came down on price, now im real sorry

[bobbygedd]

what a terrible mistake i made. at the start of the season, had a guy call for full maint. i gave him a price per month, he said "WHAT", thats too much, we haggled about it, i was dumb enough to lower it, alot. i figured ok, its right in the middle of my service area, ill save on driving time. well, not only is it not enough money, but the guy is always asking for free extras, and has the balls to ask for the cut to be done on fridays. friday is a high demand day and is reserved for my best customers. he actually saw some dandelions in the yard, and decided to buy a bottle of roundup, unscrew the top and pour the stuff on the pretty yellow flowers(and they made me get a chemical licence) . now he thinks i should bring in top siol and seed and repair the lawn for free cus its my fault the dandelions were there. not only am i not doing the seeding, i dont want to cut the lawn anymore, i am doing it much too cheap. we r under contract for the season, i want out, what can i do? how many of u guys would finish out the season?

[scottb]

Make your self happy cut him loose.

[Richard Martin]

Your contract is virtually worthless anyway because who's going to go to court to try and enforce a residential lawn service contract. Dump the dude.

[Keith]

One thing I have always noticed....the people who beat you down on the price are the people who expect the most :mad: Not only that,for some reason, they seem to cost you money. You are much more likely to have to repair something in a cheap yard than you are an expensive. Hard to explain, but thats the way they seem to go.

All I can say is cut it loose, soon.

[dhicks]

Drop him... Now. He can always find a new LCO and you can find a new account.

[cos]

Keith hit the nail right on the head. The people that are out there looking for price instead of service ALWAYS demand extra services free. I would write a nice and stern letter telling him that all services redered besides what was sepcified in the contract are to be charged as such. I would also tell him that it was not specified in the contract on when to do maintenance (if that is true).

If all fails, I would politely tell him he needs to find another LCO and if he would agree to distinguish this agrrements asap.

[smburgess]

O.K you made a mistake that I'm sure you'll never do again seeing what headaches it's caused. NEVER drop your price without a change in the specs. Just drop the guy and move on!

[cos]

I wouldn't just drop the guy. I would do it in a proffessional way. This guy will tell other people (neighbors, friends, family, etc.). He will maybe even say nasty things that aren't even entirely true. Do it in such a way, as to make yourself a professional and not him.

[jjfehr]

I hate to drop anyone, I hear them saying "yeah, he just stopped mowing our yard, no notice or anything!" to everyone that they know (potential clients) In this case I would prob. just keep doing everything that the contract said I would do to the best of my ability, and not waste anymore time than nec. on this property! Stop talking to him, just collect your money and move on in the hopes that he will eventually drop you!! If you want an aggresive approach, Tell him "look I have already given you one hell of a deal on our monthly service, and now you want all these extras for nothing, do you think that I should pay YOU for the honor of maintaining your lawn?

[smburgess]

DROP HIM!!!

Unless you're doing sub-par work, it doesn't matter what he might say to your other clients, YOUR work for them is what everyone sees and that's all that will matter to them. Even if you just stop showing up I'll bet he'll know why based on what you've said, he has taken advantage of you and is exploiting the situation since you agreed to cut your price.

[Kevin]

Are you giving him a turf program, and getting dandelions, or is someone else applying chemicals? When people haggle over my price I tell them their are others who will do it for less, my service is quality and my price includes years of experience etc.

[Lawn DOG]

You learned a valuble lesson. I bet you'll never do that again. I would either stick it out and finish the season or drop him like a bad habit. Either way your gonna pay for it. If you drop him you can get bad mouthed by him or sued(if he is a real jerk).If you finish the season you alredy got a taste what that is gonna be like. Chalk this one up and never give your work away.
Good Luck :eek:

[thelawnguy]

Originally posted by cos
This guy will tell other people (neighbors, friends, family, etc.). He will maybe even say nasty things that aren't even entirely true.

From my experience, other people familiar with this guy will know how he is, and one of two things happen; either they let his badmouthing go in one ear and out the other, or his friends are as bad as he is, and you dont want them as customers either.

[John DiMartino]

I leave both myself and customer an out in a small contract.Cancellation by either party requires 30 days written notice,put it in yours if you think its appropriate.If I were you-I would eat it and finish out what you were contracted to do-your mistake-you eat it.You cant blame the guy for haggling you down,we all want the bets value for the buck.I haggle buying mowers.trucks etc.If they meet my price,Id be ticked if they backed out after a deal has been made.

[cp]

Probably the best thing you can do is write this guy a letter telling him that after reviewing your pricing that you will no longer be able to provide the service presently provided for the current cost. If he would like to continue with the service then he will have to pay XXX.XX dollars for continued service.. You regret this inconvenience and apoligize bla, bla, bla...

Make it high enough to get your money back or high enough for him to say "NO WAY". Either way you come out. You don't need that kind of hassle.

Thought I would just add me .03 worth..

I'm not cheap..;)

[Keith]

Originally posted by thelawnguy


From my experience, other people familiar with this guy will know how he is, and one of two things happen; either they let his badmouthing go in one ear and out the other, or his friends are as bad as he is, and you dont want them as customers either.

Exactly. These peolple are found in "packs". Any job they might get you would be with customers just like them. If they prevent you from getting a job, you didn't want it anyway.

[lawnboy11]

I just dropped three houses today b/c I'm full. All mowing only (the only three like that). I wrote two of them a letter saying that if they wanted me to do their lawn one more time that I would. Memorial Day is coming and I don't want to screw them over. Other than that, see ya later, it was a business decision, blah blah blah. The third's letter said that's it, see ya. I have it on my contract that I can cancel any client with 2 weeks notice, but once you cancel a customer they don't want to see you anymore anyway. Clients can cancel at anytime. If someone doesn't want me to work for them then I don't want to be there.

[Rooster]

You stated full maint. What does you contract state?

I would have to think that if you are to apply the chemicals, and the home owner applied the round-up, then the homeowner broke the contract not you.

If the above is true, just send a letter, he broke the contract etc. or get the legal wording from an attorney.

Good Luck!

[eslawns]

Tell him your original quote was right, you shouldn't have dropped it, and he needs to find another company.

[65hoss]

Some of the greatest words in the english language that will stop a price conscience customer is: "ok, sure I can do that, let me see what that will cost you!"

Most will return with "oh, never mind" real quick. If not, give them a high price and handle it happy.

[bobbygedd]

hey guys thanks for some great response. yes, the chemical program was part of the contract, but i also explained that by looking at the lawn, it has not been treated in a couple of years and would take me a little time to get it in shape. was really bothers me is we do exceptional work, we have other lawns in the area that r litterally perfect. his house is on a busy street and people driving by see me working there , and the condition of the lawn and i bet they r thinking dont hire this guy. u know what roundup does, huge brown spots. then there is the half hearted approach to the work, half the time i dont even wack cus i feel its not worth my time. this was definitly MY MISTAKE, but i am not giving the work away for the rest of the season. im sending him a letter : price goes up, or im gone! thanx again guys

[oneEXMARKfan]

Hmmmm....if I agreed on a price, I would stick to it for the whole season. Can't blame someone for wanting thier grass cut on Friday (most people do)...Of'course, nothings free...so "school's out" on the freebies he wants.
*Bottom line, where I come from, You make a deal, you stick with it.........regardless

[oneEXMARKfan]

"then there is the half hearted approach to the work, half the time i dont even wack cus i feel its not worth my time"
...................................NO COMMENT

[bobbygedd]

i understand your piont, but economically it would be foolish to continue the work. the saying around here is "i love ya like a brother, but business is business" its like when i brought my car in, the guy said he could repair it for $300, then called later and said, well its worse than i thought....... its gonna bemore$$$ if i made a mistake on the estimate, then shame on me, im not an idiot enough to work the next eight months for nothing, that would make the mistake even worse. im in this for me, not him

[oneEXMARKfan]

Follow your heart (billfold or whatever)..... I would rather lose my A$$, then back out of a deal.
You knew the job, and you agreed to do it for less. [but all that said, I do know how you feel, and I can see you wanting to get out now, before you lose anymore......take care, and have a prosperous season :-)]

[oneEXMARKfan]

I know big brown spots in the yard are going to reflect badly on you to the people that are driving by on that busy street, but only "wackin'" half the time can't help your image either.

[KD'sLawns]

In my opinion, I would continue the lawn for a couple more weeks and when the customer wants you to bring in topsoil and re-seed or asks you to do something that is not included in your contract tell them that all extra work has to be scheduled prior to your cut day and that the only work that you will perform is what is included in your contract. All other work is extra and will be charged accordingly. Make this point to the customer, and they will either get with the program or they will ask you to be released from the contract. The few customers that I have had these problems with usually get with the program and I charge them for all extra work. Even if they decide to get out of the contract and find someone else, you are not having to do the free extras and what can they tell people" My lawn company wants to charge me to do extra things". Not a very good argument. I would just present them with the ultimatum and let the decision be theirs not yours. That way you are not the bad guy!!

[curlawngreen]

It sounds like you told the client that you could take care of his property for xxx dollars. Client has started to pay you to do that. Client can complian if his yard looks like a cow pasture. Wouldn't you? You need to put it in gear and get the job done that you promised, implied or suggested you would do.

[Greenkeepers]

Dump him and move along. Thats a good one about you having to bring in topsoil to fix his screwup..... ha ha ha

[cos]

All I am saying is that if you want the guy to talk to neighbors, friends, etc. then go ahead and drop him like a sack of potatos. You know the dude will stoop to the lowest and tell other people your an idiot cause we had a contract and your undependable, blah, blah. Maybe he will even show everyone proof.

When you enter into a written agreement, you should fullfill it, or atleast try, if you want to get out of it then try and handle it in a dignified manner, or just tell him to pound sand, if all else fails.

[oneEXMARKfan]

Well said cos!

[Craig Turf Management]

:(
You gave the man the price, so suck it up and honor your agreement.Don't ever do any work for free for this client or any other. Applying the Round-Up was his mistake. He should call you for any concerns regarding the turf, and you can apply the appropriate selective herbicide. Give him a quote on repairing the damaged areas. If he fires you over not repairing the damage at no cost, your first problem is solved. You don't have to provide service to this client. At least you went about it honorably.
We all learn something new every day. Always give your client/potential client a fair price, and never drop your prices. It makes you appear indecisive.
Just my opinion, Bill Craig

[bobbygedd]

thanks again guys, it seems opinions vary. i had every intention of sticking to my contract, even though it sucked, but when the demands started coming in for the freebies, it made each week feel worse and worse to cut the lawn. in other proffesions like roofing, auto repair, plumbing etc. it is very normal to give a quote then change it later. i refuse to continue the service. we do great work, and we r not new at this, havnt made a mistake like this in a long time. called him today and told him im out. with gas going up we would have had to raise prices anyway, he aint gonna pay it. so u guys that said i should stick it out, when gas hits $3 a gallon, will u continue to cut at the same price? afterall, like u said, a deal is a deal

[bobbygedd]

and.... talking about reputation being at stake, how would u like him to go tell everyone the bob cuts lawns real cheap? do a nice job and stick to my contract, then the referal would say why so much? your doing his for alot cheaper. no way, done deal!

[oneEXMARKfan]

"so u guys that said i should stick it out, when gas hits $3 a gallon, will u continue to cut at the same price? afterall, like u said, a deal is a deal"........ Yep! I would still cut it at the same price if gas was 4.00 a gallon.... A DEAL IS A DEAL! (I've been a roofer, a mechanic, ect. and I would never raise the price, after I agreed how much to do it for. (I always consider the worse case scenario, and inform the customers of all the possibilities and word the contract accordingly)
[all occupations have persons that will "bleed the customer like a leech".......since most are so easy to take advantage of...maybe something like that has happened to you, when you have taken a car in to be fixed?] I learned along time ago that no matter how rich or poor a man is, he's only as good as his word......and MY word for the day?
Integrity !!!! *something that the overwhelming majority of members here have.

[KirbysLawn]

Originally posted by Craig Turf Management
It makes you appear indecisive.
Just my opinion, Bill Craig

Agreed! Totally agree with Bills entire post!

Bobby, you posted that you agreed and dropped your price, then you said this was definitly MY MISTAKE, but i am not giving the work away for the rest of the season. im sending him a letter : price goes up, or im gone!

Now you saycalled him today and told him im out

What happened to the letter?

As for so u guys that said i should stick it out, when gas hits $3 a gallon, will u continue to cut at the same price? afterall, like u said, a deal is a deal Yes. I have signed contracts and I bid trying my best to allow me a fair profit. In 12 short months if I SCREWED UP ON THE BID I can adjust and increase the price. If fuel and fertilizer prices rise I also raise prices as needed.

We are not pro athletes, we usually are not given the luxury to renegotiate our contracts.

Ray

[Paradise Yard Service]

I learned nevah go down on price. If the prospect even hints at questioning my reasonable rates and wants more,I'm gone. I call the shots from price to work performed, and will listen to any complaint real or imagined. I will provide the solution and perform the repair if indeed I was the cause. Otherwise its an extra charge. You are the professional, they are happy recipients of your regular blessing to there premisis.

I know you know this,and I hope I was not in any way condesending bymy reply. But people like this just get under my skin,and I will tell you they have a way of making you feel like your just the ol grasscutter with there tactics. I can see um comming a mile away.

Learn from this and move on. If you want to try and salvage refer back to the original contract and state whats services you agreed on and then tell them what is considered extra charges. He is pulling at your emotions with the extras bit,stick to the contract.

Aloha,
P.Y.S.

[lawnman_scott]

Bobby if you stick with it, and go by the contract he will get rid of you, and maybe tell his neighbors that bobby wants more money every time he turns around, and he will say the same if you ask for more money, so get rid of the headache.

[ronslawncare]

i have a little over 30 accounts second year doing this i never ever give no one a discount unless there senior citizen which i have one i just got i charge him 25 a cut.i have two front lawns i cut for 20.00 other than that 30 a cut at least .you cant price things cheap just to take on a new customer think about it in the long run.you said sometimes you didnt even weedwack yea the guys annoying but as a professional you made the bad estimate either do it the right way or dont do it at all.you have to walk away from cheap people i dont even waste my time on hagglers .feel them out way before you sign a contract .thats my two cents and i think you did the right thing about cutn him loose .i dont care what anyone says a deal is a deal i know those annoying people but you did not handle yourself very proffesional ....remeber your rep is always on the line

[LJ lawn]

$3.00 a gallon??? man , you should've bought a diesel:p

[bobbygedd]

u guys are right, dont get me wrong. every man has to do what HE thinks is best, for he will have to live with his decision. as for me, id rather eat glass than work cheap and on top of it deal with someone constantly trying to get in my pocket. hes gone, and no this wont effect my business or ability to make a living in the future, for any bad thing this one man has to say about me, there are many others who have good things to say. working cheap is very bad for business, then everyone will want the cheap price. later