very bad blood

[joshua]

ok as some as you guys remeber i was asking what i should do about a fellow contractor trying to take lawns off of me that he once cut before. and you said to do nothing which i did.
anyways i was just getting out of the truck today and 2 older ladies stopped me and asked me if i could give them a price on their lawn the next street over i said sure i'll be over after i get done here. i cut the 4 accounts i have their and go over to give them a price and geuss who is at the lawn, the contractor that i took 4 or 5 lawns off of last year, only took him 2 weeks to get their the lady said. he has 3 accounts in a row and chances are that i will take over all 3 if i want to. do i make this guy hate me more and take his lawns or let him slide and don't take them. this guy is a over priced scrub, who sends his crew out and let them destroy the lawns almost (scalping, not trimming, ect..)

i'm ready to do to war with him, just wanted your opinions.

[Rooster]

Let your professionalism prevail. Don't go to war with him. Just run your business in a professional manner, and let the chips fall. If he is not a professional, don't worry about it. Maybe in time he will be.

[CSRA Landscaping]

Ditto on what Rooster said, esp. not knowing the details of the other fellow, first-hand. Good luck.

[deason]

It all depends on how you want to spend your time. If you want to spend your time tinking of ways to get this guy, then go right ahead. While you are wasting your time figuring out what to do to get even with him next, some one else will be using this time sellng, planning and executing thier lawn business.
My point is this, you are no better than he is by trying to get even or "going to war" with this guy. Stay focused on your goals.

[kutnkru]

Dont dwell on what the others are doing. If you run your business the way that you feel it should be run and have properties to be proud of this is the most important thing.

I was stopped yesterday while passing thru a neighborhood and asked by a gentleman how much we get to cut the lawn? I told him our price for his sized property.

He said that his neighbor across the street and next door to him had all been using the same contractor. But as of the last 3 weeks they had not received a phone call from him. He wanted to know if I would drop my price by $5 because of the three being a "cluster account". I declined.

The neighbor across the street signed on with us for a $5 raise per cut just to have the piece of mind. The lady next door and the gentleman went with another LCO.

Today I get a message on my mobile that the gentleman was willing to pay the price I had originally quoted him because he didnt want to have his lawn destroyed by the inexperienced operator who trashed the ladys lawn next door by trying to use a 60" z on an uneven postage stamp sized lawn.

Off the soap box, they WILL pay for better service one way or the other.

Kris

[geogunn]

it's time to skin this cat. don't forget, the bigger nail you use to nail the cat(fish) head to the tree, the better. good pliars help to strip the skin.

go for the ole ladies.

GEO

[65hoss]

I agree with Geo, go get the accounts. Forget about what this guy will think. Business is business. If it means he loses then so be it. Its his own fault.

A personnal war will waste your time, but a business war will make you more efficient and your quality go up.

[AndrewLawn]

Take his lawns,this'll put him out of business faster,then you don't have to worry about him.That's what I say,of course,if I was in your shoes,maybe I'd handle it a little differently.In other words,it's your decision:)

[turfguy33]

It's nothing personal, its just business..........I agree that it is a must to be a professional, the way we act, the way we talk, and the way we present ourselves to our clientele is an absolute must. The quality of work we do along with this gives you an edge over most of the competition. But within all this in mind, I would still take the lawns, if the customers asked you to give a quote on a job, do it, it isn't your fault he sucks, like I said, nothing personal, just business. If by chance he stops and trys to get mad and cause a scene, be polite and state the facts to him like a gentleman. I have several friends in the green industry, and most do the same as me,.......mow grass.......if a customer is dissatisfied with there work, and calls me up, I'll go and price the job accordingly, with a smile on my face, and I expect my compititiion to do the same to me. Now, I did say if the customer called me, I do stay off of everyones turf so to speak, I don't go looking for lawns that is already done by another lco, and is doing a good job at it, that is only fair. That's just my 2 cents....If you do go to war, remember, there's no rules of engagement, which means he could go to all of your customers and do a major cut throat sting operation on you and considering the majority of homeowners is tight, it might be a losing battle on your half.
Just telling you from experience, I once had a guy follow me and just about everything I bid, he also put a bid on and cut throat the heck out of it....So to make a long story short, I didn't make a dime that year because, I turned around and did the same darn thing to him.........It's not worth it.....trust me, all I got out of it was my equipment paid for and a few callouses and alot of headaches

[RYAN]

Take those lawns and don't think twice. If you don't someone else will. I am sure if the tables were turned he would do the same to you.

[Lawn Dog2001]

Look at it like this. Does AT&T care when they take a customer or two from Sprint? NO. So why should you? This is your business. If you have an opportunity to snag up a few new yards then go for it. You cant run this guys business for him. Plus, if his customers are unhappy they will just find someone else besides you to cut theyr'e lawns. I have close friends in this business that I have taken accounts from. And I would not expect them not to take from me. Thats what business is all about. Competition

[cos]

Why would you even suggest calling him and letting him know of his proffessionalism? Let him find out on his own. He will get the hint when he loses a couple here and a couple there. Thats how you grow in size and are able to make it in this biz.

[joshua]

thanks for all the replies, i will take these lawns off of him. thanks again