[Clive McDonald]

I know the sort you mean Matt, all mouth and no substance.The one you're on about the truant officer wants a word with.

You never brag about a rich tax, revile another cleaner, or drone on endlessly about how to save three quid by using an old broom handle.

There have been a lot of posts on this thread. So far I am only the only on who has admitted to embroidering the truth. The only sinners seem to be other people.

You can't all be telling the truth.

[Clive McDonald]

Actualy I could do with a bit of help. I want a pressure washer and a flat surface cleaner.

I undertand I need 200bar, but they are all so expensive any ideas?

[Majestic]

I got mine from here

http://www.merrillfoxenterprises.com/
really

[Clive McDonald]

Thanks. You're confirming what everyone else says (Merrill)

Express, tech clean, northern seem the english ones. Any hints on what I should get?

I wondered if anyone would help me after i had been spitefull, sort of an experiment.

[Pat Purcell]

11-13hp , 3800-4000psi
Of course I could be lying

[Clive McDonald]

And radius and type of surface cleaner? And 30m of non marking hose?
Do you do this type of work pat?
Is it big over there?(DOMESTIC)

Here (UK)many have electric diy machines, but I hoping it's going to catch on.

We are still on topic because everything American is bigger and better.

[Luke Johnson]

my pressure washer is 37000 psi

[Pat Purcell]

And radius and type of surface cleaner? And 30m of non marking hose?
Do you do this type of work pat?
Is it big over there?(DOMESTIC)

Here (UK)many have electric diy machines, but I hoping it's going to catch on.

We are still on topic because everything American is bigger and better.

Not anymore, never really did much of it othere than truck washing and a few vinyl sided house washes

[Pat Purcell]

my pressure washer is 37000 psi

Is that the one they use to launch the space shuttle

[steve k]

Pat...went to Cork City for the week and there are absolutely thousands of dirty windows in the city centre above ground floor...doesnt appear to be any WFP going on there...could be no-one marketing it or they have tried and got nowhere.

Seen 2 cleaners in the city centre doing shop windows with "sponges"!! and flimsy step ladders and taking AGES per window...I hardly seen a clean domestic window on the 2 mile route from my hotel (The Kingsley) into the centre...certainly seen no domestic cleaners.

It is also very expensive there.

[Pat Purcell]

Yeah I watched a few "window cleaners" in action myself last time I was there, It wasn't so much that they weren't trying hard , it was more the fact that they had absolutely no idea what they were doing
My brother in law works in the city and he has seen some wfp being used but said it resembled the Keystone Cops with a lot of stumbling and staggering and near misses with traffic etc, so i think there may be an opening but time will tell
Your correct its shockingly expensive, with no real reason for it other than just charging as much as they can get away with for everything with no thought to customer service or politeness(except for the foreign workers who while they have little english are polite to a fault) or any of the things one would associate wuth high prices
I hope you enjoyed yourself anyway, it can be a great town to party in and the scenery outside of the city is breathtaking
Im sure theres some very good window cleaners around there but theres a lot of glass and Im guessing that like everywhere else there will be the cheap and cheerful charleys and these may have been the ones Iv seen

[steve k]

was surprised at the lack of customer service actually...got out of the city as much as possible...Kinsale and Cobn (Cove)...superb

The city is so like Amsterdam with the canal and bridges.

[Pat Purcell]

Window shopping isn;t nearly as much fun though

[KJG]

I don't beleive I'm posting here at 1:30am, I've got to get up at 6am

[Ian_Giles]

I think most people tell the truth, but there is a fair bit of embellishment too I think, often with time taken to do jobs and of course income.

I certainly don't fear the eastern Europeans and the £7.00 an hour brigade.

As has already been said, some swarthy east European with a thick accent going around knocking on doors is going to find it an awful lot harder to pick up business than a Brit.
It also takes a long time to build a business, yes, you most certainly can earn very good money in this game, but as Shiner has said, it won't happen overnight, to be in the position of earning a grand a week is going to take years not months.

over time I've done a great many time and motion studies, and some of the times quoted on here to trad clean certain windows are complete cobblers, I've watched some of those that have a go at the speed cleaning competition at the various trade shows, you do see some skilled cleaners in action, but compared to Terry it's the difference between a Hare and a snail :

You will get lots of great advice on here, there is so much collective experience on hand, but there are those that try to big themselves up by exaggerating their exploits somewhat.

Ian

[groundhog]

You are probably right that people will be a bit wary of an Eastern European knocking on their door and asking in broken English if they can clean their windows, but things are starting to change already and they are getting a reputation for being hard working trustworthy people, it would only take one or two people to take them on, and then tell their neighboors that they are getting their windows cleaned for a fraction of what other people are paying, and then before you know it more and more people will take them on.
But the most worrying thing is the new businesses which are appearing, they are run by business men who employ slick sales teams to phone and call on an area offering discounted window cleaning to anyone who also uses their bin cleaning service, they employ teams of Eastern Europeans who work for less than £10 per hour! Its all ready started in my area, and many of my customers have been approached, none have left yet, but I will have to think very carefully about putting my prices up in the future! And if this business is successful it is inevitable that I will lose customers if they are offering window cleaning at half of what I would charge

[Clive McDonald]

Interesting Groundhog. I didn't know about this.
I have found them more aggressive or pushy than we are (i'm not talking about the eastern europeans) wanting me to sign a direct debit on the door step- gabble gabble- £3- gabble gabble- diect debit £9.Snatch the leaflet back off me on to the next house.

One of the things with a Traditional window cleaning round is compactness, I'd have thought this other thing is the same with numptys on. It's possible that what we are seeing is people trying to biuld something up to sell as a franchise.

I certainly see a lot of signed up vans driving around. They stop at one house then drive off. I've had two ask me how much my equipment cost.

Most ordinary people, maybe not you groundhog, or me, or most on this forum, would chuck the 20k in and then after six months have to get a job with holes in their shoes. So what you describe is scarry if you take it at face value but it might be scarier for the people buying in.

[Trevor Knight]

Guy's,

My advice, for what its worth, is I wouldnt worry about the what might happen, concentrate on your own business and make sure your work is reliable, professional and thorough.

This way, it really doesn't matter who knock's on your customers door, as long as you are doing all the right things its very unlikely they stop your services.

Lets face it, were talking about Eastern Europeans and alike when we are more probably at the will of the "here today, gone tomorrow" brigade who have been around for many, many years.

Don't worry about too much about the what if's, thats not to say ingnore them either, just keep your eye on things and concentrate on building a successful and strong window cleaning business.

regards,

Trevor

 

[Clive McDonald]

Good advice Trevor, but I think this topic was started so that issues could be aired and not ignored. I like debate, the more robust the better. This forum is also a good place for strong opinions unusual ideas and differing points of view.

Sometimes this is best expressed via bold statements, attention getting exagerations, and even outright lies, which basically is the topic of this thread.

What if's? Love 'em. APWC should try some.

[Trevor Knight]

What if's? Love 'em. APWC should try some.

Give me an example, I am always open to suggestions?