This is my areas mentality about pricing and water fed...

[Suhrly]

See my second argument to this is as follows;

If a tradesman arrived at your house to do plumbing/building etc. would you question their tools or methods?  If your windows are clean it doesn't matter if I used unicorn pee to clean them, the job is done, the final finish (albeit when they're dry if you're using pure) is satisfactory so why complain about how it was done?

:1f44c:

 

[Pjj]

Quite agree I did a customers widows  wfp for around 4 years she was always at work when I did them and always happy with the finish , did them one day when she was on holiday and she went mental about the water on the path and running down the walls : she told me not to bother doing them again as she didn’t like the water on the path and the walls , I TrueDepth to be a bit funny about it and asked who she complained to when it rained ????? didn’t go down well , some peopke are strange 

 

[Julian Noddy Dean]

, my daughter lives in my old house up north . 5 bed house massive conny on the back 7 quid the lot he charges !!!! i couldnt be bothered to do them at that price !!!!!

funny thing is when my vans on the drive he parks next to it to clean the windows ,  yet he does i canny job and take him ages , i feel sorry for him when i am there and give him a tenner because i am a nice guy 

 

[mike007]

Firstly the customer shows a little ignorance and if asked her window cleaner would have explained the method and allayed any fears.
Secondly when you see these little Facebook rants, is this customer going to berate the window cleaner, "wet windows, don't think so mate" to his face.
Or thirdly, " Thank you Mr window cleaner, I've never seen my windows so sparkly! More tea?"
Take your pick "nowt queer as folk" as they say up here, lol.

Sent using the http://Window Cleaning Forums mobile app
 

Loads of "keyboard warriors" on Facebook etc who can quickly get someone a bad name that is unjustified.

 

[Dave B]

Bottom line is clients should know what they are signing up to.

If they have seen you working or found you through a business website or Fb then they can't claim otherwise and kick up a fuss, more if they have being happy with the results.

Sent using the http://Window Cleaning Forums mobile app
 

They are signing up to having clean windows

I converted my whole round to wfp 3 years ago and didn't even mention it to customers

Didn't lose a single one

If asked i just said they will dry fine give me a shout if any problems

If someone wants to kick off i would just bin them

I don't feel the need to explain my tools to anyone as long as I do the job I am paid for then I am fulfilling my end of the deal

 

[ks789]

, my daughter lives in my old house up north . 5 bed house massive conny on the back 7 quid the lot he charges !!!! i couldnt be bothered to do them at that price !!!!!

funny thing is when my vans on the drive he parks next to it to clean the windows ,  yet he does i canny job and take him ages , i feel sorry for him when i am there and give him a tenner because i am a nice guy 

Jeez thats crazy, prob worse than minimum wage  per hour when all factored in. 

 

[dmw]

When I switched to wfp last March I didn't tell them either I just rocked up and got on with it, I reckoned I could have afforded to have lost 15% of my work before I started to worry.in the end to date I lost 1% just 3 customers out of 300
I also lost another 2 customers which happened with my biannual price increase, it just happened to clash, I toiled with a delay to putting my prices up, but in the end went ahead because the customers are used this so can't complain.
The nice thing about the changeover was some customers were actually interested in the method and liked an explanation, and I did a few guided tours of my van which was nice.
On the whole, even now you can see a few have their reservations, but the majority want clean windows and don't give a monkeys how it's acheived.

Sent using the http://Window Cleaning Forums mobile app

 

[Julian Noddy Dean]

Jeez thats crazy, prob worse than minimum wage  per hour when all factored in. 

yer your right , he never really talked to him much guess hes dieing to ask why i dont clean the windows when i am home lol 

 

[Michael Anderson]

Most of the public dont know what pure water is.Bring a tds meter and get them to bring a cup of their tap water.Then measure yours and theirs plain to see result.Had loads of people thinking its a con until you show them the difference.Facebook is what it is works for some sometimes can be negative.

 

[Sintesi]

I would say to her - you do know you have just had your windows cleaned by purified dionized water, which has zero metal in it. Its not tap water, its not mineral water its totally different,  water drops left do not leave any stains so you get a flawless finish plus your frames and cills will be spotless as well. If I was you I would get back in touch with your cleaner and ask him whens hes going to comeback for the next clean, before you get replaced by a new customer, probably your neighbour who noticed how clean your windows are and was very jealous.

It's the same scenario with a car wash.When you drive away there is water left on the surface which evaporates with no residue left behind.Call the likes of her the following day & ask how the job was.Some people are practically brain dead


Sent using the Window Cleaning Forums mobile app

 

[Neilmnwc]

I’ve had a couple of daft ones too, one custy who I’d used wfp on for about 2 years no bother (only the wife was in). Then the husband gave up golf and was in most of the time...I’d use wfp and he would follow me round on the ground floor quietly seething drying the glass off with his filthy chamois that he used on the car...
I said he’d be better off letting them dry (explained about water etc). He smeared the glass & said he wasn’t keen on the way I did them. Not a customer anymore as he couldn’t stand the ‘mess’[emoji849].

One said he didn’t like the mess of wfp, I said what do you do if it rains?? I chuckle, he didn’t...I said I’d put my prices up for trad. Now he gets wfp ok. Ha ha.


Sent from my iPhone using Window Cleaning Forums

 

[Elliot]

Ignorance is bliss. Bless the trad cleaners that are also jumping on this band wagon to try and steal business from pure guys too. See that all the time these days and can’t understand what everyone’s problem is. 

“So you wouldn’t like me to clean your windows, frames, sills and doors with my £500 pole and £3500 system which costs me £100 a month to produce the water. Instead you’d prefer a £20 squeegee and 4 house old water and washing up liquid in a bucket?”

I could argue this til I’m blue in the face and I was trad for 10 years. WFP is the future of this industry, and the sooner insurance companies really clamp down on ladder work the better. 

I’m fortunate to have a brilliant customer base who recommend me to everyone they know, and I’m still growing, but these shitty little £6/8 cleaners driving battered up cars and trying to play down just how good WFP systems are get right on my tits. 

Customers are not bothered how much you spent on your equipment . All most want is it done as cheap as possible . Also insurance companies can charge what they want . It won’t make a bit of differnce to the 1980s time warp tradders round our way . Do you really think these guys have any insurance ? No . There’s a bloke round our way . Van full of Doleys. He trawls the local council estates with a revolving door of Tracky wearing scrotes to pick from . He sometimes had 5 lads on one house . It wouldn’t surprise me if he was signing on as well . 

 

[Suhrly]

Customers are not bothered how much you spent on your equipment . All most want is it done as cheap as possible . Also insurance companies can charge what they want . It won’t make a bit of differnce to the 1980s time warp tradders round our way . Do you really think these guys have any insurance ? No . There’s a bloke round our way . Van full of Doleys. He trawls the local council estates with a revolving door of Tracky wearing scrotes to pick from . He sometimes had 5 lads on one house . It wouldn’t surprise me if he was signing on as well . 

Absolutely spot on Elliot! Exactly the same round my area. There's a big 'company' that has hundreds, if not thousands of customers around local villages. They've been around since the 80's. You see them coming round just like you say in their trakies normally 3 or 4 of them. It takes ONE of them 3-4 minutes to trad a house, missing windows and not touching the frames. They charge £3.75 for a 3 bed semi!!! Can you believe that. This is why he have to hesitate to increase our prices cos like you say..people want to pay as less as possible and would rather pay doley cowboys like this than a decent windy doing a decent job! Soul destroying.

 

[Julian Noddy Dean]

Customers are not bothered how much you spent on your equipment . All most want is it done as cheap as possible . Also insurance companies can charge what they want . It won’t make a bit of differnce to the 1980s time warp tradders round our way . Do you really think these guys have any insurance ? No . There’s a bloke round our way . Van full of Doleys. He trawls the local council estates with a revolving door of Tracky wearing scrotes to pick from . He sometimes had 5 lads on one house . It wouldn’t surprise me if he was signing on as well . 

if you get the feeling there out for the cheapest job tell them the same as i do 

i am not the cheapest around and have to charge more because i dont make up my wages  by burgling your house while  your out like the others do  lololol  

 

[Suhrly]

if you get the feeling there out for the cheapest job tell them the same as i do 

i am not the cheapest around and have to charge more because i dont make up my wages  by burgling your house while  your out like the others do  lololol  

The guys who I mention above...one of my mates saw them in one of their customers back garden trying the shed door. Says everything.

 

[Elliot]

I’ve had loads of stories off new custys who sacked there last windy . Always a tradder . Stealing off the washing line , taking a parcel off the step , drinking a bottle of vodka and smoking while sat on there patio furniture. One came home to find him taking a dump round the back of her shed . Taking tomatoes from there greenhouse . I’ve heard loads over the years . 

 

[C Rose Cleaning Services]

Customers are not bothered how much you spent on your equipment . All most want is it done as cheap as possible . Also insurance companies can charge what they want . It won’t make a bit of differnce to the 1980s time warp tradders round our way . Do you really think these guys have any insurance ? No . There’s a bloke round our way . Van full of Doleys. He trawls the local council estates with a revolving door of Tracky wearing scrotes to pick from . He sometimes had 5 lads on one house . It wouldn’t surprise me if he was signing on as well . 

It may be where you are, but that's absolutely not the case here.  I'm taking on new work every day and my prices start at £12 (just two new ones today signed up to GC for £40 a month and £25 a month).  

I'm sure someone out there would do the houses I have for 1/4 of the price, but who the hell wants to do 1000 houses a month for £4000 when I can do 300 for more money?  My demographic isn't cheap and cheerful, nor do I ever underprice my jobs just to get them.  If a customer wants to pay as little as possible then someone else can do the windows - I want customers who respect the costs of running a business, the time and effort it takes to build said business, and that want a quality job done properly whilst trusting I'm not sizing up their house to let my mate know what they've got inside so he can go and rob them next week.

Horses for courses, in any industry cheap guys/shops/brands exist for a market, but I've never been busier since getting better equipment, a new van, branding and uniform.  You'd be amazed how many comments get made about my approach (proper quote forms, GoCardless payments, text messages, courtesy services etc) vs the bloke in a battered car turning up in ripped jeans.

 

[C Rose Cleaning Services]

Absolutely spot on Elliot! Exactly the same round my area. There's a big 'company' that has hundreds, if not thousands of customers around local villages. They've been around since the 80's. You see them coming round just like you say in their trakies normally 3 or 4 of them. It takes ONE of them 3-4 minutes to trad a house, missing windows and not touching the frames. They charge £3.75 for a 3 bed semi!!! Can you believe that. This is why he have to hesitate to increase our prices cos like you say..people want to pay as less as possible and would rather pay doley cowboys like this than a decent windy doing a decent job! Soul destroying.

If you are running a proper business, these kinds of people are NOT your competition.  Never hesitate to increase your prices - I've started doing it every other year now, £1 for houses less than £25, £1.50 for £26-40 and £2.50 for £40+ houses.  I lose less than 5% of my customer base doing this and I'm taking on 20% a year more anyway.

You need to stop comparing your prices to others and make the business work for you.

 

[Steve Barker]

I have the best idea! Send him/her this link and she can read all the comments made by professional window cleaners. And by the way; £10.00 is too cheap! I won't work for less than £15.00 and that is for a 2 bed semi bungalow...

 

[spruce]

If you are running a proper business, these kinds of people are NOT your competition.  Never hesitate to increase your prices - I've started doing it every other year now, £1 for houses less than £25, £1.50 for £26-40 and £2.50 for £40+ houses.  I lose less than 5% of my customer base doing this and I'm taking on 20% a year more anyway.

You need to stop comparing your prices to others and make the business work for you.

You can get better pricing in the south for window cleaning services.Our biggest issue in the North East isn't the odd £2.50 a front window cleaner, its rather the perception that most have that they shouldn't be paying more than £6  - £8 for their windows to be cleaned.

Honestly, sometimes the more affluent estates are worst than the old ones living on some council estates.

 

[adamangler]

You can get better pricing in the south for window cleaning services.Our biggest issue in the North East isn't the odd £2.50 a front window cleaner, its rather the perception that most have that they shouldn't be paying more than £6  - £8 for their windows to be cleaned.

Honestly, sometimes the more affluent estates are worst that the old ones living on some council estates.

That's the kind of prices people expect round here, £6-£8.

Couple of hours ago I quoted someone £10. Sorry to waste your time she said but we've found a local guy doing them for £5.

It's certainly harder up north to make a decent living from window cleaning.