Have a house with Anderson windows. They have a colonial grid on the inside that fits into small holes on the frame. Each pane makes a 9 pane grid like French windows. If you tried to clean each without removing the soap would run down behind the grid on the glass.
1 Have you ever cleaned these?
2 Do you remove the grid? Any other techniques?
3 Do you charge extra per window to remove and install the grid?
Thoughts?
I have done a ton of houses with these windows. I normally do not charge extra. but it would be really good if you can.
Here is what i tell the home owner before removing any.
“we will need to remove these decorative panes from the window. we are extremely careful, although we have done houses before where these things literally just fall apart in our hands. I want you to be aware of the potential of them breaking”
or something like that. then if you can, have them sign a waiver removing you from guilt if any break.
those things suck. have fun haha
Dont try to short cut it. Water will definitely run behind the grid. I would absolutely charge more. Also make sure to have some super glue on you. Just in case some are in bad shape and they fall apart on you. Also it sounds like these ones have like a little spring clip on the end. When reinserting them start in the middle and get that one snapped in and then the very bottom, then the top. Then snap in all the rest. You’ll see what I mean when you first try to put one back in. Hope that helps!
And for us, we never ask the customer to do anything themselves. This is a luxury service not a necessity. Think of it like a spa day for their house lol. Just charge a little more and the customer can sit back and relax
That’s a great comment/mindset
Thanks for the responses. They are harder to remove and install than screens. I will definitely charge extra (same as a screen). They also need to be wiped down before reinstalling cause they get dirty too.
Paul
The way I was trained is that a customer should never have to do any work so that I can do my work.
This is a perfect time for the indoor cleaning kit. No drip at all. If the panes are to small then use sprayaway and the Unger ninja microfiber towel.
Does anyone have a copy of the necessary & updated waivers needed for residential & commercial …and any other waivers I may need they wouldn’t mind sharing? I haven’t found on here when searching for waivers…thank you
Just my opinion @HartmannWGC :
Don’t use waivers. Period.
If you do not know the risks involved in this trade and how to avoid breaking things or doing damage, then get more training or ask on the forum for more information.
I can guarantee that you will lose customers as soon as you ask them to sign waivers. They will move to your competitor who does not, and has the confidence to get the job done right without fear of damage.
And, get insurance. Better to use your insurance than screw over a client just because you “have a signed waiver”.
Feel free to disagree.
I have never used anything other than traditional wc indoors. But after dealing with french panes and window grids, I am definitely looking into the Unger indoor kit. I was considering the stingray kit, but it looks too large for french panes. Am I correct?
I think I will be going for the Unger indoor pad holder one:
I can’t agree with this enough. I know why people use a waiver but I would never use one. To me they just scream “it’s not my fault!” When I have made mistakes I have always had customers that understand. I am able to build trust with my customer when I’m bidding the job and while I’m working. Maybe that’s one of the skills that I have that others don’t.
It’s window cleaning not electrical work or plumbing or something. I believe that my customers value the simplicity of the experience of hiring me.
Its always good to cover yourself, however if you can build trust like you said, it shouldn’t ever be a problem. Sadly, not everyone is an expert in the field and having those safeguards in place in one way to feel more secure. Heck, I would be a hypocrite if I said I didn’t use a contract, I always have a contract for homes. Never had to use a scratch waiver yet. Yes, others may see that as a potential turn off too.
However, not every single customer is understanding. I have had a few things happen before on the job, absolutely not my fault. Homeowner looked at me still like it was my fault. Even people who came to help with repairs, said a window slipped out of the frame because it wasn’t screwed in right or the putty came undone. Or a window wasn’t seated in the frame correctly because the metal shoe was snapped ten million years ago. But while others see this as a problem, I see it as an opportunity. I had others thank me after solving the problem, even though it wasn’t my fault. It looked professional and I handled it as a problem solver. Here is where others see it as a problem.
“SHOOT! I have to pay $125.00 on a job that I charged $230.00 on and worked part of the day on? This is unfair! I’m not paying for this.” Then the business loses the customer.
This is how I see it:
“I only have to pay $125.00 to keep these customers for life because I have a chance to make them happy with a nasty outcome? Also to have them pay me way more next time since this was a one time special offer? Shoot, I will do it! I will definitely pay for this and everyone wins in this instance, even though it wasn’t my fault, I will own up to it and tell them everything will be handled.”
Problems are a opportunity in disguise, don’t blow your chance to solve a problem ever. You a problem solver, don’t leave problems undone. You never know if your customer could never call you back and leave you a nasty review as well.
@DanTheWindowMan @Charles @Jacob Thank you all for answering the question and makes sense… I spoke to another veteran window cleaner this morning and he said the same thing. I met with 4 builders today and made some good connections. I also passed out 100 or more door hangers today so feeling productive & upbeat. I hope you all are kicking butt!
100? Not bad. Shoot higher though. I know I say try to do everything 10 times greater. Do as close to 1000 as you can. Then your phone should be off the hook. 
