"They're pretty clean, we'll give it a miss this week"

[Guido Possum]

I got this the other day from the ******** I do every fortnight when I walked in to confirm with the manager that they were up this weekend.

She tells me she'll pass this fortnight.

I look at the shopfront: the windows are still clean.

Hmm.

On the one hand, it's good to know I did that good a job, but on the other that's the second business who've decided the windows aren't getting dirty enough to warrant a clean every two weeks.

Mmmmm.

Of course, I haven't exactly gone nuts on the whole canvassing thing, so I suppose I'll have to get onto that because although I haven't lost any of the 7 customers, and found them adequate practice, I'm seeing how fluid the regularity can become: since they are their windows after all, and if the service isn't needed on a given week, who in their right mind would pay for that service to be carried-out mm?

 

[tench0771]

that job needs a different soap them i use fairy liquid on these jobs as it leves the glass sticky i have a sepurt bucket and mop the job will soon become 2 weekly also if u have allredy said 2 weekly then ide have just turned up and cleaned then walked in with the bill if u walk in and ask most will say leve it if there prity clean

 

[boarcity]

sometimes it pays to let it drag. start going every 3 weeks,then 4 . in the meantime make a real proper effort to find fresh work. then drop that original job

never tell them best to just fade away is my experience

 

[Paul Jones]

I find this a lot with residential properties customers telling you there windows are still clean

when you know there not, iv started telling people I will have to charge extra next clean as the

job will take longer id rather loose unregular customers and keep the good ones.

 

[Cghwindowcleaning]

They are paying you to maintain the windows buy keeping them clean.

If you leave them till they are dirty it means the frequency is to long.

If I left my shops go till they were noticeably dirty I would have complaints.

That's the point of regular maintance window cleaning to keep them looking good otherwise up the price.

I have shops I clean weekly some 3x a week.

And never ask permission if you priced it a 2 weekly then crack on and Bill them after.

 

[Danfire]

Recently put up a residential from £20 to £25 (which is still a bit underpriced)...when I called the night before she said "OK to clean tomorrow but could I change to every other clean"? When she paid I asked "did I give you a price for a 12 - 16 week clean"? (Currently cleaning the road 6 - 8 weekly)..."no" she says...I explained how the less frequent clean would take longer so it would be £30...she then asks for my phone number...think I'm in danger of losing this one.

 

[Markyboy 50]

Recently put up a residential from £20 to £25 (which is still a bit underpriced)...when I called the night before she said "OK to clean tomorrow but could I change to every other clean"? When she paid I asked "did I give you a price for a 12 - 16 week clean"? (Currently cleaning the road 6 - 8 weekly)..."no" she says...I explained how the less frequent clean would take longer so it would be £30...she then asks for my phone number...think I'm in danger of losing this one.

I think you're right mate. Shoulda kept it at £25 unless u don't want her anymore

 

[Guido Possum]

that job needs a different soap them i use fairy liquid on these jobs as it leves the glass sticky i have a sepurt bucket and mop the job will soon become 2 weekly also if u have allredy said 2 weekly then ide have just turned up and cleaned then walked in with the bill if u walk in and ask most will say leve it if there prity clean

We've got fairy here, though it's $6(£3)/bottle, would any dish-soap with a moisturizer do the trick? /emoticons/smile.png

 

[tench0771]

We've got fairy here, though it's $6(£3)/bottle, would any dish-soap with a moisturizer do the trick? /emoticons/smile.png

im not shore about other washing up liquids i do no fairy is the worst for leving glass sticky maby wrth using bottol on the belt that way £3 bottol of fairy will probly last a year,just pore some fairy in a old washing up liquid bottol then fill with water pore strate on ur mop then when u have done the job put cap on and leve in van till ur due again to clean the shop again thsat way u wont wast ur fairy liquid /emoticons/smile.png

 

[Guido Possum]

They are paying you to maintain the windows buy keeping them clean.If you leave them till they are dirty it means the frequency is to long.

If I left my shops go till they were noticeably dirty I would have complaints.

That's the point of regular maintance window cleaning to keep them looking good otherwise up the price.

I have shops I clean weekly some 3x a week.

And never ask permission if you priced it a 2 weekly then crack on and Bill them after.

That's the way you'd think business owners would see it, but I'll certainly not confirm again next time; up until now the manager - Lisa - has always just said "yep".

Last fortnight she asked me to skip the outside and do the inside (where I typically do the outside only each time), but yeah; I ordered a bottle of sone cheap commercisl window cleaning concentrate and I might have to just leave it out.

Only $8/litre, but even the windowd at home all look clean as a whistle and I haven't done them in over two weeks.

 

[Guido Possum]

This is the stuff, though I've also been using Liquid Gold in my bucket since they both came together.

View attachment 7345

 

[TolishAPurd]

You need to hire a smudger! I'll come and do it if you pay my plane ticket.:nod:

 

[Guido Possum]

that job needs a different soap them i use fairy liquid on these jobs as it leves the glass sticky i have a sepurt bucket and mop the job will soon become 2 weekly also if u have allredy said 2 weekly then ide have just turned up and cleaned then walked in with the bill if u walk in and ask most will say leve it if there prity clean

Going shopping in a bit. So is that plain fairy or fairy platinum?

 

[Guido Possum]

This?

View attachment 7365

 

[tench0771]

thants the one m8 green fairy

 

[TolishAPurd]

The worst of all the soaps I've tried that, as well as aldi magnum apple. Coincidence that they are both green, who knows.

 

[Guido Possum]

The worst of all the soaps I've tried that, as well as aldi magnum apple. Coincidence that they are both green, who knows.

Yeah I tried some straight on the applicator this arvo. They looked clean enough after squeegeeing, so outta curiosity I rubbed the fairy-cleaned windows with a fresh-washed cloth; that brought it out - every swirl mark is still there /emoticons/smile.png

Filthy with residue :thumbsup:/emoticons/wink.png

 

[Danfire]

I think you're right mate. Shoulda kept it at £25 unless u don't want her anymore[/quote
I've got a few too many 'every other' cleans and they're not paying any more than others in the same streets with similar houses....I have to introduce a price differential....it's not fair on the other customers....adjustments are going to be made when I do my price rises....if they leave, so be it....I suspect if/when they get another quote they will be pleasantly surprised how reasonably priced I am....a lot of my customers I inherited from a windie that never increased from the day he started in 1980....the prices are getting there but are still a way off from the local going rates.

 

[Markyboy 50]

I don't charge a higher price for ' every other' cleans. Same price 4 weekly or 8 weekly

 

[adamangler]

I always add a few quid for 8 weekly, not always loads more but i only offer 4 weekly to them then when they say can we do every other month i say sure i usually charge a few pound extra though as they take longer to clean. most of the time they agree that sounds fair, make a point they are saving money over the year usually works.