[Ian_Giles]

Funny you should say that Vince, my mouth does the same thing Hope it isn't infectious
Though I think some have it real bad, instead of saying £20.00 they say £5.00

Ian

[Grafters Cleaning Services]

priced up 2 new jobs today both 3 bed semis,
priced @ £9-00 each using wfp

[zeusjazmin]

here in ayrshire price is £2.50--£3.00,trying to ask anymore would result in being chased

[AuRavelling79]

Good Grief Zeus! - that's not worth getting out of bed for!

[sue bell]

COULD ANY ONE GIVE ME AN IDEA ON THE PRICE OF A SCHOOL  ACADEMY AND A PRIMERY SCHOOL.....INSIDE AND OUT PER CLEAN. ACADEMY HAS THREE LEVELS I CAN GIVE THE GLASS METERS IF YOU NEED IT. ONLY GUIDE WILL HELP. 

[rosskesava]

With jobs like that I either pretend to go through the actions of doing one whole room or actually do it and time myself to give an idea of the total time.

I then always add on 20% to the time because I think we will be quicker than we are and work out the man hours and multiply it by 12 (£12 an hour).

It's also worth asking what happened to the previous people who did the cleaning and what they charged.

I've always got confused working things out by the glass metreage because of of access to each paine etc can be different which affects the time taken.

Hope that helps.

[windows_chepstow]

With jobs like that I either pretend to go through the actions of doing one whole room

Ross,

Do you ever get any of those jobs that you 'pretend' to do the windows?  Doesn't the Facilities Manager think, "Oops, we've got a 'crazy' here", and ask you if you get the contract, "Would you do it for real?"

Just on the limited large contracts I've quoted for; I can't imagine saying, "Wait there while I work out how long it'll take me", and then start pretending to clean the windows with invisible squeegies.

I once quoted for South Wales Argos, a local newspaper; the reporters would've reported on me!

[rosskesava]

Hi Windows

Yes I and we've done the whole pretend thing often - once with about 6 amazed managers/employees  looking on but then when you turn up all dressed in black, wearing bowler hats in a converted hearse that looks like something from ghost busters and work in the Brighton area where wierd or odd is normal.......

In fact, a short time ago all 3 of us did the pretend thing including having an argument over who pretended to do which windows and the whole lot, wringing out the chamois, wetting the mop and so on. The 2 managers or who ever they were could not believe their eyes but behind that was a serious intent, to get an idea of the time taken. That was for a reasonably large contract with Asda and we got the job.

I also do a Matrix meets Kung Foo Window Cleaner type thing in people's gardens (with a mop in one hand and a sqeegie in the other) and sometimes in front of odd commercial properties we do.

Sometimes doing bizare things gets work because it is bizare. Try it sometime - it works and it's fun and gets you 'out' of yourself because you're just acting and more important, people remember you and anyone only has take one look at our work vehicle to realise we are professional. I hope .........

I've also been practising the 'Terry Burrows' thing of swirling the squeegie around and around in circles in the middle of the window. Just for when I'm being watched.

[sue bell]

ROSSKESAVE, WHERE IS THAT PICTURE FROM.

[sue bell]

  ;)IS THERE SOME KIND OF MALE BONDING GOING ON .....OR CAN A WEE BLOND LASS FAE BONNY SCOTLAND JOIN IN : :

[rosskesava]

Hi Sue

I don't understand the bonding thing. I never have. For me, bonding is what glues do. I don't think there is any bonding going on and anyway, I wouldn't have a clue how to bond over the internet.

So just jump in and join in.

I live down here but I was born in Morar in the west near the Isles of Skye. I'm from audsworld so a bonnie wee lassie is jings tae boot.

Sorry - added this a bit later. The picture is taken from Seaford on the South Coast looking along the cliffs towards a place called Birling Gap. It's really the start of the cliffs that go towards Beachy Head near Eastbourne and Beachy Head is Britains number one suicide spot. Great eh?

Prices around that area are very very high for window cleaning but it's a hard market to break into. We have just one but as it's not far from us, we do it. £60 for a very large 6 bedroomed Victorian house. Takes about an hour for 3 of us plus about 20 minutes traveling each way etc.

Also, the 3 I refer to is the 3 of us who work together most of the time for mutual benifit. The other 2 don't go on this forum mainly because they don't have pc's.

Ross

[AuRavelling79]

Ross - is Beachy Head really Britains top suicide spot? Here in Bristol we've got the 250ft high Clifton Suspension Bridge which gets a fair amount of jumpers. (But recently they've raised the fence sides and curved them inwards so you'd have to be pretty dexterous to try it!) There are even notices at each end with the SAMARITANS phone numbers on them.

[rosskesava]

Hi MalcG

On the local radio the other week was a whole thing about how to reduce suicides from Beachy Head as it's 'Britain's number one place'....... but the press/tv/radio do say things for publicity and effect.

They said that on average there's one every 3 weeks and the history of jumpers from that spot goes back hundreds of years.

I couldn't find anything on the net about the Clifton Suspension Bridge but there again, I don't live in that area.

[jsm]

here in ayrshire price is £2.50--£3.00,trying to ask anymore would result in being chased

Wow - : o that don’t buy the fairy down in Essex; D

round our way we have two sorts of window cleaners - them and us --- them ,the window hitters -  B&Q ladders , car that looks like it came from the breakers , 5 kids looking like some gangster rappers trying to charge £3 for a bit of drug money LOL - only last a week or so

Us - Window cleaning PRO's , A ladders, matching Uniform’s, INSURANCE (wonder how many domestic's have that ?? ) smart van , buckets on belts etc etc - invoice for work done
With stamped addressed envelope so we get payment t quick.

Window seals/frames wiped always.

for this we work on £30 per hour for domestic houses, we do some estates where we park the van but we like the ones that you have to drive to - clean - then jump in the van to the next, I find we can charge more because we make a special journey just for them (even though we just come round the corner!)


Something I have used from the beginning is -Its easer to clean and get paid for one £15 house than 2 at £7.50, this has worked for me.

We haven’t taken on work for 2 years now as we have 6 weeks to do in 4!! But we still get people begging/ running down the road asking us to give us a quote - so price isn't an issue with most; they just want someone who turns up monthly and spend a bit of time doing a good job .

[Londoner]

Good point John
Image plays a BIG part in all this and it is so badly neglected by many otherwise sensible cleaners.

We've got a lot of "thems" around here too.