Customer Complained!

[JasonPC]

Hi, guys. Well, one of our customers just called us and complained about the height which we cut at. Generally we set our mowers to cut at 2.5". She says when we come it doesn't look like the lawn has been mowed and she wants it much shorter this year. First of all, that would be cutting into the roots if we cut at 2". Second of all, it takes forever to adjust the height of the blades. So it adds an extra 10 minutes onto the job. What's your advice? I told her that I don't advise cutting the lawn that short, but if that's what she wants, then we'll do it. any suggestions? Thanks!

[Charles]

Jason, Just cut the yard lower. On my lazor I can cut at 1/1/2" and the yards look great.Do what the customer wants

[Lazer]

You mow at the height recommended by your regeional university. Tell your customer that you follow professional guidelines, and you not willing deviate far from recommended guidelines on mowing or anything else.

[JasonPC]

The only problem is that if I cut at 2" it cuts into the lawn's root system. That will eventually cause burning of the lawn. It'll look like sh**! But she's worth about $1000 to me per season.

[Lazer]

If you're going to mow it at 2", take a couple of weeks to incrimentally get it down there. Of course the lawn CAN look nice at 2", but it will require more watering, also.

[JJ Lawn]

Jason, I also &quot;HAD&quot; a customer that wanted me to cut a St. Augustine lower than the recommened height. I refused to do it due to the fact it would look like hell, and in the long run would ruin the lawn. She was also one of my better paying customers.<p>One reason I quit was if the lawn looked like hell, I would be the one blamed for it. Which can cause loss of future lawns in the area. There are always other customers. Just a thought.

[Charles]

You didn't say what type of grass it is. Alot of my customers want their centipeede and crabgrass mix cut at 1-1/2&quot;. At the most 2. Anything more than that doesn't looked cut. When it gets real hot I move it up to 2 on the centipeed. Fescue I cut at 2&quot;+. But I recommend , I don't ever argue with my customers. It's their yard not yours.

[1stclasslawns]

Mow at the recommended heights but show the client where you get your information.<br>Educate her on the points that a short lawn is not a healthy lawn. They have more weeds require more fertilizer, are less drought resistant. ect you know what to tell her. <br>Are you willing to replace her lawn when this summers drought kills it? Are you willing to loose that million dollar account when the owner of who knows what drives by. <br>Unfortinantly the people driving by dont know that you were requested to cut it shorter they just see a bad looking lawn AND YOU mowing it!

[Charles]

oh yea like u r going to educate a hard of hearing 80 year old woman in the south :) Good luck buddy. She eduscate you by the seat of the pants

[JasonPC]

Her grass is a mixture of ryes, fine fescues, and some bluegrass. This customer is on a very limited budget. She is an old woman that we've been servicing for 2 years. She never takes care of her lawn. never waters it. not a thing. but expects it to look great for $35 a mow twice a month. Of course it doesn't look mowed with only 2 mowings a month. She can't afford 4.

[NateinAtl]

I would just drop her. She obviously is causing you more of a headache than that $500 she gives you is worth. Instead of spending your time worrying about her, spend the time finding a new customer that will spend about $1200 a year. Last year was my first year in the business, and I took on several of these type customers. Not this year. You will never be able to please her. She probably complains the most after shortly after she receives her bill. <p>Last year I had a customer that called me the day she received her August bill. She told me that now it is September, practically fall, she expected that I would be coming out a lot less often. The day she called it was 92 degrees. Her bermuda grass was doing nothing but growing.<p>I know it's hard, but if I were you, I would quit worrying about this poor lady. I think we are all in agreement that she wants you to mow shorter because in her mind it would mean you would come out less often. <p>Remember to take care of your family and yourself first. She will be able to find someone help her with her yard. If she goes to church, I would be willing to bet that she can get her yard done by a number of men--at no charge. <p>

[Lazer]

Jason,<p>She's worth $1000.00/year cutting bi-weekly on a MA growing season at $35/time?<p>Anyway, it's a business. Charge for your time or move onto somebody else.

[JasonPC]

Lazer,<p>Yup! She gets fall clean up in addition to the mowing, plus shrub/tree trimming and dethatching and aerating. God knows why she wants the dethatch and aeration with the way she treats her lawn. Go figure!

[Lazer]

You dethatch AND aerate a lawn that is mowed bi-weekly?! WOW!<p>I guess I grew up on the other side of the tracks.

[lawrence stone]

Have her sign a weekly contract or a 7-14 day<br>or she can find another contractor.<p>The cold hard facts are if she is 80+ she<br>will be dead in five years and you will have<br>to replace that account any way.<p>Old people cause more grief that profits.<br>It's your business it's your decision on<br>what type of accounts your want to attract.<p>

[geogunn]

on my lesco 48 fixed deck the only adjustment is the spacers on the front casters of the deck. I never mess with the spacers on the blade because if the blade is below the front of the deck, you'll bang every iron pin out there.<p>anyway, I cut my own grass as high as my machine will cut (four spacers down). if my customers grass is too tall, I cut it as high as my machine will cut. if the customer wants the grass cut LOW, then I will cut it two spacer down instead of four. I will not cut lower. period. lower will drag the deck into roots and crap and whatever. I stand my ground on this one. never lost a cut over height yet.<p>GEO

[plowking35]

Nice Larry alot of compassion from you I see. What if the nice old lady had 10 k a year to spend on grounds maint. Would that make her worth your while.

[gene gls]

Hi Jason: Some of my customers are elderly on a fixed income.Most are very nice people but relate to days gone by in terms of cost.You have to take the time to educate them on todays cost.Most are women just trying to keep living in thier house instead of eldery houseing.My mother is 83y/o and in the same bracket so I have a better understanding of what others are giong through.<p>Be glad you are getting $1000.00 from this lady. Most of mine only want mowing.Take some time and sit down and talk with her and you might find a way to understand her better.<p>I am near Westfield,Ma., where are you located?

[Keith]

We used to run into alot of these customers wanting the lawn cut lower. Since switching the majority to monthly service agreements this hasn't been a problem. Some just don't think they are getting their money's worth unless it is scalped :)<p>If you are right and the lower cut can't be tolerated, be nice and explain why you can't do it. At 80 she is either set in her ways or she has a neighbor that has alot of influence on her telling her it needs to be cut lower. <p>One more thing when dealing with older people. Make sure they are really on a low, fixed income before you try to help them out too much. I have met quite a few who live quite comfortably, and complain about their fixed income. If a. they buy a new Cadillac every other year, b. you see their car at a high price restaurant 4 nights a week,or c. they go on frequent trips over-seas, they may have more money than they know what to do with :) If you are willing to help out people, that's great...just make sure they aren't blowing smoke up your a** to get what they want.

[osc]

Tell her your equipment is not set up to cut that low and the deck will drag the ground causing scrape marks and scalping. This usually works for me. The other issue may be how good is her vision? Once I had an old lady who continually wanted her grass cut shorter and after I scalped it to the quick she was still complaining that it wasn't short enough. She finally tells me she wants her grass to look like the neighbor's yard. Bingo! The neighbor's grass I bagged each mowing. So I explained that their grass was 2&quot; longer than hers but bagged. Now her grass did not need bagged but I have raised my deck, the lawn recovered and she's happy. Go figure.

[JasonPC]

Gene,<p>I'm out towards the Northampton area. What height do you cut at? There's debate whether cutting at 2 inches would actually hit the roots or not for ryes and fine fescues. <p>And this woman won't sign a weekly lawn contract. I'd hate to lose $1000 worth of business, but I don't want a dead, diseased lawn because we're cutting it so short.

[grasskutter]

Jason I'm in the Concord,Sudbury area of Ma. and I cut at 2 1/2 inches never lower. Talk to her, tell her its unhealthy for the lawn to be cut that low, unless she can water it every day or two, as soon as summer comes she'll have a dust bowl. 1000$ customer is tough to lose but your name stands for alot also. e-mail me if you have any questions.<p>----------<br>grasskutter@cs.com<br>

[Evan528]

a couple of years ago i had this really pain in the ass costomer whos was always wanted way too much for there 20 dollar a week mowing....always bugged me about why i havent been weeding there beds and keeping the shrubs pruned, i told him that thats extra and he looked at me like i was crazy and i would always leave there very mad. one day he was complaning that i dont cut his lawn short enough and that it dosnt look good. he said &quot;why cant you make it look as nice as the guys who do the lawn next door&quot; i said &quot;i do the lawn next door&quot; he didnt no what to say to that one....i told him the difrence is , is that i treat that lawn and aerate it and i also mow it an inch longer....it looks so much nicer because of these extra services. i never got a complaint again to this day from him... his wife is the one that now pays me and deals with me and it works out very well.

[Kevin]

I had an older woman customer who wanted her yard cut lower. I explained cutting lower would be unhealthy etc. Asked her why she wanted it lower? Seems her neighbor was out cutting her yard every 3 days. The neighbor's lawn was a blend of rye/PA crab, had a nice distinguishing YELLOW color and enough bare spots in it you could count the ants. My cus. lawn was green, thick and striped. You can't make some people happy. After her constant BS I told her she needed someone else to service her.LOL

[cjcland]

i like for my customers to be happy with there yard they look at it every day i see it once a week, i had this problem with a customer of mine and i just said ok, then i just kept cutting it the same she didnt even notice, if she says something again tell her it wont go any lower than that. and see what she says....70/per month dont lose to much sleep over it thats all<p>----------<br>CJC Landscape Management<br>Winter Haven, Florida

[gene gls]

Jason: I don't mow less than 2 1/2&quot;. Most of the time at 3&quot;.<p>Would you care to meet and talk shop some time?

[yardsmith]

yeah we have this problem in Ohio too.<br>Friend of mine cut out a local newspaper article from the respected gardener's column about how short to mow your grass. Gives credibility that it's not just you who thinks that way. We also give the reasons that grass will not be drought or disease resistant anymore, it'll turn brown, etc., etc., etc.<br>Did all that to a customer last year & he still didn't care- so I MADE SURE I TOLD HIM what would happen if I scalped it, & said he's responsible for the outcome if I mow it how he wants it (short-short). Turns out he's trying to compete with his idiot neighbor that has nothing better to do than mow twice a week.<br>My friend told her old customer the same story & it was during drought month. She wanted it cut, so he told her it'd be brown. She was ok with that, so he buzzed it like a military haircut. She was pleased afterward, & within a week it looked like a friggin pitcher's mound.<br>Recommended height up here is 2 1/2 to 3&quot; for most grasses. Either 'the customer's always right' & you warn them fully in advance what'll happen to the yard then do it, or you stand your ground & probably go find another customer.<p>----------<br>Smitty ô¿ô<br>

[ashlandscaping]

We have seen and heard this year in year out. 9 out of 10 times its the elderly that are saying it. We have it in big bold letters in the contract at which hight we cut at. When this does come up we tell them that 1 it is not good and healthy for the lawn 2 our mowwers are at a set highter 3 we will not take on that kind of laiabitlity when their lawn goes to crap and 4 we will not put our name on that kind of work. Most times we tell them the mowwers are set and that it takes 15 minutes which would cost you double what we charge you now for the extra time they forget all about it. I would say I lost maybe 3 customers in last 8 years due to hight and to me that is not a big deal. A $ 1000 is not that big of a deal when you have to do all the extra time to half way make them happy. Plus if they are that pushy about it thats just the start of all the headaches to come. They are never happy. I would lay it down on the line if she says your done find a new account.

[Stonehenge]

Like it or not, I'm going to give my requisite marketing angle to this (or at least to the age thing).<p>76 million Americans are baby boomers (more than one of every four people in the US) - these people are getting older, and many if not most will need your services. The really successful businesses in the next 10-15 years will figure out how to cater to this market.<p>AARP volume discounts?<p>