Too low?

[Scag48]

hey guys. I've got a bit of a problem here. One of my customers is complaining, well, not complaining, but more like telling me about how her lawn looks too shaggy at the end of the week. I don't know what day she is referring to, as I mow every 7 days, whether she thinks it's getting long on day 5 or 6, I don't know. Anyway, I did what she said and dropped the height one notch on my 21" to setting "B". I know, it's low, but she waters 4 days a week and it seems to not dry out so I figured it'll be okay. So I go to mow it, a little damp and I figured on double cutting. Well, since I mowed last week at "C", it had one week of growth PLUS the dropped setting. So, I knew it was long when I showed up so I made a once-over with my trimmer just to knock it down a bit. Started to mow around the outside and it just didn't work. So, up went the deck one notch. Mowed the entire lawn on setting C. Clumped a little because of the dampness, so I dropped the deck again. Mowed the lawn on B, and it clumped so bad like you wouldn't believe. The mower bogged down pretty bad and pulled up alot of thatch. When I got done, I pulled the deck up to C and finished up. Looked fine when I got done but it looked terrible before I got done. Anybody else had this problem? Are there good ways to make the customer understand that it needs to be higher? I don't want to loose the job, a very willing payer and a good friend (my piano teacher). So, I'm going to have to make a point that I just can't mow that low because of my equipment and that it would be alot of wear and tear on my engine. Mind you that the setting B is lower than 2 inches, and C is around 2 1/4. I guess I have some convincing to do, but does anybody have this problem with pulling up thatch? Oh, BTW, I'm mulching. Thanks guys!

[Keith]

Scag, buddy, I think everyone has had some of these customers at one time or another. It's not that what you are doing is wrong, they like to be in control. Don't cut at B if you can't. As a matter of fact cut on "D" next week and when she complains, drop back a notch :) Then you are right back where you started.

Around here it doesn't matter what level you cut at, 3 inches, 3 1/2 inches, or 4 inches....it's gonna be the same height next week when you go back, why bother shaving it? It just looks bad when you're done.

[Columbia Turf]

!!!2 Inches!!! WOW, that is short. Around here, MISSOURI, it is that time of year you can not mow it tall enough. We have been mowing all of our accounts at 3 1/2 minimum for 2 months. in fact, I do a couple jobs that are 21 inch push mow jobs and our mowers wont mow high enough. The grass stays healthier when it is taller.

When people want it cut short, I cringe. I know it is a personal preferance but not good for the grass.

[PrimeGreen Lawn]

2"! Man......Round' here we cut between a MINIMUM of 3.25" all the way up to 4.25".

Scott

[HOMER]

None of mine care as long as it's cut. They don't know how high it's being cut or how short either. I don't even keep track of the height, just go in and take a little off the top so the grass looks good and leave. It seems like other parts of the country place a lot of emphasis on the exact length of the grass, around here if it's cut on time it looks good and everyone is happy.

[geogunn]

skagg--cut us a break here. obviously she needs to water less, needs to be on a five day cut schedule, you need to start raking clumps, or you need to get that big mo-hunkin mower out to do the job.

GEO

[Charles]

Scag48, your problem is that you are not in control of your business. Instead of you reacting and changing how you cut the ladies yard just because she made a comment you should explain to her "hey listen you ol bag(nah dont really say it the way LOL) You water the grass alot and it is going to grow alot and look shaggy before I can get back and if I cut it low its going to make a mess and hurt my mower. I am cutting it at the correct height for the type of grass that it is. And if she keeps *****ing, drop her and hope she doesnt slam the piano key cover on your hands one day. Always throw in the key word "if I have to spend more time in your yard its going to cost you more money" that usually shuts them up for awhile. Scag, what have you got to lose man. You live at home. Aint like you going to go bankrupt and homeless if you lose a few customers

[BrandonGT]

Originally posted by Columbia Turf
!!!2 Inches!!! WOW, that is short.......

That's nothing. ;)

I believe when I cut the lawn today it was set to half an inch. :D

(The lawn at home, not someone elses' lawn.)

[lawnman_scott]

Tell her cutting it that low will hurt her lawn, not your mower. Most customers nice or not arent too concerned about your equipment, but their precious lawn they are very worried about.

[GreenQuest Lawn]

My customers never know how high I cut. If they ask I'll tell them 2.5 or something. the lawn should look shaggy at the end of the week. That is why they get "weekly mowing"

[joshua]

not to start anything, but only one of the members posted would do the best thing for himself and the lawn in my book, geogunn is dead-on what my company would do and has done all year long, we cut at 5 or 6 in the spring and fall, and a week right now but might be bumped back up to 6 with all this rain in the past 2 weeks. cag tell her the benifits of having the lawn mowed at every 5 days, if you can't think of any send me a email (jjslawnserivce@aol.com) and i will tell you what i told my customers and it convinced then to let me cut the lawn at every 5 days. WHAT EVER YOU DO DON'T DROP HER!!!!!! email me and i show you how to make more money off this lady in 2 months in the spring and fall then you would cutitng all june, july, and augest combined. thats a fact
i cut all my lawns 5 or 6 times in both april or may, some even 7, 2 of my funeral homes i cut 8 times, and they never complain, now they call me if it grows 2 inches and i'm not their to cut it. i've trained the customers to be perfect customers for me.

[kris]

Originally posted by joshua
i cut all my lawns 5 or 6 times in both april or may, some even 7, 2 of my funeral homes i cut 8 times, and they never complain, now they call me if it grows 2 inches and i'm not their to cut it. i've trained the customers to be perfect customers for me.

That would be impossible for me to do... I have a full schedule as it is, never mind going to a place twice a week... How do you do it???

[charlesw]

I would attempt to explain to her that her lawn only requires 1" - 1.5" of water a week. By cutting back on her watering she will actually be saving money on her water bill and you can cut every 7 days instead of every 5 days (which you will have to charge for). Also explain to her that during the summer months that the gass should be cut higher, it will keep the lawn healthy and looking greener.

To sum it up, she saves money, grass is healthy and green, you don't have to cut as ofter.

Tell her to give it a try for one month to see if she likes the results. If not you'll go back to cutting it shorter every 5 days.


My 2 cents, okey 3 cents.

[Esby]

I dont know about you guys, but around here everyone cuts it short, including myself. 90% of my customers have irrigation systems and I keep my deck at 1.5" for 10% of my customers, 2.0" for 80% and 2.5 for the other 10%. I have never cut higher than 3", it just looks too shaggy and my customers dont like it! So until I see good reason to cut longer and the grass keeps growing like it does, I'm keeping it short like I have been doing for 7 years.

[Twotoros]

I refuse to mow that short. 2" is it this time of year. The longer the better but I have been confronted by Mr. shortcut . I now say no. If your mower starts to tear out clumps of grass it is too short.
The worst customers seem to be golfers who want that "putting green at home" look. I just say I am not your man please find someone else to scalp your turf. Plus I mulch the grass 90% of the time and you can't mulch it short.

[Charles]

We been through this beforeIt all depends on what part of the country you are in as to how and when you cut yards.

[joshua]

someone asked how we are able to get back to places 2 times a week, simple, we cut in the rain, work 7 days a week, don't stop until that route is done for the day, we've cut for hours at times in the rain. the crew was wet and wented to quit, but i told them its this simple, if we don't cut it today and let it slide 1 day then we lose money, and if we do that 5 times in the spring they lose money not just me, and everytime we cut in the rain they get bonus money, for their bonus check. my customers don't care if its a tornado, neither do yours they want their lawns cut WHEN they need cut, to ALWAYS LOOK WELL MANICURED( hint hint), you don't want to pull up to your lawns and cut 3 inches off them do you? i don't in the spring thats half the grass blade, to much stress on the lawn for me. and alot easier to mulch.

[kris]

Originally posted by joshua
we cut in the rain, work 7 days a week, don't stop until that route is done for the day, we've cut for hours at times in the rain. my customers don't care if its a tornado, neither do yours they want their lawns cut WHEN they need cut, to ALWAYS LOOK WELL MANICURED( hint hint), you don't want to pull up to your lawns and cut 3 inches off them do you? i don't in the spring thats half the grass blade, to much stress on the lawn for me. and alot easier to mulch.

We also cut in the rain...Like I said we have a full route... I never have to cut 3 inches off..when I get there once a week they look like they need to be cut... As far as cutting 7 days a week or working past 12 hours a day ..forget it...I like to keep employees coming back to work... right now we are taking every other Saturday off and this Saturday will be a short 5 hour day...employees have familys and a life they want to enjoy.

[TJLC]

I get people like that every so often, that say "cut it real low". I just tell then I have a fixed deck and have it set at 3" and that's as low as it will go. They will usually say "ok then" and go back in their house. Hey, whatever works. These are usually the same people who are not the neatest in the world or the ones who think the shorter you cut the less often you will have to cut it. I think what bothers me worse than that is people with cluttered yards. I try not to get into a tech. disscusion with customers because I don't think they really care what you have to say or don't understand. I am a firm believer in mowing at the proper height.

[geogunn]

Originally posted by joshua
...geogunn is dead-on...

thank you, SIR!!!:cool:

GEO

[ron]

Try cutting once every 6 days on notch b and ask her to cut back on the watering,maybe this would help ya...

[GreenQuest Lawn]

I guess I am still confused also about the 5 day mowing.

So 1st mow is say on Fri

Then Wed
Then Mon
Then Sat
Then Thurs
Then Tues
Then Sun
Then back to Fri

I agree that it depends on where you are located but my customers want there lawn mowed on the same day every week. If I showed up different days each week I would have only about 10 accounts.