Do I need to be home for an estimate? Not really, as long as we are able to look at the work area from the outside, we can do an estimate. We do prefer to meet with you, as we may have some questions or suggestions for you.
It's raining today, should I still have the windows cleaned? Never ask a window cleaner that question. Truth is, cleaning your windows is not all that different that cleaning your car or kitchen floor. It's best to clean on a regular basis, as you never know when the sun will shine or guests drop in.
Why is your name Perks Window Cleaning Ltd, and yet you offer 5 or 6 different services? Because for our first 20 years we were strictly window cleaners. Then we added our other services over time. All our customers use us for at least window cleaning, so hence the name. Currently we offer window cleaning, cutter cleaning, roof moss removal, power washing (pressure washing) and Christmas light installation. This year we are introducing weed control for walkways and driveways.
Are you a franchise or a family business? Most window cleaning companies are family businesses, as we are. There are a few window cleaning franchises in Vancouver, but the biggest and best companies are usually independents (at least in this industry).
My appointment is for 10am, it's now ten after, are you still coming? Yes. Our staff abide by our company policy that we are to arrive within 15 minutes of an appointment time. If we suspect that we will be late, you will receive a phone call. Remember, traffic and mixed workloads can affect our schedules despite our best planning.
Which areas to you service? Primarily West Side Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Whistler, South Surrey and White Rock. We do have clients in other parts of Metro Vancouver and welcome all new clients.
"I'll pay cash so we can skip the taxes" (Asked at least every month) Sorry, we do it all by the books. Even our tips get reported. We always believed that if the only way to make this business work was by cheating - well then it wouldn't be worth it. We estimate that about 1/3 of the industry works under the table. We decided long ago to run a legitimate and ethical company.
Can we pay by credit card? Yes. As long as you pay, we'll be happy.
Can you guys power wash our 52 unit strata in the first week of May? No. May, June and July are our busiest months and can not spend so much time at a single customers property. We would be happy to accommodate in our shoulder seasons. Hope you understand.
Great job again guys except for one detail. My hose was left unwound across the driveway. Why? Because we forgot to put it back. We're sorry, but once or twice a year this will happen. When ever this does happen, everyone here gets a "Don't forget" notice with their worksheets.
Can we rent your power washing equipment? Sorry, not anymore. We did provide that service last year, however it was very hard on the equipment, so we decided to suspend the program.
Why can't you send the same cleaner every time? We really liked Craig. Actually we usually do send the same person. Unfortunately, some of our staff do move on to other careers. Craig was with us for 7 years. We have had some excellent staff for shorter periods. Each service provider works as an apprentice for 6 months before we set them up in a company vehicle independently.
Can we use your old flyer's discount? The expiry date was last March. That's a tough one. We don't want to be hard line - or lose a new customer, but to be fair to all customers, expiry dates will be observed.
Are you covered by WCB? Yes. If you were to ask any company the same question the answer is usually yes. You can verify a companies compliance by checking Worksafe BC online. You may be surprised at how many business claim to be registered but are not.
You never showed up, why should I pay your bill for power washing? That sounds like a terrible company review, but believe it or not we had a new customer this year who made that claim. We spent hours cleaning their property, the neighbours saw us, our trucks are GPS tracked, and we had a conversation with them before we started. Unfortunately they may tell this made-up story to others. The customer was rude amongst other things but it worked, they got the work done for free.
Another estimate we received was lower, will you match it? If it is from an insured and licensed in your community, yes we will. We would need to see the written estimate. Unfortunately many companies in this industry are not insured, licensed or compliant to regulations.
Our house just got listed, can you come tomorrow? at 9? We'll do the best that we can, especially if your a regular client of ours. We recognize that now that your house is for sale you want it to look great for showings and before the house staging starts, so we will do our best.
How much per hour do you charge? We work on fixed rates. For example, we may give you a quote for $75 to clean your outside windows. Because we have different staff whom may be assigned to clean your house, you can count on the same price. Some of or cleaners are faster than others and at times weather conditions slow us down considerably.