Yer the same here. Seen a guy walking up the road today half a mile from anywhere. With a ladder and a mop bucket, he was a hoody with a base ball hat.

I seen him last week knocking on a few doors of our long term customers.
So I asked watt he said. Let me clean your windows” no thank you, we have a window company, yer but” I can clean them for a fiver”  these houses are £20 I didn’t know watt to say to that.

Watt I can say is this. All of our customers had Christmas cards and calendars this year and we are on first name term like all of us. When I collect I always make small talk and next to there work sheet I some times make a note of some of the things we talked  about things like were they been holidays watt work they do ect.

I know it sounds mad but they will never go back to the guy with the ladder and on the dole.

When we give a Quote theirs all the information about wfp, pure water and how it all works with a few business cards as well. The van is vehicle wrapped with water droplets all over it when I tern up at job people know your not here today and gone tomorrow.

These Muppets are giving us guys a bad name every one thinks window cleaners cant do any thing else.                

hello my name is john wayne... i will clean your windows with my pal clint eastwood, its only a fiver every few months in between my giros.

Nice one” when I said I didn’t know watt to say I didn’t want to get in to a conflict with this customer.

She had friends with her and it wasn’t the right time.

Sam my customer the one who said about the fiver guy I have known her for a few years before I started my business and from her I have had 20 plus houses.

We do the civic centre where she works so Sam will never have no won else.

She in the past have had bikes, lawn mower, kids toys and all stolen by different window cleaners.

I had a home made flyer a few weeks ago. And it said we don’t use ladders.
So I rung the guy. Cut a long story short he asked me if my conservatory roof was glass or Perspex. I said do you have WFP no” he said. The chemicals they put in the water damages the seals.

Watt a Muppet please guys don’t get me started on this. People think they know about watt wfp but they don’t so why  slag off some thing they know nothing about.

Been in this a long time and all first cleans are 100% never had any complaints about wet windows, wet paths, ECT, a good rinse. I spend a few moments with all new customers about work at heights 2005 and personal injury,  liability insurance. the   most popular part of this is the privacy with no body up a ladder.

Any way Mr fiver had no luck with our customers. £18 house is about half an hours work to us so its no doubt he is on the dole.          

i think all w/c should have some sort of id license, then the policing would be easy, should we spot a w/c with out one then we phone a hotline number and they would be caught in the act simple.

what i mean by id whould be something like a tax disc or a sticker that can be placed on a van ect because lets face it you need transport to window clean unles u r a cowboy

i dont mind paying for one even a £100 and should you produce insurance maybe cheeper because lets face it if the cowboys wont spend out on equipment they wont fork out for a license

thing is to remember is some people dont care about cowboys doing there windows as long as they are cheep and that is the sort of customer i dont want anyway because they all ways complain, hold you up and moan about the price.  and it allways seems to be the houses under a tenner any way so let the cowboys have them.
last thing any customer who says they can get them done cheeper i just say i cant compete with that and just walk away for good

Yes duke but I wouldn’t waist my time grassing them there’s to many.
I’m near Cardiff and theirs so many people working and claiming in all trades.  

I carry my ID with me all the time its pined to my polo shirt with my company name on them.

I joined The N.F.M..W.G.C and now you have to have you photo on your ID witch is exhalant.

I pay £9.00 for polo shirts and £15 for a fleas with our logo on it. Customers see this and more often or not they have asked are we part of any trade organisation. Like corgi or NIC.

I paid £199 for 10.000 flyers A5 glossy booth sides the heading says IS YOUR WINDOW CLEANER INSURED. If I can figure out how to download them on here and our customer letters I will it mite give some people on her a few newer ideas not that I’m treading on any ones toes.      

I know some guys nock the fed but for us it had made the difference with the logo on all the vans and on our stationary.

Corporate advertising in the yellow pages cost next to nothing and I get at least one a week. I now its frustrating seeing these clowns but educating people is a start.

I would love to see some TV media just about employing people who’s claiming and working the same time. I know they do it now but its about taxi drivers I think if they slipped in a hoody up a ladder or him pinching knickers off a line I now it will make people think twice.                

Duke, i won't stop you exposing them - but who do we expose them to?

ps: you don't need a van to be a window cleaner. if all your neighbours live in roads around your home, then you can walk around and do them. It's what all window cleaners did in the past. I use a vehicle, but i wouldn't mock anyone who doesn't have one.

I thought the old 'uns used to go out on pushbikes...old man ettore went out on an Indian motorbike...

DUKE.. ..MATEEE. ..YOU CANT CLEAN WINDOWS WITH A BANJO .THO THINKING ABOUT IT IVE NEVER TRIED

There's a guy round here uses a bicycle and tows his ladder behind him, you have to see it to appreciate how funny it looks.

Silly beggars off the road for drink driving, that'l get you something like a £500 quid fine and three years off the roads here. And we still get repeat offenders.

Martyn.

theres a guy round here(used to work for us aswell fell out over money and he left) drives a batterd old volvo estate 20 stone scruffy  father not at home anymore  i know for a fact hes not insured and hes managed to pull off the argos, wilkinsons, new look, peacocks, homebase, tesco, brantano shoes and many more contracts all done on ladders no one footing ladders no signs out propper cowboy outfit dunno how they get away with it

old man ettore went out on an Indian motorbike...

I'm not sure if it's still there, but there used to be an Indian showroom (a mews garage, actually) in Edinburgh. You'd drool all over the window, Duke. Lovely old things - with a lovely old price, too!

nice looking old tool though...sadly underpowered by todays standards..

i think it would be really cool to arrive on a motorbike to window clean


stevo, that guy will probably fall off his ladder one day and be paralysed in hospital, and if he doesn't, well, he's taking a stupid risk anyhow.