Has anyone experienced this?

[Lee Homan]

Has anyone got a call to do an estimate and then showed up to find the work was already done? No call from the customer to cancel or anything? I haven't run into this this year but I had a few last year. One good sign is that they need the estimate as soon as possible. You tell them it's going to be a couple of hours before you can get by there and they say ok and you show up only to find the work has already been done.

[Chopper Lover]

I have never had that happen to me, but I would surely have to ask what the heck was going on!

Either one hand in the house does not know what the other one is doing, or you were being toyed with. I don't take kindly to being toyed with and that is what it sounds like happened to you.

Good Luck, Mark

[geogunn]

sure lee--this has happened to me. also, I've had the date cut and time specified to find that upon arrival it had just been cut. next time it happens, unless I get a call to cancel first, I am going to unload and cut.

GEO

[David Hickerson]

Had happened a couple of times. Before you drive away talk to the family to see what happened. I can recall about 5 times this has happened and got 3 of the jobs still. Once the neighbor mowed the property with out the homeowner knowing. Another they had a mower but were looking for someone to do it for them still. The last was another company did the job but did it very poorly. I pointed out some areas that could of been improved on.

I did tell one guy off for calling myself and a local friend up. We showed up at the the same time by chance. The guy said he was going to give the job to who ever showed up first. I left and my friend told the guy he needed to get some more gas and did not return. Who wants a customer like that anyhow.

Houston

[Just Cut]

I just came from doing an estimate, I was met in the yard by the lady of the house. She showed me the yard, I told her the price per time then she said that she really did not need any one to mow the lawn, And that she had a perfectly good mower that she use's and then walked away

[AVRECON]

How about this! I had a customer whose lawn I took care of for about 3-4 years, After every hurricane I'd call to check on them and ask if anything needed to be done, you know, let'em know that my customers are 1st priority after a major storm. Had a great repore with the guy, he had lunch with us a couple of times, that kinda thing. Any way I show up at his house one friday afternoon to mow the yard and it looked like it had been done. So I called him that evening asked if he had mowed the yard, he said no I hired somebody else to do it, claimed My work was not up to par last few times that I had been over. And then had the nerve to say " the bridge isnt completly burned". Oh yeah think again pal! Not a phone call to let me know or anything damn jerk! I know my work was good but you would think that if there was a problem he could pick up the phone and talk to me about it.

[Fantasy Lawns]

It happens ....but David's got a good point .....sometimes ...they just got it done ...if you have the # give a quick follow up call ....

just had a lady early fall ask for a bid as her service had not shown up in over 2 weeks ...went bye left a bid ....call to confirm cut next day ....

we show up & it's done ..I called to find out the deal ....tunns out her old company finally showed up without her knowing .....we still got the job ;->

[Lee Homan]

I have called back on a few occasions but they already got someone. It's still nice to put them on the spot and listening to them squirm though.

[Twotoros]

Yes. I have also had aerations lined up only to show up and the fertilizer co. the customer hired to spray had done it for more $$$. That has happened 4-5 times.

[Chopper Lover]

Whether "per mow" or "annual" billing, my lawns are all contract lawns. I have included a "30 Day Clause" on all my contracts as follows:

"The above specified prices and conditions for service are hereby accepted. Either party may cancel this contract by giving 30 days written notice. Late Payment may initiate the 30-day cancellation process of this contract at the discretion of (Your Name Here) without written notice."

The customer signs underneath this statement. It specifies how a customer can get out of our agreement, but mostly protects me should I have a non-payer and need an out. Since I have discretion in my contracts to cut "as needed" I just move them back to a biweekly or longer mowing status to cut my losses yet still live up to my end of the contract.

If you find this may be helpful feel free to use it.

Good Luck,
Mark

[65hoss]

I usually get one every year that calls for an estimate. When you walk around their lawn with them, they ask things like what would you suggest I do for _____, then tell me they mow their own and was looking for ideas or wanting to know how to fix a problem.

Last year I learned the hard way how some people can con you. This guy calls me to get an estimate. During our face to face meeting he said something I should have paid attention to. "Last year while we were on vacation he cut it different than we like it. When he came by to collect his money I wouldn't pay him." He wanted me to cut his yard 1 time per month. His wife did it the other times. She didn't edge either. And while they were gone on vacation. Right before they left, he called to ask me to cut his father-in-laws place because they were all going on vacation together. They had fertilized about 1 week before they left and it rained a lot. She also didn't cut the lawn for about 2 weeks. It had 3 weeks worth of growing by the time I got there. We had to triple cut the lawn. After they got back, I have a call on my answering machine. "The job you did is unacceptable. Its not as green as it should be. Looks like you cut to much off. (duhhh!about 7" of bermuda) My father isn't happy either. So don't bother coming to collect a check." That lesson made me very aware when interviewing people what they say about their last service. If you listen closely they will let you know if they are a con artist.

[AVRECON]

65hoss I had a simular experience from a regular customer. We mowed her lawn during the summer, but they put rye out over the fall. She called and asked us to mow it "no problem" we took care of it then about 4 -6 weeks later she called and wanted it done again. So we go over and the stuff is about 8"-10" tall, well after mowing it over and over we went to collect and I charged her $10 bucks more than usual. She got all pissy about it and I tried to explain that it was alot higher than the last time we mowed it. Well we never herd from her again and that fine with me.