Funniest thing.........yet kinda pathetic

[plow kid]

I gave a elderly man a estimate for his 3 acre yard today, It is mostly open but it has a pond about 125'x175' So I told him it would cost around $100 a cut for everything with the discount for signing a contract [nobody wants to do it here],he agreed that it was a good price and he signed the agreement,so we were chatting and "Joe Blow Lawn Care" tears up the drive waving his flier out the window of his beater toyota and when he stopped he asked if we would like a estimate [my trucks are not lettered] and I looked at the elderly fella and he looks at me and we both said yes. We walked the property with him and looked around and then he blurted out" Hell I can do this lot and trim everything up real nice for ,..say $35 dollars a cut". I almost schitt my pants! The guy declined to take him up on the offer, Thank god I was there 10 minnutes early!

How he could do it for that cheap boggles my mind.

[MikeGA]

My cousin said a neighbor of ours came by and told him he would cut their yard for $30/hour.

[RYAN]

They are definately out there. I bet he would have tried to mow it with a Crapsman 21" and only lasted a week or two. Luckily the old guy knew better.

[joshua]

nate thats funny, thank god you had a contract on you.

[Runner]

I hope you didn't tell him you were doing it for $100 a cut! What does he cut with, did you fish any of that info out of him?

[AVRECON]

Hey plow kid this is what I have to deal with everyday. This is a make it or break it year for me.

[KirbysLawn]

Sounds about right. I posted this a while back: http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?threadid=3640

[plow kid]

he just drove up the drive and asked if we wanted a estimate
he didn't know I own a lawn company and had a signed contract with this guy already.

[eslawns]

I saw a hand lettered flyer the other day on a telephone pole. It said:

We'll cut any size yard for $20 or less. Call XXX-XXXX.

If I thought they'd last more than a month or two, I'd hire them to cut my yard. What's sad about this is there are so many people who make $10 or less per hour, and they get stars in their eyes and think they'll make $20/hr cutting grass, and make twice as much money as they do now. They give cheapskates unreasonable expectations, and lower people's opinion of our industry. It's hard for some people to take a $50 a week bid seriously when 5 other guys will do it for $25.

[AVRECON]

eslawns, Aint that the truth!

[bob]

Plow Kid, Sub the work out to "Joe Blow Lawn Care" and make $65 for doing nothing! Just kidding. He probably didn't have any insurance or business license. And would surely shoot all the grass clippings into the pond.

[awm]

Anybody cuts 3 acres for 35 wont last long
anyway.His mower will slip up on him one night
and beat him to death.LOL

[kutnkru]

Ive been thinking about subbing those $20 a cut guys out. Put them into the less desireable neighborhoods, where equipment gets stolen before you get to the back of the properties.

I thought that if I could hire these guys, I could get some great money from those sharks that are slum-lords, and not have to worry about the risk of theft.

I figure if he can provide the insurance, I will throw him out as a sub and then rake in the dough. If the buildings dont have heat or windows that work, Im not concerned about lawsuits.

Just a thought. :(
Kris