Feeling guilty for cancelling the window cleaner to save money

bailey_uk

Hi folks, couldn't see a board to post this but thought id try here

We have had a window cleaner for 15 years and for the last year or two, thought we don't really need them doing as I can do them myself.

He has put his prices up to 12 now and i'm thinking on cancelling as its not a necessity and things are getting tighter here.

I do feel guilty because I know he will have bills to pay himself.

Has anyone else had this moral dilemma or feel guilty for ending someones small business contract to save money?

Beckyy

It's a tricky one, but ultimately you have to cut your cloth according to your means. 

Could you cut down and have the window cleaner do every other clean for a few months? Be honest with them, I'm sure they'll appreciate it. 

diystarter7

Why not go 50/50 DIY one time and the cleaner the next?

Or just be honest with him - but he may offer you a 2 quid discount and if you say no, IMO you may feel worse.

TELLIT01

It is difficult when there has been a relationship there for many years.  However the OP has to prioritise their spending, and window cleaning is not essential.

victor2

bailey_uk said:

Hi folks, couldn't see a board to post this but thought id try here

We have had a window cleaner for 15 years and for the last year or two, thought we don't really need them doing as I can do them myself.

He has put his prices up to 12 now and i'm thinking on cancelling as its not a necessity and things are getting tighter here.

I do feel guilty because I know he will have bills to pay himself.

Has anyone else had this moral dilemma or feel guilty for ending someones small business contract to save money?

The window cleaner has had to put his prices up to keep his business going. You are having to cut your costs to keep your lifestyle going. Have a frank discussion with him and suggest he reduces the frequency of your cleaning if he can. If he says that's not viable then you part company on the understanding that you both can't afford to continue as things are.

Edit: You could buy him a box of chocolates or beer as a thank you for all his work over the years, regardless of which way the discussion goes?

Mistral001

Assuming he has put it up from £10, that is a 20% increase.  I do not know how he can justify that unless he has travelled from a distance and even so transport costs are made up of more than just petrol costs.  Just tell him straight that you cannot afford an increase like that.  I would not rule out looking around for someone else who is going to be cheaper.  There are plenty of people out there who are struggling to find work.  You have absolutely nothing to be guilty about.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

maybe he has put prices up because he is losing customers?

How often do you get him?

victor2

Mistral001 said:

Assuming he has put it up from £10, that is a 20% increase.  I do not know how he can justify that unless he has travelled from a distance and even so transport costs are made up of more than just petrol costs.  Just tell him straight that you cannot afford an increase like that.  I would not rule out looking around for someone else who is going to be cheaper.  There are plenty of people out there who are struggling to find work.  You have absolutely nothing to be guilty about.

We don't know his business costs. A 20% increase does sound a lot, but £2 doesn't sound as bad. Utility cost have increased by much more than 20% for most people, for example. He presumably washes his work clothes and materials regularly!
Maybe he's expecting to lose some customers because of the increase, so has factored that in as well. Or maybe he figures he just deserves to make more money. 

Brie

How long does he work cleaning your windows?  If it's an hour then he's just been a bit above minimum wage?  If it's 10 minutes well it's not so bad.  But he probably has to travel between clients so it may be 10 - 15 minutes at yours and then 15 minutes to get to the next person so it's not a huge amount relatively.  

The other thing to factor in is the cost of your time.  I have a gardener who comes and weeds, prunes, rakes, mows.  The guy is on a mission when he's here, non stop so gets done more in a couple of hours than I would achieve in a day so to me it's good value.  I've economised by getting him to put all the trimmings etc in big trugs I have so I don't have to pay extra to take things away.  

EmpireKicking

I would tell the window cleaner the truth and he or she will understand. Cost of living and the cost of things are getting too much to the point that you have more money going out than in. You have to cut things down to be able to afford food instead then cleaning windows. I mean it's hard as the window cleaner needs money also for him to live. 

TELLIT01

Mistral001 said:

Assuming he has put it up from £10, that is a 20% increase.  I do not know how he can justify that unless he has travelled from a distance and even so transport costs are made up of more than just petrol costs.  Just tell him straight that you cannot afford an increase like that.  I would not rule out looking around for someone else who is going to be cheaper.  There are plenty of people out there who are struggling to find work.  You have absolutely nothing to be guilty about.

We don't know how long it has been since he last increased his prices.  If it's a 20% increase after 5 years it's not a big annual increase.  Many small business don't increase prices regularly, certainly not as often as they should just to cover inflation.