How would YOU handle this?

[PrimeGreen Lawn]

OK, I have one gas station "Shell" in my area that I mow weekly. Only takes 15 minutes with trim. For two weeks in a row, they have not been able to turn the sprinkler system off. They kept telling me to come back tomorrow and it will be taken care of. I did this 3 times!:mad: I was able to cut about 60% of the property the first day but could not cut the remaining with all thoes sprinkler stems sticking up! I asked the owner to pay me partial payment for what I have done. but refused and dosent want to pay at all for a job incomplete when it' absolutely HIS fault :blob2:

Any opinions?...Please leave comments.

H&H

[Freetime]

This is my opinion on gas stations, most are “owned” by Saudi/ Indians that love to haggle about price “geme deal geme deal, oh man it no take no time to cut grass you charge to much come on lets make deal” ” expecting to be provided service for next to nothing using whoever will cut for the month then it’s on to the next guy, still owing the last one.

You are better off without the business if you don’t absolutely need it; the job has already cost you money and probably will never make enough money to warrant the necessary “customer maintenance”

Tell them to politely jump in a pond!

Just my opinion on gas stations and the “owners”
:mad:

[PrimeGreen Lawn]

Your right about the owners of this place. The Indian owners haggled with me about 15 minutes on the price, but I woulden't break a cent. Somehow we still got the job.

H&H

[Got Grass?]

I'm not sure about the gas station sprinklers. But I've had to cut a few demo houses with those darned sprinklers that seem to always turn on when I'm unloading the equip. :mad: Unfortunatly thay have to be cut with all the water thay are getting. Usually thay turn on in only one area so you start in another, when you see them go off in the one area you get off the lawn quick so you dont get soaked when thay turn on you. Then go to the area that just shut off, cut that & by the time your done the other area sould be about to shut off. Take a small break if thay arnt or wear your rain gear. I've managed to get pretty good at timing them arround here.

[Toroguy]

I wouldnt give up to fast. Let them know the day you plan to mow. Then explain that the sprinkler system needs to be off when you mow. Have them reset the timer for early AM or OFF for the day you visit. If they dont, tell them you chose not to work in the "rain" and they will need to find a new service.

Any logical buisnessman will see your point when explained this way.

[Guido]

I'll go with ToroGuy on this one, no sense in loosing an account if its making you money.

Definetly set some guidelines with the owner though, and let him know he will be billed when you show up on a schedueled day and the sprinklers were on, to make up for the extra tall grass when you finally get to mow it.

Good Luck, and let us know how it turns out!

[mowerman90]

Just sit back and think about your problem logically. You can't mow the entire site because the sprinklers are on. Simple solution. Find the Sprinkler system main shutoff valve and turn it off. Mow. Then turn it back on and go in and demand your payment. Simple.

[smburgess]

Ed's thinking right! That's the first thing I thought of also.

[Lawngeek]

turn it off and charge for it now its usually a plastic lid set at ground level there are sub stations and main valves underground..dont turn it off yet now go in there and offer them your services ( now if the sprinklers dont shut off when you crank the main valves there is something seriously wrong)if they wont go for it tell them to call you when the lawn is serviceable..believe me you dont need this job that bad

[jrebeiro]

I wouldn't touch a sprinkler system unless you service it. We personally void all warranties on a system if anyone touches that system except for us and the owner.

We have a few accounts that water the lawn early morning so when we arrive at 8am the backyard is still being watered. We just cut the front and by the time we are in the back the cycle is over. If we get there in the beginning of a cycle and the customer is not home we do a nearby account first and then return. If there are no accounts within a 5 minute drive we leave a message for the customer telling why we did not cut the lawn and to reschedule their watering cycle. The first time this happens I usually do not charge them but I let them know in the future there will be a charge for missing a visit by no fault of ours and when I return to cut for the longer grass.

Just my nickle 'n dime

[bobbygedd]

i would pull up and empty 3 barrels of grass in his parking lot.

[AVRECON]

Sprinkler systems should be set to come on and go off in the VERY early morning hours. By 6 or 7 in the a.m. all cycles should be done PERIOD.

[Barkleymut]

I'm thinking the same thing as Avrecon. And why are ya'll saying in 15 minutes it will cut off? Maybe that's why your lawns look like crap. 2 deep waterings per week is all a lawn should have. This is for tall fescue. Watering at night promotes disease and watering during the day is like pissing money down the drain in the summer since almost half evaporates before it hits the roots of the plants. Only water in the early morning twice weekly and I'll bet your lawns look much better in the long haul.

[KD'sLawns]

I have heard that for years and years. "only water 2 times a week real deep". It really depends on where you live as to your watering schedule. I agree that you need to water deep about two times a week, but sometimes that is not sufficient enough to maintain your lawn. Especially fescue and bent grass. In the summer, we have days that reach upwards of 110 degrees and at least 3 days of the week over 100 degrees. Not much humidity, so no morning dew. In 100 degree weather it does not take long for fescue or bent to burn. So, I have all systems set to come on about 2pm for 10 minutes per station. Just to keep the grass cool and from burning up. I know that some of the water is lost due to evaporation but you should see the lawns that just water deep 2 times a week.

[PrimeGreen Lawn]

Originally posted by jrebeiro
I wouldn't touch a sprinkler system unless you service it. We personally void all warranties on a system if anyone touches that system except for us and the owner.

Just my nickle 'n dime



I couldent agree more... Heres the problem....the unit's now been determined to be defective! The shut off valves are all broken, and the computer "module" has been shorted out. These Saudi owners cannot figure out how to turn it off! They have been on for 6 days straight now! Time for a plummer:p
The grounds is now flooded, and the Lazer for stuck in the mud at my attempt to cut. Oh well...
will update...

H&H

[Lawn DOG]

My vote is let it go and replace it with a better account. This is a sign of problems to come.

IF THE WHEELS DON'T GET GREASED, THEY WON'T TURN.:eek:

[Avery]

answer is simple 'nugh. Don't ever ever take a maintenance contract where you don't have control over the irrigation. That should be part of a complete maintenance contract. If not you are only a lawn jockey to them and have no control over how the property looks, only how high the grass is. And the best part is you can charge an additional monthly fee for irrigation maintenance. I bet you someone is charging him now. Might as well be you.

[PrimeGreen Lawn]

Update....

The owners refused to pay the partial payment and trip charges I made at my attempt to cut. The sprinklers are off, but when I went in for my next scheduled mowing, I mentioned the last mow that I couldent finish. He said "No pay for no mow" It was HIS fault it couldent be mowed. (Very steep hill, and soaking turf just don't mix!). Told him I couldent service him anymore because I don't do business this way.

H&H

[Greenkeepers]

Good job,

That is like fighting a no win battle. They believe that they are always right. I had a guy who owned 2 hotels and 2 houses and I gave him estimates. The hotels both had pools gazebo bars etc... And he wanted them cut for $40 each. Oh well some other sucker gets to deal with him.....

[CLARKE]

DUMP THE GUY, ITS NOT WORTH IT. THIS GUY DON'T CARE
ABOUT YOU OR YOUR LAWN MOWERS.:angry:

[bobbygedd]

how come when we get screwed, we r expected to be polite, and just move on and forget the whole thing? everyone always says they want to be treated as a proffesional etc. well, i wonder if i walked into a mans resturaunt, ordered surf and turf, ate it, then said i will not pay the bill till u give me a bottle of your best wine, on the house. u think the resturaunt owner would just let it slide? more likely find my fat butt in the dumpster. when the client refuses to pay the bill, he now becomes a thief, no better than a pickpocket on the street. i would very "politely" return the equivilent of every blade of grass u ever mowed, in his driveway.

[Fallguy]

dude - you have no idea - i got pissed just hearing about
what happened to you - for a nominal pice i would have beat
the #!^% out of him for ya - been there done that - gota watch
those S/N

[cos]

I hate it too, but I think most if not all have just about experienced the same. You really can't do anything about it. I would just collect what you can and move on. Tell them that you did the service and more or less to find somenone else to do better for less. If you do it in a proffessional manner and break this guy loose then the next guy may not be treated the same, but if you show that you are a pushover then he will do it to not only you but others as well.


Just my .02

[Rob]

I look at it this way. Go into his gas station only fill your tank half way and see if he wants to be paid for it. He doesn't want to pay for 1/2 a mow, then why should you pay for only 1/2 a tank :D !! (And on some rigs 1/2 a tank is probably more than his weekly cut)

[Samurai WeedWacker]

Small Claims Court is not too difficult to go thru in my town. I've had to threaten 4 ex-clients with it, and I've only had to got to court twice. In both of those cases my opposition didn't even show up for face the judge so I received default judgements in my favor.

The first was a local technical school for four hundred and some odd dollars. Following the default judgement they paid rather than wait for me to have the sheriff confiscate enough of their property to cover the judgement.

The second case involved only about $100 including court fees, but my shorts had gotten in a twist when I saw the ex-client driving a brand-new Cadillac. During the off-season I followed her around for a while and learned where she did her banking. After I received the default judgement just a small amount of paperwork was needed to get the bank to pay me out of her account.

[PrimeGreen Lawn]

Just a quick thanks for all your replies and concerns. This owner called me today asking if I was coming back to mow. I told him I would, but you will have to pay for the remaining of the year in advance. I got to the station this morning to find $2,500 cash in a envelope to cover the remainnig year! That just about covers his small property for the mowing, I bill seperately for his landscaping.

Go figure, is there a lesson somewhere in this thread??? :o

H&H