Quoting the work of other cleaners

[Cghwindowcleaning]

Just curious to know your views on quoting a job of another cleaner you know.

I' know most jobs will have a cleaner at some point and I don't mean quoting the jobs of people you don't know.

Other time you will get to know fellow window cleaners and help each other out have a good conversation with ect so would you price a job you knew they had?and how would you feel if they priced one of yours?

 

[ksp]

Honestly, if it was someone I knew and liked and couldn't do it to them. That's not to say you could trust them not to do it to you though.

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[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

Not at all bothered, they may be polite to chat to but they don't pay my bills.

Also if that client is already looking else where then your mate has already lost the contract, best he lose it to you than some other oink on your patch.

 

[adamangler]

Couldnt care less also, only interested in myself to be honest. just price what you want if you get it great if not good for the other guy.

 

[Chris33]

There is one or two local I wouldn't quote on their houses other than that fair game.

This is a personal choice but I wouldn't make any decision that was going to be actually detrimental to my business....a random house or two to me here, isn't worth messing with some solid friendships with a couple of cleaners

Ie ones where we borrow each other's stuff and generally help out with stuff.

 

[Part Timer]

If the customer has asked you then fair game. If you don't quote then they will get someone else to. As long as you quote a price that fits your pricing structure then you shouldn't have any qualms. If they followed the same rules I wouldn't have a problem.

 

[Dave B]

I have a couple of windy friends in this town who are also on here coincidentally

I wouldn't do it to them purely as it doesn't sit well with my moral code of ethics

Yes it may be turning down money but i believe in karma and not stitching your mates up

For example i had an enquiry in an area i know Cgh works and i had a feeling it may of been his so a quick ring to check and it wasn't so i quoted it..if we all behaved like that things would be great

if someone is looking elsewhere then what is to stop them doing the same to me for a cheaper quote

If i get messers who i then dump or they dump me i actually warn my mates so they don't get saddled with a bad customer and they do the same for me

@Adams0211 is the same and we have quite a few addresses we won't touch as the other one of us has had problems

 

[Gavin]

Not that I clean anymore. When I did I got quite friendly with a local cleaners. He passed me some jobs and I passed him some. It's not something I could do if I knew it was theirs.

 

[Markyboy 50]

Well here's a story about fellow window cleaners. There's a local cleaner I was friendly with. Helped each other with little jobs. Covered his shops when he was on hol etc. we had even been out for a bite to eat a few times. I had cleaned an old peoples home for over 30 years. Nice earner. £280 for 6 hours work( he didn't know the price). His mate became the warden here. 6 months later he had the contract. He never told me it was him that took it from me. Made all the right noises when I was moaning about losing it. I only found out when I done a drive by one day. Consequently we don't speak anymore which is a shame as we got on well. Never trust anyone!!

 

[Iron Giant]

I personally don't agree with going behind someones back, But in the past I have had my own incident(s) with a apparent mate so now I trust no one regarding work and I wouldn't ask anyone to help me out at all or pass them work on.

 

[dmw]

To some money comes way above friendship and camaraderie.

 

[Clisty1989]

id tell the other windy the custy is asking me for a quote, then if he doesn't really want it ill go in high, if he does ill walk away/go in really high so that they think they've got it cheap and keep him on (all with the other's windys permission)

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

Yes it may be turning down money but i believe in karma and not stitching your mates up

It's not about the money @daveyboy or 'moral fibre' or some such tosh. If that person is asking you for a quote then your 'mate' has most likely already lost that job weather they know it or not. Happy customers don't just randomly start shopping about.

I personally don't agree with going behind someones back

Going behind their back? Insinuates you have a list of all of their clients so you know who's who and you have some form of agreement in place not to poach those custys. I work an area with over 300'000 residences and god knows how many window cleaners. No way you could keep track of all of them and would never bother.

(all with the other's windys permission)

HAhahahahahah, when he starts paying my bills and feeding my family I will ask his 'permission'

In short lads, if a client / customer has a windy and they are shopping around there is two reasons. 1 the customer is a tight wad pain in the back side that you don't want on your book anyhow. 2: Your mate is doing a **** job and deserves to be dropped!

 

[Clisty1989]

In short lads, if a client / customer has a windy and they are shopping around there is two reasons. 1 the customer is a tight wad pain in the back side that you don't want on your book anyhow. 2: Your mate is doing a **** job and deserves to be dropped!

hence going in high, means the tight ones won't bother, as for your second point, its valid, however it could be the kick up the **** they need to improve the quality of there work.

 

[PDixon cvs]

Of someone has asked me for a quote I will quote but I've found out over the past year I'm at least a couple of pound more expensive than others but they all seem happy with my work so don't mind

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[Markyboy 50]

And to continue with my moan about that job stealer, a few months before he took my old peoples home, the local Costa which he cleans asked me for a quote. I made it a lot dearer than he charges to help him keep it. And he's still got it to this day!!

 

[kevin Billington]

Agree with Daveyboy, Markeyboy he cannot moan if the Karma comes back on him. We usually tell each other if a customers starts asking for quotes. Its usually after the same cheaper, there was a guy going around quoting £2 for shop frontages, a few lost shops to him, a few weeks later the shops were coming back to the old guys wanting them back. Apparently he had one scrim and was just going round wiping over the windows with that. So the trouble was he had set the price, they still only wanted to pay £2. The guys had to stand firm and up their price from their old price. They taught them, you get what you pay for. So the cheap service attracted them, not the quality of the window cleaners work

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[Iron Giant]

I typically wouldn't touch shop fronts with a barge pole the prices are peanuts with cleaners squabbling over a few quid and shop owners who have no loyalty whatsoever and only want to pay peanuts.

As for CGH I am pretty sure he is potentially talking about some well priced commercial work so it would be 10's or 100's of ££££ rather than a few quid so more of bone of contention in terms of it weighing on his conscience maybe and potentially having a fallout.

 

[Cghwindowcleaning]

Interesting people's views on this.

I put the topic up as it was something I was thinking about recently it isn't a current situation I am in.

For me personally as I know a few cleaners well if I get asked I will sometimes give them a call this will let them know that I've been asked as I don,t like to appear sneaky or underhand but I'm well aware that business is business and we're all in this to make money.

For me I don't look at jobs individually as putting food on the table I look at the overall shape of the round I have been at this long enough to know that every job you lose another comes along and if your customer is looking around the signs are allready in place that the job is going this could be through no fault of your own.

 

[Kennygggkent]

Haha some people are well cut-throat! It ain't as black and white as some people make out on here. It depends on who, what and where.

I know about 75% of the windys in my area. Some a "friends", some are "acquaintances", and some are the "enemy" so to speak.

Definitely with most of the friends I would have a chick chat with them before putting in a quote. Some of the acquaintances I would still be think about it, and I'd do what I wanted with the "enemys" lol. Good topic by the way.

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

What amazes me is the lists you must all keep in your vans of other window cleaners customers so you know who to call and ask 'permission' from o nthe day.

Nothing to do with being 'cut throat' or food on table in my case as like CH been at this too long.

If I'm asked for a quote I give a quote, it's business. Nothing more.

The OPs situation is different as you considered the chap a friend but we all knowhow fickle friends are when it comes to money.

Before Easter I was asked to quote a small school. They needed the quote in a hurry as wanted work doing over easter break. Also she wanted a written quote on the spot to hurry things along. Told her wouldnt do a written quote on the spot but would give her verbal quote and follow up in writing before end of week.

Now like all schools she has to get 3 quotes.

I quoted £360 (less than a days work) she nearly passed out.

Other lads had already put in quotes at £120 and £140.

So as you see I was 3 x more than them. Not through any BS 'oh davey does that school so I will quote real high to make sure he keeps it as he's a diamond geezer' I was 3x more cause thats my rates.

I dont give a toss what others do. There is more than enough glass to go round. And anyone quoting my customers is pretty much guaranteed to be undercutting me as I am expensive.

However, let them waste a day on a school for £120 whilst I carry on with properly priced work.

Waffling on.... it sucks to lose a job, residential or commercial, but it dont suck enough to lose any sleep over.