Questions

new year new start.after 14 years as a taxi driver and dealing with a******* customers and making very little money for the privilege,tried working a proper job,lasted a day and a half,more a********,going to do what I have wanted to do for a long time and start trad window cleaning round,ordering my equipment tomorrow. just one or two questions please.

1-are most customers a pain in the a****,sorry this is the impression I have been getting after reading this forum for a few months.really enjoy this site by the way

2-prices.I live in Gateshead in the north east and the prices are around the £5 mark for a very basic 2/3 house.any other window cleaner in Gateshead agree or will I be under priced.I just know what me and my friends are charged in the area and to be honest if I could do 2 houses an hour at £5 per house that's good wages in my area.only looking to work 3 maybe 4 days and not long hours so not looking for mega money so window cleaning will suit me down to the ground when I get the customers.thanks in advance for any answers.

Hi & welcome to the forum @paul fenwick :thumbsup:

I'm sure a few trad guy's maybe able to point you in the right direction

hi and welcome @paul fenwick ...

.as for custys some are great and some are a pain but you just get used to their strange ways and carry on....like the guy that always brings me my bucket overflowing...

..or the ones with foo kin mad dogs...and i have two myself....

.

nothing does my head in more that barking dogs following me from window to window...one i have to do this week has two mad dogs...but i suggested one day nicely if she drew the curtains....problem almost solved..

yeh still doing three beds for a fiver around here although any new ones are six....

anyway good luck in your change of career....and keep us informed../emoticons/biggrin.png

thanks lads for the replies reading this forum cheers me up and sets my mind at rest that I am doing the right thing.thanks again in advance

Hi mr fenwick , welcome to the party ... I bet there's a few shiners in Gateshead ... Which part ?... I grew up just down the road in birtley.

You'll find scumbags that don't pay .. And you'll come across people that think the sun shines out your a....... Apart from that it's a good job ....try not to back to the 90s £2.50 a six bed house clean :thumbsup: Good luck bud

I'd go in high prices and great customer service, if it doesn't work drop prices a touch. I'm going to try £10 an average semi in birmingham, perhaps you could try £8 in the north? That way you wouldn't feel bad about doing little extras for the customer on occasion, or taking longer doing a better job.

As far as I'm aware from reading business books and websites, it's usp and customer service that matters more than pricing...

Good luck! Maybe post your experiences starting out for others, good equipment finds etc, in the trad section

in the early days you must be prepared to "take a lot o sh/t"

and then some more

thats the apprenticeship , after year 2 you should see some real improvement

good luck with it, oh we all need that !

Hi bud

Most custys are ok once they have been trained

I am on the expensive side round my area only saying that cos the custys who dropped their shite ones for me have told me they pay me more

Professional service and good standards come at a premium it seems

Go a quid or 2 more than the average for your area and do a bloody good job and you'll be fine

Boar i will never take sh1t off any custy no matter how much i need work

I wouldn't take any **** unless it comes off their windows or out their gutters and comes with a cash bung /emoticons/biggrin.png

i would try £6 mate would,int go below £5 mind. work hard canvass like mad you will crack it

i picked up loads of work of other windies ...yes the **** but it helped me out