PressurePros said:
Git-R-Done! Mediocre job for cheap money. Could have been worse.
How long did it take them?
How high were they shooting chemicals?
I am assuming they are using ladders?
What did you learn from this experiment? (not being facetious I am actually interested as to opinions you have on professional versus hacks like this)
I don't think I would call it a mediocre job. I contracted them to clean my house. The house is clean and that is what their ad says "Exterior cleaners -We clean houses!" The very few dirty streaks are still a mystery though I suspect it had to do with their rinse water volume. A real anal person would probably have asked them to redo the small section but you can't see them if you stand 10 feet back and certainly not from the street.
Took em about an hour, maybe 75 minutes.
If anyone around here quoted $450 for this job they would get laughed right off the property.
No ladders except to get on the roof to clean out the gutter.
Chems to the peak of my roof on the front at about 35 feet approx.
His ad said he had insurance and a business license. I didn't ask for proof of them when he arrived. If there was a problem his ad would go a long way in my favor in court.
I learned that......
I can outsell these guys by a large margin.
That household bleach and cold water works pretty good for normal situations.
That in order to compete against lowballers like this one would need a tiered pricing structure similar to a car wash. Basic, Gold, Platinum etc.
That some sort of rinse additive to reduce spotting and increase the shine of the vinyl needs to be investigated. Has to be a product out there that works.
Something that leaves the windows almost squeegee spotless would be nice and a real differentiator between myself and these "pickup truck full of bleach" guys.
While one guy packed the truck and rinsed bushes the other guy washed the walk from my front porch down to the driveway. The five minutes it took him to do the walk down to the driveway is a good enticement to get the rest of the flatwork provided it wasn't too long. My walk is real short. Now the driveway just looks filthy next to his washed walk. Smart guys. If I hadn't planned on bringing someone else in for the flatwork it I would have signed up right then and there.
His invoice was like an a la carte menu which reminds customers of all the things they could have done.
