Is this message very rude? I think it is

[septemberismyfavouritemonth]

In June we had a new window cleaner clean our windows inside and out and discussed more regular window cleaning every few months.

The window cleaner messaged to say he will come this week, I asked how much for outside only and he sent me the quote - £30. I felt like this was quite alot for outside windows (2 bed terrace house) so asked around and found £20 was about average with some paying less but £20 being an average amount that I'd be ok to pay.

I messaged back to say I thought it was alot and could he do for £20, no worries if not but £30 was too much for us right now so we would leave it.

He messaged back to say we had an agreement on price and frequency and that he thought I would keep my word, he then said 'I work hard to be reliable to all my clients and I expect the same from you'

I was pretty shocked, I appreciate he feels we had a verbal contract but he doesn't know my circumstances and I feel I asked a reasonable question, I do feel that he was over charging. As we had inside and outside last time I didn't recall discussing outside only cost even if I did I wanted to check and confirm so I could have the money ready.

Is his response rude or am I in the wrong here? I felt like I was being reprimanded by someone I've met once. Obviously now worried because he knows where I live and I hate confrontation!

Classic bullying tactics, he is being ridiculous in suggesting that customers need to show him loyalty and therefore pay whatever he chooses - he sent you a quote and you didn’t accept it, simple.
Also, I have never heard of anyone being charged this much for outside windows.

The window cleaner had wash pure h20 system which I prefer and windows were sparkling. I was at work so wasnt bothered how long was taken or not taken it but the windows spoke for themselves and he was reliable

Even if you did have an agreement he’s not an employee and you aren’t obliged to continue giving him the work.

As a client/ potential client it's not your job to work hard for him.

EveryDayIsADuvetDay

Wow - for all these posters saying "I pay £6.50" - or anything under about £15 - how long do you expect the window cleaner to take?

I guess it takes 10-15 mins for a 4 bed detached. He doesn’t have a ladder he had an extendable pole with an extendable wiper thing. He set the price and I was happy to accept.

Everyone with super cheap window cleaners - is that once a month? We pay £20 once every 12 weeks - inherited window cleaner with house and when he first came I was at the price and when he said he’d be back in a month I was quick to put him off to longer. He said every quarter is the longest frequency he’ll do. I’m sure we could get it cheaper but I can’t be arsed looking and also I can pay him online so I’m happy enough. And I don’t notice my windows need doing any more frequently so suits me.

I fear he's probably intimidating OAPs and vulnerable people,

I pay £13 for a 4 bed detached with conservatory (outside clean). £30 is daylight robbery!

Once a month, weather permitting

Ditto, once a month as long as it's not pouring with rain. Not a lot of windows, but they clean the front door (UPVC) as well.

I pay £3.50 for 7 windows - fortnightly in summer, monthly in winter.

Yeah, so £30 ‘every few months’ (like my £20 every 12 weeks ... sometimes it’s more like 9-10 weeks but I can’t be bothered arguing!) is more equivalent to the £12-15 per monthly clean some people are having. So on that score I guess it’s not outrageous but if you don’t like his business quote you don’t need to take him up on it, OP.

Sounds like a lot to me. We have a 4 bed detached with full-length windows and French doors in the kitchen and only pay £19 every other month for outside only. I wouldn't engage any further with him, I wouldn't want to deal with someone like that anyway. I can understand his frustration if he felt you had a verbal contract, but there's ways and means of expressing that, and peoples' circumstances do change unexpectedly and they can't help that.

My window cleaner that I had last year only did the outside front of my house so two windows and the little one over the front door , when he first started he charges £2.50 after about 3 visits he put the price up to £3 , fair enough , but then he put it up again twice , £3.50 and £3.75 within a few months, he always put a card through the door after he had cleaned them with the increase on it so I felt I had no choice but to pay it . When he came round to collect his money I asked him what warrants a 50% increase within around 6 months,

( his costs can not of gone up by that much even taking into account personal accident insurance , presuming he had some , fuel etc .) I got a mouth full of abuse saying he was trying to earn a living so needed to increase his prices .
While I agree that it must be hard to make a living out of window cleaning you can not just keep on increasing prices and expect people to pay it

In your case @septemberismyfavouritemonth I would ask him to specify exactly what you got for your £30 ( which i think is expensive ) and why the cost is the same for doing less .

But be careful as we have had exactly the same issue at work , our window cleaners have a contract to come 4 times a year, due to covid we asked them not to do the inside on their last visit and they quite rightly said that that was our choice but there would not be any reduction in the contract cost as it was our choice to reduce the service we required after the contract was signed , but I guess you have not signed such a contract so this point may not apply to you.

I pay £9 for a 3 bed semi with 2 bay windows, he cleans all the frames and the front door for that too. I’m in the NW.

25 windows, Home counties, near Guildford.

£13

@ChaChaCha2012

His reply was blunt, but you were rude. Would you try and barter at the supermarket? If not, don't do it to a small business either.

(The price is high, but many people willingly pay that much.)

No I wouldn't but I asked if he could match it, his choice to say yes or no.

Wow - for all these posters saying "I pay £6.50" - or anything under about £15 - how long do you expect the window cleaner to take?
Assuming an hour, on top of that he will have a van to run, equipment, insurance, materials - and working on ladders is not an easy or risk free job.

What kind of house do you live in with enough windows for an hour's work? I pay £9 for front outside windows. It takes under 10 minutes. He does about 20 houses in our street in a couple of hours, which isn't bad for an unskilled manual job?

£30? I pay £3 here for a 3 bed house! 😐

£15 a month plus tea and biscuits for 14 windows. Creme eggs at Easter, mince pies at Christmas.
He also scrapes the leaves from the little gutter above my front porch.

I’d said to him “well I’m not your client, I’m your ex-client, bye” actually I probably wouldn’t say that but I’d want to. Yes he was rude, that would put me right off.

I think you must have got the same window cleaner we inherited when we moved, he wanted to do fortnightly, I wanted monthly, "they'll get dirty" was his response. And he used "purified water" too.

I cancelled.

Wow - for all these posters saying "I pay £6.50" - or anything under about £15 - how long do you expect the window cleaner to take? Ours, sensibly, has a rota by street. So she can get a fair few jobs done before she has to move on to the next place. Because she is good, isn't in the slightest intrusive, she gets referred, neighbour to neighbour, making it even easier for her.

And they have no need to work from ladders any more - if they do they are possibly not insured as ladder use has to be justified for each and every specific use. There has been alternative equipment available as standard for over about 15 years now (at least since the Working at Heights regs, 2005).

Now they don't have to climb, it takes less time, is safer, dryer and the equipment isn't that expensive to set up, an average system is about £2K plus a van - purified water actually comes with the pole system, can be added to all systems!

I should say I know all of that as my window cleaner is an ex student and we spent quite a while discussing our relative set up costs and earning potential. She may or may not come in with me, leaving her DH to run most of the windows once her youngest goes to school.

Say thank you but no thank you to the window cleaner, and go buy your own poles and hose from Argos and do it yourself. Much cheaper.