Dubious Contractors
As in any business, there are some companies that are not as ethical as we would all like. Being aware of the potential dangers is at least some defence against these type of companies. Here are some examples of unscrupulous behaviour you need to watch out for.
Overcharging for difficult access. Since some areas can be hard to reach and not all companies have people with the necessary training or experience to carry out the work, some companies take advantage by overcharging for these areas. Within the overall job, this may seem relatively small, but it can make a few percentage points difference in the overall price. Make sure you get several quotes and have them broken down so you can see where the overcharging is taking place.
Using unnecessary access equipment. Some companies will specify that special access equipment is required, when the job doesnt really require it. Abseiling access is a typical example, when in many cases Reach and Wash can be used instead.
Unjustifiable price increases. It is easy for a company to get in on a contract by bidding at a particularly low price. Once in, they find reasons to increase the price. These usually are accompanied by very plausible sounding reasons that are rarely in fact, valid.
Pricing low and cutting corners. This is probably the most common form of SCAM among window cleaning companies. They price the job up and then submit a much lower price to win the work, with the knowledge that they will not do the job thoroughly every time. They do this by leaving some windows out each time and rotating the missed windows in the hope that it isnt picked up. The best defence against this is to require them to estimate the time on site as part of the contract and then make sure that they spend that time each visit, by getting them to sign in and out.
Hiring untrained people. Some window cleaning companies accept more work than they can really handle, usually by pricing low to win the work, and then have to hire inexperienced workers to do the work. Not only does this result in poor quality, but is likely to lead to a higher rate of damage to property. There is also a higher risk of theft. More importantly, the risk of accidents, to both window cleaners and employees is also greater.
Poor communication skills. What starts off well at the beginning can very often go badly wrong through poor communication. Speak to existing clients to check that you will be able to get through to people who help sort things out when your requirements change or when there is a problem. Upfront payments. Some companies ask for an upfront payment and arrange to do the work the following week. Of course, if they do not appear you will find it hard to contact them.
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