Newbie to the ranks

[Part Timer]

That would be fine as long as they're kept fairly clear. You do have the potential problem of a bad fall though if they start to fill as the gutter will sag where the bracket should be.

We do some gutters were the fall is away from the downpipe and people complain that we haven't done the gutters properly as soon as it rains it pours over the low point. A few photos of before and after and an explanation why soon shuts them up.

 

[Woody86]

Finally up into double digits now (i know... i know, thats nothing compared to you guys!) and super chuffed. Hopefully my flyers will arrive early next week so that I can do a drop.

I went after a large hotel the other day as the frames and sills looked awful and I geniunely didnt believe that they had an existing windy. I got shutdown fairly hard stating that they are happy with their existing window cleaner of 15 years. Their response was given with a fair bit of emotion so I suspect its a family member or friend of the general manager. Anyway, cant knock them I guess for loyalty.

 

[Pjj]

Finally up into double digits now (i know... i know, thats nothing compared to you guys!) and super chuffed. Hopefully my flyers will arrive early next week so that I can do a drop.

I went after a large hotel the other day as the frames and sills looked awful and I geniunely didnt believe that they had an existing windy. I got shutdown fairly hard stating that they are happy with their existing window cleaner of 15 years. Their response was given with a fair bit of emotion so I suspect its a family member or friend of the general manager. Anyway, cant knock them I guess for loyalty.

View attachment 22580

View attachment 22581

Sometimes the frames won’t come up very well unless you use solvent cleaner or a cream cleaner , usually it’s due to perished black seals that bleed over the frames and cause staining  Evan if you do remove it using pre mentioned methods it will come back again with rain etc  , some wooden frames are also difficult to get looking good of the paint is old and discoloured , unfortunately you cannot turn a sows ear into silk purse all the time ???

 

[Davy G]

Well done, Woody. Getting there mate. ??

Don't worry too much about refusals. They're disappointing but that's the most common response to canvassing. Onwards and upwards. The recruitment will take on a momentum of its own after a while, with each new customer however gained being a new seed sown (their friends, neighbours and folk passing seeing you working) .

 

[Woody86]

Cheers lads!

 

[Woody86]

Update 04/01/21

Happy new year all!

I am still hanging in there and pushing forward. Had a bit of a urghh day on Saturday mainly due to the cold freezing what I believe was the univalve or the yellow gardiner hose. Thought I would start at 8am and try and battle through the 7 custys and be back early to enjoy the rest of my day. Turned up at the custys house all ready to start, tugged the hose to start the water flow and nothing. I had to get back into the van and really warm the cab up sat in there with my Gardiner SLX22 ? I am actually suprised that it fitted width ways in the cab!

Next time I think im going to bring my reel and pole in the house or start later. I must admit it was one of those days. I sliced my finger on my scraper, forgot my warning cone, pulled away from a house with the door open on the rear of my van, one house looked like it was targetted by the local birds shitting right on the frame so it was a pig to reach and then frozen hoses.

God knows what was going on with me that day! Had to remind myself that these arent challenges just frustrations from being silly and they are far better than my current day job.

Still no chapping of doors just yet but still seem to be picking up customers through Facebook and google. Bonus/Tip money over xmas suprised me too as I just didnt expect that type of generosity.

Over the next few months, and hopefully post covid, I am going to think how to target estates hard. I was watching another window cleaner in my area the other day (as i was pulled up pretending to be on the phone) admiring how they was going from house to house on the same street. He had three guys with him doing a mixture of trad and wfp. One day it will come...

Something I have noticed have been customers continuing to switch from their existing window cleaner. I guess that happens all the time but there appears to be some absolute cowboys in my area which I see with my own eyes. Ideally I want to exploit that but not annoy anyone or find my van burnt out ? One house I visited, the guttering bowed in a u-shape from where the trad guy had his ladders resting on the canopy and then multiple tiles broken. I was fairly gobsmacked but I can see why I am having to work twice as hard trying to rebuild trust in window cleaning services.

I currently have one customer who thinks we are the dreggs of society and I can tell that from how snooty her and the daughter have been. Both openly repeat the same story to me how they sacked the last guy for not turning up. I think I will be watching this one as she mentioned on Saturday that her slabs in one specific area below the door had white powder/fur around the edge of them. I politely stated to her that I use purified water so highly doubt it would be the cause plus I would expect to see it elsewhere. The only way I can describe it was that when I was in the Army there was white marks on your boots from sweat. Similar to that. Could it be sweat from their shoes that they leave in this canopy area and with cleaning the doors the water has then sat and left over this white powder? Anyway, shes the cheapest on my round, pleads poverty yet has brand new cars and a nice real christmas tree chucked out the back... I can see that I will politely tell her she needs to look for another window cleaner shortly.

All my other customers are amazing though and I have only had to chase one for payment due to her being a bit of an airhead. The old ones make me chuckle as you can tell that they havent spoken to anyone for some time so I get stuck nattering which eats into home time! I have had two rather over friendly customers too with one being a bit touchy feely and no husband in sight. I bet you guys have some great story's to tell. Its certainly opened my eyes a little and thats all working from the ground!

In summary, with some of my moaning above, I still absolutley bloody love it!

 

[Davy G]

Hey @Woody86
! A happy new year to you as well. Thanks for the update. Glad to hear you're still making progress. I bet most of us can probably relate to your frustrations. In time the plusses will overtake the negatives and you won't know yourself. ?

The white powder might possibly be a residue from what we call milky frames. It's where on some of the older upvc frames of certain makes they have weathered and oxidised and this runs off like a very watery milk during the wash. An easy test whenever you suspect this is to wet a finger tip and draw it down the frame while pressing fairly hard. If it leaves a white residue on your finger then that's the proof. Sometimes it can dry with a white residue on the ground or wall. Not your fault if the windows are past their prime.

The best way I've found to deal with this problem is to give the frames a thorough hard scrub with the water on. Then rinse the glass from just below any horizontal frames. Do the rinse a few times, do a few windows, then go back and check. If needs be rinse again from below the cross frames.

This problem often lessens as they are done regularly. Sometimes we draw the customer's attention to the problem, sometimes we leave well alone and try to get them back to a standard quietly over a few washes. I can't say for sure that milky frames are the problem on this occasion but there's a fair chance.

As for rude or disrespectful customers, we each have to decide for ourselves what level we'll tolerate. My level of tolerance is pretty low. I didn't start my own business to be disrespectful, or disrespected.

On the rare occasion I drop a customer for that reason, they don't get thanked for their custom, they just get told quietly "You're not my sort of customer. I have standards of courtesy and you don't meet them." That's how I started from day one.

Well done again on your progress. ??

 

[Chris34]

I have had two rather over friendly customers too with one being a bit touchy feely and no husband in sight. I bet you guys have some great story's to tell. Its certainly opened my eyes a little and thats all working from the ground!

Jammy Devil, you sound like a mate of mine, if he was a window cleaner I'd guarantee he'd have had a few drop their knickers for him.  No such luck for me, couldn't pull in a brothel ?

 

[swc1]

Hey @Woody86
! A happy new year to you as well. Thanks for the update. Glad to hear you're still making progress. I bet most of us can probably relate to your frustrations. In time the plusses will overtake the negatives and you won't know yourself. ?

The white powder might possibly be a residue from what we call milky frames. It's where on some of the older upvc frames of certain makes they have weathered and oxidised and this runs off like a very watery milk during the wash. An easy test whenever you suspect this is to wet a finger tip and draw it down the frame while pressing fairly hard. If it leaves a white residue on your finger then that's the proof. Sometimes it can dry with a white residue on the ground or wall. Not your fault if the windows are past their prime.

The best way I've found to deal with this problem is to give the frames a thorough hard scrub with the water on. Then rinse the glass from just below any horizontal frames. Do the rinse a few times, do a few windows, then go back and check. If needs be rinse again from below the cross frames.

This problem often lessens as they are done regularly. Sometimes we draw the customer's attention to the problem, sometimes we leave well alone and try to get them back to a standard quietly over a few washes. I can't say for sure that milky frames are the problem on this occasion but there's a fair chance.

As for rude or disrespectful customers, we each have to decide for ourselves what level we'll tolerate. My level of tolerance is pretty low. I didn't start my own business to be disrespectful, or disrespected.

On the rare occasion I drop a customer for that reason, they don't get thanked for their custom, they just get told quietly "You're not my sort of customer. I have standards of courtesy and you don't meet them." That's how I started from day one.

Well done again on your progress. ??

Well put @Davy G. ?

 

[spruce]

Update 04/01/21

Happy new year all!

I am still hanging in there and pushing forward. Had a bit of a urghh day on Saturday mainly due to the cold freezing what I believe was the univalve or the yellow gardiner hose. Thought I would start at 8am and try and battle through the 7 custys and be back early to enjoy the rest of my day. Turned up at the custys house all ready to start, tugged the hose to start the water flow and nothing. I had to get back into the van and really warm the cab up sat in there with my Gardiner SLX22 ? I am actually suprised that it fitted width ways in the cab!

Next time I think im going to bring my reel and pole in the house or start later. I must admit it was one of those days. I sliced my finger on my scraper, forgot my warning cone, pulled away from a house with the door open on the rear of my van, one house looked like it was targetted by the local birds shitting right on the frame so it was a pig to reach and then frozen hoses.

God knows what was going on with me that day! Had to remind myself that these arent challenges just frustrations from being silly and they are far better than my current day job.

Still no chapping of doors just yet but still seem to be picking up customers through Facebook and google. Bonus/Tip money over xmas suprised me too as I just didnt expect that type of generosity.

Over the next few months, and hopefully post covid, I am going to think how to target estates hard. I was watching another window cleaner in my area the other day (as i was pulled up pretending to be on the phone) admiring how they was going from house to house on the same street. He had three guys with him doing a mixture of trad and wfp. One day it will come...

Something I have noticed have been customers continuing to switch from their existing window cleaner. I guess that happens all the time but there appears to be some absolute cowboys in my area which I see with my own eyes. Ideally I want to exploit that but not annoy anyone or find my van burnt out ? One house I visited, the guttering bowed in a u-shape from where the trad guy had his ladders resting on the canopy and then multiple tiles broken. I was fairly gobsmacked but I can see why I am having to work twice as hard trying to rebuild trust in window cleaning services.

I currently have one customer who thinks we are the dreggs of society and I can tell that from how snooty her and the daughter have been. Both openly repeat the same story to me how they sacked the last guy for not turning up. I think I will be watching this one as she mentioned on Saturday that her slabs in one specific area below the door had white powder/fur around the edge of them. I politely stated to her that I use purified water so highly doubt it would be the cause plus I would expect to see it elsewhere. The only way I can describe it was that when I was in the Army there was white marks on your boots from sweat. Similar to that. Could it be sweat from their shoes that they leave in this canopy area and with cleaning the doors the water has then sat and left over this white powder? Anyway, shes the cheapest on my round, pleads poverty yet has brand new cars and a nice real christmas tree chucked out the back... I can see that I will politely tell her she needs to look for another window cleaner shortly.

All my other customers are amazing though and I have only had to chase one for payment due to her being a bit of an airhead. The old ones make me chuckle as you can tell that they havent spoken to anyone for some time so I get stuck nattering which eats into home time! I have had two rather over friendly customers too with one being a bit touchy feely and no husband in sight. I bet you guys have some great story's to tell. Its certainly opened my eyes a little and thats all working from the ground!

In summary, with some of my moaning above, I still absolutley bloody love it!

We have a cowboy outfit in our neck of the woods. Some customers, even although unhappy with the quality of the service, stay with them because they are afraid of them in the same way as I would be scared of them damaging my van.

Nice cars in the drive way doesn't necessarily mean they are well off. The cars are probably leased. The motor industry loves leasing. The temptation of a new car at a easy to pay lease deal means that its more difficult for their customer to get off the leasing treadmill. Recently people have started to realise that the lease still has to be paid for even when they are on furlough or have lost their jobs.

It cost a lot to cancel a lease mid way through.