The Price of cleaning after Covid 19 a realistic shift for our industry

[DS WC west midlands]

I think someone needs to get off their high horse.

You are a window cleaner.. next one up from bin men in customers eyes.

We know it's a well paid job and I earn enough to not be told my prices are rubbish just because you wipe a few sills.

I'm happy to be thought of like that as then it won't offend customers who realise just what I earn.

wow just wow

 

[wee man]

that's a fair comment but i do spend that time and i get well paid for it, it's not much out of my way to clean some rubber scuffs off that have turned up long after a first clean... plus if the Gov tell you that you should stay at home and not go to work to avoid getting sick and dying they have an obligation to support you and in this case they supported very few cleaners only massive companies..

sole traders, most self employed didn't even qualify for anything, and have been forced to carry on working, now nobody minds working... i suppose what they mind is crash price per month cleans, for cleans that should really be at trade minimum prices £50 per month or so.. £50 is any other trades lowest rate to even turn their key in the van...

My point being why have so many of you allowed your customers to dictate your pricing ??? 

you let them bully you all into minimum price work, forgetting it's your job, your the one who has to do it, and with complaints like
"i anit spending time doing that" clearly your too cheap case and point a price rise in this industry is not only well overdue, it needed to stop all the petty bickering i see in this forum, and to change customer perception of window cleaners as a whole now because most people on here spend their time fighting over how others put things in messages or replies and the finer details of cleaning 

Your all divided and should be at least united in your pricing to secure it for everyone who joins it, oh you can pick apart what i say all you like but just remember there are plenty of windows to go around, you talk about people getting off their ass and working ok that's good, but with cheap as chips prices you have no right to even say that if you won't support a standard across the board minimum  price...

No wonder customers treat most of us like **** with attitudes and clever insults like this, it seems the customers have gotten you all to be exactly where they want you in their pocket begging for scraps... lest we forget we watch the youtube vids too and will Quote things you all have said maybe practice what you preach...      

       

Hi What makes you think most window cleaners didn't get any help from the government? If you paid your proper tax you would of gotten 80% of your wages.  

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

I am probably one of the most expensive window cleaners

Cause you got quality leads ya wee Greek Souflaki Haggis chomper!! ?

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

Hi What makes you think most window cleaners didn't get any help from the government? If you paid your proper tax you would of gotten 80% of your wages.  

My accountant was pressuring me to apply -- as well as some other windies I know that got it -- I didn't apply as luckily I don't need to at present.  I don't have the mind set of take it cause it's available - but for those that paid fairly into the system and have records of it there is no reason they cant get it. 

 

[wee man]

My accountant was pressuring me to apply -- as well as some other windies I know that got it -- I didn't apply as luckily I don't need to at present.  I don't have the mind set of take it cause it's available - but for those that paid fairly into the system and have records of it there is no reason they cant get it. 

I got the first one as I was off 3 weeks when it all started,  now to sure about the 2nd one I'll have to go through my numbers to see how much I'm down compared to last year. Atm I'm down about 20% this month so theres a good chance I'll take the 2nd one. 

 

[DS WC west midlands]

Hi What makes you think most window cleaners didn't get any help from the government? If you paid your proper tax you would of gotten 80% of your wages.  

no they didn't at all 

 

[wee man]

no they didn't at all 

??? I don't understand as it was so easy to get, I know 5 other window cleaners in my town and the only one who didn't get it was one who works for cash in hand. 

 

[scottish cleaning service]

Cause you got quality leads ya wee Greek Souflaki Haggis chomper!! ?

I think that virus is going to your heed, and mistaking me for @Master Jedi Alejandro as all my leads come through Checkatrade. ? Anyway off to lay some slabs, keep safe!

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

I think that virus is going to your heed, and mistaking me for @Master Jedi Alejandro as all my leads come through Checkatrade. ? Anyway off to lay some slabs, keep safe!

PMSL Scotty - it's the old timers, not the corona - Yes, defo Alejandro. 

 

[Iron Giant]

that's a fair comment but i do spend that time and i get well paid for it, it's not much out of my way to clean some rubber scuffs off that have turned up long after a first clean... plus if the Gov tell you that you should stay at home and not go to work to avoid getting sick and dying they have an obligation to support you and in this case they supported very few cleaners only massive companies..

sole traders, most self employed didn't even qualify for anything, and have been forced to carry on working, now nobody minds working... i suppose what they mind is crash price per month cleans, for cleans that should really be at trade minimum prices £50 per month or so.. £50 is any other trades lowest rate to even turn their key in the van...

My point being why have so many of you allowed your customers to dictate your pricing ??? 

you let them bully you all into minimum price work, forgetting it's your job, your the one who has to do it, and with complaints like
"i anit spending time doing that" clearly your too cheap case and point a price rise in this industry is not only well overdue, it needed to stop all the petty bickering i see in this forum, and to change customer perception of window cleaners as a whole now because most people on here spend their time fighting over how others put things in messages or replies and the finer details of cleaning 

Your all divided and should be at least united in your pricing to secure it for everyone who joins it, oh you can pick apart what i say all you like but just remember there are plenty of windows to go around, you talk about people getting off their ass and working ok that's good, but with cheap as chips prices you have no right to even say that if you won't support a standard across the board minimum  price...

No wonder customers treat most of us like **** with attitudes and clever insults like this, it seems the customers have gotten you all to be exactly where they want you in their pocket begging for scraps... lest we forget we watch the youtube vids too and will Quote things you all have said maybe practice what you preach...      

       

My cleans run every fourth week so once a month some are in the same street or in the next street over, average clean per month clocks in at around 30 minutes but i allow time to dry & to drive, I do between five -ten a day, average is 6-7.. part time given my commitments...

I think you need to read over what you have written with respect you are getting all giddy about your high pricing of £20 yet you aren't making anymore money than someone who is a bit cheaper, you are offering a high quality service but making less money for more work if you are working part-time and driving here there and everywhere to single jobs you are most likely earning less than someone cheaper who will be turning a greater profit

 

[Part Timer]

that's a fair comment but i do spend that time and i get well paid for it,

I don't understand why you come on here complaining about all and sundry, disrespecting fellow windies about their pricing structure and quality of their work. You keep saying your prices are high, but want more,  and it's all our fault that they're not.You then say you get well paid, can you clarify are you struggling or doing well. If the latter why are you complaining so much. 

I feel sorry for you that you didn't have the technical, or financial, nous to click on a link register and claim 1000's of pounds. Blaming the Government for your ineptitude is an easy cop out. There are some on here that missed the criteria for the grant and they aren't complaining like you.

I think it's time to have a good long look at yourself because in my experience those that do nothing but whinge will end up failing. Please feel free to pull this to bits, all I'm doing is trying to show you how stupid most of your points are.

 

[Iron Giant]

no they didn't at all 

I think we have the oracle here as apparently he knows it all or he fell over in a field and got a mouth full of mushrooms  

 

[wee man]

I think we have the oracle here as apparently he knows it all or he fell over in a field and got a mouth full of mushrooms  

View attachment 20948

There not out for a few months,  not that I would know .???

 

[ks789]

I think we have the oracle here as apparently he knows it all or he fell over in a field and got a mouth full of mushrooms  

View attachment 20948

Watched this after some mushies some years back, done my nut in but good laugh ? gotta watch the whole thing

 

[Dave B]

Well with my "minimum wage" I'm out fishing again lol.

It's very hard struggling with all these low paid jobs and not earning enough money to live or have hobbies?

 

[dazmond]

Not loads but more than you think not exactly the point I'm trying to make.

Because some one is charging less than you it comes with the belief that they aren't making money are desperate or skint.

Antac,nationwide,ladders free,greig Avinou etc, etc are cleaning what most on here would call low priced rubbish work yet all are running multi million pound turnover business.

i dont understand why the original poster is on his soap box over pricing jobs up TBH.....my guess is he is stressed out,financially not in a good place and maybe lost a few jobs to a cheaper windy?i dunno.......

the truth is we can all charge what we like.....i have loads of cheap jobs and very compact too,i of course splash and dash and make a good hourly rate on them,i also have larger much higher priced jobs which i also splash and dash,there really is no need to spend too long on each window if their cleaned regularly,i also use a high flow,hot water,electric reels,very light poles to make my job as fast and easy as possible.....

i find waiting around for windows to dry laughable tbh....it smacks of not being confident in his way of working or WFP in general......at this time of year the windows are virtually dry straight away after cleaning using 60c water.......

is he a relative newbie to WFP?after a few years gaining experience with better equipment and knowing your round inside out you can burn through your work at a really fast pace and still do a great job......

as for customers bullying window cleaners into cheap prices?...errm...you ve lost me there!who runs your business?you or your customers?

 

[scottish cleaning service]

as for customers bullying window cleaners into cheap prices?...errm...you ve lost me there!who runs your business?you or your customers?

Its great when you are busy and have plenty of work and don't need nor put up with timewasters. A few years ago when I started window cleaning I was desperate to take anything on but times have changed, money brings confidence.

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

I think we have the oracle here as apparently he knows it all or he fell over in a field and got a mouth full of mushrooms  

View attachment 20948

Oh if only we had a community of seasoned vets with hundreds of years of experience between them that we could call upon to resolve this!  ?

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

A Moderator a Moderator, my Moerman Squeegee for a Moderator!  (Bill Shakey - The Baird) 

@Gav, give me my bl00dy stick back so I can move on to the next post!  ?

 

[Doug]

i dont understand why the original poster is on his soap box over pricing jobs up TBH.....my guess is he is stressed out,financially not in a good place and maybe lost a few jobs to a cheaper windy?i dunno.......

the truth is we can all charge what we like.....i have loads of cheap jobs and very compact too,i of course splash and dash and make a good hourly rate on them,i also have larger much higher priced jobs which i also splash and dash,there really is no need to spend too long on each window if their cleaned regularly,i also use a high flow,hot water,electric reels,very light poles to make my job as fast and easy as possible.....

i find waiting around for windows to dry laughable tbh....it smacks of not being confident in his way of working or WFP in general......at this time of year the windows are virtually dry straight away after cleaning using 60c water.......

is he a relative newbie to WFP?after a few years gaining experience with better equipment and knowing your round inside out you can burn through your work at a really fast pace and still do a great job......

as for customers bullying window cleaners into cheap prices?...errm...you ve lost me there!who runs your business?you or your customers?

I agree with every word, but I am not keen on the splash and dash phrase as it implies a lack of care and hence quality. I work very fast but never at the expense of quality and I am sure that this is also true of most of us who care about doing a great job. I feel we should drop phrases like this that hint at an unprofessional approach and method. Another phrase I read somewhere today was that we are something like (can't recall exact words)  lowest of the low, second only to bin men or something like that. Running our trade down like this does us all a disservice. I view myself as a total professional and would never denigrate myself in this way. 

 

[dazmond]

the lowly comment doesnt "wash" with me......the only people that are bothered about this are people who always seem to care what other people think of them(whether they do or not!).....

for years ive always had the attitude......"i dont give a f**k" in regards to what i perceive other people think of me cleaning windows...i really DONT CARE!why would i?i have a nice life...part of it is BECAUSE IM A WINDOW CLEANER!.....

its a great,straightforward, low stress business to be in..and pretty much recession proof........personally i dont think you can beat it!