[H h20]

  Has anyone else been a victim of companies taking over or buying out others and they totaly change everything,including us the window cleaner?
Well it happened to me not long ago i was doing 2 Safeway supermarkets for almost 6 years and if it isnt common knowledge by now Morrisons took over and used bigger contractors(thanks very much)if any of you have done this to us locals,it has put a massive hole in my wages,and it is difficult to get back on track mentally and financially especially having a morgage and kids,its happened to me 3 times now since ive been a window cleaner(16 years),but never the less i do keep my chin up and plod on because im a firm believer of the old saying" as one door closes another one opens".

[Duke]

only happened to me on a small scale...but that was my choice..and my business and knowledge of the business as a whole grew....so in this case, I was happy....

[windows_chepstow]

H2O, It may sound obvious, and I don't want to sound patronising; but why did you put all your eggs (or a large part of them) into one basket?

Surely a good mix of work will never let you down?  Taking on big jobs and limiting your other work can only mean being let down in the long term.

[H h20]

H2O, It may sound obvious, and I don't want to sound patronising; but why did you put all your eggs (or a large part of them) into one basket?

Surely a good mix of work will never let you down?  Taking on big jobs and limiting your other work can only mean being let down in the long term.

Well i guess you are right on one hand but on the other if you want to take on good paid jobs and hope they carry on then thats one way of making your business grow,so if any more jobs come up like that then im still going to go for them because after all i did do them for almost 6 years,its the initial impact that gets to you ,so you just have to battle on and it makes you more determond to get back on your feet.

[s.hughes]

I had it years ago with office cleaning contracts, I did a load of extra work for this 1 company and I cleaned their offices everyday for years. When my wife was in labour I still went in as she is never quick a births. I let them know this and I still lost the contract because another company was slightly cheaper.
The thing that bugs me is that this other company cleaned offices in the same building and I decided not to even try to put a quote in on theirs because I would feel bad about that (their living & all) what a mistake that was.
Anyhow I had made them sign a 3 month dismissal contract and held them to it. Durring this time I stuck to my cleaning spec, no extras, no nothing. They kept leaving notes around telling me to do this and that, but no way. They called me in as I was not doing the extras. When I told them I had always done it as extras they were shocked because it really was a lot more work, and I had been doing it for over 3 years. They showed me the spec of the new cleaners and I found that they would be doing even less.
Tough luck on them.

Anyway getting back to the point, I agree with chepstow. When that office clean went it really hit me for quite some time.
I have a lot of good work but I try never to rely on it although most the time I do.
The problem with supermarkets is that they are know for this sort of thing. There really isnt any loyalty there.
Still if they wanted them cleaned and it was a good earner then I would do it.

Steveyboy

[rosskesava]

Hi H h20

Recently we lost a really really good contract with Carpet Right in a way similar to yours except that this company had phoned up the head office of Carpet Right and said they'd get the same job done done for less nationally.

The staff working in the shop we done wanted us to carry on but head office said etc etc.

This company was one that has reps that drive around towns and offer to get window cleaners work and they'd found a w/c to do the job at a knock down price. That company then collects the money from Carpet Right and then they pay the w/c.

That w/c who took that job is a mug.

That's how it goes and I agree that one door shuts and another opens.

We were a bit annoyed but then we got other work and now it's a case of 'stuff Carpet Right'.

I don't know I'd agree with seeing it as being a victim though. Business is business and these things happen to even the largest of companies.

There is plenty of work out there and as you got that contract, you'll get another.

Cheers

Ross

[H h20]

Hi H h20

Recently we lost a really really good contract with Carpet Right in a way similar to yours except that this company had phoned up the head office of Carpet Right and said they'd get the same job done done for less nationally.

The staff working in the shop we done wanted us to carry on but head office said etc etc.

This company was one that has reps that drive around towns and offer to get window cleaners work and they'd found a w/c to do the job at a knock down price. That company then collects the money from Carpet Right and then they pay the w/c.

That w/c who took that job is a mug.

That's how it goes and I agree that one door shuts and another opens.

We were a bit annoyed but then we got other work and now it's a case of 'stuff Carpet Right'.

I don't know I'd agree with seeing it as being a victim though. Business is business and these things happen to even the largest of companies.

There is plenty of work out there and as you got that contract, you'll get another.

Cheers

Ross

Work is coming in again,i just thought i would just mention it as a topic to see if it has happened to anyone else and yes there is a lot of work out there,but it  is just annoying to lose work because some t#@t decides he can make changes and couldn`t  give a s@#t who it affects....

[rosskesava]

Hi H h20 again

They don't give a damn do they.

They're like the stereo type used car salesman in his cheap imitation crocodile shoes with a vipers smile and slime oozing from his finger tips.

Cheers

[H h20]

Hi H h20 again

They don't give a d**n do they.

They're like the stereo type used car salesman in his cheap imitation crocodile shoes with a vipers smile and slime oozing from his finger tips.

Cheers

Nicely put,and what makes it worse is it isn`t even their business like it is ours,they probably end up leaving to go to work somehere else to wreck some other poor b@#tards life!

[thewindowcleaner1]

Recently we lost a really really good contract with Carpet Right in a way similar to yours except that this company had phoned up the head office of Carpet Right and said they'd get the same job done done for less nationally.

I do the local carpet right and have done for several years, and the subject of a national company taking over the cleaning has never arisen?

Years ago i used to do several Kwik save shops (I arranged this with the local Distric manager) then along came a company that did all the shops nationally, I learn't from that experiance that although it was nice to have a regular lump of money comming in I never sit back and enjoy but continue to look for addition work, this in turn allows me not to become reliant on any one customer
Alan

[gaza]

Iwould only work for a supermarket with a loyalty card [couldnt resist that own]

[rosskesava]

I do the local carpet right and have done for several years, and the subject of a national company taking over the cleaning has never arisen?

Hi Alan

That is interesting.

Could you possiblby ask in the store you do if they've had a similar memo and pm me?

Cheers

Ross

[jsm]

I used to do all of Essex Fords Showroom windows 4 years ago , they gave me the push for a cheaper company and i lost £1200 a month  over night - a week before my wife gave birth to our Triplets 
lucky i had other work to fall back on but £1200 a month is a lot of money to find , a few months after I was back up to full pelt with work coming in ,

 looking back now I don't miss the getting up at 5am and going back in at 5.30pm to do some more bits around the sites at all, but at the time it was a great blow .
One old boy window cleaner once said to me that never do more than £200 's worth of work a month for a customer , co's if you lose it it's not the end of the world - but £1200 is to most small window cleaning firms .

[windows_chepstow]

One old boy window cleaner once said to me that never do more than £200 's worth of work a month for a customer , co's if you lose it it's not the end of the world -

I think that's sound advice if you don't intend to employ; raise the £200 to £400 maybe!

[rosskesava]

Personally, I just keep in mind that business comes and business goes.

I don't for one second expect us to keep all our commercial customers forever.

We've lost some in the past but have picked up new ones sometimes by canvassing, sometimes by word of mouth and sometimes by good luck.

Bit by bit it is increasing with a few set backs here and there by by and large, it does increase.

After all, our commercial work started with just one shop and now is a full 2 days work. It didn't happen over night and every week we drive past customers who are long gone.

It'll be the same next year. We'll have more work and some lost customers also.

Cheers

[Malcal]

Hi All
Local Pub, new manager changed me, the contract cleaners, janitorial supplies, doormen and gaming machine operators within 8 weeks. So beware.
Cheers Mal

[baldeagle]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that no business should, normally, allow any one customer to represent more than 15% of total turnover.
Don't know whether that sort of figure might be worth bearing in mind?
Baldeagle in Staffordshire

[Duke]

so as long as you always keep 7 customers that each account for 15% of your turnover....any more is profit.... or should I put the cider away now....?

[Jonathan Adams]

Hi

So what if you won a £????k contract you quoted for, would you turn it down i know i would'nt. I think some people make the mistake of getting a big contract then resting on their laurels maybe cutting their advertising and not pushing as hard (if at all) for new work. Don't get complacent always look for new/better work. Of course there are the people who are generally happy with there lot but if like me you have young mouths to feed and want to retire at a reasonable age then keep pushing for that work.

Jonathan