[windowswashed]

I would never undercut another local window cleaner. What's the point in undercutting and ending up with work that's underpriced which will at a later time be dropped for better paid work when your round is full. If you have a roundfull of underpriced work how do you manage to put away for rainy days, emergencies, holiday and sickness pay?

[mick partington]

hmmm same things happening in painting game 2 yrs ago the going rate was £11-12 pr hr a freind of mine who runs a shop fitting business seid hes now getting tenders were painters are saying thay,ll work for £6 per hr just to keep in work poles are going back home better wages there now.

[tonyoliver]

pcnw i do my job cos i love it 22 years  no exit stratagum i love my little job so do many more on here we are window cleaners we are not fixated on profit and the next touch giid luck when you leave but dont help to decimate our industry you never know when you might need  it again

[PCNW]

Like i said before i dont operate this way anymore- once i got all the work i raised the prices to more than they were before therefore raising the areas going rate as i charged more then the origional window cleaner - The aim was to put get themout of the area - When i did this i was in danger of losing my work plus not being able topay te repayments on my debts i took out for van/equipment and to buy a few rounds to get started so at first it was out of fear of failure but then i got more money then i thought was possible and got rid of wcs and raised the prices higher then before but our quality of clean sold them prices - I had more overheads plus staff from day one now i dont need that many houses as my overheads are slashed and im more experienced...

[Gaby P.]

Like i said before i dont operate this way anymore- once i got all the work i raised the prices to more than they were before therefore raising the areas going rate as i charged more then the origional window cleaner - The aim was to put get themout of the area - When i did this i was in danger of losing my work plus not being able topay te repayments on my debts i took out for van/equipment and to buy a few rounds to get started - I had more overheads plus staff from day one now i dont need that many houses

You need to leave that funny wacky baccy alone

[PCNW]

thanks love but i dontsmoke it im naturaly high

[Murdie window cleaning]

thanks love but i dontsmoke it im naturaly a plonker

sorted that for you 

[daz1977]

so PCNW your aim when you started was to undercut everyone, drive them out of the area them pump up the prices, so what is stopping people doing this to you, it cant be customer loyalty as they all dumped there window cleaner to go to you,  could this be the reason that you are selling your rounds as people are under cutting you and you are losing work and that is why you want to get rid of your bro in law

[drwindows]

I remember when Stagecoach (the bus company) was taking over routes all over the place.  They would try to buy out local operators, and if they refused to sell they massacred them.

They would set up bus stops a few yards from the local operators, and run 6 buses to their 1.  They would also charge like half the price for a fare.

Stagecoach was a big business and could easily afford to run at a loss like that, but it put the local operators out of business within a few months.

Once they had the market to themselves with no competition, they raised prices far higher than they ever had been. So by the same token, PCNWs strategy is a sound one...

BUT this is window cleaning, and IMO there is more than enough work out there for everyone, there just isnt any need to try to take work of other people.

[dave.e]

Hi PCNW you can come round by me if you wish and try and under cut me and some others but your get one almighty kicking and you won't do it again

[NBwcs]

So you dont carry out  this business practise anymore, and your packing in window cleaning shortly. What exactly motivated you to start this post? Strikes me your just a wind up merchant.

[windowcleaninginessex.co.uk]

I don't go out of my way to undercut, but imagine if for some unknown reason you lost lots of work.
I know i would do anything to keep paying my bills, mortgage, etc,  also keeping the family in the living style they are used to.
EVEN IF THAT MEANS UNDERCUTTING OTHERS

[Thomas Ecclestone]

Once they had the market to themselves with no competition, they raised prices far higher than they ever had been. So by the same token, PCNWs strategy is a sound one...

Certainly it is for stagecoach, but to start a trad window cleaning business costs a few hundred, whereas a coach business costs millions. There's no way you'd ever drive all the competition out of the market.

Besides, if you tried it in my area, I know there are other window cleaners who are not as civil as myself, who would make your life a living hell.

[Kwackers]

Quote your price, if your cheaper then you are, don't purposely undercut but there is nothing wrong with a bit of competition. You are a business at the end of the day

[sparklebright]

To make a policy of undercutting is short sighted.
If you go along and say 'Well you are paying £10 but I'll do it for £8' then you are lowering the value (in people's eyes) of the work both you and every other window cleaner does.
A continued erosion of the price merely leads to it being difficult to get a fair price for your work

I would suggest you read 'The ragged trousered philanthropists' along with 'The Grapes of wrath' Both books illustrate what happens when a large body of desperate people under cut each other. The only winner is the person who gets you to do the work for a pittance.

Do the more intelligent thing, only work for the right price, it takes longer to build a round, but it's better than being a busy fool.

[PCNW]

Once i got the work i out the prices back up again to more than they were before - The only reason i built rounds like this was i was in danger of losing alot of work so instead of fighting it out i expanded rapidly. The guys who tried to get my work were dealt with but as i said i would never expand this way again because it brought trouble like i expected it to but at the time i didnt think i had much choice - Now when i canvass i just go for a price im happy with and i know the business can operate at a profit after tax/wages etc with no intensions of undercutting -

As for the question i was only saying any other sector this way of getting rid of competition is good business - As for wcs getting angry we have had and given our fare share abuse and at first we did make life hard for alot of wcs but we are now very co-operative - This also helps our business image because wcs chasing each other and fighting etc wont gain you customers

Thanks for the replys anyway

[Kwackers]

Not sure if my answer makes sense. If they ask for a quote give them one. If you are purposely undercutting then shame on you, but if they choose your price over someones elses and they are your rates then so be it. As I said, this is business.

[Window Washers]

Building a business by undercutting short term is madness long term is bonkers as these type of customer are throw away. they will leave as soon as the next undercutter comes, this does in a way help me 

If I am asked to quote I do, but I am not intersted in others prices nor undercutting them, im not the cheapest out there or the most expensive,

[windymiller]

I thought platinum was only keeping his remaining window cleaningrounds  for his employee as he was concentrating on his construction business.
Then he decides to get rid of his employee who is supposedly cleaning the  round for him.
He also asks how to price jobs(pubs) even tho he is an  experienced window cleaner and should know how to price jobs. Even tho you havnt cleaned similar jobs how are you ever going to get on in the construction industry!! ask fellow builders how to price construction jobs like you ask fellow window cleaners how to price jobs.

By the looks of his latest listing he is concentrating more on his window cleaning than construction!!

To me this guy dosnt know whether he is coming or going, if he is experienced in window cleaning then he dosnt know how to price jobs. To me he is in the land of make believe.

[PCNW]

im currently waiting iso accredition on the construction side and yes i have got rid of my employee - the rounds are for sale and i number of buyers are viewing the rounds in the next few weeks - Im enjoying what im doing and things are progressing nicely - As for pubs i havent cleaned pubs and im not going too as the pub in question only wanted a clean every 6 months and was caked in smoke on the inside and dirt on the outside
Thanks again for the posts