[Steve CM]

then i wouldn't employ you!

how many people on here say that employing doesn't work for them?

you need to have systems in place in order for it to work

[choice.clean]

i have had 2 customers recently phone me claiming lads were too quick but on both occasions i was near enough to visit on same day. i just knocked the door and asked them if they could show me the reason they said too quick one said well i put the kettle on and they had gone by the time it had boiled, ok but are the windows clean. the customer tried hard to find fault but was left with egg on there face as the windows were really good, i didn't say anything but left her with the feeling of embarassment hasn't complained since. second one yesterday phoned me they can't have called as no sign of cleaning i was 5 minutes away so said i would be there straight away, this customer hadn't even gone outside to check. she said they look smudged from inside her windows were dirty inside. went out with her to look, once again faultless.

[choice.clean]

continued
i think it is just the nature of some customers, they usually have never run a business and think what they pay you is all for you. and have no ideas of costs involved in providing a service. the only answer is to pity them and treat them in a professional way like the professional businessmen we are.
keep your chin up and remember we live in the real world. its tough out there.

[GAZZA B]

Dave,


I had soneone come over to me this week and said they would like me to clean there windows,

They were watching me from over the road, and I have taken over 30min to clean this house.

She has a window cleaner that just takes 10mins,

She also said they all watch you,

I think it is a bit of a mind game, if I finish to quack I do something in the van or just wipe down more


Gazza

[peter holley]

iv had this too quick thing in the past,since i went wfp i asked them if the windows were clean? yes came the reply!
some people just dont like the fact that a wc can earn xxx amount an hr, as its a job that is in the category of low pay in peoples perceptions

i dont mind realy i can use this perception to my advantage

[windowwashers]

then i wouldn't employ you!

how many people on here say that employing doesn't work for them?

you need to have systems in place in order for it to work

Works fine for me most of the time

[Steve CM]

then i wouldn't employ you!

how many people on here say that employing doesn't work for them?

you need to have systems in place in order for it to work

Works fine for me most of the time

what does? having systems?

[dai]

Dave, 5 minutes is the most flexible time frame, it's become synonymous with not a very long time.
when you are getting ready to go out, and your misses Say's I'll be ready in 5 mins, your tearing your hair out at the front door 15 mins later.
I bet your lads were there for longer than the actual 5 mins.

I took me all day once to fill a large skip with soil, a guy with a digger would have it filled in 5 mins.

[Terry_Burrows]

  I get sacked every day! :

[Wayne Thomas]

I clean one small house every month, takes no more than 5 mins max and the custie says to me everytime "you've missed the 1st window around the corner upstairs", (I haven't at all and inform him), "I'm very careful to never miss any windows", he then replies "well how come the window is bone dry and all the others are still wet"? I reply, "if you wait a few more minutes, they'll all be dry". There's no pleasing some people.

[Mike 108]

I've heard of 'cushy' jobs but - 'one small house every month' - THAT is easy!

[[GQC] Tim]

When I still lived on the continent, I once heard inspector frost say, there is a pair of eyes behind each curtain. Came to the UK, and boy how true that is, I've had this a number of times. I really do not care at all.

Couple of builders told my customer I was there for 20min. I was there for over 2hrs. Wanted to go back and sort them out to be honest. Jealousy, that's what it is.

[Wayne Thomas]

I've heard of 'cushy' jobs but - 'one small house every month' - THAT is easy!

It's getting a bit too hectic for me now with the shorter, winter months drawing in and I was thinking of possibly selling it but only if I could get ten times it's value

[SherwoodCleaningSe]

Me and the missus always used to work together on a property trad, but now we work separately wfp, so we can go twice as fast with no perceived increase in speed.  I was asked twice today if wfp is faster, my reply, "some places yes others no, you might see me and think it's faster but there is a lot of other stuff that takes up time like reeling out e.c.t.  Oh and you get clean frames."

Simon.

[Wayne Thomas]

Where I know a custie is in who really moans if I'm too quick, what I do is go back to the van and kill 5-10mins by having a bite to eat and a cuppa, then I reel my hose in before I knock on the door for the money (whilst grumbling to myself outloud about the sodding pump,etc) so the custie thinks the job took longer.

[take it slow]

Hi Mke. Perhaps its us that should be sacking off the people that dont pay all that well and just go looking for those rich people you were talking about. See you around Mike. I like the idea of sitting in the van as one guy mentioned to make the job take longer. Regards Tony

[AuRavelling79]

If I feel I'm being perceived as too quick by a custy the first thing I do is, with brush in hand knock the door so that when they open it they can see I've started. Then after I put everything away except a towel.

I go back and knock for payment (unless they've paid already and if they faff about getting the dosh or writing a cheque I'll wipe the nearby window cills or door frame to "finish off".

On one detached easy property I charge £25 and it takes me twenty minutes if I work briskly and they're not home. If they're home then at the twenty minute point I knock for payment and say I'll just wipe off the bottom cills while you write the cheque. It takes another minute or two to do that and I think it shows conscientiousness (albeit unnecessary for the quality of the job.)

[Ian Lancaster]

I used to do hundreds of little terrace houses, I had almost all the houses in the street and there were five long streets near the centre of town.  I did them all trad (going back many years).  The trick was to go all the way along the tops, then come back doing all the bottoms, then go along again knocking on the doors.  The custies had absolutely no idea how long I'd spent on each house. Neither did I

Since going WFP, I've given up these sort of jobs as there's always a problem with parking and 100m of hose along the road is asking for trouble.  I've got one area left where I can do about 30-40 modern two bed terraces front and back without moving the van - I still use the "all tops first" method, and I can exceed my usual hourly rate while still only charging £6 per house and no-one ever complains

[tomy jackson]

well thats ok steevy CM , but i still woodent work with a traker in van , if an employee is takeing the pee it dusent take long to coten on

[Steve CM]

your buisness is your investment so protect it as much as you can. If someone doesn't want to work under my rules for 23k a year then they can go work in a factory and pack burgers! the good ones get rewarded and don't slack off so they have nothing to hide from by having a tracker! the slackers and chancers try it on so the weak bosses get crushed. i ain't, won't and don't!!

comprende??