[Misc] Window cleaners - wtf?

[phoenix]

Don't forget they have tax to pay

 

[birthofanorange]

Don't forget they have tax to pay

Window tax?

 

[tstanbur]

Erm...no.
I'm complaining that some chancers wish to charge £35 for the same job, which still takes only a couple of minutes.

Apologies i misread your original post.

You’re unhappy about £15 not £12

 

[birthofanorange]

Exactly …it’s not just the length of time doing the job …time getting to it etc

Of course, but would you pay £35 for one window?

 

[phoenix]

Of course, but would you pay £35 for one window?

I think thats a fair pricec is fitting included? sorry i'm in a silly mood.

 

[BevBHA]

Now, I appreciate that the 'modern' window cleaner has various costs to cover, but it seems like a licence to print money.
I binned-off 'Divine Shine' for upping their price from £12 to £15 for a job that literally took them 2 minutes, and have used them for several years - ONE 3-part sash window, on the first floor, above a shop.
Bearing in mind that I can climb out onto a wide sill and do it myself (although I'd rather not!), I tried 'Albion' window cleaners and asked for a quote, for the same ONE window.
I literally fell off the sofa laughing......£35!! For 2 minutes work.
I know it's nearly Christmas, but I won't be giving such a gift to them.
Whatever happened to reasonably-priced window cleaners? Do they not exist anymore?

The £15 they’re now asking may be an hours work total. The actual clean takes 2 mins (probably exaggerating so more like 5) plus the 5 mins equipment out, 5 mins equipment in. That’s 15 minutes, leaving 45 minutes for however long it takes to get to you from previous job and however long it takes to get to the next one. You may get it cheaper, you just need to find the same window cleaner your neighbours are using.

 

[birthofanorange]

The £15 they’re now asking may be an hours work total. The actual clean takes 2 mins (probably exaggerating so more like 5) plus the 5 mins equipment out, 5 mins equipment in. That’s 15 minutes, leaving 45 minutes for however long it takes to get to you from previous job and however long it takes to get to the next one. You may get it cheaper, you just need to find the same window cleaner your neighbours are using.

Do you think that £35 is reasonable, for one window? And no, the time taken for the actual job has been timed on several occasions, and the maximum time was 3 minutes.
As for travel time, they are always in the area - it's not like I'm out in the sticks.

 

[BevBHA]

Do you think that £35 is reasonable, for one window? And no, the time taken for the actual job has been timed on several occasions, and the maximum time was 3 minutes.
As for travel time, they are always in the area - it's not like I'm out in the sticks.

No £35 is laughable. But minimum wage has just risen almost 10% to £11.40 from April, by the time a window cleaner pays their expenses, they’re not making much more than that an hour. I think the rise from £12 to £15 of your current cleaner is justified and reasonable. We all support pay rises for the employed so I don’t mind a small rise in costs for the self employed too.

 

[birthofanorange]

No £35 is laughable. But minimum wage has just risen almost 10% to £11.40 from April, by the time a window cleaner pays their expenses, they’re not making much more than that an hour. I think the rise from £12 to £15 of your current cleaner is justified and reasonable. We all support pay rises for the employed so I don’t mind a small rise in costs for the self employed too.

A fair point and accepted.
It still 'seems' a lot for something that takes only a few minutes, but yes.
As for £35, I'm still laughing.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

For £30 I get 15 windows, 2 velux a three sided conservatory and 4 full height windows / sliding doors on a garden office. To clean the inside is 3 x the price of the outside if you want it done.

 

[zefarelly]

We've had window cleaners damage windows, break roof tiles, gates, damage garden plants/wares, cars, and even next doors window cleaner climb over the garage roof to gain access and crack my garage roof in the process.

Up there with minicab drivers and estate agents on my scale of credibility.

the odd thing is, the original window cleaner we had, 20 years ago, was old school and did a great job. . . he had a ladder and a squeegee for a start!

 

[atomised]

here in seaford ours is £12 for 3 bedroom house front and back

 

[Bodian]

£5 - two top windows at the front and two at the back. Same chap charges my neighbour £10 as he does all their downstairs windows as well.

 

[Jack Straw]

For £30 I get 15 windows, 2 velux a three sided conservatory and 4 full height windows / sliding doors on a garden office. To clean the inside is 3 x the price of the outside if you want it done.

Probably priced it on the windows they could see before you had that Virginia Creeper pruned!

 

[A mex eyecan]

£35 here. Two large front bays, 7 double casement windows, front and side doors and 15’ set of patio doors and 3 velux windows.

Agree with you, your quote of £35 is taking the proverbial

 

[Justice]

I was surprised when a window cleaner mate told me how much he gets, he prefers commercial premises pubs that take 20 mins £70 he easily does two a day amongst other jobs and all get them cleaned weekly. No wonder he’s always off on holiday.
If you put your mind to it there is no reason to be skint in this country any idiot can clean windows. He lives in Shepherds Bush doesn’t drive and buses around West London with his gear.

 

[Weststander]

Against my wishes, we used a window cleaner for a long time. He kept increasing the charge by a neat fiver, then one day increased it by £15 because he’d acquired the water tank in his van and brush on a pole system, intimating it was to our advantage. WTF, his time was reduced, whilst upstairs windows and frames weren’t as clean as before.

I reduced his visits to bi-monthly and thankfully he never came back after the lockdowns.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Probably priced it on the windows the could see before you had that Virginia Creeper pruned!

It’s already growing back with a vengeance as is the climbing hydrangea

 

[Eeyore]

Now, I appreciate that the 'modern' window cleaner has various costs to cover, but it seems like a licence to print money.
I binned-off 'Divine Shine' for upping their price from £12 to £15 for a job that literally took them 2 minutes, and have used them for several years - ONE 3-part sash window, on the first floor, above a shop.
Bearing in mind that I can climb out onto a wide sill and do it myself (although I'd rather not!), I tried 'Albion' window cleaners and asked for a quote, for the same ONE window.
I literally fell off the sofa laughing......£35!! For 2 minutes work.
I know it's nearly Christmas, but I won't be giving such a gift to them.
Whatever happened to reasonably-priced window cleaners? Do they not exist anymore?

It's clear that you saw through it.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Probably priced it on the windows the could see before you had that Virginia Creeper pruned!

Will be a time before it gets back to this