kick me in the a$$

[mindset063]

I bid a spring clean-up for $300 and thought I would be there just a half day. Well, I've been there for two days already, and going back tomorrow. I did not realize the amount of leaves that are there. Not only that, it rained for two days prior to starting the job. I have a lot to learn on estimating. I guess I just lick my wounds and move on. :hammerhead:

[chriscraft]

Consider yourself kicked lol , it happens to all of us, luckily it wasnt a 10,000 contract

[Dunn's]

holy crap how could you under estimate that much I mean how could you think three days work was one. I mean I've underestimate by an hour but two days. Never make an estimate until you go home to think about it first.Then get back to them If they dont want it then after you have had a minute to think about it.Then you dont want them.

[wski4fun]

If you're doing it with a rake and tarp maybe that's what it's worth. If you have the equipment and you were way off on the bid be honest with the cust. Tell them that you will honor your price but the job was worth such and such. Maybe he will see a good job and give you what it's worth or maybe split the difference. Even if not, now the customer knows you have integrity and that could be worth more in the long run.

[topsites]

holy crap how could you under estimate that much I mean how could you think three days work was one. I mean I've underestimate by an hour but two days. Never make an estimate until you go home to think about it first.Then get back to them If they dont want it then after you have had a minute to think about it.Then you dont want them.

I hear you, but it's not hard to do with leaves at all, even I still fudge them sometimes (not trying to brag, but to say that after 4 seasons, I still find them hard to estimate).

Easy formula for spring leaf cleanup (exception being leaves that are left-over from prior cleanup, this rule applies only to leaves that have not been touched): Double your price (not the least of the reasons being my leaf cleaning window is closed). Now for those folks who did cleanup their leaves but there's some bs left-over, that's different, it's not so bad and I usually bid those normal.

Reason to quote a high price (especially leaves) is you can always come down on your price later (like after the work is done) but you can't ever go up in the price. Again, this applies mostly to leaves but also anytime you are way not sure, thou it is also a good idea to take your time, and don't be afraid to walk the entire yard a dozen times if you have to: Add the job up several times, stick your foot in the leaves to see not only how thick they are, but how easy do they MOVE (important stuff, it is). Sometimes I'll stick a rake or pitchfork in them also, just to see if there's stuff hidden underneath (like pine needles) but also to see how heavy they are.

By the way, if by the time I got through a whole day of cleaning I realized I had underbid like that (because 300 dollars is one day for me), I wouldn't go back out. Take my losses and learn from the mistake. That is not to say I always did it like this lol!

don't feel too bad, we all been there.

[barefootlawns]

topsites your telling me that you wouldnt go back and finish the job? If thats what you mean how can you just do that?

Just consider it a leason learned

[FinerCutslawnCare]

Same thing happened to me today, under bid it becasue i didn't see all the crap behind the guys shed!

[Joey bag a' donuts]

why not charge by the man/hour??? Leaves especially are way to variable a service to quote accurately. Theres always the extra pile of **** behind the garage that you didnt see while you were there the first time that takes you two hours and a trailer full of debris to haul away.

[ECS]

If you're doing it with a rake and tarp maybe that's what it's worth. If you have the equipment and you were way off on the bid be honest with the cust. Tell them that you will honor your price but the job was worth such and such. Maybe he will see a good job and give you what it's worth or maybe split the difference. Even if not, now the customer knows you have integrity and that could be worth more in the long run. I agree with that 100%. One of the best values for business is integrity. I would be disappointed if it were me that screwed myself like that, but I would have learned a lesson that would not easily be forgotten. I don't know about other areas, but I would do as wski4fun suggested, because most of the people here would understand. Don't be afraid to approach the customer with your delemma. If you get more great, if not you at least tried and showed the customer that you are a man of your word and that to me is very important. That is one of the very things that have made me grow like I have in 1 1/2 years. Just don't do like one mentioned in one of the posts and not go back. Finish the job you were hired to do no matter what.

[QualityLawnCare4u]

Mindset, maybe this will make you feel better. My first month in biz I did a cleanup it took 4 days for 375 and another that took 9 hours for 45! Man were those 2 hard to swallow but I learned my lesson. On the 375 job on the second day I came real close to cutting my losses and not finishing I was so disgusted with myself but thought how that would make me look so I made myself finish it. Just chalk it up as learning and one day you will look back and say "I cant believe I did that" but I know better now.

[daveintoledo]

you make mistakes, and you learn...... no matter how wrong you are, stick to your price...... honesty and integrity, will build your business fastes..... but you change the price on them and they fell like there being ripped off.....

make it up on the next couple jobs....:)

[rob b.]

I Always Do My Clean-ups By The Hour.some Do It That Way,some Dont.if The Customer Will Go That Route ,i Think Its The Best Way To Do It.thats Just My Opinion.

[marionlandscape]

I just lost a bunch of accounts today because of that. I got under bid by a first year with no insurance. I pretty much had them till this guy came along. I bid a fair price but he put in his contract he would remove 16 yards of mulch and replace it with new, prune, edge and clean up the leaves and sticks for $150.00. he did basically the same thing on all 20 accounts do you think I should charge more to fix this mess when the client calls back?

[wski4fun]

just to dispose of 16 yds of mulch is 150 bucks.

[QualityLawnCare4u]

I just lost a bunch of accounts today because of that. I got under bid by a first year with no insurance. I pretty much had them till this guy came along. I bid a fair price but he put in his contract he would remove 16 yards of mulch and replace it with new, prune, edge and clean up the leaves and sticks for $150.00. he did basically the same thing on all 20 accounts do you think I should charge more to fix this mess when the client calls back?

Dayum!! What is this guy thinking? He is not even doing it for free but paying the clients to do it!

[daveintoledo]

I just lost a bunch of accounts today because of that. I got under bid by a first year with no insurance. I pretty much had them till this guy came along. I bid a fair price but he put in his contract he would remove 16 yards of mulch and replace it with new, prune, edge and clean up the leaves and sticks for $150.00. he did basically the same thing on all 20 accounts do you think I should charge more to fix this mess when the client calls back?


here good mulch is 25.50 a cubic yard..????:hammerhead: :hammerhead:

[ENDURO]

I did a similar thing on my 1st leave job. I was 1st going to bid $100, then doubled it to $200. Thought it would take me and my helper 2 hours. After 6 hours, I found a good stopping point and informed the homeowner that I had no idea there were this many leaves and that for $200 that's all I could do. I wasn't even half way done. Luckily, he was very understanding and happily paid me the $200 for the 12 sweaty man hours. I've got some better equipment/techniques now and will be very careful on my next leave bid. I think if I am unsure again, I will try the hourly rate approach. Raking and bagging by hand is probably the hardest most unproductive way to do it as I found out. In another post a guy said if he had to bag by hand, he charged $8/bag. I did 50 bags that day in 6 hours so that would have been $400 instead of my low bid of $200. I don't think I'll ever bag by hand again for less than $15/bag or $60/hr. Good Luck.

[daveintoledo]

I did a similar thing on my 1st leave job. I was 1st going to bid $100, then doubled it to $200. Thought it would take me and my helper 2 hours. After 6 hours, I found a good stopping point and informed the homeowner that I had no idea there were this many leaves and that for $200 that's all I could do. I wasn't even half way done. Luckily, he was very understanding and happily paid me the $200 for the 12 sweaty man hours. I've got some better equipment/techniques now and will be very careful on my next leave bid. I think if I am unsure again, I will try the hourly rate approach. Raking and bagging by hand is probably the hardest most unproductive way to do it as I found out. In another post a guy said if he had to bag by hand, he charged $8/bag. I did 50 bags that day in 6 hours so that would have been $400 instead of my low bid of $200. I don't think I'll ever bag by hand again for less than $15/bag or $60/hr. Good Luck.

you quoted a price, its not the customers responsibility for you to do it right....or for you to have the experiene, and equipment... you had a contract, although a verbal one, its still a contract, and should be honored.... to not finish the job, .......... very unprofesional, around here, after word got out you didnt finish the job.... you would not get anymore jobs....

[ENDURO]

I'll agree that it was 100% my fault, but I think I handled it as professionally as I could. If the homeowner had gotten the least bit upset about it, I would have come back and finished it. Luckily he was a nice fellow and probably realized that I was a nu-bee. He too commented that there were more leaves than he imagined. I did feel bad about it, and I was mad at myself for screwing up the bid so bad, but I just couldn't take anymore bagging and my helper was ready to quit on me. That was the hardest 6 hours I've worked in a long time. I think I only stopped for 2 or 3 5-min water breaks and I was beat. It was definatly a rude awakening to me that lawn care is no easy job, especially if you screw up like I did that day.

[MowerMoney]

Wow I don't feel so bad now.
Last year I figured 4 hours for a spring clean-up (was included in a yearly contract for Spring clean, weekly cutting, & Fall clean) but it took me 12 hours. On the bright side I had put in 40 hours for the fall clean-up (lots of mature trees) but it only took me 17 hours.

This year the spring clean-up only took me 7 hours (cause "I" did the fall clean).

I learned. For smaller clean-ups, I'll give a total price (so far I've been bang-on) but for larger jobs with lots of last years wet leaves, I charge by the hour. Most customers understand that it's almost impossible to guess the total hours but if they insist, I "double" my guestimate.

[J&R Landscaping]

Hey $hit happens! I was there last spring. Quoted the job by the hour, told the customer 8-10 hours and it took about 15 hours or so. I charged him for the 10 hours plus the bags per our contract. I lost some money but owell. I learned from the mistake and have not made another one like it!
You are going to make mistakes when you start put! Consider it a learning experince and move on, but always do the job fully and completely!

[RandyAndSons]

Sorry you under bid the job like everyone said that has happened to everone at one time.

My first leave job was funny i looked around and said to my self oh my god what a mess and did not even wont to touch it so i bid it way up there and just knew he would shake his head and say hell know and i would be on my way. But he looked my right in the eye and say you got it and cut me a check right there i have not eveen started yet. And there you go i could not beleave it so i did the job and it took me less time that i thot. Turns out he was selling and had to get it done right a way and did not even get more than my bid for the job. Well thats my story!

[Mrk'sLawn]

I just bid and got a big clean up (around 20,000 sq ft) $500.00 I think I under estimated the amount of work and hours it will take. I'm just starting out and I couldn't imagine starting and not finishing. I don't have a lot of fancy equipment and I guess I'm going to Blow, rake and bag.. I goofed the estimate cause the woman had a large area in the back that was gated with four nasty @ss Boxers running around and I couldn't get close enough to see what was back there. And to top things off she called and said the guys installing her pool are still there and she hopes I don't mind working around them... Wish me luck..