What Questions Should I Ask To Separate The Fly-by-Night Window Cleaners From The Professionals?

A lot of times if you’re looking to hire a window cleaning company you might ask yourself, “What differentiates a professional, good company, from a fly-by-night company that just wants to make a quick buck? Is the quality of work really up to standards?

Here are a couple of questions that you might want to ask to ensure that you’re dealing with a legit company and not somebody that started up last night:

1.  Always ask for their insurance.

A pro should at least have a one million dollar liability policy that is going to cover any damage on your property or your personal belongings. Second, they should also have workers’ compensation. If they say they have workers’ compensation, ask if they have it on all their employees. When a company hires 1099 employees, which are contractors, technically, they do not have to have a workers’ compensation on them. If they get hurt on your property, you are still liable and they can still sue you and the owner of the business.

2. Google their business.

If you Google their business, it is going to bring up either Google reviews or their website. If they are missing that kind of stuff, it doesn’t mean that they are not a legitimate company. Maybe they are an older company and they just haven’t moved into the digital age.  But it is definitely going to be a red flag and you’re going to have to bring up a few more questions, like, “Man, are these actually legit guys? How do they get business if they are not on the internet, if they are not promoting themselves, if they don’t have the reviews?” It is just a lot of gray area and most professionals are going to have that kind of things set up.

3. Ask how long they have been in business.

So, if you Google their business and you come up short there is one thing you want to ask them, “How long have you been in business? Have you been around for a year, two years, three years or a month?” Personally, I wouldn’t trust anyone less than 6 months to a year. It is just my personal preference. You might have some sympathy, like, “Ah, let’s get you guys started.” But if they are a fly-by-night company they are not going to have 10 to 20 years of experience, the guys that you’re going to probably trust.

4. Ask for referrals.

If the company has been in business and they have done good work, they are going to have people that—they are going to be dying to say, “You need to talk to these people. These people had been my clients for 3-5 years. They can vouch for my quality of service. They can show you photos. They can do all kinds of stuff. You don’t have to just take my word for it.” A lot of pros are going to have that type of customers. That is how you build up your business. You have a big customer base. A lot of those people are going to be willing to help that person get more business.

5. Ask for their process.

Do they use a squeegee method? Do they use a water-fed pole method? Are they going into your house with 40-foot ladders? Pros are going to know exactly how they are going to attack your house. That is how they get things done and that is how they make money.

So if all of those things come up as red flags, if you ask the guys and they don’t have insurance, if you can’t Google their business, if they do not have referrals, if they have been in business for a month, you probably don’t want to use those guys just because they might be a fly-by-night company looking to make 50 bucks or 200 bucks, whatever price may be. You might be better off calling a pro and spending just a little bit more money.