Howdy! Newbie from Kent!

[Tango]

Hi guys!

I'm new to WFP window cleaning! I got my Gardiner back pack at the end of January and got the pole, brush and 6 25L plastic cans just last week! Filled up at my local pure water supplier this morning and done my first clean - a dummy run on our home lol.

I was working at B&Q 5 days a week for 20 hours (4hr shifts - plus overtime) but that wasn't working well with my partners shifts and childcare so B&Q being awesome offered me 12hrs at the weekend instead so i can keep my foot in the door there. The downside is i've lost hours in the week, the awesome side is that i've got time to do something while the little one is at nursery / school and work around the missus. Happy days..  Yeah i know it'll take a bit of time to build up but it's me taking control of my life which so far every other rotten swine out there has been determined to nosedive! It's actually thanks to our own window cleaner that i've entered this industry, she's been doing our windows for several years now and what with me being in a pickle she suggested I try window cleaning, showed me the gear in the back of her van and how she got started with just the BP and pole. What can i say? I was sold on it there and then!

My next door neighbour wants me to do her windows, plastic fake wood fascia and conservatory. Any idea what you'd charge and what would be a good mates rate?

Tango

 

[Tuffers]

First of all well done for getting off your **** and trying to do something with your life and provide for your family ?

Secondly, does your window cleaner not clean your neighbours house?

Thirdly, I wouldn't work so close to home i.e. Next door. I'd personally use them as practice until you're confident that you're good enough to go out and charge for the service. Explain this to the neighbour as asking for money from them can be embarrassing especially if they're slow at paying or you don't do a top notch job every time.

 

[dasslr1]

welcome to the forum , tuffers is right ,usually cleaning for neighbours is abit hard work .    iv 12 on my street    10 are great and even post money throught the door lolol   the other  2 are hard to get money off …..so have been removed from the round . you can really feel the tension when  you bump into each other in the street lol

 

[dasslr1]

dont ever ever do mates rates  seems a good idea at the time    if a house should be at 10 pounds and you do mates rates at  6-7pounds    1  youll soon hate doing it . 2   when you pick up customers and charge 10 they want to know why your only charging 6-7 for them . dont feel like your doing them a favour cos your not your putting food on the table  for your family and kids (if you have them )  if mates cant except that   then tough lol 

 

[Tango]

First of all well done for getting off your **** and trying to do something with your life and provide for your family ?

Secondly, does your window cleaner not clean your neighbours house?

Thirdly, I wouldn't work so close to home i.e. Next door. I'd personally use them as practice until you're confident that you're good enough to go out and charge for the service. Explain this to the neighbour as asking for money from them can be embarrassing especially if they're slow at paying or you don't do a top notch job every time.

Thanks for the well done

Our window cleaner does several of our neighbours but not the lady next door. The lady next door has tried to get our window cleaner but she's got loads of customers already and says she's not taking on anymore - interesting when they once both met outside lol.

Anyway the lady next door uses people she knows for all sorts of things - digging up the garden, redesigning her house etc etc. If she knows anyone with a trade she uses them. If she doesn't she'll only use someone that is recommended to her by someone she knows. In this case she knows me and knows i need to earn money and have just spent £mega (by that i mean £400 - a lot to me) on equipment. She's a decent enough lady, I've known her for years but she is literally the only neighbour i'd clean for. The others.. no!

 

[P4dstar]

I do the neighbours, loads of em. I live in a cup-de-sac with about 90-100 houses, mostly 3 bed semi's. The ones around my part of the street I do for £10 each, nice little earner to be honest and the van doesn't even need to move.

Further afield than the houses I can see i've experienced late payers, forced one onto GC recently because they were doing my head in.

 

[Tango]

I'd be reluctant to recruit any in my road - our window cleaner does so many of them! I don't like the thought of poaching and in fact actively want to avoid it. Even though i've now got the gear and have done them myself today I'm still paying our window cleaner to come and do our windows lol. (she's a great lady and so easy to chat to lol.)

 

[P4dstar]

I'd be reluctant to recruit any in my road - our window cleaner does so many of them! I don't like the thought of poaching and in fact actively want to avoid it. Even though i've now got the gear and have done them myself today I'm still paying our window cleaner to come and do our windows lol. (she's a great lady and so easy to chat to lol.)

Having your own window cleaner will be a godsend when you're busy with a full round. I can never be ar5ed to clean my own windows but I do them every time I do the neighbours.

One of my neighbours got a new window cleaner about 3 months after I started out. He came once and 7 months later they booked me in because he hadn't been back. They were honest and said they didn't want someone to use them as practice and were happy to pay for quality otherwise they would have booked me in originally. I ran into him a few months later and he said ''you've nicked one of my customers'', I told him straight he can't turn up twice a year and expect to keep his customers. He said how he used to do the entire row but lost them when he put the price up from £12 to £15 quid.

 

[Tango]

She also does windows for other window cleaners too lol - one runs a company employing 5 cleaners and he uses her cos he don't trust his own boys lol.

Besides if i did our own windows regularly i'd feel cheated for not getting paid  :1f61c:

 

[HBM]

Hello and welcome to the forum!