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New record today, on nightmare job.

Eddie dragon

Active member
Messages
374
Location
Oxford
So nightmare job finaly done. One building of a school. Estimated time at quoting, 4 hours. Nice easy access.. Very dirty but that's standard on other schools I have done. Booked in two days before I go on holiday. Arrived and spent three hours cleaning half the building. Getting grumpy now. Packed up and went to move to other side. Van went five yards and died. M8 in Rac came out jumped it off altho my battery was OK anyway. Went five yards and died. Had to rig battery pack up to get to the garage. Got call to collect it fixed 4.30 day before I go away so it didn't get done no access after 5.30. So arrived today at 3 as kids left. On walking to reception to sign in. I was horrified by the runs and spotting. Never had to a whole job but did today. Walked round the front to sign out. Omg runs on the bottom floor windows. Out comes a cloth and some are on the in some on the out. Ffs a walk around inside an top floor is fine, I have a small paddy as I stomp to the van and proceed to trad the bloody things. Three times on the same glass and honest they don't look great. A lots inside and despite being a fairly new building, a lot is between the glass. Fingers crossed on no complaints because I'm not cleaning it again. 

 
I've found having a long conversation with whoever made the enquiry helps identify how clean they're actually looking for. Some people don't care as long as they don't look dirty (notice, they're not fussed about them being clean, just not dirty) that's how these big companies charge less than us and still turn a profit (as well as low wages etc etc). 

Big jobs, you bang it out, and let the person have a walk around and point out what theyre not happy with. Usually a lot less than what we think. Happy days 

 
schools are a pain in the ****, tey don't want to pay to have them cleaned properly, I quoted a massive one last month and said it would be around 2-2.5k for inside and out. they told me the last people did it for £600! I told them to get them back! Theres no way of doing the job properly for that price, I priced it up based on it taking 3 of us 4days.

 
Don't like schools sacked mine off due to being a pain for access 


I have a key which opens all the gates around the grounds. I just tell the Facilities Manager we will be working over the weekend and he informs the guy behind the security cameras. We once triggered a door alarm when water got into the sensor through the door gap. So if they know we are working they just remotely switch that sensor off without need to call in the army. If there is any concern the Facities Manager can just give me a ring on my mobile. That saves him driving in from his house 6 miles away to investigate.

This job takes the 2 of us 58 hours to do. It doesn't include all internal classroom windows. But we have to work around school activities and other maintenance people - carpet cleaners etc. So from start to finish that 58 hours is spread over 3 weeks, and that's the problem.

I put the invoice in for payment 3 weeks ago and we have just received an email confirmation from the council that they will paying by bacs early next week. Payment has never been a problem in the 9 years since the new school was built. The council have their own window cleaners now and I was hoping they would take the school from us us they have another job recently. The school job is more a giving back to our community than a big earner. But once a year clean makes the job much harder. The grandson asked me about 4 months ago when we were going to clean the windows because his classroom windows were filthy. Can't you come in and clean our windows more often he asked. ?

 
I need to back track a little as I kept one school which I have done for over 12 years once every 4 weeks excluding school holidays and have a key so I can go as and when it suits me which is usually a Saturday morning

County Durham Lad

Iron Giant said:
I need to back track a little as I kept one school which I have done for over 12 years once every 4 weeks excluding school holidays and have a key so I can go as and when it suits me which is usually a Saturday morning

County Durham Lad
I also get paid within 3 weeks on average but sometimes quicker.

County Durham Lad

 
I only do one school, and have only done it twice. It is only a Junior school and it takes 2 of us just less than 2 hours, external only. It pays £180 and I get a cheque within a week. 

I'm fairly certain they will be like all areas of window-cleaning, in that there will be good ones and ? ones

 
The price of schools is going backwards unless your quiet or new there really is very little money in cleaning them.

I clean one and it's private so they have plenty of money and stay loyal.Over the years I have priced loads and this year I said 'I would stop looking at them as there so bad" but against my own judgement I looked at a small one just last week.

I had a site visit and walking round with the site manager I asked if he had many people quoting it.He said 'I was the fifth" so I knew he was looking for the cheapest.He said "three of the quotes where between £240-£280" which I thought was a fair price and as three priced it fairly similar it was a good indication of the price.He said one other 'Had come in at £130".This price was from an established professional looking bloke near me.This guy always loves to tell me how busy he is, how much work he has and how he's never the cheapest and at these prices I can see why.

I told the site manager if I was him I would go with this guy as his unlikely to find cheaper.I'm finding that most of the time it's other window cleaners desperate for work driving the prices down on commercial and not the customers.

I have even had a caretaker ask for a backhander to win a job.

 
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