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Rude customers

There is a guy just started in my area advertising on the local facebook selling page. Claims to clean windows the proper way using squeegies and scrim. Any house £6.I don't like this much but figured he will pick up the ones I don't want, so gave him little thought until he rang me and asked if I need a subie. He has been at it for three month and proudly boasts twenty customers.

I told him that I didn't need anyone, so he said 'well water fed is sh*t so you wont have a business soon and I'll have all your customers'

I laughed and wished him luck.
What a tw@t

 
Well I no what you mean mate. Its also another kick in teeth this week as I am flyering and door knockign probably all the ones he has done now /emoticons/sad.png I could cry, another person to contend with now. I will keep going as the advice you ahve given me Boracity has been a inspiration, your a legend!!
cheers for that. i guess i know, same as all the other old lags know ,how bleedin tuff it is when you first start up , and i like to give moral support .

 
that must have riled you , it would me
Yes in truth, I put the phone down in an unsavory manner and said (just like Tuffers) 'Tw@t',.............then got told off by the Mrs for using the word in front of the children. It's all good they didn't repeat it. :thumbsup:

so sp can I get him to clean one of my thirty pounders and just give him the six...?:rolleyes:
I'm sure he would be delighted CNC,:rofl:

It's madness slagging either method. I prefer WFP but can trad as well as anyone. I consider both to be skills or resources at my disposal. I have a few customers who insist on trad and thats fine, if I have to carry ladders and work harder then they pay more. I have a property that I would charge £25 for (wfp) but they want trad so they pay £40.

 
Well i am WFP and never slag off any trad guys or any other WFP guys in the area, there are a couple that stop and have a chat and others that give you the nod when passing, the only ones i find that give you the glare or aggro are the ones that are working on the side and charging £3 for a semi :thumbsdown:

Forgot to add i can trad as well, maybe not as fast but i can do it!:thumbsup:

 
do you think [generally] that trad prices are higher? or lower? than wfp
I think trad prices are lower especially if you work it out pro rata. But since going WFP, I'd defo charge more if I was asked to clean a property trad than I would've before WFP.

 
that figures. the big overheads should force WFP prices high. thats why im wondering about the guy whose transit is for sale now ,his "any house £5 " policy , could that pay off in reality?? you lads who are wfp should know

 
do you think [generally] that trad prices are higher? or lower? than wfp
I think lower, but I charge much more to try to convince them that wfp is the way forward. /emoticons/biggrin.png It's all about how you sell your service.

 
Since i started round here @boarcity , i have had to win customers over, due to some "window cleaners" not doing a proper job or being trusted by the customers, they dont have a very good reputation for being reliable or not stealing things, it is just a certain element but it gives us all a bad name, as one customers mother said to me today 'its alright for you lot you can just pocket the money and not declare it' then when she saw the van and gear i have her tune changed, it winds me up with people like that !:hey:

 
I don't get all the animosity between fellow windies

We're all in the same boat trying to feed the family and keep a roof over our heads

Way i see it if we can help each other then that is a good thing

For example i just found out a forum member is from my town so told him where i know there is no windie as i don't need anymore for now

Why not help rather than be rude for the sake of it

 
There is a guy just started in my area advertising on the local facebook selling page. Claims to clean windows the proper way using squeegies and scrim. Any house £6.I don't like this much but figured he will pick up the ones I don't want, so gave him little thought until he rang me and asked if I need a subie. He has been at it for three month and proudly boasts twenty customers.

I told him that I didn't need anyone, so he said 'well water fed is sh*t so you wont have a business soon and I'll have all your customers'

I laughed and wished him luck.
you're a bigger man than meI would have been ever so slightly ruder

 
I know most windies round here and we all get on

I still get random calls from a guy i know if he falls behind

He will call me knowing i will do em if i can and i will keep the money

Keeps his custys sweet

He used to be employed by the firm i subbed off

 
There was a trad guy doing the house next door to the one i was doing the other week, we got talking for about an hour and ended up swapping business cards i took his for if anyone want trad only and he took mine for any high work he gets that he cannot do!

We also got onto pricing and it appears i am charging more than double his price, told him he was mad and to get his prices up /emoticons/smile.png

 
Well I've been WFP for several months now. Just converting most of my customers over from trad to wfp. Prices remain the same for me.

WFP is quicker and safer for me.

Most customers seem ok with change over (propably because I've done a good job trad for years and wfp is just as good). Regards quality of clean, both methods have advantages/disadvantages. I used to think that trad was the best method being up close to glass, but since using wfp, I really like the results.

I do several customers houses both inside and outside. Even with trad, when u think u done a good job, (possably because of light on window or angle viewed at) when u go inside and clean u might see a little smear or mark. If it's bad u have to go back out and put it right.

I find the same with wfp. One my first cleans there was a little spotting somtimes when viewd from inside, but since my 2nd and 3rd cleans this is now minimal.

Me, I now prefer wpf over trad (and that is after 11 years trading).

Basically whichever method u use u need to do a proper job. There are good cleaners using trad and there a good cleaners using wfp.

But there are also bad cleaners of both methods.

edit.

I always ask customer for feedback. I've had no bad report from any customer yet concerning WFP. But to be honest I didn't have many bad results in all those 11 years trading.

 
23 years tradding for me but feel i have reached the point where pised off with ladders

Plus all the extra jobs that are easy stick waggling

It's not the tool at fault..it is the tool using the tool

 
daveryboy1

23 years tradding for me but feel i have reached the point where pised off with laddersPlus all the extra jobs that are easy stick waggling

It's not the tool at fault..it is the tool using the tool
daveyboy1.

It's a really hard choice to make the move from trad to wpf. But after my change I'm finding it the best choice ever made. wish i made it years ago. I found is not to rush it all at onse, but gradually change over customers.

Yeh ladder are hard work, but wfp can be hard work to. I did a whole day wfp including several 3 storey hosues and my neck and shoulder ached.

Talk about easy stick waggling, customer comes out toaday seeing my wfp and says can i do her velux windows in roof.

Well really green only 3 small windows so I say yeh £10 (10 mins). Job done happy customer, happy me. now every 2 months. (will be even easier) might post pics.

 
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