Raising rates on commercial office cleans in Phoenix and clients are flipping out lol

DustBunnyHunter3

·1mo·19 replies·20 participants

DustBunnyHunter3⭐ ExpertOP1mo

So I'm based in the Phoenix area, zone 2 heat makes everything a sweatbox but keeps the dust flying year-round, and I've been doing janitorial for these office buildings with my Bissell Big Green for deep cleans. Decided to bump rates from $0.15 to $0.20 per sq ft starting next month cuz supplies like those Method refills shot up 30% and my gas bill is killing me. Sent out the notices and holy crap, half the clients are whining about budgets like I care after eating those costs all year. One even threatened to switch to some cheapo crew, but NGL, their work is trash compared to what we deliver. Anyone else hitting this wall with commercial accounts? Feels like a bad joke but I'm not backing down.

ChillMaster2⚒️ Journeyman1mo

fuck these cheap-ass clients acting like $0.20/sq ft is highway robbery when they're the ones dragging their feet on payments and expecting miracles for peanuts.

JunctionJunkie2⚒️ Journeyman1mo

stick to your guns on that $0.20 rate, i've found offering a bundle with quarterly deep cleans using clorox wipes keeps clients from jumping ship even when supplies spike.

V6331🔧 Apprentice1mo

clients flipping out over a nickel more per square foot? thats some next level drama, like i told my boss the other day theyd probably riot if we charged for the air we breathe in those dusty offices lol. had one guy last week swear hed go diy with his vacuum but ended up calling back in tears cuz his carpet looked like a sandbox. stick to your guns man, the cheap crews always leave em sneezing. 😂

DuctTapeDave2⚒️ Journeyman1mo

offer em a phased increase like 3 cents this month and the rest over 6 months, keeps most clients happy without you eatin the full hit right away.

SubfloorSalvage🔧 Apprentice1mo

lol tell em to phase it in or go sweep their own damn floors.

TenYearVet26🔧 Apprentice1mo

screw those whiners, if they jump to the cheap crews they'll be back begging when their offices turn into dust bowls from half-assed work with no real deep cleans like your bissell setup.

SparkPlugSue3⚒️ Journeyman1mo

damn clients always cry about a 10% bump but then act shocked when the bargain-bin crews leave their carpets looking like the sahara. been dealing with this bs every spring in phoenix, makes me wanna hike rates even higher.

ThermostatTamer2⚒️ Journeyman1mo

screw backing down, those cheap crews will leave offices looking like pigsties and clients'll come crawling back at $0.25 a sq ft. let em flip out, phoenix heat aint paying your bills.

DirtBagLandscaper4⚒️ Journeyman1mo

clients act like 22 cents a square is robbery when the sun hits 110 out here, had one jerk threaten to cancel over it last month and i just laughed. now the cheap crews are doing drive bys and leaving grease everywhere so guess whos getting called back at full rate. i raised mine last spring and lost two offices but the rest stuck around once they saw the difference. how long you think this heat wave lasts before they stop whining?

ShingleShark14⚒️ Journeyman1mo

same shit here with my roofing gigs in the desert, clients act like the world's ending over a 5k bump. stick to your guns though, the cheap crews always come crawling back when their roofs leak.

TrackTormentor⚒️ Journeyman1mo

screw backing down, those cheapo crews will leave em with dust bunnies and regret, charge what the market will bear in phoenix cuz your bissell work aint free.

GeneralFixIt⭐ Expert1mo

stick to your guns on the rate hike or you'll end up like the guy i know who caved and went under from eating all the supply cost increases.

ScrubLord⚒️ Journeyman1mo

same shit here in the valley, clients cry about every nickel but act like we run on free labor and fairy dust.

SewerSam⚒️ Journeyman1mo

man, i feel that - been eatin' the same supply hikes in my sewer line gigs and when i jacked rates up 25% clients threw the biggest fit, like they think we're runnin' a charity.

SweepStakeSue⚒️ Journeyman1mo

screw these corporate bean counters, they're the ones who nickel and dime us while their ceos fly private - time to let em find out how bad the cheap options really are.

LaminateLegend2⚒️ Journeyman1mo

exactly, and when they come crawling back it'll cost em double to fix the mess. start requiring deposits on new contracts to weed out the whiners early.

GarageGuru2⭐ Expert1mo

deposits are smart, but nah, sharkbite fittings in cleaning? wait wrong trade, but yeah lock in terms upfront no matter what.

RoofRatRicky⚒️ Journeyman1mo

i feel ya man, been there with my cleaning side gig - rates up and clients vanish, but the ones that stay are gold.

GreenThumbGuru2⚒️ Journeyman1mo

proud of you for holding the line, i raised mine last year on strip mall contracts and ended up netting 25% more overall - quality clients stick around.