Homey laffassoff today!:D

[HOMER]

I have another ex customer that owes me money(not the same as deadbeat post but should be included). Their name is $%%$#$$$ and they live at 119 YUIIHII Lane. I have tried to get 2 months pay out of them at the same time I was trying to get money out of the deadbeats. I mailed her a collection letter on Jan. 19th. She calls me the other day and says she just got my letter and wanted me to know that they were going to pay the bill but she had been out of work from having back surgery. My last cut was in Dec. and I havent gone back due to non-payment. She said she would be able to pay me by the end of this month. She never asked why I quit coming and never called to tell me they had hired another company.............one that I already warned ahead of time about these people.

To make a long story even longer, I wondered how they couldnt pay me but yet hired somebody else to do their yard. Well I rode by that yard today which I kept immaculate. It was one of them teeeeeeeedioussss yards that you really needed to take your time on. The man of the house would open his garage door and watch your every move, we got complimented several times on the work we did.........the old fart was happy. When I rode by today that Bermuda had more gouges in it than I could count. I think the boys were running them Lazers with a flat rear tire!:D I laughed so hard I thought I was gonna pee-pee in my depends!

I know this makes very little sense but the moral of the story is: The grass ain,t always green on the side thats draggin!

I hope they learned their lesson, if they had been able to pay me like they did my competitor (again, I told this guy about these folks and he still took them on) I would still be cutting it and taking my time and checking my decks and air pressure...............like always. I picked up 2 accounts last year from these guys, side by side, that pay me $225.00 a month year round for this very same reason..........they were gouging the shick out of the yards with the mowers.

Sorry for being long winded.........ah heck it aint no longer than Grassmasters posts so deal with it!

[kutnkru]

HOMER.

You lost the other two neighbors as well??

I am glad to see that thru Lawn Site Annonymous you were able to come to grips with the painful reality of customers oddities. :)

Good Luck this season!
Kris

[joshua]

homer take them to small claims court. i hate when people don't know how to not guage the yard.it isn't hard not to do it. they must have no lcue what-so-ever. i feel bad becuase they will be out of business soon.

[ron]

contact http://www.madd.com they will help ya out tell them that Ron Adair sent ya...

[ron]

opps sorry mad collection agency

[guntruck]

You know Josh i dont think small claims court is worth that small dollar amount. More of a headache trying to get it and in the long run its just plain not worth it.

[bob]

I feel for you. Today I just got my last $70 thats been owed me for 5 months. This customer is always real slow paying.

[Evan528]

Small claims court is not time consuming at all! I have a customer who has owed me $300 since october. After countless invoices and certified letters (all of wich were ignored) I finally filed for small claims court in january. The court date is this friday and i dont even have to attend unless he files a apeal wich he would have no basis for... I did the work... I should be paid! My costs were 70 dollars dor the paper work and to send the constable to the guys house to serve him with the papers. I will get the money back when I win the case! very easy process... you have nothing to loose!

[Roger]

I have come to understand (after a few years) that some customers pay ONLY so that you will return to continue working the next month. They don't feel they are paying for the work done, but rather their REAL reason is so that you come back.

A couple of years ago I had a very particular customer - he was picky about what he wanted done, e.g. bagged, only mow on Thursday, exact trim, etc. I never received a complaint. But, he didn't pay for Oct and Nov mowing, plus all the leave cleanup and disposal. I learned his "game" was to hire a contractor for 1 or 2 seasons, but not pay off the last invoice(s) of the year, knowing he would move on to another contractor the next season. I lost about $500 from him. Money wasn't an issue with his family (e.g. two new cars every year, international sales job for 25 years, ....).

What was more distressing than the loss of money was to see the quality of work the next contractor. He used home owner equipment, no bagging (terrible job of mulching), no straight lines, little trimming, and a single leaf pickup (I had made six cleanups the previous year, as he requested "clean lawn" all the time). I continue to have a customer across the street and saw this every week, asking "How does this guy get away with this???? He was so picky with me!"

Hopefully, I just gotten smarter, trying to find which potential new customers have this attitude and stay away from them. Also, I get a new address from a customer whose house has just sold, stating clearly they will be expected to pay their last invoice. I've lost several payments from those who moved, without paying their last invoice - but no more.

Roger

[Edited by Roger on 03-14-2001 at 02:18 AM]