[Sapphire Window Cleaning]

How many customers are interested in what associations anyone belongs too?
If I want a tradesman I ask around for a recommendation, I couldn't care less if he has any qualifications or belongs to a club. I'll take others words that he has done a quality job at a good price.

As far as window cleaning goes if a commercial customer wants proof of insurance then give him a photocopy. It's only cleaning windows - do a bad job and they will simply sack you. We are hardly craftsmen anyway let's be honest.

What if they ask about what health and safety certificates you have?
And if they ask you what Health and Safety courses you've been on, what would you say?
Will you just tell them, its all common sense and you don't need Health and Safety certificates? lol

[BORBRYCE]

I would say p off too much hastle for the small amount of money that commercial work pays....its that simple. Residential all the way. No one needs to know, no one wants to know, you fill your book with hundreds of well priced residential jobs and give all the brain nippin stuff to the "real experts" 

Away to my bed now, nite all :

[Sean Dyer]

Ok mate

thats why all the big companies in uk clean domestic??

nope commercial, until you try it you wont understand the difference in money, with domestic to commerical theres no comparison easier to make money all day long

but without the paperwork etc you cant so maybe you will have to keep fiddling the books with them 3 bed semis

[BORBRYCE]

Sean, after more than 21 years doing commercial jobs I have come to the conclusion that organisations  such as the guild or similar are indeed good for your buisness if that is where you want to work and earn your crust. I just think that if you really want to make very good stress free money cleaning windows...in my experience only mind.....well I just know where to make it more and for less. Each to their own my man, thats all I am saying.

[HIGH LEVEL WINDOW CLEANERS (scrimmy)]

Ok mate

thats why all the big companies in uk clean domestic??

nope commercial, until you try it you wont understand the difference in money, with domestic to commerical theres no comparison easier to make money all day long

but without the paperwork etc you cant so maybe you will have to keep fiddling the books with them 3 bed semis

i disagree that there is more money in commercial.....true you may get the odd job that pays more but in my experience the commercial jobs i quote for want something for nothing, and the really big contracts seem to go to the nationals like mitie or ocs etc where the actual guy cleaning the window gets 6 quid per hour....i cant compete with that, so the best policy is to go for as many good paying commercial jobs as you can find, but always make sure you have at least an equal amount of domestic work to pay the bills when you lose that all important commercial job that was paying for your van each month, which happens...a lot.

[HIGH LEVEL WINDOW CLEANERS (scrimmy)]

achoo.

excuse me

[Niall McAllister]

you're inexcusable

[Niall McAllister]

just kidding

[HIGH LEVEL WINDOW CLEANERS (scrimmy)]

thats no excuse boo

[Window Washers]

Not got the house yet! My mrs has been helping out at the school for years - she is also involved in security work with her job. The school suddenly realised she had no crb check so she was instantly banned from the shool trips etc untill the check was done.
The fact that they are non-transferrable is a joke. Obviously thought up by some jobsworth as a way of boosting revenue to whoever charges for it.
Reading through this thread has made me angry that we live in such a crap society that thinks bits of paper are the way forward.  
As for NVQ's - don't start me on that but having witnessed someone pass one who could barely read or write made me realise what a load of toss his piece of paper was.  : (and that was far more advanced than any window cleaning certificate)

FTP does it mean just because a guy can barely read or write make you any better than him doing a manual job ?? maybe he can not read or write but he clearly has a good understanding how to move his business forward, this maybe something you really should think about before making insulting comments.
And just because this said person can barely read or write does not in anyway mean the nvq is a load of toss.

Feel better now

Ian

[Niall McAllister]

thats no excuse boo

sorry

[Sapphire Window Cleaning]

I have emailed you the documents Nat.





Matt

[Niall McAllister]

a lot of abuse on the forum at the moment.
an other advantage of the guild is that doesn't happen

[HIGH LEVEL WINDOW CLEANERS (scrimmy)]

thats no excuse boo

sorry

your now excused

[Nathanael Jones]

I have emailed you the documents Nat.





Matt

Got em!
Thanks Matt

[Niall McAllister]

Nat do you think there will be a good take up of guild membership?

[Mr T]

How many members do you have

[ftp]

Not got the house yet! My mrs has been helping out at the school for years - she is also involved in security work with her job. The school suddenly realised she had no crb check so she was instantly banned from the shool trips etc untill the check was done.
The fact that they are non-transferrable is a joke. Obviously thought up by some jobsworth as a way of boosting revenue to whoever charges for it.
Reading through this thread has made me angry that we live in such a crap society that thinks bits of paper are the way forward.  
As for NVQ's - don't start me on that but having witnessed someone pass one who could barely read or write made me realise what a load of toss his piece of paper was.  : (and that was far more advanced than any window cleaning certificate)

FTP does it mean just because a guy can barely read or write make you any better than him doing a manual job ?? maybe he can not read or write but he clearly has a good understanding how to move his business forward, this maybe something you really should think about before making insulting comments.
And just because this said person can barely read or write does not in anyway mean the nvq is a load of toss.

Feel better now

Ian

I don't think you understood the post. The NVQ I witnessed was in the print trade. A trade where I had to do a seven year apprenticeship no less! The NVQ system was brought in to replace apprenticeships. This enabled numpties like the guy I mentioned to pass an NVQ simply because he got someone else to fill it out for him (the training officer). Once they had the first guy through all the other trainees throughout the years simply copied all the coursework - just changing the name on the file.
One guy didn't even bother to copy the work but handed last years file in with his name on top and surprise surprise even managed to get better marks.
Maybe you can explain to me why a poorly educated person should be entitled to earn the same money and be called a craftsman when he clearly wasn't up to the job? Why do you send your kids to school?
An NVQ that can be completed in a matter of days is hardly an achievment is it?

[Nathanael Jones]

Nat do you think there will be a good take up of guild membership?

Last year 70% of current members pre-registered, and by the end of Jan member figures had surpassed the previous years maximum. At the moment we have 132 members and I've lost count of how many have pre-registered already,.. so 2010 is looking good for the Guild!

[Niall McAllister]

Nat do you think there will be a good take up of guild membership?

Last year 70% of current members pre-registered, and by the end of Jan member figures had surpassed the previous years maximum. At the moment we have 132 members and I've lost count of how many have pre-registered already,.. so 2010 is looking good for the Guild!

nice