Residential Customers

[Lawnstar]

I have seven residential customers on one street. One lady called me and said, &quot;I don't think our grass needs mowing this week, but said you can come over and look at it.&quot; I went over there two days later to mow my other accounts. I looked at the one in question and the bermuda and zoysia had gone to seed. I told her it definatly needed mowing, so I ended up mowing it. The way I see it is if there is a little bit of &quot;fuzz&quot; out there, then it needs mowing. I'm not in the business of bailing hay. I've had customers who have said, &quot;It's not tall enough to cut.&quot; I told them fine, but if it's too tall next week then I wouldn't cut it. This has been very frustrating for me, over the years. Just wondering how you guys approach situations when customers want you to skip mowing one week. Does any charge more the next week? I never have.<br>All comments welcomed.<p>Lawnstar

[DMC300]

I HAVE CHARGED DOUBLE ON THE FIRST MOWING,IF THEY WAIT TO LONG TO CALL.AND I LET THEM KNOW THAT IF IT GETS HIGH THEY WILL PAY MORE OR HAVE GRASS LAYING ON THERE YARD WHEN I'M FINISHED.<p>----------<br>DON<br>LIANNES' MOWING

[Toroguy]

Lawnstar,<br>Ive had the same problem. How I fixed it is by only mowing on a weekly schedule. I let the customers know that any mowings other than weekly are billed at triple time, which is insane, but emphasises the point. <p>There are many other posts on this topic that will reassure you that you are not alone. Click search above for more...

[sue]

we charge for a double cut the next time. and if they don't like that we leave the grass laying. it is to hard on our machines to cut through foot high grass.

[yardsmith]

Had that same thing happen to me last week before all the rain came here up north; guess who'll be calling me tomorrow...........<br>I tell them it'll be too long by next week, & throw in added thoughts like yours will be longer than your neighbors by then, they're forecasting rain in the next few days, & I tell them I have to keep you on your scheduled day. It's not fair to other customers to bounce them off their sched. day, I'd have to do it for everyone if I did it for you, & I'd never get anyone done if I rearranged my schedule all the time-lay it on thick! They usually get the message.<br>THEN, WHEN I DO COME & CUT, LIKE THIS WEEK, I DO NOT CUT THEM DOWN TO WHERE IT'S SHORT & NORMAL! I've had people tell me to wait a week, then try & give it 2 cuts worth in one sitting-NO WAY! That cheats me & I won't do it. I cut 1/3 of the blade & it insures that it'll need cut next week. Also a good time to remind them about the 1/3 rule of our industry- only cut 1/3 of the grass hgt. at any one mowing; otherwise it can put the grass blades in stress shock, make them more suceptible to disease, etc., not to mention leaving lots of clumps & long clippings over the yard- cutting twice because of that=double price that day.<br>Alot of customers will jip you if you let 'em.<br> It's your business, not theirs. I remind them I have the schedule set up for maximum running efficiency- if I change it around, then it messes everything up, & then EVERYONE GETS BEHIND.<br>If they don't think it needs cut, & there's rain in the forecast before the next time you'll be out there, tell them that, & cut it! If nothing else, tell them all that & then say if it's short the next week after you cut it that day, THEN you'll let it pass a week. Stay in charge no matter what.<p>----------<br>Smitty ô¿ô<p>

[Charles]

The only time I change my schedule is during droughts. I will extend the mowing period then. I am paid per cut. So during high growth if the regular customer calls me and says i need to come sooner because the grass is getting high. I believe them and will try to put them in earlier. And why not? This saves me from cutting high grass and then I cut it more times per year and make more money. But be firm when it comes to customer saying my grass doesn't need cutting this week even though it has been raining normally. Tell them that they are on a schedule and their price is set on that schedule and that you don't cut high grass. That you can't afford to ride around and look at yards to see if they need cutting. If they give me much more of a hard time I drop them. I hate to lose customers but its just not worth argueing with them. You are running a business and they need to respect that fact.

[Eric ELM]

I agree with Charles, I don't like to loose customers, but if their lawn actually does need mowing, I tell them I will have to replace their lawn with one that needs mowing each week, because I have to eat each week. That usually changes their minds, if not, it's not worth arguing over.<p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.townserver.com/elm/&quot;&gt;Eric@ELM&lt;/a&gt;<br>

[Lee Homan]

Lawnstar,<p>First Off:<p>I lost about 20 yards this year due to changing the way I do business. Went from 40 yards last year to about 20 this year but I have picked up 5 more so far.<p>1)I only mow on a weekly or bi-monthly schedule. Bi-monthly being more than weekly. I eliminated the &quot;every 10 day&quot; mowings, saves alot of aggravation in scheduling.<p>2)I set up a minimum mowing charge. This helped to eliminate the crap yards and the customers who only look for the cheapest price.<p>3)I tell the people who get mowed every week that I'll be there on a certain day and if they feel the yard doesn't need mowed than they call me before I come out. This keeps me from having to call people every week or showing up to mow and the customer getting upset because the yard doesn't need mowed. They are informed ahead of time if they skip a week and the yard is really high the next time they will be charged extra.<p>4)I started offering yearly and seasonal contracts so that I would have income coming in year round.<p>5)Because of the equipment I have(riding mowers)I overbid the yards I feel I can't be competitive on and stick to mainly residentials, if I get them I get them if not than thats ok too. In the future if I can afford the ZTR's than I'll go after the<br>commercials and bigger jobs.<p>Like I said I lost half of my yards this year but the customers I have now are better paying and easier to work with. I have made twice as much this year with 25 yards than I did last year at this time with 40. <p>Final Thought: The one thing I have found out by making the above changes is that the yards are not as plentiful as they were last year. I've went out and given many quotes but like I said I have only gotten 5 new accounts, but the aggravation I eliminated is definately worth it. <br>

[southside]

Tell them that their only other option is to<br>get a bush hog guy to do it next time.Tell<br>them to picture a 7000lb tractor/slasher<br>roaring around their yard. They'll soon see<br>it your way. :)<p>Karl<br>

[cutntrim]

Charge by the month and not by the cut. Don't reserve space on your list for customers who dictate to you when, or if, there lawn needs to be cut. Replace them with someone who you'll receive steady income from whose lawn can be cut on a weekly schedule all season long without uncalled for complaints or hassles.<p>----------<br>Dave in S.Ontario<br>www.cutntrim.com

[GrassMaster]

Hello Lawnstar:<p>Cutntrim is absolutely right. Have a agreement with them by the month.<p>I would never dream of cutting them as they thought it was needed. If so you would starve to death. They say I don't think it needs cutting this week. You are providing them a guarenteed service & they should pay for it.<p>I put up with that crap my first year in business, but after that I only did a few with the understanding that if it was bad I charged more & it was left up to me how much.<br>They were a very select few that were hand picked & were good as gold.<p>The smart person tells them before he cuts & if any boofing tell them that you got 20 more waiting on you now that are year rounders & you just go cut on a regular basis. They will respect you more! <p>Get them on a scheduled cut every 7, 10, or 14 days. Personally I didn't like the once a weekers, but I did them all the same but NO FRIDAY CUTS, no way.<p>Yes, no matter what I liked the 10 day people the best, it's very hard for them to keep up with you. So one or 2 days early or late they never know & your ahead of the ball game!<p><p><p>----------<br>GrassMaster - Home: www.lawnservicing.com<br>My Start Up Page www.lawnservicing.com/startup/

[Scraper]

I just don't understand how anyone can really go longer than 7 days without a cut. Here in the Northeast after 7 days the lawns have grown to the extent if you waited any longer you'd be raking and bagging. Of course this all ends come July when the rains end and the heat starts, but I say No Way to anything more than weekly. Actually I tell the customer I will decide if it needs cutting. If it doesn't need it I won't cut it. Heck, if I don't have to cut it I can get other work done that is backing up. Also, I have been burned too many times taking their word that it doesn't need cut then show up the next week to find it 6-8&quot; high.

[Lawnstar]

Thanks to each one who responded. I think charging by the month is a great idea. If they come out and want to skip a week, fine.<br>You will still collect the same monthly fee.<br>I tell my customers on the front end that I have a weekly lawn service. I work by a schedule and try not to deviate from that schedule unless it rains. I reserve the right to decide when it needs mowing or not.<br>However, the only problem with this is some of my customers only hear what they want to hear. Nobody understands anything until you put it in terms of money, then EVERYONE understands. I used to give my customers who did not fertilize and water the option of once a week or once every two weeks. A few years ago I decided to go with only a weekly service for everyone. You just burn your equipment up.<p>To me it's more than just &quot;the grass doesn't need mowing.&quot; You blow off walk ways, driveways, pick up leaves and debris off the lawn, sharpen the edged along the driveway and sidewalk etc. It just looks better on a weekly basis. That's just my opinion.<p>Lawnstar

[Lawnstar]

Hello GrassMaster:<br> <br>You said, &quot;you are providing them a guarenteed service and they should pay for it.&quot; Your absolutely right. I've never thought of it that way.<p>Thanks,<br>Lawnstar

[lawnforce1]

Yeah, we have it bad too. We mow my mother and grandmothers yards. They are both over 5 acres and my mothers back yard is two acres straight down to the lake. She knows that we have a ton of commercial accounts so she hesitates to call and ask me if we can mow it. I try to keep her and my grandmother on a bi-monthly schedule but even then they can't tell if it needs to be cut. The bad part is that they both live over 20 miles from me, in either direction. argh. At least they pay for their services (is that wrong?)

[Barkleymut]

I mow mom's grass for free but it takes me about 10 minutes and she's right around the corner from a couple of accounts. Don't worry about charging family (especially anything over an acre)

[thelawnguy]

I do my folks 1 acre lawn for free every week but I also do the neighbors on either side. They pay, BTW.<p>Bill

[gene gls]

Charge by the hour.It will eliminate some of the free-bee stuff that some customers are always looking for and if a customer thinks they are going to save a few bucks by skipping a week then next time when it takes you longer you still make the money.I have some retired folks that don't use fertilizer or lime and just want to keep it mowed.Charging by the hour has incouraged them to be more weekly.