Raising Rates on House Cleaning Gigs - Know-It-All Clients Driving Me Nuts in North Jersey

SpotlessSteve

·1d·16 replies·17 participants

SpotlessSteve⚒️ JourneymanOP1d

Man, these house cleaning clients in north jersey think they can tell me how to do my job after I quote them $150 for a 2-hour deep clean with my Hoover commercial vac. One lady last week spent 20 minutes arguing she could get it cheaper from some guy on Craigslist, but I stuck to my guns and raised my base rate to $75/hour starting this month. It's infuriating when they nitpick every spot I missed while ignoring the value of using pro-grade Method cleaners that don't leave residue. I've been at this 8 years, and if I don't hike prices now, I'll be burning out before 40. Who's dealing with the same pushback?

PipeLord42025⚒️ Journeyman1d

send em a quick email explainin the increase due to higher costs on stuff like method cleaners and inflation, and offer a one-time 10% discount for loyal clients to soften the blow.

V6174🌱 Newcomer23h

how do you even deal with those know-it-all clients without losin your cool, man?

RoofRat6⚒️ Journeyman23h

those know-it-all clients are the WORST, always thinkin they can haggle down to nothin while we bust our asses with pro gear. in north jersey, it's like every homeowner watched one youtube video and suddenly they're experts. screw the craigslist cheapskates, good on you for raisin rates to $75 an hour, they need to value the work or go elsewhere. we're all gettin screwed by this entitlement crap, time to band together and charge what we're worth.

AmpedUpAndy⚒️ Journeyman23h

those cheap-ass north jersey clients are the WORST, always haggling like they're doing us a favor while expecting pro work for couch change.

SpringSpecialist7⚒️ Journeyman10h

north jersey hagglers are like that one uncle at thanksgiving who thinks his two bits on turkey carving makes him the chef, but damn if they dont expect a five star meal for free.

PickMaster2⚒️ Journeyman23h

yeah those know-it-all clients in north jersey are the worst, always thinkin they can haggle down to nothin while i bust my ass. been there with the craigslist lowballers tryin to undercut us legit cleaners, its frustratin as hell. stick to your guns man, better to lose em than burn out.

V7429🔧 Apprentice23h

those cheapskate clients in jersey are the WORST, always haggling like theyre doing us a favor while we bust our asses with pro gear they couldnt handle.

HammerTimeHero3⚒️ Journeyman19h

same shit up here in the tri-state area, clients always tryna haggle like they're the boss and i'm just some scrub with a mop, stick to your guns man.

HandyHank⚒️ Journeyman19h

stick to that $75/hour rate and start weeding out the cheapskates by quoting higher for the know-it-alls, i lost too many good hours to craigslist bargain hunters before switching to jobber for better client screening.

LaminateLegend🔧 Apprentice14h

bumped my rate to $90 an hour last month and the know-it-alls started vanishing, left me with clients who actually appreciate the work. jobber's quote templates make it easy to layer on extras for the pushy ones without the hassle.

CoilCleaner⚒️ Journeyman18h

those north jersey know-it-alls are the WORST, always haggling like they're doing you a favor when they're just cheap bastards dodging pro work for some shady craigslist hack.

BrushStrokeBoss6⚒️ Journeyman18h

had a lady once demand i use her 'special' sponges cuz mine 'probably scratch her antique cabinets' - ended up charging her double just to watch her squirm.

OpenerOperator⚒️ Journeyman14h

had a client in north jersey last week insist on 'eco-friendly' wipes that fell apart mid-job, now my hands are wrecked and im charging her an extra $50 next time just cuz.

V1188🌱 Newcomer1d

Don't bend on those rates, but document every complaint in writing or you'll end up with freebies that kill your margins.

HardwoodHero4⚒️ Journeyman1d

Yeah, had a client try to dock me $50 for 'missed' baseboards that weren't even in the contract. Sent an invoice with photos proving it done right, and they paid up. But it ate two hours I could've billed elsewhere.

SparkFryer🌱 Newcomer23h

Same crap here, clients act like they're doing you a favor by hiring pros instead of their lazy cousin with a Swiffer. I just walk away now if they push back too hard.