Welcome to the UK Window Cleaning Forums

Starting or own a window cleaning business? We're a network of window cleaners sharing advice, tips & experience. Rounds for sale & more. Join us today!

Food for thought !

BenjiRixon

Active member
Messages
166
My mate who I don't see that often popped over today. Said hey how's tricks etc, had a cuppa and I told him about me starting solo on the glass. We got chatting and said you wanna do what my window cleaner done ........

He then tells me this story -

"I was upstairs tidying one of the kids bedrooms an next thing I see is this guy up a ladder at my window. So I ran down stairs opened the door and said what the hell are you doing ???? I'm cleaning your windows the guy says. So I said I don't want my windows cleaned!! He says it's ok it's free but if you like what I've done, I can come around once a month for £4.50. I watched him finish the job and said yes to having him. "

That's takes balls to do that but FairPlay to guy and apprently he's got pretty much the whole street both sides!

I love it :-D

 
That's funny, I thought about that when I first started after doing the wrong house, but ending up getting the 'wrong' house as a regular!

Trouble is, it will only take a nasty piece of work and you'll be in a lot of trouble! Either that or trespassing etc etc...

 
I did that last week by accident did wrong front in a row of terraced houses thankfully just two windows at the front so no real time lost. Wrote a nice little note that the front is for free this time and if you want your property done regular back and front that will be so much. Havent heard yet but you never know once the front gets dirty again ;-)

 
At £4.50 I'm not surprised but I bet he don't do it for very long /emoticons/biggrin.png

With those kind off prices I would have just knocked the bloody door and saved me soapy water

 
At £4.50 I'm not surprised but I bet he don't do it for very long /emoticons/biggrin.pngWith those kind off prices I would have just knocked the bloody door and saved me soapy water
Whats your problem smurf? That's £54 a year per house, with those big bucks he should be able to upgrade to a WFP mount on his bicycle in about 20 years.

 
Any numpty including myself can charge silly low prices and be a busy fool for sure @TolishAPurd /emoticons/biggrin.png

That's just is no good for anyone trying to make a proper living out of it and just devalues the service even further if you ask me.

 
Any numpty including myself can charge silly low prices and be a busy fool for sure @TolishAPurd /emoticons/biggrin.png
That's just is no good for anyone trying to make a proper living out of it and just devalues the service even further if you ask me.
Could you imagine a plumber coming round and fitting a new external stopcock for you for free, in the hope that you have your boiler serviced with them. I just don't understand people in this trade devalueing there skills by offering free services to folk.

 
I used to do the odd thing for free and then thought why ? do they even realise...so nowt for free these days..

although...

I will get tennis balls footballs down for the kids....I am not that tight.../emoticons/biggrin.png

funny enough I cleaned one yesterday who originally told me that some other windy had offered to do the first clean free...but....he chose to pay me as he didnt trust that idea...

 
I have a little unwritten policy that every newcomer gets something for free. It will usually be something very noticable that makes a nice difference. A good one is that I offer to do the inside of the kitchen window. Its the one people stare out of the most, so get this looking well above standard, and they'll love you forever. I realise this contradicts my earlier posts in this thread, but the key here is that I usually charge over the odds for the first clean, so I can afford a little extra time to do extras.

 
That only anchorages the canyoujusters doing that if you ask me.

Also the more you do the more they will expect it to be done included in the price as standard

I have a little unwritten policy that every newcomer gets something for free. It will usually be something very noticable that makes a nice difference. A good one is that I offer to do the inside of the kitchen window. Its the one people stare out of the most, so get this looking well above standard, and they'll love you forever. I realise this contradicts my earlier posts in this thread, but the key here is that I usually charge over the odds for the first clean, so I can afford a little extra time to do extras.
 
That only anchorages the canyoujusters doing that if you ask me.Also the more you do the more they will expect it to be done included in the price as standard
Ordinarily I would agree, but it is all in how you handle it after that event. If it was an issue, believe me I wouldnt keep doing it. The kitchen window one is good because it shows them just how good the windows could be in the whole house if they had a full interior clean, so often you can get that booked in as an offshoot. I like interiors as its good extra money for not a lot of hassle.

 
That only anchorages the canyoujusters doing that if you ask me.Also the more you do the more they will expect it to be done included in the price as standard
thats a point smurf i do couple kithen windows for the old dears

never get cuppa

always expect it

always take it for granted that you will clean it

this is the best one

"just leave that kitchen window canny be bothered the day son )

 
Kitchen windows insides can be the hardest ones to do in the whole of the house as they are mostly covered in all sorts of **** and sometime difficult to get at so why bother doing it for free?

 
I rolled up to a bungalow yesterday and knocked the door for the carer to unlock the gate for access. No one came to the door so I cleaned just the front. I go next door to clean her windows and she tells me that the neighbour had snuffed it. Oh well, I'll just write that one off me thinks. An hour later the snuffed woman's daughter rings me to tell me mom was dead. I know I say, Margaret next door told me and I've just been round and cleaned the windows. Oh, she says, I was just going through mom's phone book to tell people. Pop round my house for your money.

 
Could you imagine a plumber coming round and fitting a new external stopcock for you for free, in the hope that you have your boiler serviced with them. I just don't understand people in this trade devalueing there skills by offering free services to folk.
Two front windows for free is a bit different to fitting an outside tap TAP. Two minutes cleaning a window could end up being a lifetime of work. Think outside the box /emoticons/wink.png

 
Two front windows for free is a bit different to fitting an outside tap TAP. Two minutes cleaning a window could end up being a lifetime of work. Think outside the box /emoticons/wink.png
Nought wrong with thinking outside the box mate, but Smurf hit the nail on the head earlier; I think its more the £4.50 that got him the customers, not the sales pitch of cleaning the windows. My cheapest house is £8 and thats tiny, it was one of my first custies, if I was quoting it now it would be £10. If I knocked on all the houses around here and said I'll do your house month for a fiver, I'd have loads of work....but not a lot of money. Either he got very lucky with a street that no other windies ventured, or a load of windies got drastically undercut, and therefore ditched after that day. Not good for anyone in the trade really, including the bloke that got the work as he'll be busting his spuds for pennies.

 
We'll I seen my mate again today so asked him in a bit more detail about the guy. It's a young boy just starting out and was front only, glass only trad.

I must say even tho I agree with what others have said regarding it's not good for other windies, could be casing the joint etc I still admire the willingness and brass balls of it, not that I'd do it myself. The only way I think it could work would be ride the storm for a few months then put the price up maybe depends whether he's doing it for a living or beer money. I live in the country in **** end of no where where everyone knows everyone with not much crime so would assume his intentions are good.

As for freebies, we always do a little extra to long term good custies...... As long as they don't start taking the **** :)

 
still fronts only at 4.50 seems rock bottom cheap to me :rolleyes:

I'm sure other window cleaners around his way will soon get the hump

 
Back
Top