have been trying to get a painter for 3 years, no one wants to paint them.

I am not suprised they are awkward and dangerous to do. But I am sorry I am not prepared to go up my ladder and risk life and limb anymore whan I have invested money in a safer alternative.I can take you off my list if you prefer but I now have a waiting list of potential new customers because I am struggling to cope with all the extra work. So if you want me to clean them in the future, I cannot tell you when I will be able to put you back on my books. What do you want me to do?

CLEAN THEM. She replied

I had another customer last week who got a new  TRAD w/cleaner, because I was 4 weeks late with taking a long winter holiday. He thought I had retired. He was very apologetic, Then he confessed This new guy cannot get them any where near as clean as your machine gets them plus he left the frames all dirty, seeing as you have not retired can you clean them next month we will cancell the new guy.

You will find out in time that customers will love wfp more yhen trad cleaning and the odd ones who dont like the mess will just get a trad w/c. But its no loss. My own round as increased by 40% in 15 months of wfp. I have lost about 10 customers who did not like wfp.

be positive, Nel.

[eddie d]

when i changed over about 2/3 yrs ago i lost maybe 10% of customers .i simply replased them with better paid jobs .it was quite a worry at the time but as with most things i was worried about nothing .

[Paul Coleman]

how daft are some people? - wants to save water!! Its a joke, over 70% of earth is covered in the stuff!!

Here's ya link.Now what i have i misread? Or do you have a desalination plant in those trucks as well?....

    He only said what was on the Earthj.  Didn't say he used it for cleaning windows.  Mind you, if droughts are to become more frequent (I know you have a big problem in Oz), scaled down desalination units may be the way to go eventually.

[Colin_Glenn]

I can see the benefits of WFP on Industrial Parks and difficult access stuff, but on houses?
Plus some of you boys have spent thousands on fitting out your trucks are doing 3 quid jobs?
i would'nt get out of my van for 3 quid.....

I've got 6 £3 jobs side by side, they take me a total of 20 mins, including seting up, and are at the end of a street where I work all day. Nice little finisher.

Oh, I also monthly earn 50% more using WFP doing the same houses that I used to do on ladders. Some of my customers have noticed that the pole is quiker than the squeegee and said that they are impressed by my profesionalism.

As to salt water, I don't know about that, it gives me dermatitis.

[NickOZ]

how daft are some people? - wants to save water!! Its a joke, over 70% of earth is covered in the stuff!!

Here's ya link.Now what i have i misread? Or do you have a desalination plant in those trucks as well?....

    He only said what was on the Earthj.  Didn't say he used it for cleaning windows.  

So what was he talking about then? In a discussion about WFP and Window Cleaning, you're now saying he was'nt actually talking about window cleaning.
The point was raised about drought, he added the world was covered in 70% of water.Sea water. Therefore i  can only assume you clean windows with sea water.

[NickOZ]

wfp is a joke, any tom dick or harry can brush a window with a water stick brush so i aint suprised that you've been sacked

Wahay! Thank goodness for Markberesford. I thought that once Squeaky had come over to the dark side we'd have no more uninformed inexperienced opinion about wfp.

Thankfully (and not for the last time) I was wrong!

 

Oh and if we're to have non-British Isles resident posters on the forum telling us what we should or shouldn't be doing NickOZ then give me Pat Purcell, PyloFm and (especially, yum yum  ) Texas Girl anytime!

I'm British too mate, and a resident 

[choice.clean]

well done all you wfp guys lets talk up wfp and remembe work on your business not in it.
and become a business man not self employed

[Liahona]

Good morning,  I have nipped over from the cleaning side but had a question.  Not so much on the subject of this posting but to do with wfp and traditional.  I work on a lot of listed buildings where there are lots of nooks and crannies and more importantly in some cases where the glass has started to go back to its liquid form it has dripped to the point of there being no glass at the top of the pane.  Accordingly these properties are cleaned with trad methods as wfp in some cases are not allowed to be used.  My question is how does the wfp system work and not get water everywhere and how does it out clean more of a hands on if that makes sense?  Again bear in mind I have no idea about either, apart from what I pressume which is dangerous of course.  I ask because a property I work on pay the window cleaners £38,000 a year to maintain all the "glass".  They, the cleaners are retiring and the client is now having to look elsewhere.  The present cleaning is done by trad methods as for reasons mentioned above.  Also a great deal of the windows are leaded and bowing to blazes.  The gentleman cleaning now has stated that wfp can not be used.  Just wanted to know a) if that is correct and if so does it mean that there will always be both used in the cleaning of glass business.  A wfp man has looked at the job to quote and has said to my client that wfp would be better to use.  As both are saying their way is better I just wondered on the thoughts of all you learned people in here.  I dont give a monkeys which system is to be used but they have asked my opinion so wantd to know.  I offered no opinion as it is not my field and accordingly didnt want to take on any responsability, again just wanted some feed back from your selves, best, Dave.