new custy a bit odd

[slipknot]

So today i picked up a new customer, and she said can you do my windows as my last window cleaner moved to spain, sold his round to people with poles, they did it trad the first time then come round with poles and left loads of marks on the windows, so anyway i went up the ladder as i do now bearing in mind i have a possitive attitude towards WFP systems as i have seen what they can do first hand

honest to god, there was not a single mark on any of the windows heck i could have pretneded to do them but they were spotless, however the frames were something else the guy who she had before us never cleaned the frames in 10 years of doing her windows. I spent more time doing the frames than the windows.

but how can people say these systems leave marks when there was not a single mark on the windows i could have ate my dinner of them lol.

 

[CHWS]

Tell me about it I had a customer sent me a picture through and there was nothing wrong, I went back and said I'd fix the window I'd do it traditional, climbed up the ladder climbed back down and didn't touch it and she text later saying oh that's great!! Anyway poled it the other month and was doing the neighbours she calls me back oh it leaves the windows funny bla bla got me to do insides and not even a dust Mark!! Some people just won't bite the bullet with it. I think it's the whole wet window thing they don't like

 

[Marko067]

I used to enjoy working trad but there's lots about it I don't miss. Like trying not to leave marks on hot sunny days as the water was drying fast or when the sun was at my back and low in the sky. I also never found one detergent (I tried lots of them including the professional ones) that I was 100% happy with and that would not leave marks if you left any trace of it on the glass in the entire 30+years at it. I had plenty of happy customers. It was me that used to get frustrated. Then along came WFP, pure water and no soap! Yay! /emoticons/biggrin.png

Truthfully I did lose a handful, literally 4 customers who just didn't like the idea of wfp when I started with it, but the unsolicited positive comments from many of the others was really encouraging. One elderly lady made me laugh when she said, 'I love it when it's sunny and you do my windows with that thing. I love all the little sparkly bits. I could sit here and look at them all day.'

She loved it when the windows were wet!

 

[adamangler]

I was speaking to a lady yeasterday whos tried wfp but they left horrible streaks everywhere, so now shes happy to use trad guys who cant reach certain windows rather than try wfp again.

Some wfp guys give the rest of us a bad name with their slap dash ways.

Ive not had a complaint for months and only 3-4 ever, usually when rain AND wind is involved

 

[Dave B]

We had 1 today ask if we used that pole thing or we did it "properly"

Said she wants it done properly with ladders so we can get in all the corners

That wasn't taken very well when being told we are not doing the job properly

So you buy a van and expensive top notch system to be told a guy with a squeegee can do it right and you can't

 

[David K]

Some people are stuck in old thinking ! Everytime i Pick up a wfp custy , i refer to my wfp-section on my website. It explains the whole the whole thing . And its great coming round to well informed customers . Actually i Think they wouldt Trade for the old ways , they love the frame-clean . :hehehe:

 

[boarcity]

iv had folk ring me [or text] wanting me to do their windows becos some other windie isnt what they want

but theres Always more to it[ trying to get a better price,or their house is a flippin nitemare]

what i do now is say i can do it, but its 70 quid , "but we were paying 21" ,and then give them insider info that the best place is to put a post on the local page on Facebook, "this is where the best windies reside"

i can them revel in messing up their online attempt at getting a windie by REPLYING on a fake FB profile as a very cheap but dottled windie

 

[Marko067]

Of all the numerous trad windies I've watched over the years I honestly don't think a single one of them has ever actually cleaned or wiped the frames (as I watched). However, most detail to remove the little soapy water left at the edges of the windows and wipe ledges as I used to. I believe this is what people think is having their frames wiped/cleaned.

I did clean frames, but it was by appointment and in addition to window cleaning as it would more than double the time it took to clean the windows. How deep a clean depended on what the customer wanted. Some just wanted a quick wipe down of all UPVC and others wanted them washed down thoroughly and they were charged accordingly. All understood and were happy except those that wanted something for nothing, but they didn't normally stay on my round for long.

So even a wfp windie who cleans windows well and does their frames every so often is probably giving them more for their money.

Of the four I mentioned earlier that I lost at the start, three are now back on my books, as the trad fella that took them over fell off his ladder two years ago and decided to call it a day. One of the three, who was probably the rudest re the wfp is now a solid custy again and tips me every time I do them.

 

[Rosewood]

Got my wfp set up and occasionally use it, so I'm puzzled where my invite to join the secret society of "trad bashers" has gone.

Just wondered, do you all have a funny hand shake when you meet.

 

[Marko067]

Apologies RW, and any trad windies who may have read my post that way.

If my comments were what you were referring to, it was not my intention to bash tradders. I was one for 30+ years before changing to wfp. I still do a little trad as wfp also has it limitations. I was commenting on the fact that what many customers think is frame cleaning is probably their trad windie detailing and wiping ledges because it does look like that at a glance.

When I first changed over I heard a lot about how wfp was the 'Be all and End all' of window cleaning. I quickly discovered, as I suspected, that as good as it was, it wasn't. (the Be all & End all, that is) If that makes sense

I have edited my earlier post which hopefully makes more sense now./emoticons/biggrin.png

 

[window wizard]

had a customer tell me she wasn't happy with how the pure was drying out and that she wanted me to go back to trad, I drove straight round there to see for my self, she pointed here and there on a set of patio doors and I said yes there all on the inside, No there not she replied, so I grabbed a cloth and would you believe it was all on the inside. with a bright red face she coulnt have been more sorry lol

 

[Duncs]

i,m all for WFP but the down side to me is when you have immediately cleaned them and the windows looked if it has been raining and never stopped for a week it looks shite

let it settle 15mins and it is starting to look better all ready

 

[Adams0211]

i,m all for WFP but the down side to me is when you have immediately cleaned them and the windows looked if it has been raining and never stopped for a week it looks shitelet it settle 15mins and it is starting to look better all ready

Most of my customers pay online but I've got the odd few who I collect from in the evening. It's nice to see them all dry and shiny when you go back. That sounds a bit sad now I've typed that out.

Sent from my iPhone using Window Cleaning Forums mobile app

 

[window wizard]

Most of my customers pay online but I've got the odd few who I collect from in the evening. It's nice to see them all dry and shiny when you go back. That sounds a bit sad now I've typed that out.

Sent from my iPhone using Window Cleaning Forums mobile app

I thought the exact same thing last night, its nice to pop back to collect now the nights are drawing out. I knock then stand there looking over all the windows making sure there perfect

 

[Adams0211]

I thought the exact same thing last night, its nice to pop back to collect now the nights are drawing out. I knock then stand there looking over all the windows making sure there perfect

I know there's a lot of debate about whether adding Vision to your water makes any difference but I really think you can notice it once they've dried. Some of my customers have mentioned it too.

Sent from my iPhone using Window Cleaning Forums mobile app

 

[Dave B]

Got my wfp set up and occasionally use it, so I'm puzzled where my invite to join the secret society of "trad bashers" has gone.Just wondered, do you all have a funny hand shake when you meet.[/quote?

I was trad for donkeys years but last year switched to stick waggling

I would never bash the tradders as it is 1 method of cleaning windows

Same as wfp is a method of cleaning windows

I choose wfp as i am faster with it even though it's hard to find a tradder as quick as me lol

As for frames i have always properly cleaned them either method

Cleaning frames trad is a piece of **** with a wet microfibre

Once glass soaped up wipe round frames and sill properly then blade off the glass

@Green Pro Clean Ltd will agree as he did a vid on how to do a first clean trad and did the same thing

I don't know why some tradders say it takes so much longer

 

[Danfire]

I was trad for donkeys years but last year switched to stick wagglingI would never bash the tradders as it is 1 method of cleaning windows

Same as wfp is a method of cleaning windows

I choose wfp as i am faster with it even though it's hard to find a tradder as quick as me lol

As for frames i have always properly cleaned them either method

Cleaning frames trad is a piece of **** with a wet microfibre

Once glass soaped up wipe round frames and sill properly then blade off the glass

@Green Pro Clean Ltd will agree as he did a vid on how to do a first clean trad and did the same thing

I don't know why some tradders say it takes so much longer

Same...soap up glass, wipe frame/pre-detail with damp cloth, squeegee, cill wipe and detail...perfect every time, only takes seconds.

 

[Poles Apart]

Same...soap up glass, wipe frame/pre-detail with damp cloth, squeegee, cill wipe and detail...perfect every time, only takes seconds.

I was trad but wfp now 6 years I'd like to see someone use that method on a hot day with sun blazing on glass.

 

[TolishAPurd]

I was trad but wfp now 6 years I'd like to see someone use that method on a hot day with sun blazing on glass.

Adapting to the conditions is just a part of the job. So when it's sunny you just wipe after. Simple stuff really.

 

[Poles Apart]

Adapting to the conditions is just a part of the job. So when it's sunny you just wipe after. Simple stuff really.

I don't think so as a trader of considerable experience I can catergorically say that cleaning glass in strong sunlight with soap and a squeegee will leave a smear on the glass at certain angles when the soap is drying quickly this can not be removed I know I've been there, using a cloth to remove it makes it spread.

 

[TolishAPurd]

You can still adapt to it, otherwise how do the Aussie traders get on. I've had what you describe happen, but all I do on the hottest of days in direct sun is use less soap, but most importantly I mop the window twice before squeegeeing. The first mop wets the window and takes off some of the heat, and the second mop makes it like normal (although you then have to go a bit quicker). And that is just for upstairs windows. For downstairs I sometimes mop and blade at the same time, or even wet the whole window, and then just use the mop in front of the squeegee to make it slip nice. Extremes of conditions are always going to pose problems for us, but we just work around them. This stuff really isn't complicated.