“Cor blimey you’ve earned some money”

Evening,

The above quote was said to me the other week when I cleaned a elderly lady’s tiny bungalow. It’s 6Weekly, really really small and I clean the one next door as well so it’s just £10.

The actually cleaning (from first window to last window only takes 10-12mins. Then a couple of mins messing round with the hose etc. When I knocked, told her I was done she then says the above title comment, I guess she’s from the age where the job is worth 80p or something. But even though she’s sweet & I always chat to her through politeness, she’s doesn’t stop talking, and a lot of it is just repeating herself lol. 

In in total I was there about 35mins from arriving to leaving. “ Cor you’ve earned some money”.... saying it like she was shocked! Yeh love laughing all the way to the bank ?

hmm a couple of mins drive and unpacking to the next job you’re talking well over 40mins just for a tenner lol (in a job with out goings/expenses while working (especially as I’ve been doing it for 4yrs now and 75% of my stuff Is well priced now) 

Anyway, not my worst hourly rate, but reminded me of when we were all first starting out. 

*Whats the the most underpriced job you’ve done??

mine was a house, small house with fairly big conservatory, they wanted in & out of all windows & roof cleaned. I had been window cleaning for about 9months (3 or 4 on my own as my own business) and I was using back pack & containers.

i quoted £130 as I was still pretty quiet, and wanted the ongoing window clean which I actually priced ok. (Looking back I’d quote £200 now no probs and I’d be a lot faster now)

anyway I got there for 8:30 sharp, thinking I’d be all done by 4/4:30. The inside of the roof took FOREVER! It was a really hot day in April or may, was sweating inside. I then did the outside of the roof, so annoying having to fill back pack up every 15mins, was a dirty roof but not as bad as inside. 

Didnt stop for anything to eat till about 3:00. Still had inside & outside windows of house to do. 10 min lunch at 3 then after went hell for leather. Rushed the insides (didn’t do a amazing job tbh looking back) did the outsides, finished at 5:30ish. Got £130 cash Awful traffic home for half an hour. Was out the house for 10hrs, felt like I had abit of sum stroke as I didn’t have my cap or glasses and it was a hot sunny day, dehydrated, used every inch of my cloths got them filthy and used way more pure then I was expecting.

 And when I went to say thanks & see you in 6 weeks he goes “Yeh well Don’t worry for now, we’ll ring you when it all needs doing again”  hahaha ah man wasn’t funny at the time though. Oh well. 

[email protected] said:

Evening,

The above quote was said to me the other week when I cleaned a elderly lady’s tiny bungalow. It’s 6Weekly, really really small and I clean the one next door as well so it’s just £10.

The actually cleaning (from first window to last window only takes 10-12mins. Then a couple of mins messing round with the hose etc. When I knocked, told her I was done she then says the above title comment, I guess she’s from the age where the job is worth 80p or something. But even though she’s sweet & I always chat to her through politeness, she’s doesn’t stop talking, and a lot of it is just repeating herself lol. 

In in total I was there about 35mins from arriving to leaving. “ Cor you’ve earned some money”.... saying it like she was shocked! Yeh love laughing all the way to the bank ?

hmm a couple of mins drive and unpacking to the next job you’re talking well over 40mins just for a tenner lol (in a job with out goings/expenses while working (especially as I’ve been doing it for 4yrs now and 75% of my stuff Is well priced now) 

Anyway, not my worst hourly rate, but reminded me of when we were all first starting out. 

*Whats the the most underpriced job you’ve done??

mine was a house, small house with fairly big conservatory, they wanted in & out of all windows & roof cleaned. I had been window cleaning for about 9months (3 or 4 on my own as my own business) and I was using back pack & containers.

i quoted £130 as I was still pretty quiet, and wanted the ongoing window clean which I actually priced ok. (Looking back I’d quote £200 now no probs and I’d be a lot faster now)

anyway I got there for 8:30 sharp, thinking I’d be all done by 4/4:30. The inside of the roof took FOREVER! It was a really hot day in April or may, was sweating inside. I then did the outside of the roof, so annoying having to fill back pack up every 15mins, was a dirty roof but not as bad as inside. 

Didnt stop for anything to eat till about 3:00. Still had inside & outside windows of house to do. 10 min lunch at 3 then after went hell for leather. Rushed the insides (didn’t do a amazing job tbh looking back) did the outsides, finished at 5:30ish. Got £130 cash Awful traffic home for half an hour. Was out the house for 10hrs, felt like I had abit of sum stroke as I didn’t have my cap or glasses and it was a hot sunny day, dehydrated, used every inch of my cloths got them filthy and used way more pure then I was expecting.

 And when I went to say thanks & see you in 6 weeks he goes “Yeh well Don’t worry for now, we’ll ring you when it all needs doing again”  hahaha ah man wasn’t funny at the time though. Oh well. 

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Did he ever ring you?

We've all been caught. We sprayed TFR on a conservatory in the warmth of summer and stupidly let it dry. Spent 2 days getting the stains off the UPVC sides. Never touched TFR again. Honoured the price as well and we still have the customer but never cleaned the conservatory roof again. :1f602:

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spruce said:

Did he ever ring you?

We've all been caught. We sprayed TFR on a conservatory in the warmth of summer and stupidly let it dry. Spent 2 days getting the stains off the UPVC sides. Never touched TFR again. Honoured the price as well and we still have the customer but never cleaned the conservatory roof again. :1f602:

.

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Lol what did you use to get it off? I had a similar thing many years ago just kept quite customer never said a thing !!! 

spruce said:

Did he ever ring you?

We've all been caught. We sprayed TFR on a conservatory in the warmth of summer and stupidly let it dry. Spent 2 days getting the stains off the UPVC sides. Never touched TFR again. Honoured the price as well and we still have the customer but never cleaned the conservatory roof again. :1f602:

.

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Ah no way, I use Tfr but yeh got to be careful on those hot days with it. 

And nope never heard from them again. I think they’re the people who wait every 2-3 yard till everything’s filthy, then wait for some dump easy pray like me to come along lol 

*years not yards 

Pjj said:

Lol what did you use to get it off? I had a similar thing many years ago just kept quite customer never said a thing !!! 

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CIF and Astonish UPVC cleaning paste with plenty of elbow grease. It took hours but that conservatory looked brand new when we had finished. And I'll put my hands up and admit that the side that was on the boundry with the neighbours conservatory next to it didn't get cleaned off.

I've hated cleaning conservatories ever since.

When I first bought a gutter vac, about 6 years ago, I bought into the hype that it was as easy as walking along with the pole as it was vacuuming a carpet. So I had a Care Home ask me to clean their gutters, 2 sites,so I quoted the same price as washing their windows, £40 per site. They did say they were done regularly. The first site took me and my son 3 hours and the 2nd 4 hours. ?

spruce said:

CIF and Astonish UPVC cleaning paste with plenty of elbow grease. It took hours but that conservatory looked brand new when we had finished. And I'll put my hands up and admit that the side that was on the boundry with the neighbours conservatory next to it didn't get cleaned off.

I've hated cleaning conservatories ever since.

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You did did better than me I tried everything and couldn’t get it off the roof was glass and looked like it had another layer of glass on it so I put more tfr on it to Evan it out customer never noticed it or never said anything did the place for several years untill they moved but never used tfr again used virosol now never have a problem Evan if it dries on on a hot day 

Part Timer said:

When I first bought a gutter vac, about 6 years ago, I bought into the hype that it was as easy as walking along with the pole as it was vacuuming a carpet. So I had a Care Home ask me to clean their gutters, 2 sites,so I quoted the same price as washing their windows, £40 per site. They did say they were done regularly. The first site took me and my son 3 hours and the 2nd 4 hours. ?

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If you are like us, our first vac gutter clean didn't include and hour's clean up time of the pipes, tube and vac when we got home. (We hadn't thought of dunking the end into a container of water to flush it threw. Thanks for the an informative suggestion by an experienced Gutter vacer.)

We also well under quoted thinking it was going to take us '5 minutes'. In fact, on several ocassions we have got the ladders off the van and done them by hand as I deemed it quicker overall.

I've underpriced loads of jobs.

My worst one was a glass roofed conny, lean to style but high up about 15ft so needed a ladder. 

It was about 5m long glass fronted as well and they wanted it doing inside and out. All the insides needed a step ladder to reach.

It was on a property worth close to £1m so I don't know what I was thinking quoting £100 !

3 hours into the job and I had done maybe 25 % of the work. I knew I had made a huge mistake and threw all the gear back in the van and drove off lol.

Another one was a first clean I had quoted blind of FB £15 3 bed semi with a conny.

I had been cleaning a good 30 minds when I realised every window needed serious scraping, ive no idea what was on there but I could have been doing that job a good 2-3 ours it was horrendous. That was another one I flounced on.

adamangler said:

I've underpriced loads of jobs.

My worst one was a glass roofed conny, lean to style but high up about 15ft so needed a ladder. 

It was about 5m long glass fronted as well and they wanted it doing inside and out. All the insides needed a step ladder to reach.

It was on a property worth close to £1m so I don't know what I was thinking quoting £100 !

3 hours into the job and I had done maybe 25 % of the work. I knew I had made a huge mistake and threw all the gear back in the van and drove off lol.

Another one was a first clean I had quoted blind of FB £15 3 bed semi with a conny.

I had been cleaning a good 30 minds when I realised every window needed serious scraping, ive no idea what was on there but I could have been doing that job a good 2-3 ours it was horrendous. That was another one I flounced on.

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Yeh I made up a excuse and left as well. Once. The customer (who was w one off anyway) did barter down the price to begin with, with the price we agreed I thought to‘right get it done in 3/3&hald hrs then’ 3hrs into the job I was about half way. I made an excuse about a phone call I received and didn’t go back. I wouldn’t do that now, my prices are pretty accurate and now I feel confident enough now to be up front. Another lesson if life 

I have under priced a few window cleaning jobs over the years maybe by a few quid and regretted it even in the last year but put it by £3 this week. 

It's those dam add on jobs that you assume should be easily done in a reasonable time I booked in a internal glass con roof clean and full external clean including removing stains from guttering and frames, Nice overcast damp day ideal i thought steps inside its like a bleedin oven oh yes they say just had the underfloor heating sorted out I had bought a unger internal pad holder and pads did the job but it took a good while never used again.

Outside was bit harder than I thought as well but rinsing all those tiny bits off the glass I charged £150 i think it was minus the unger gear of about £30 so £120 for 6hrs work, I thought i would be done in less than 4 hrs, Client was overjoyed with the results and the price after being quoted around £800 from  sandersons  they told me as they handed me my money  :1f622:

We’ve all underpriced work over the years just to get the job and not really thinking what was involved, no 2jobs are  the same.

I price high nowadays, because I'd rather not do add on jobs at all to be honest they disrupt my schedule. I don't get many anymore.

I had an email last week wanting an average size plastic conny roof doing. It was an hour round trip so I just quoted £200. Wasn't surprised he didn't go ahead but I couldn't care less either. That's a better way to do it imo.

Iron Giant said:

I have under priced a few window cleaning jobs over the years maybe by a few quid and regretted it even in the last year but put it by £3 this week. 

It's those dam add on jobs that you assume should be easily done in a reasonable time I booked in a internal glass con roof clean and full external clean including removing stains from guttering and frames, Nice overcast damp day ideal i thought steps inside its like a bleedin oven oh yes they say just had the underfloor heating sorted out I had bought a unger internal pad holder and pads did the job but it took a good while never used again.

Outside was bit harder than I thought as well but rinsing all those tiny bits off the glass I charged £150 i think it was minus the unger gear of about £30 so £120 for 6hrs work, I thought i would be done in less than 4 hrs, Client was overjoyed with the results and the price after being quoted around £800 from  sandersons  they told me as they handed me my money  :1f622:

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I have a trick up my sleeve when I'm asked. I will say call Sandersons and I will do it for half the price they quote. Don't even need to price the job now. If they say no to asking sandersons then I say I cant do it then because I am half sandersons quote. :1f609:

adamangler said:

I've underpriced loads of jobs.

My worst one was a glass roofed conny, lean to style but high up about 15ft so needed a ladder. 

It was about 5m long glass fronted as well and they wanted it doing inside and out. All the insides needed a step ladder to reach.

It was on a property worth close to £1m so I don't know what I was thinking quoting £100 !

3 hours into the job and I had done maybe 25 % of the work. I knew I had made a huge mistake and threw all the gear back in the van and drove off lol.

Another one was a first clean I had quoted blind of FB £15 3 bed semi with a conny.

I had been cleaning a good 30 minds when I realised every window needed serious scraping, ive no idea what was on there but I could have been doing that job a good 2-3 ours it was horrendous. That was another one I flounced on.

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Mate that's made me laugh, nice one!

Have never considered doing one but have regretted  a few jobs in the early days.

An old customer of mine told me her sister wanted her windows cleaned too, wrote down her address for me and off I went....on foot....half hour away! Got there and no one in so I just cracked on, 2 hours later I finished the filthy bugger and it was transformed. Then a woman from 2 doors away came out and asked if I could do hers too, winner!

After I got talking to her she told she was expecting a window cleaner 2 hours ago, sent by her sister and they penny dropped. She had wrote the wrong house number down, I was distraught. I did pop a note through but never heard anything from them.

I told my customer of her blunder and what happened and she LAUGHED! I have never hit a woman in my life but on that day I could of.....

paul alan said:

Mate that's made me laugh, nice one!

Have never considered doing one but have regretted  a few jobs in the early days.

An old customer of mine told me her sister wanted her windows cleaned too, wrote down her address for me and off I went....on foot....half hour away! Got there and no one in so I just cracked on, 2 hours later I finished the filthy bugger and it was transformed. Then a woman from 2 doors away came out and asked if I could do hers too, winner!

After I got talking to her she told she was expecting a window cleaner 2 hours ago, sent by her sister and they penny dropped. She had wrote the wrong house number down, I was distraught. I did pop a note through but never heard anything from them.

I told my customer of her blunder and what happened and she LAUGHED! I have never hit a woman in my life but on that day I could of.....

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That’s cracked me up! Hahahaha

sorry. Hope you can now!

Interesting business promotion ‘Free random window cleans’ .... ??

I remember cleaning the windows on a huge Georgian house inside and out, all wooden sash windows with paint flaking off everywhere no matter how delicate I was. Being new I completely underestimated the time it would take and it turned into a right epic. I worked flat out from 8 - 6 for a paltry £140 and was completely knackered at the end! I did consider bailing out when I realised I'd dropped a clanger, but I needed the dough lol.

It's a big learning curve.

I underpriced  a couple in the early days. First one was a georgian sash windowed mansion. I quoted £50. Took me 4 hours doing it by hand, plus it was a village house a 10 minute drive out of town and I had no others in the area. Plus I always seemed to have to drive out there to collect the money. I increased to £60 a while later. Eventually I made my excuses and left (4 years I sucked that one up!) 

Biggest underpriced job was when I first started. Windows, gutters, fascias and conny roof on a large house. £100 I quoted....... Was there all day...... A long day at that....... I did it. 3 years later they call me for the same job. I explain how I'd massively underpriced it...... £180. "No thanks, too high" they said. 3 months later they call me to say "yes please". Makes me wonder if they'd got other quotes and realised I wasn't ripping them off? 

These days I'd rather quote too high. The price can always be knocked down afterwards if the job is done loads quicker than expected. Example of this: first time I got asked to clean solar panels on a large house. I had no idea what to quote, and didn't need the job anyway. £90 I said. "Yes please". Took me less than an hour No way am I charging £90 per hour, £40 is plenty and still more than I'd earn on the glass. And customer was delighted that it wasn't as much. More solar panels in thar street so if they tell neighbours it's £90, there wouldn't be as much chance of other jobs from it. 

Worst one I under priced was external cladding clean on a sprawling office building. It was for a good customer of mine who's mansion (best word for it really) I do for £180 monthly. I expected it to take 8 shortish days after doing a test strip and timing it so quoted £1500. About £200 for a short day I thought... By day 4 I was starting to realise I'd massively underestimated it. Without going into the frustrating details a long story short it ended up taking 6 weeks! I started late November so missed out on tips from domestic work as didn't finish till January! Told my custys I'd taken some time off! I wish! Freezing cold and soaked head to foot most days! Almost sent me under that one! I stick to my quotes- especially with a customer I didn't want to lose but looking back I'd have been better off quitting it while I'd only lost 4 days and telling them to keep the money.

Tough one to beat that one 6 weeks I think I would of cried.... 

Makes me realize I been okay actually as my worst one in 12 yrs was bungalow with 2 conservatories on it, had someone canvass & price it for £18 was trad then took just over an hour. Shocking!! Got rid of it last year wen the husband was always I'm but wouldn't pay, would say sorry it's the wife's responsibility. So arrogant