Pricing past and present

[THL4KEL]

Switching gas electricity internet is nothing but a huge PIA and by the time you have switched over and all the costs involved with leaving providers it isnt really worth the hassle. . 

My Mrs changed it all about six months ago and I would not let her do it again. The internet she switched over  to (Post Office) is terrible, the connection is constantly dropping out.. I ended up paying the old providers a lump sum which was unexpected as well.

Most people just dont the have time to penny pinch and if they do and it all messes up, well like myself I would prefer to stick with something relatively reliable. 

I could switch motor insurance and save a few quid but in reality can I be bothered to have to send in all the documents/obtain NC cert, have to trawel through these ridiculous online self service kiosks to obtain the relevent information, send multiple emails because they rarely work these systems.

No I can't be bothered because the saving is fractional when you work it out through the year. 

So the I cannot see the vast majority of people being bothered to change window cleaner.  Yes you will see new outfits springing up and offering to clean for six months free, six months down the line will they still be operating I doubt it. It's the same with Groupon and running a offer, you would just get overwhelmed and burnt out delivering a service priced low..

 

[Iron Giant]

15 pounds per 3 bed house? But how do people make a profit at that rate? I charge 75 euro for a 3 bed house - in and out, 1 hour. People would be worry if i charge 15 pounds (18 euro). I have insurance, office, diesel, etc.

£15 for a 3 bed house is on the high side for a lot of the uk for an external window clean once every 4 weeks, I am guessing you don't do in's and out's as regular as we over here, also I believe the cost of living, insurance etc is quite a bit more expensive than over here.

 

[Iron Giant]

? I think @Haz is secretly working on www.comparethewindowcleaner.com ? Things are going that way though. Years ago, windys would do the majority of a street and the people who lived there had little choice as it was so difficult to find a new one. Now, the modern round seems to involve a lot more driving around and quoting customers from miles in all directions so I think competition is more of a thing than it used to be.

However, predictions and guesses of how the future will pan out consistently fall short compared to how things actually turn out. Or completely fail to see massive changes in the way things are done.

So I think it'll be a long time still before people are shopping around on comparison sites for window cleaners.

I am with you on this as in the town I cover lads are travelling from far and wide because of the 100's of houses that have been built and 100's more too come, whether it be sole operator or someone looking to expand and have multiple vans also of course there is far more coming into the industry, both these factors play a part in how things are now and are going to be.

I remember being emailed by bidvine every once in a while, no doubt these services work, but are they just for those looking for a one off the cheapest quote, I had someone phone me last week, they told me they were ringing around for the most competitive quote, I took it as they wanted the cheapest price, no such look with me when I quote double for a first clean and most likely the most expensive ?

 

 

[harunh]

Lads what u have to realize is 20 years ago car washes were a lucrative business just like window cleaning is today and then the euoropeans and kurdish/afghan came over and took over... knocked the prices low and they now have people slaving in car washes offering rock bottom prices , i am not talking about detailing... i am talking about car washes (wash and go), outside wash - £5.00 in and out is £10.00

It is now more easy to start a window cleaning business then it is to pitch your own car wash  i can honestly see a higher number of wfp vans in the next few years meaning more competition with one another, does not bother me but its the way i think the market is going to go.

WFP systems are available cheap now and there is also people starting up offering UPVC cleaning aswell as conservatory valets and fascia/soffits etc at rock bottom prices i have seen it with my own eyes...conservatory roofs for £40.00 etc  this will only get worse as WFP systems are easily available.

If im charging £20.00 for a house and one of my customers gets 2/3  leaflets offering the same service for £12.00 then its not going to look good on me, makes it look like im ripping them off.

When i first started out i was driving a lot but now our work is very compact where we have 15/16 houses on 1 road we do still drive a bout but not as much as we have 2,000 + customers all within 12 miles. The longer u are trading for the more compact your work becomes.
 

 

[ks789]

All I know is theres been enough undercutting in all lines of work. It encourages bosses etc to want cheaper labour etc if they can get it. Cant say its done any good for joe public trying to earn a decent wage.

If I started losing much work to cut price outfits, I couldnt guarantee the safety of their stuff.

Thats all

ta ta.

 

[THL4KEL]

If the immigration service raided all these car washes and clamped down on illegals working there would the prices stay the same? 

Sooner or later there will be a clamp down on them.

 

[harunh]

All I know is theres been enough undercutting in all lines of work. It encourages bosses etc to want cheaper labour etc if they can get it. Cant say its done any good for joe public trying to earn a decent wage.

If I started losing much work to cut price outfits, I couldnt guarantee the safety of their stuff.

Thats all

ta ta.

Theres no such thing as undercutting its called competition all businesses have it,  ! I was doing a house for £12.00 and got "undercut" by £2.00 but the "undercutter" done me a favour because he is taking all my unloyal customers   im after loyalty and if someone cancels me because they got a cheaper price i thank the other window cleaner for taking a bad customer of my books

I dont understand how people will work for £20/£30 a day its shocking, thats what i would pay my 13 year old cousin for helping me drop a few leaflets or something ?

Cut price outfits will be coming in every town/city in the UK in the next few years with WFP system prices being cheap, u can see it, theres 1 man WFP unsigned vans all over doing standard 3 bed new build for £4/5 already, a lot more are yet to venture in to WFP cleaning , u just got to plod on and keep at it

 

 

[harunh]

If the immigration service raided all these car washes and clamped down on illegals working there would the prices stay the same? 

Sooner or later there will be a clamp down on them.

Ive never seen a car wash get raided which is weird when takeaways get raided for immigrants a lot ! and they always find loads but ive never ever seen a car wash ever get raided? crazy lol they would have a field day if they raided car washes haha, i know a car wash owner who lives in his car wash with his dog him and a few lads all live in the car wash and they cant speak English lol but  i tell u something they wash cars/vans to a high level for £20.00 a day ? they work as if they are on a top wage, always smiling and always polite, i pay my staff NMW and they dont look as happy as the lads who earn £20.00 a day in the car wash lmaooo

 

[Part Timer]

i pay my staff NMW and they dont look as happy as the lads who earn £20.00 a day in the car wash lmaooo

I don't know anyone that earns minimum wage, that has to pay rent, utility bills and buy food that is happy.

 

[harunh]

I don't know anyone that earns minimum wage, that has to pay rent, utility bills and buy food that is happy.

Well other window cleaners in my area pay NMW and some of them pay there staff 50 kwid cash in hand per day lol

 

[THL4KEL]

Times are changing, were moving towards a cashless society where everyone will be monitored except for the rich who will no doubt still be able to hide cash in tax havens.

 

[ksp]

I’m with @Haz on this to a point. How many times do you watch things on the TV when people have thought that it’ll always be the good times until something changes then it’s not.

For ages now people have been saying that there’s always more houses, more customers to do but that’s not the case. There will be a saturation point where there are more cleaners than there is work. You see it in the trades all the time. Every ten years or so there will shortage of a certain trade (right now it’s brickys and they’re making a lot of money off the back of it) so at college now there will be a lot of people training to be a bricky, plus a lot of people will be re-training to be one in the hope of getting their share of the riches. Less people will be going in to training for others trades as a consequence. Give it 10 years you have a surplus of brickys and a shortage of plumbers or sparky’s and then the cycle repeats itself.

We are in a trade which is ever more accessible to anyone starting due to the decline in costs to start up plus the fact with the internet and YouTube you can learn anything you need about the job easily. There’s a big Incentive for people to gamble as well due to the fact it’s not a big financial outlay to start and yet you can make some great money if you have condensed work. 
 

I’ve found myself that since spotless water came to Swindon theres been a big increase in window cleaning vans about, (It seems to me I see new ones almost daily certainly at least 1 a week) and the outlay I’m having to invest in time and money to acquire new customers is greater for a smaller return in enquiries. Now that’s subjective on my part and I can’t give you evidence on that being a fact but I’m sure a lot of you guys in bigger towns and cities have found the same. 
 

There is going to be a time coming when the competition drives prices down. I think a lot of sole traders or businesses of few people who have established rounds with a good rapport with their customers will be hopefully be insulated from this but a lot of people are going to suffer. It’ll be harder to establish a round and harder to expand. 

 

[harunh]

I’m with @Haz on this to a point. How many times do you watch things on the TV when people have thought that it’ll always be the good times until something changes then it’s not.

For ages now people have been saying that there’s always more houses, more customers to do but that’s not the case. There will be a saturation point where there are more cleaners than there is work. You see it in the trades all the time. Every ten years or so there will shortage of a certain trade (right now it’s brickys and they’re making a lot of money off the back of it) so at college now there will be a lot of people training to be a bricky, plus a lot of people will be re-training to be one in the hope of getting their share of the riches. Less people will be going in to training for others trades as a consequence. Give it 10 years you have a surplus of brickys and a shortage of plumbers or sparky’s and then the cycle repeats itself.

We are in a trade which is ever more accessible to anyone starting due to the decline in costs to start up plus the fact with the internet and YouTube you can learn anything you need about the job easily. There’s a big Incentive for people to gamble as well due to the fact it’s not a big financial outlay to start and yet you can make some great money if you have condensed work. 
 

I’ve found myself that since spotless water came to Swindon theres been a big increase in window cleaning vans about, (It seems to me I see new ones almost daily certainly at least 1 a week) and the outlay I’m having to invest in time and money to acquire new customers is greater for a smaller return in enquiries. Now that’s subjective on my part and I can’t give you evidence on that being a fact but I’m sure a lot of you guys in bigger towns and cities have found the same. 
 

There is going to be a time coming when the competition drives prices down. I think a lot of sole traders or businesses of few people who have established rounds with a good rapport with their customers will be hopefully be insulated from this but a lot of people are going to suffer. It’ll be harder to establish a round and harder to expand. 

@ksp finally someone who understands ?  honestly u know what you are talking about u really do, i am very entrepreneurial myself and those who choose to take on board what i say are the wise ones the ones who dont need to wake up ? ?  Lol

The amount of start ups there has been in the PAST 5 years is pretty high but.... the amount of starts ups in the NEXT 5 years will be 4x/5x higher then the previous 5 years if that makes sense.

Spotless water encourage people to venture there own window cleaning business as well lol

People will suffer but it also has potential of making window cleaning a dead end trade.  People at this current time want to start window cleaning because they can earn good money but in 10 years time the prices will be that rock bottom people will think twice about starting up due to the slump in pricing etc.





 

 

[scottish cleaning service]

If you only want to do window cleaning then as you say it will be hard to gain new customers. On the other hand if you increase your skills to pvc cleaning, gutter clearing, roof cleaning, power washing, softwashing and mending things like gutters, downpipes and roof tiles then the world's your oyster. Take today for instantance, I cleared a gutter with the Vac and made £150 for two hours work in the rain. Then I told the old man that he needs 2 brackets on his soil pipe and a downpipe replaced. I would do the work for £200 but the material will be £50 and it will take me two hours max to do it. I have to PW his driveway in the Spring when he puts the house up for sale. The reason I am busy is because I tackle a lot of small jobs and all my money goes back into new equipment but I also build Trust with my new customer!

 

[Wind o kleen]

If you only want to do window cleaning then as you say it will be hard to gain new customers. On the other hand if you increase your skills to pvc cleaning, gutter clearing, roof cleaning, power washing, softwashing and mending things like gutters, downpipes and roof tiles then the world's your oyster. Take today for instantance, I cleared a gutter with the Vac and made £150 for two hours work in the rain. Then I told the old man that he needs 2 brackets on his soil pipe and a downpipe replaced. I would do the work for £200 but the material will be £50 and it will take me two hours max to do it. I have to PW his driveway in the Spring when he puts the house up for sale. The reason I am busy is because I tackle a lot of small jobs and all my money goes back into new equipment but I also build Trust with my new customer!

It is because the house is worth 500k?

 

[ksp]

If you only want to do window cleaning then as you say it will be hard to gain new customers. On the other hand if you increase your skills to pvc cleaning, gutter clearing, roof cleaning, power washing, softwashing and mending things like gutters, downpipes and roof tiles then the world's your oyster. Take today for instantance, I cleared a gutter with the Vac and made £150 for two hours work in the rain. Then I told the old man that he needs 2 brackets on his soil pipe and a downpipe replaced. I would do the work for £200 but the material will be £50 and it will take me two hours max to do it. I have to PW his driveway in the Spring when he puts the house up for sale. The reason I am busy is because I tackle a lot of small jobs and all my money goes back into new equipment but I also build Trust with my new customer!

Most people who take up window cleaning diversify in the same way so you’re still in the same boat. 

 

[Iron Giant]

@ksp finally someone who understands ?  honestly u know what you are talking about u really do, i am very entrepreneurial myself and those who choose to take on board what i say are the wise ones the ones who dont need to wake up ? ?  Lol

The amount of start ups there has been in the PAST 5 years is pretty high but.... the amount of starts ups in the NEXT 5 years will be 4x/5x higher then the previous 5 years if that makes sense.

Spotless water encourage people to venture there own window cleaning business as well lol

People will suffer but it also has potential of making window cleaning a dead end trade.  People at this current time want to start window cleaning because they can earn good money but in 10 years time the prices will be that rock bottom people will think twice about starting up due to the slump in pricing etc.





 

Taxi drivers, that I know said the same thing years ago, loads coming into it as it was or is seen as easy money, yet one I see quite often has gone from 2 cars up to  5-6 motors with 8 drivers on his books and 1-2 other local firms are doing well, so there will be something in what you say

But the way I see it based on the outfits you describe who would come into this, they wouldn't get work on the newer nicer estates I cover, two reasons the out of town scruffs have come and gone and with these nice newer estates have and are targets for thefts and break in's so a lot of people will not let them anywhere near there house for a £5 job over a well turned professional who is traceable with a good reputation

Car washes have sprung up and do well because people are cash rich and time poor and as long as it's one less chore and it looks clean they ain't bothered whether it be a 5k car or 50k+ as the vast majority of people ain't a clue how  a car should be looked after, from what I have seen driving by, this is quick interaction when handing cash over and they ain't anywhere near peoples houses and what most people consider of greater importance of were they and their families live, people I know will use the car wash but wouldn't want those lads near their houses and that's a big difference, the only places these lads will get work in window cleaning is the areas us established no longer bother with 

 

[scottish cleaning service]

It is because the house is worth 500k?

There was more gutters on his double garage than my whole house. He's hoping to get £550k for it in the spring. I'm helping him, so it will be sparkling for any potential buyers. ? 

Most people who take up window cleaning diversify in the same way so you’re still in the same boat. 

Absolutely, why let someone else clear or clean their gutters? You might end up losing your customer to them.

 

[Wind o kleen]

There was more gutters on his double garage than my whole house. He's hoping to get £550k for it in the spring. I'm helping him, so it will be sparkling for any potential buyers. ? 

Absolutely, why let someone else clear or clean their gutters? You might end up losing your customer to them.

??? your helping him ,  well I hope you get a percentage of the sale , because it is worth 550k ?

 

[steve garwood]

There was more gutters on his double garage than my whole house. He's hoping to get £550k for it in the spring. I'm helping him, so it will be sparkling for any potential buyers. ? 

Absolutely, why let someone else clear or clean their gutters? You might end up losing your customer to them.

Some of us are miles to busy to be bothering with other jobs

 

[scottish cleaning service]

??? your helping him ,  well I hope you get a percentage of the sale , because it is worth 550k ?

Aye, its big in the US, its called staging homes.