One to walk away from

[Dave Shaw]

I just don't understand my way is best. I clean windows in a different way to the pair of you. I don't insist on this that and the other, I don't clean 10 fronts an hour at £5 a pop. What I do do is clean windows and earn far more than anyone else that does a manual job. Tough [emoji90] if you disagree, and you can both tell me I'm wrong and my reply will be I've been married for 35 years and every day the Wife tells me I'm wrong. Never listened to her bitching and you have even less chance of me listening to either one of you. I do however respect that you both run successful business's and just wish you would give each other the respect you both deserve   

I don’t disrespect what he does as I do a bit of that sort of work myself out in my local county side and it’s for that reason why I feel I can give a fair comment every time this topic arises. It’s his disrespect for others that gets me riled. Believe me it would be better for everyone if I could block him so I don’t have to rise to his nonsense but I can’t as he’s a mod.


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[Iron Giant]

I think we are all wrong, had a quick look elsewhere and there's a bloke claiming he charges £27.00 for a 2-bed terrace house ?  although every 12 weeks who only has their windows cleaned every 3 months 

 

[Dave Shaw]

You see the problem is 20 years ago a Freddo was 10p, it's now as much as 35p so a £3 job 20 years ago should be £10.50 [emoji23]

[emoji23][emoji23] I might have to use that one next time I put my prices up. No seriously though mate that’s a bad example. Tradesmen on high wages 20 years ago are still on high wages now but haven’t really changed much. It’s the lower end of the scale that’s constantly on the rise. Minimum wage hasn’t even doubled over the last 20 years so a £5 job would be more like a £9 job now on that basis. Look at other trades like car garages. Their hourly labour rates haven’t changed much either. Even though mot prices are capped most are still no where near that and if anything have gone down over the last 20 years. Inflation over the last 20 years is almost double as well. They are not the only reasons for such price hikes in our industry over the last 20 years but more to do with the fact that domestic cleaners are prepared to cover larger areas these days meaning they have to charge a hell of a lot more to make the same money. Also the services provided have improved greatly as well which contributes. It’s just different ways of working but more often than not they often achieve the same goal.


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[Dave Shaw]

I think we are all wrong, had a quick look elsewhere and there's a bloke claiming he charges £27.00 for a 2-bed terrace house ?  although every 12 weeks who only has their windows cleaned every 3 months 

Not wrong mate but people will pay them sort of prices when they are desperate for whatever reason. Either that or they can’t get any one cheaper. I picked up one this week that was desperate as she couldn’t get a local windy to do em due to their old guy being an oldschool territorial lad and all the other local lads wouldn’t do it. I’m not bothered about all that but said due to the amount of travelling involved I HAVE to charge £25 for ten mins actual work. Probs would have been a tenner if integrated into my round locally. That’s just the way it’s going with cleaners being prepared to go further afield. She was more than happy though when I explained it’s only every 8 weeks and at £6.25 per fortnight it will be cheaper than what some of the fortnightly lads will be charging. Plus she gets all her frames, doors and garage windows included and I’m not gonna be walking on her lower roof tiles which the other lad did. Another example of how levels of service has also changed.


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[Iron Giant]

@DaveShaw I agree with quite a bit of what you have said across your varied replies, more so the turnover and profit example some lads in other parts of the UK will be doing a similar day rate as you or me but be working differently maybe, ultimately it's the end results that matter to each individual, which for me personally is good earnings no stress and very little travel.  

All this I do this and I do that is getting no one anywhere, it's simply  :banghead3:  if anyone likes going around in circles go and get yourself on a merry-go-round until your sick.  

 

[Dave Shaw]

[mention=5847]DaveShaw[/mention] I agree with quite a bit of what you have said across your varied replies, more so the turnover and profit example some lads in other parts of the UK will be doing a similar day rate as you or me but be working differently maybe, ultimately it's the end results that matter to each individual, which for me personally is good earnings no stress and very little travel.  

All this I do this and I do that is getting no one anywhere, it's simply  :banghead3:  if anyone likes going around in circles go and get yourself on a merry-go-round until your sick.  

Here here. Although this topic will come up again and again due to its many variables and conflicting methods. Alls I can do is give what I think is a fair opinion based on many years of working for and with different cleaners and taking advice from them all.


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[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

It’s his disrespect for others

I don't disrespect anyone @Dave Shaw I simply have no regard for you. 

You have constantly since you joined this forum attacked me for no reason other than to be contradictory.  You continually want to shout down any suggestions I make as being wrong and you continually want to antagonize at every possible opportunity.  This is just fact as you continue to attack anything I say or do as is proven with you always quoting my posts in negative manner. 

so I don’t have to rise to his nonsense but I can’t

You are so weak willed you can't simply 'ignore' someone without a 'button' to do so? 

You have been issued warnings by other mods for your continued cantankerous behaviours and your desires to continually harass me as an individual it wouldn't surprise me if you aren't here much longer as you only need 3 points for a ban and you're doing a grand job of collecting them. 

You are also the only member of the forum that gets discussed in the staff room by moderators and administrators due to your continued behaviour here.  Time we could spend better else where. 

I have made you a legit offer to come look at what we do as you currently have no idea how this business is actually run but instead you simply wish to continue with your drivel about how I disrespect others on here which is not the case. I don't even disrespect you, I simply have noo respect for you and your negative behaviour.

P.S. if you interacted with any other member in such manner you would have already been banned. You are only still here as it is me you continue to bully with your attacks and nonsense.

 

[P4dstar]

Even if someone sees a comment as my way or the high way there is usually some wisdom to be taken from it. If we all agreed we would have nothing to talk about.

On the original point of £5 cleans it is my opinion that these are not sustainable. I believe you need to price a job so that if everyone in the street moved you would be able to still make a profit while cleaning the one house. Being from a poor former coal mining town in the north west I can appreciate how guys want to work on the basis of having multiple terraced houses in a row and they would probably just drop or increase the price of the remaining of half the street moved out. I can see how it would be profitable to clean these houses in a row at £5 each.

Where I live now it wouldn’t be profitable, I have to drive 15 minutes between jobs. If I were to head to the closest city and focus on terraced cleans at £5 a pop it wouldn’t fit my business model.

The two of you have different business models. Darren doesn’t focus on cheap compact work, Dave doesn’t go in with a high minimum charge. This doesn’t mean either of you are wrong. It’s like comparing rugby and American football, just because the balls the same shape doesn’t mean the rules are the same.

Darren’s advice is probably more suited to people like me and Dave’s advice would be good if I still lived up north.

Now let’s play nicely!

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[scottish cleaning service]

Its good to have different opinions or a boring world exists. I showed the guys in the fire service a picture of a woman and depends on how you look at it, you see an old or young woman. Harvard Uni split the class for freshers and they both argue over it till they all see both women in the picture. At the moment they see it, the expression on the face is priceless. I am happy with my fiver cleans that only take 5mins.

 

[P4dstar]

Its good to have different opinions or a boring world exists. I showed the guys in the fire service a picture of a woman and depends on how you look at it, you see an old or young woman. Harvard Uni split the class for freshers and they both argue over it till they all see both women in the picture. At the moment they see it, the expression on the face is priceless. I am happy with my fiver cleans that only take 5mins.

See what you've started now haha. I must admit I was surprised mate, mainly because you've said before about the amount of customers you have. If you had a full round with loads of compact £5 cleans like Dave then laughing but if you're specifically heading out of the house for a handful of customers and charging as little as that then it seems like you're mugging yourself off... As always this is a matter of opinion and if you're happy then crack on and sod what people think. I was more surprised as I remember the pressure washing prices you quoted and they were more than what the lads round here charge.

 

[Part Timer]

Now let’s play nicely!

?

 

[scottish cleaning service]

Aye, I have fell out of love with pressure washing at the moment. Everything is good if you get an optimum amount of it. All my customers are a stone's through from me as they say in Spain. I heard the old guy that does a fair bit of my area is finding it hard climbing the ladder. So, if I only do one custy on a street then it opens things up for expansion. Might even bump into him and offer to buy his round but you have got to be out there. Do the sheltered home tomorrow so will see how it goes. :1f609: