[Glen]

Has anyone got any problems with non-nationals undercutting prices? Where I live there has been a large influx of Eastern Europeans, whom are welcome I must stress, and they are mainly employed in menial jobs on the minimum wage that the locals won't do. The minimum wage is good to them so any extra is a real bonus. I haven't been undercut yet but it is a small community that I live in and I'm afraid of them putting downward pressure on prices.

[Duke]

you work in multiples of 10p ?....I work in multiples of 50p...and I dont even like to stop for under a fiver....maybe it's the area I'm in....Bumper, your too cheap mate...

[dustycorner]

I agree with Duke wouldn't put my prices up by anything less than 50p , know your worth theres plenty of customers out there who will pay decent price for a good, reliable, professional service.

Have a good weekend all.

Cheers Mark.

[thewindowcleaner1]

I went to collect the money from a customer the day after I'd cleaned the windows, the fella came to the door and refused to pay, I was told that it was his wife that had arranged for me to clean the window's and as she no longer lived there I should find her for the payment.

On another occasion I was hit with the comment that I was greedy putting my prices's up by .50p I replied by telling her that As I've been increasing my prices by .50p every year for the last three years in fact I'm actually increasing by a lower % every year,
And if that don't keep them quiet I just smile and blame the missus.

[rosskesava]

We do a large commercial round 2 days a week and today we lost one of our ok jobs to a real cheapie unknown window cleaner.

The job was weekly and was a Carpet Right showroom and consists of about 20 or so 9ft square paines. We did just the outsides one week and the the outside  plus insides the following week etc etc.

We charged £10 for the outsides and then the following week £20 because it was the outsides and insides. The work took about 15 minutes for the outsides and the same again for the insides for 2 of us.

It was also bang in the middle of where we have a fair amount of work already.

This newbie window cleaner is charging a fiver for the outsides and £7.50 to do the insides as well on his own.

I bet he thinks he's scored but I think within a few months or maybe weeks we'll be back there doing the windows.

We may not though. If that happens I may just tell them to stick it where the sun don't shine because if they are stupid enough to think someone can hope to make any money at such a stupidly low price then what would stop them doing that again when the next undercutter comes along.

My thought are that the manager is thinking to cut costs knowing that the newbie won't last long and then use us again untill the next one comes along.

The only time I ever take work from another window cleaner is when after keeping an eye on shops etc that have dirty windows for weeks on end, I find out the w/c is charging them for weekly cleans and not doing the work. In those cases I think it's tough luck.

I would never undercut just to get the job.

[Ian Rochester]

Just got asked yesterday to do a womans property as "there were no window cleaners in the area" went there today to price it for her, small terraced house 8 windows (2 very small) priced it at £5.00 (our basic).  Response, "I was only paying £3.00 before".  "Sorry our minimum is £5.00" got it and dropped leaflets in estate got another 14 whilst we were there.  Due to be done 2 weeks time.

[s.hughes]

I never put my prices up by 0.50p its always a min of £1. Mind you on most of my round the prices dont go up for years. I put the price of one house up the other day by £3.00 no-probs,(it was a large house about an hours work) but its not always like that. When I get them that say their last window cleaner did the job cheaper I simple ask where he is???. It tends to put the point over.

[texas girl]

Always charge more for the first clean!

It is sad that people lie to your face like that!  Maybe hide a recorder and play it back to them; maybe it would not matter.

I would for sure charge more for first time no matter what.  I always charge more each first clean.

Why frustrate yourself with feeling like a chump? I have been there done that; and I have learned. It is adding stress that you do not need.

Too bad liers make it that way, but who do they think they are saying " I will pay this amount only".

They have it backwards; you charge them; they do not offer what they feel it is worth! An agreement is an agreement!

Too bad some people suck at character and honesty.

Good luck,

and hugs,

Texas Girl

[Londoner]

Do you not think that even if you only charged £1 there would be someone who would think you were too dear.

Five pound man has always been around but in my experience isn't usually around for long. The damage he does often lasts longer than he does.

[lee_dewing]

hi, i've started charging 30% more for new cleans say £13 first time then next time £10 as i got p**sed off cleaning filthy windows only to be told once a month's a bit much come back every now and then on a tel call, I've found if they except the extra one off cost their be good customers, If they quibble saying there be regular loyal business then tell them you've got more than enough as it is & look in the yellow pages or some other couldn't care less line.
Lee_dewing ps. anyone got any good pricing methods I price on £20 p/hr i.e 15mins be £5,got a 5000 l/lets going out wonder if there's anyway of trying to gauge a price on phone to customer as travelling to property pricing and waiting for yes or no time consuming.

[zeusjazmin]

for 2 years i cleaned a shop in/out,had to wait for the guy to move lots of tins of paint from the window display,then he would casually take down all the posters on the windows
i informed him the price would rise from £10 to £15,for 2 reasons
no 1 it was underpriced at the beginning
2 i would have to wait around for 15 mins till he moved everything
he was not too happy ,but i gave him the option ,i would try to gat another cleaner for him who would do it for £10,his reply was  " no you are reliable,i will stick with you"
then another window cleaner told me he was asking him to do it for £10,without a receipt!
i had great pleasure in informing him i would no longer be his window cleaner and the other chap he asked would not be doing it either
his face was a picture!!!!
if in the next few months he asks me back i will inform him the price is now £25

[thewindowcleaner1]

I used to do a little corner shop and the accomodation I think I charged about £6 it only took me about 15 minutes (this is before WFP's) one morning I went in to the shop to collect the money and the woman seemed quite upset that I was charging £6 for 15 minutes work, so I gave her the option of I would make the job last longer but would charge more. No more said, droped it in the end though started messing me around  ie miss us this time ect.

Alan

[Londoner]

Thats the other one! Not today because..........
And then you get some elaborate excuse. If they just said they hadn't got the money it would be OK.

[dai]

I have one customer that has been messing me about for some time. I told her that my price was based on reguler 4 weekly cleans. She promised to have them done regular in  future. She was ok for 3 months then put a no windows today note in her window. I posted a note for her saying that she had been removed from my regular list, any future cleans would be based on my casual rate which is 50%higher.   DON'T THINK SHE WILL BOTHER ME AGAIN.