A new low for companys

[Frontier-Lawn]

today i was finishing mowing up a client and another lco was watching me, i thought nothing of it. i get done and leave. the client calls me to cancel an hour later. and tell me why. the lco (a big local company) that was watching me went to talk to the client, told him the way i mow it will cause the grass to die in big sections. and the proper way was to always mow the same direction each time. :confused: i told him that i do it the proper way of one week go north to south and the next east to west. well the client said the other lco, i was wrong i don't know jack since my truck and all my equipment/trailer is not worth $70,000 like his is (he had chrome 24' rims). so long story short i lost a account to a bling bling (truck had chrome 24' rims trailer had matching 18' rims) lco. why do other SOB lco's have to stoup so low to screw another lco. low balling is fine but dont slander another lco if it an't true.

[ALarsh]

Lets see pics of this pimpin truck

[dcgreenspro]

i know a guy who is probably the cheapest person on earth. he rides his bike everywhere, wears really old and outdated clothes and makes dinner every other night with hamberger helper. Turns out he used to be a usga agronomist. he also owns several golf courses he built from the ground up and has a masters from harvard in golf course design. The moral of the story here is that your appearance has nothing to do with your turf knowledge. The customer doesn't know his ass from a hole in the wall and you are better off without him.

[topsites]

This kind of problem fixes itself, it is a matter of what goes around, comes around.

That guy stole your client, and this will come back to haunt him, guaranteed.
Yup, even if you do nothing to help it along (it's better if you don't).

p.s.: Don't forget to add $5 to this customer's service right now, just in case they call you back next year, it will be $5 more than now... Yes this requires maintaining a small 'inactive' customer section somewhere, and it doesn't always happen (i.e.: more than a few never call you back), but when it does, it's a great way to get an automatic price raise.

[Frontier-Lawn]

it was a black one that looked kinda like this one
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/10/web/2266000-2266999/2266967_1_full.jpg

[cessnasovereign]

If sure would be funny, if after the 2nd time they cut it, the grass died.

*cough* roundup *cough*

;)

[JJLandscapes]

its business people gotta do whatever necessary to make money and succeed even if it means lying .... its un ethical but most dont care

[Frontier-Lawn]

the bad thing is i know what he charges and he charges $50 per cut for a 5,500sf or less lawn. i charge $25 per and just barely can get my foot in the door for that cost.

[jazak]

If sure would be funny, if after the 2nd time they cut it, the grass died.

*cough* roundup *cough*

;)

:clapping: :weightlifter: I like it. :gunsfirin

[Runner]

The simple thing would be to do is look up some info on the proper care, and the vast majority of informative sites say this about cutting multiple directions. Ask the customer why ar golf courses are cut in different directions? Is it possible thatall these superintendants with masters degrees are wrong, and maybe they should divert all of Purdues and Michigan States students over to this guy with the chrome wheels? Let the customer know that mowing in multiple directions stops matting, ensures all thegrass is being cut evenly (undulations), and keeps excess wear on the turf happening from wheel marks. I wish that guy was around HERE, because I'd pull up to him and HIS jobs with MY truck with chrome rims and matching trailer with chrome rims and give both his customers AND him an education.:)

[nmez21]

That's low:gunsfirin . That guy is a loser.



If sure would be funny, if after the 2nd time they cut it, the grass died.

*cough* roundup *cough*

;)

This on the other hand... :laugh: . And with a 5,000sf lawn, you wouldn't need much:usflag: .

[Brianslawn]

isnt this the greatest biz? at least he aint a child molester like the local lawnboys.

[rfed32]

the reason they do it is b.c mommy and daddy or someone gave them money for everything they have and u work hard to have ur name and ur stuff and they figure to make some money so they dont get cut off the will screw with someone making money and doing good. just keep up working hard and ull be fine...this loss will bring much gain....

plus what goes around comes around they will get f**ked somehow somewhere

[jwscroll]

You should be ashamed cough roundup cough, thats a terrible thing to do to your roundup supply. Use salt, cheaper and untraceable.

[imdawrlus]

if someone did that to me they would be sorry, very sorry.

[coyotekid]

No need to even spray the whole lawn...lol. Just soak his tires good with Roundup and then watch the "streaks" in the lawn.

I'd say this means war!

[KINGjosh]

I'd say this means war!


Abso-freakin-lootley! An eye for an eye, I would defenatley do the salt or rounup thing. Have someone you know walk by and accidently scatter salt or round up in the lawn. Make this azzhole look like crap.

If it were me I would go up to him next time I seen him and confront him away from the customers house. Open up a fresh can of azzwoupin on him.That would make my blood boil. I can't help my self, I take that stuff personal. $25 dollars or not, this guy f---'d with you, your business, and your lively-hood. Sh!t like that makes people like me go to jail for A&B ( assualt & battery)

[ALarsh]

Abso-freakin-lootley! An eye for an eye, I would defenatley do the salt or rounup thing. Have someone you know walk by and accidently scatter salt or round up in the lawn. Make this azzhole look like crap.

If it were me I would go up to him next time I seen him and confront him away from the customers house. Open up a fresh can of azzwoupin on him.That would make my blood boil. I can't help my self, I take that stuff personal. $25 dollars or not, this guy f---'d with you, your business, and your lively-hood. Sh!t like that makes people like me go to jail for A&B ( assualt & battery)
If you took that energy and applied it to something useful in your business, like advertising, I bet you will get 5 new accounts and no need to worry about this guy.

[topsites]

If you took that energy and applied it to something useful in your business, like advertising, I bet you will get 5 new accounts and no need to worry about this guy.

I agree, there is way too much bad stuff going on in this world already but nevermind that, it is counter-productive for an Lco to expend company time and energy (not to mention money) in order to get back at someone. It may feel good, but it actually doubles and sometimes triples your current loss by having you throw more money after what is already lost... Let it go...

I've seen it where Lco's take a mower and just tear up someone's yard... I'm like, you know, it would've been just as sweet revenge to simply drive off without notice or word while leaving the grass uncut, minus the effort and wear and tear, it is financially beneficial to do nothing. In the long run, it also creates less hard feelings, customers are not stupid and I decided a long time ago to never take it out on their turf, same goes with other Lco's, if they steal a customer from me they will pay for it later anyway so don't worry about it.

It's one thing to hang up on them, or to never show up to do the work. To me, that's revenge too and a lot of people talk big about how wrong it is, but then I have done nothing (literally), and as a bonus it is legal to do nothing, you can't go to jail for that LOL.

I get angry in the field, too... But there is one thing I said I would not do, and that is to take it out on someone by using company time / supplies / whatever in order to use my knowledge and experience to hurt somebody... It's just not worth it, I can earn money with that same effort, just let it go and move on, next !

[A Leaf Above]

Why not just follow him around one day and see where all his accounts are ??

Then go after all his customers ....

See how he likes that ....

[leadarrows]

The simple thing would be to do is look up some info on the proper care, and the vast majority of informative sites say this about cutting multiple directions. Ask the customer why ar golf courses are cut in different directions? Is it possible thatall these superintendants with masters degrees are wrong, and maybe they should divert all of Purdues and Michigan States students over to this guy with the chrome wheels? Let the customer know that mowing in multiple directions stops matting, ensures all thegrass is being cut evenly (undulations), and keeps excess wear on the turf happening from wheel marks. I wish that guy was around HERE, because I'd pull up to him and HIS jobs with MY truck with chrome rims and matching trailer with chrome rims and give both his customers AND him an education.:)

Follow this advise and you will not only get the client back but expose the lies the other fellow told. Then with any luck your client will share his new dirt on the other guy with his friends and you may even get a few of the other guys accounts with out doing anything that will tarnish your reputation.
People talk...what they say about you can't always be controlled but at least you can nudge it in the right direction.
Round up will backfire. After all, all the other guy has to says is ..See I told you so I was just too late to save it...but for Big $$$ I'LL fix his screw up.

JMO

[topsites]

Round up will backfire. After all, all the other guy has to says is ..See I told you so I was just too late to save it...but for Big $$$ I'LL fix his screw up.

JMO

I agree and it's also against the law (vandalism), you could get in serious trouble because it is wrong, like you said.

[Team-Green L&L]

I'm not wanting to start a bunch of stuff here, but this happened to us a few times as we were growing and I hated it! It's the exact reason I had to realize that "Image does matter!" No matter what these guys say about me being arrogant because of nice equipment. It all boils down to why he could charge $50 per cut to a client that was paying $25 and get it.

I wish you the best Frontier and the guy did lie...but it is sales and deception is a salesman's best tool.

[AAELI]

the guy did lie...but it is sales and deception is a salesman's best tool.

PLEASE tell me it ain't so! And all along I was under the impression that HONESTY was a salesman's best tool. I really gotta go check my toolbox out a little better. The guy who sold it to me told me it was fully equipped with all that was necessary for making sales. I've been gipped!

Seriously, you do need to go armed with accurate information and honestly inform your clients and prospects. Lies have a way of coming back to bite you, hard. Problem with liars is they somehow cannot remember which lie they last told and which person they told it to.

[grandview (2006)]

I see this thread made the new issue of Turf mag.

[LindblomRJ]

I see this thread made the new issue of Turf mag.
So did I. Was like Deja vu all over again.

[Scotts' Yard Care]

This happens in one form or another all the time around our area. I don't know whether yard services bad mouth one another or what tactics they use
but we see lawns going back and forth between the big guys all the time. We were heading to one of our accounts today and we were shocked to see that one of the large lawn guys here had taken an account over from an even bigger full service landscape company. My guess is the lawn guy just simply undercut the full service firm but who knows? The same big landscaper was in a bidding war a few years ago with one of the up and coming full service firms. They "fought" one another for three seasons until the big guy got a Dixie Chopper which must have cut his time and expense over the use of a couple of deck mowers considerably. He's had the account for two years running now. Who'll have it next year? Who knows? We put in a bid and do as good a job as possible with little concern over what anyone else would do in the same situation. We lost a good account the other day but picked up a better one a few days later:) You'd be a durn fool to resort to violence or vandalism and risk your freedom and good name over the loss of a lousy lawn job. Save that kind of stuff for when you're really threatened and need to make a stand.

[Dunn's]

I see this thread made the new issue of Turf mag.
i don't get it I'm going to get my new issue to see what your talking about.

[Dunn's]

O ok green efforts I get it

[Tripeaks L M]

That is too bad,
By the way in Oregon is it against the law to use slander the way he did. In Oregon if you are "talkin trash" you can and you company can have legal action brought against them for slander....I would look into it. Now if he just asked for the account it would be one thing, but slander is quite another. What state do you live in??

[BQLC]

No need to even spray the whole lawn...lol. Just soak his tires good with Roundup and then watch the "streaks" in the lawn.

I'd say this means war!
My thoughts exactly LOL:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[BQLC]

Maybe send the customer a copy of TURF then he may realize that he made a mistake and when he calls you you raise the price and everybody wins
"EXCEPT FOR THE OTHER LCO"

[lawnpro724]

This is a very competitive field to be in and the tactics some company's use I don't agree with. What ever happend to upfront fair competition? hasn't been around for long time, seems to be do whatever it takes. Learn from your mistakes and move on. Oh and your mistake was not signing them to a contract! As for mowing the only mistake in mowing is cutting to low. Sure there are several way's to cut a lawn to make it look better but the grass doesn't care, it grows anyway.

[befnme]

after several weeks of the same direction they will call you back and ask " why do i have ruts in my lawn?"

[lawnpro724]

Yeah, have to agree with you on that one. Mowing to many times in same direction with heavy mower will leave ruts and pissed off customers. I know I have picked up several lawns from other company's who do the same o same o every week. Rotate your mowing pattern every week!

[Brendan Smith]

did anyone see this thread in this month's issue of turf?

[Frontier-Lawn]

cool im in national print :waving:

[Brendan Smith]

cool im in national print :waving:
you, cessna, topsites, maybe someone else but i forget. it was funny seeing a thread in print.

[Dunn's]

I looked I dind't see the thread what page.

[Dunn's]

I found it page C8.