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Pride in their work.

Markyboy 50

Well-known member
Messages
1,905
Location
Norfolk
I had to take my partner to addenbrokes hospital in Cambridge last Thursday for her treatment. It usually takes about 6 hours. Not worth going home and back so I usually have a walk up the city and back. However it was to hot for that. Instead I sat in the shade watching a gang of window cleaners botching their work. They were cleaning some exterior glass panels around the external dining area. One lad leaning over and wfp the inside of them and a lad tradding the footpath side. What a mess they made. How can they say they’re clean when there’s marks all over them. Don’t these big firms have any pride??

 
I had to take my partner to addenbrokes hospital in Cambridge last Thursday for her treatment. It usually takes about 6 hours. Not worth going home and back so I usually have a walk up the city and back. However it was to hot for that. Instead I sat in the shade watching a gang of window cleaners botching their work. They were cleaning some exterior glass panels around the external dining area. One lad leaning over and wfp the inside of them and a lad tradding the footpath side. What a mess they made. How can they say they’re clean when there’s marks all over them. Don’t these big firms have any pride??
Sorry but we were in a rush that day 

 
Unfortunately this is common practice I watched a very well known national company cleaning the windows above the entrance ways to some old people’s flats I do he didn’t do the top frame which was covered in dirt , after he had gone there were  run lines all down the windows from the vents , they looked worse after he finished than they did before he started , several of my customers commented about the mess they were in , I couldn’t get away with doing a job like it .

 
I had to take my partner to addenbrokes hospital in Cambridge last Thursday for her treatment. It usually takes about 6 hours. Not worth going home and back so I usually have a walk up the city and back. However it was to hot for that. Instead I sat in the shade watching a gang of window cleaners botching their work. They were cleaning some exterior glass panels around the external dining area. One lad leaning over and wfp the inside of them and a lad tradding the footpath side. What a mess they made. How can they say they’re clean when there’s marks all over them. Don’t these big firms have any pride??
I do a fair bit in Cambridge, including a gutter clear literally next door to Addenbrokes. I'm amazed at the quality of work, or lack of it, I see when I go and price up jobs down there. Hope the traffic has eased around there as the roadworks were a nightmare. 

 
I do a fair bit in Cambridge, including a gutter clear literally next door to Addenbrokes. I'm amazed at the quality of work, or lack of it, I see when I go and price up jobs down there. Hope the traffic has eased around there as the roadworks were a nightmare. 
There’s a roundabout that’s been dug up for about 6 months on the ring road just near addenbrokes. That’s still got lots of work going on. Could of done it quicker myself with a kids bucket and spade!!

 
I put a post on here few weeks ago during lockdown when i saw a gang of cowboys cleaning an  empty furloughed office block rubbing their brushes against the glass (minus any water coming through) just for the benefit of CCTV 

I despair how they sleep at night.

 
I put a post on here few weeks ago during lockdown when i saw a gang of cowboys cleaning an  empty furloughed office block rubbing their brushes against the glass (minus any water coming through) just for the benefit of CCTV 

I despair how they sleep at night.
There are some dodgy cleaners out there. These 2 lads were discussing their work with each other. Asking each other if the windows look ok? I thought  myself” nope they’re rubbish” I wouldn’t be able to leave them in such a state. 

 
There are some dodgy cleaners out there. These 2 lads were discussing their work with each other. Asking each other if the windows look ok? I thought  myself” nope they’re rubbish” I wouldn’t be able to leave them in such a state. 
I did a "first clean" on some flats in London last week, one of the residents reckoned they were done 2 months prior, personally think best part of a year, at least. The vents hadn't been done for years, the photo shows one of the better ones, I'd rubbed most of it off showing the resident who'd said they were cleaned 2 months prior.

20200625_091358.jpg

 
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I don't know what pi***s me off most about these cowboys. The fact they have such a terrible work ethic, or the fact that the customers are happy to put up with such terrible standards. I feel like if this was me I'd lose all of my customers and wouldn't have a business left ?‍♂️

 
I was approached by a neighbour of a new job I just got. Her frames were black. My immediate thoughts when windows are this bad are; "this person doesn't really care about having their windows cleaned and this could well be a one off". I always charge at least double on the first clean to mitigate any loss if they don't join the round as agreed.

When I came to clean I was surprised to find the glass wasn't too bad. I had a chat with her after, she has been using an old boy for years who obviously didn't touch the frames. He's out the game now in a serious way after falling from height a few months ago.

 
I was approached by a neighbour of a new job I just got. Her frames were black. My immediate thoughts when windows are this bad are; "this person doesn't really care about having their windows cleaned and this could well be a one off". I always charge at least double on the first clean to mitigate any loss if they don't join the round as agreed.

When I came to clean I was surprised to find the glass wasn't too bad. I had a chat with her after, she has been using an old boy for years who obviously didn't touch the frames. He's out the game now in a serious way after falling from height a few months ago.
I mostly do commercial but the odd few houses here and there and I clean just windows but if the customer ever wants frames done then I will do so but surprisingly don't get asked that often as they simply want the windows done. Obviously when trading the windows I will always wipe the ledges and side of frames when detailing edges.

Been doing one customer for about 20 years and only last year did they ask me to clean frames, just dosn't dawn on them.

If my main income was from houses then maybe i'd push it more but as I detest cleaning houses then want to be away as soon as possible.

 
I mostly do commercial but the odd few houses here and there and I clean just windows but if the customer ever wants frames done then I will do so but surprisingly don't get asked that often as they simply want the windows done. Obviously when trading the windows I will always wipe the ledges and side of frames when detailing edges.

Been doing one customer for about 20 years and only last year did they ask me to clean frames, just dosn't dawn on them.

If my main income was from houses then maybe i'd push it more but as I detest cleaning houses then want to be away as soon as possible.
The above would make you a glass cleaner not a window cleaner, a proper job consists of a thorough clean of the frames, glass and sills a good many old school boys who think it's glass only these days more people these days want the frames cleaning as standard, I have worked like this for over 12 years 

 
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The above would make you a glass cleaner not a window cleaner, a proper job consists of a through clean of the frames, glass and sills a good many old school boys who think it's glass only these days more people these days want the frames cleaning as standard, I have worked like this for over 12 years 
This was how I was taught the trade 40 years ago( when there was only wooden frames. No plastic ones) just to clean the glass. However if it’s glass only this is reflected in my price. I will do the frames if asked but this costs extra. Surprising how many people want just the glass cleaned if that service is offered. 

 
For the last 15 years we used to run holiday apartments just off the promenade. We sold up last year, luckily. Anyway I think over the years we had 4 different window cleaners from trad to wfp, non, not 1 ever asked if we wanted the frames cleaned!!!! We would have paid extra no problem, in fact I don't think any of them even offered to clean our signage!!!! They missed out on lots a £££££.

It was only after looking to start cleaning windows and reading the great info here did I realise that some window cleaners actually clean the whole window not just the glass!!!!!

Thanks everyone you are educating me.

 
For the last 15 years we used to run holiday apartments just off the promenade. We sold up last year, luckily. Anyway I think over the years we had 4 different window cleaners from trad to wfp, non, not 1 ever asked if we wanted the frames cleaned!!!! We would have paid extra no problem, in fact I don't think any of them even offered to clean our signage!!!! They missed out on lots a £££££.

It was only after looking to start cleaning windows and reading the great info here did I realise that some window cleaners actually clean the whole window not just the glass!!!!!

Thanks everyone you are educating me.
I think 99 out if 100 window cleaners who are wfp will clean the frames ,it’s a no brainier it makes life very hard just cleaning the glass , we have always cleaned the frames evan when I started and was trad 

 
You have got to clean the whole window if you are wfp or it would take more time just trying to clean the glass. Remember my mate telling me he got rid of his windy cleaner because he only cleaned the glass and left the bird mess all over the frame.

 
This was how I was taught the trade 40 years ago( when there was only wooden frames. No plastic ones) just to clean the glass. However if it’s glass only this is reflected in my price. I will do the frames if asked but this costs extra. Surprising how many people want just the glass cleaned if that service is offered. 
It was how I was taught as well, but as plastic frames became more normal the frames was a second option or not for some, I just think think these days it should be a given not an option ?

 
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