Am I being too greedy?

[paulio]

Hi guys, just been to quote a house, was a big 4 bedroom detached with French windows all over. I'm still newish to the game and wasn't sure what to charge as this is the first big house I've quoted. So tried guess how long it would take me (trad).

Reckoned it would take me hour - hour 1\2 so quoted £30 if she would like it on a regular basis. She then said I only want it done once or twice a year, which I replied in that case it will be £60 because it will be classed as a one off. She then just made me feel like a was ripping her off and it's mad me feel a bit Swear word!py.

Was I wrong to double the price coz she didn't want it done regular? I would of got the job if I had charged her £30 and now I feel like I've just let a job het away when I could use all the money I can get.

 

[Ryan]

personally it may be a bit to much at the end of the day like you said its only going to take you a hr and half so £30 for that work and as your starting out just like myself i would of stuck to the £30-35 mark just because that job may lead to more job or try getting it every 3 months and arrange it like that.

i would of said we we agree to every 3 months at £30 would that be ok or even drop it to £25 if you have it done every 3 months she prob would have gone for it

£25-30 for hr and half work is good money imo and as we starting out we should try to get out there

i know loads of bigger boys say double the price but tbh id never double it around me as people wont pay it and just ring someone else wholl do it for a bit less but when u got 150+ customers u can up it a bit

 

[Dodger]

personally it may be a bit to much at the end of the day like you said its only going to take you a hr and half so £30 for that work and as your starting out just like myself i would of stuck to the £30-35 mark just because that job may lead to more job or try getting it every 3 months and arrange it like that.

i would of said we we agree to every 3 months at £30 would that be ok or even drop it to £25 if you have it done every 3 months she prob would have gone for it

£25-30 for hr and half work is good money imo and as we starting out we should try to get out there

i know loads of bigger boys say double the price but tbh id never double it around me as people wont pay it and just ring someone else wholl do it for a bit less but when u got 150+ customers u can up it a bit

Absolutely agree!

 

[cuzza]

2 times a year i would say no but if you are starting out you take most things.I would of said£40 min

 

[Paul]

I done the same last week Paul they wanted a one off I think I priced to high didn't get it anyway, but you live and learn, you will know fir next time, these mistakes will happen but atleast your not undercutting yourself to get work.

 

[paulio]

Thanks for the replys guys, guess I'll have to chalk it up to a newbie mistake and learn from it.

Appreciate the responses.

Paul.

 

[A.K WINDOWS]

dont worry about it start as you mean to go on if they do like it **** em,i see what people are saying but you dont want one off cleans anyway once word gets around that you do them every custy will want a one off cleaner sack that

 

[laddergarder]

I don't do one off because if all my customers just wanted it done once or twice a year I doubt I would still be in business, and wouldn't be able to offer my service at all. So I try not to encourage this for that reason. I agree that if you include frame cleaning, then yeah that first clean should be a bit more. Would I double it if I was doing one offs... bearing in mind I don't do frames, only glass, no, it really does take that much longer, it is the same process. If I was doing frames, I would say yes.

I always say when a customer enquires that we only offer our service on a monthly basis, but to ensure you get a better response, make sure you say to the customer first, if its a one off its £60 due to the extra time first cleans take, but if you want it done each month, we can do it for £30. That way they think its a deal they are getting.

 

[A.K WINDOWS]

ladder do you ever do frames at all mate?

i do them but at value of the glass.

 

[willywindows]

I don't do one off because if all my customers just wanted it done once or twice a year I doubt I would still be in business, and wouldn't be able to offer my service at all. So I try not to encourage this for that reason. I agree that if you include frame cleaning, then yeah that first clean should be a bit more. Would I double it if I was doing one offs... bearing in mind I don't do frames, only glass, no, it really does take that much longer, it is the same process. If I was doing frames, I would say yes.

I always say when a customer enquires that we only offer our service on a monthly basis, but to ensure you get a better response, make sure you say to the customer first, if its a one off its £60 due to the extra time first cleans take, but if you want it done each month, we can do it for £30. That way they think its a deal they are getting.

I hear what your saying but custy might say ok and after first clean decide they don't want the service anymore as they only wanted 1 clean anyway - saved themselves £30 is how some would think

!

 

[Masons]

Yes.

That is all.

 

[willywindows]

I don't do one off because if all my customers just wanted it done once or twice a year I doubt I would still be in business, and wouldn't be able to offer my service at all. So I try not to encourage this for that reason. I agree that if you include frame cleaning, then yeah that first clean should be a bit more. Would I double it if I was doing one offs... bearing in mind I don't do frames, only glass, no, it really does take that much longer, it is the same process. If I was doing frames, I would say yes.

I always say when a customer enquires that we only offer our service on a monthly basis, but to ensure you get a better response, make sure you say to the customer first, if its a one off its £60 due to the extra time first cleans take, but if you want it done each month, we can do it for £30. That way they think its a deal they are getting.

I hear what your saying but custy might say its ok to do monthly cleans and then decide they don't want the service after first clean because they only wanted 1 clean to start with!

Some might even thing that they've pulled a smart one and saved themselves £30 !

 

[laddergarder]

customers can cancel any time they want, but I have taken on tons of customers that wanted 8 weekly cleans and one offs, and turned them into regular month contracts without them cancelling after the first clean. Also if you do charge more on your first clean, then if they cancel, you can say well as previously stated one offs are double, so it would be another £30 please. If thats what you want to do.

Do I ever clean frames, yes and no. Through the window cleaning no. We wipe down the cross bars to avoid any drips coming off them onto the glass and scrim the edges. I have some windows cleaners in my area doing two beds for £3.50. Everything we do it above board and all my staff are properly employed by me, and I dont think I could stay compe***ive if I included frames. Plus nobody in my area includes frames in there price.

I have however cleaned frames as part of our carpet cleaning business, as we are also doing end of tenancy and office cleaning through that. I had one job other other day, that was a three bed flat, and it took me three hours to clean the frames. They were not just wiped over with a towel though, they had to be properly scrubbed, as they were quite bad.

 

[A.K WINDOWS]

two beds for £3.50?how and why do they even bother must take 13hrs to earn a wage everday lol.i want £7 for 3 bed houses.

 

[kev mcguinness]

I've got a few jobs like this one and I just don't count them as part of my mY monthly round, so that when they come up its a nice bonus the month they're due. It's worth testing the water with a higher price but if it looks like they're annoyed, don't be shy to negotiate. Just never do it for less than you're happy with or you'll just drop it in the end.

Kev

 

[laddergarder]

kev I don't understand the logic in that at all, unless you mean you do them on the side and don't record the income, why would you not count them as part of your round.

Problem in my area is there is some that just take on young boys that would really only get paid £3.68 per hour, and they take them on as self employed and just pay them a commission of 50% of takings from the work they do, so they get told if you can do 3+ per hour, your laughing, lol. But when they get older they realise they are working for pennies and pack it in.

Then there is a few that are buckshee windies. Or legit windies, but not putting everything through the books. Not really doing themselves any favours though IMO when they are working for that.

I have a young lad working for me at the moment, that is 20, technically I only have to pay him £4.98 per hour, but I pay him the top rate minimum wage of £6.08 because I dont agree with it at all, employers just end up taking on a load of younger workers, taking advantage of them as cheap labour.

Then when you get some business working with that in mind, taking on only young workers to get there prices as low as possible so others cant compete, it really damages the industry. Not just ours, but loads of other industries as well.

 

[Masons]

I understand what Kev means to some degree.

I have a customer who rings up when she wants them doing, which is between 4 weeks and 12.

I don't have her on my books, when she rings up I clean them and put her on the day as a one off.

It's a bonus but nothing I rely on, my main round is valued at a price and lets me know the figure I'm sure to earn.

Everything goes through the books.

 

[Extremecleansussex]

You'll always get people who will take the regular clean price and then cancel after the first clean. I took a customer on at £25 for a four week clean and when I'd finished she said three months so I doubled the price and she was happy. You've got to be honest to yourself and if you think a one off is worth twice a regular clean then charge it. I think you were reasonable but as has already been said it's better to give your one off price and lower it for regular as you're more likely to get it on a regular basis that way.

 

[All Round Cleaning]

As some of you may know my first customer was a one off it was a 7 quid house and charged 30 and they were more than happy to pay that even to the point they paid me extra i ended up getting 50 quid for that job . I asked the gent why he was willing to pay me this much and he said "well if i had to hire a pair of ladders and buy the cleaning equiptment it would have cost me a lot more " .

Also I have started to give 2 quotes when pricing up for example yesterday i quoted 8 jobs for G&F ( glass and frames ) and 7 out of the 8 took me up on the offer . Im charging half of the price of the glass to do the frames aswell . so for example i gave 1 customer a price of £10.00 for GO or G&F for £15.00 and she took the the more expensive price im thinking it's a subconcious decision on the customers part that why would they not bother to have clean frames aswell as clean windows . and on my part it doesnt take me much longer to wipe the frames while im up the ladder .

 

[All Round Cleaning]

Who the hell is this guy ??? ^^^^^^^^ id ban him personally .

 

[willywindows]

Who the hell is this guy ??? ^^^^^^^^ id ban him personally .

Well said Gav.B, just ignore and move on !