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Walking Away From Jobs

Haynesy

Member
Messages
34
Location
Market Harborough
Has anyone ever started a job and walked away at some point? I'm talking the bigger jobs.

I was given a four story mansion to clean that had scaffolding up so it could get painted and they wanted the windows cleaned after while the scaffolding was up. It was basically a builders clean but with over 500 panes of glass but it hadn't been cleaned in probably 20 years and it was old glass probably over a 100 years old. I put my price in and they were happy but then I started the first day and realised it was impossible to clean. No matter what I did I couldnt get it clean in the time frame they wanted so I had to walk away.

I feel gutted that I've had to do it. Was that a bad business move for walking away and has anyone else done the same? Also does anyone have any tips on how to clean old glass with dirt basically ingrained into the glass that even a paint scrapper won't get off?

 
Walking away is a bad move, we all done it.

I find if you under quoted job or cant do the job, talking to the customer is the best, they will normally understand.. an normally a outcome can come out of it still.. more money or just do the best you can..

rather than them calling you 100 times wondering where you gone.

 
Sorry I wasn't clear. I didn't just walk off the job without talking to the customer. I talked to him about my concerns and why I felt like I couln't finish the job to a perfect standard, he then agreed to pay me for the day and that was it.

 
Maybe I'm making a big deal about it because it was my biggest job! I quoted £650 it probably needed to be double that. If it was a normal job than I wouldn't be feeling this gutted.

 
I did a job for £860 2 years ago. It should have been double. I would have walked away after the first few hours if i could have.

in the end we managed to get it done in a weekend. Worst weekend of my life!

 
I remember years back when I started I priced this big house

when I hoyed the ladder up fully extended fluk it was like elastic band got the top of ladder right next to the gable end

I nearly messed doon the ladders scary the hight

jack flash doon I came job never done yet

 
I've seriously under quoted some solar panel jobs. Take the hit, learn and move on.

 
Has anyone ever started a job and walked away at some point? I'm talking the bigger jobs.
I was given a four story mansion to clean that had scaffolding up so it could get painted and they wanted the windows cleaned after while the scaffolding was up. It was basically a builders clean but with over 500 panes of glass but it hadn't been cleaned in probably 20 years and it was old glass probably over a 100 years old. I put my price in and they were happy but then I started the first day and realised it was impossible to clean. No matter what I did I couldnt get it clean in the time frame they wanted so I had to walk away.

I feel gutted that I've had to do it. Was that a bad business move for walking away and has anyone else done the same? Also does anyone have any tips on how to clean old glass with dirt basically ingrained into the glass that even a paint scrapper won't get off?

I did one earlier this year. I had quoted a conny at £150. In and out consisting of a roof a and a front. Quoted over the phone.

When I got there it ls a million pound house with a very large conny. But still I expected it could be done in less than a day. I was wrong. The roof was flat and two hours in I had only managed to clean half of the roof externally l. It was bad with lichen and there was no way of getting up there to scrape it.

I started at 9. By 11 I realised it would be a two day job. I toiled on for another hour, my neck shoulders etc were in agony. I was fecked. I had a quick look at the inside and thought **** this.

I told the woman I was nipping to the shop for some cleaning fluid...

The rest is history lol

 
I did a job for £860 2 years ago. It should have been double. I would have walked away after the first few hours if i could have.
in the end we managed to get it done in a weekend. Worst weekend of my life!
Haha.

Only 430 a day. I feel your pain

 
Done it today. Simple flat above shop;turned up to do and they wanted six more windows done (awkward ones with grills on front).

I'd underpriced the original flat anyway, as the signage on front of shop made access hard.

Passed it to someone else and said my goodbyes and off to the next house!

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I try to work through the pain when I do things like this. It means I really remember and only make the mistake once.

Most of the time I just learn to really put the boot in when it comes to pricing and I am not sure of the job or how long it will take so there is almost no way to lose only break even if everything that could go wrong goes wrong.

 
I've just quit my job so price and how long it took to take wasn't a massive deal. After I'm up to date with my work I'm looking at a 4-6 week wait doing nothing so even if the £650 took my two weeks it's still better than nothing. Think it was a mixture of inexperience, unequipped and the job was too big so it was I was overwhelmed.

My new plan after this is to go through my whole weeks work on a Sunday and think of any problems that have occurred that I can learn from.

Does anyone know of any chemical or techniques I can use to clean historic windows? Talking over 100 years old.

 
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