Your Policies

[lawnranger44]

What are your guys's policies on these things, such as: if there's a drought and the lawn may not need mowed, who determines if you mow or not?
if it rains on monday (for example) do you push the rest of the week's schedule back or do you mow monday's lawn at the end of the week?

Any other important policies for situations such as these?

[LawnLad]

Since we're the professionals - and the customers hire us to determine what's best for their lawn... we make those decisions. Or our foreman on site will.

If we're in a drought and there is no irrigation system, we'll do a drive by. If we can find bed maintenance or other billable work, we'll still get work done at the customers property. We just won't cut the lawn.

As for rain days... we work Monday through Friday. So we will cut in the rain, unless it's so bad we can't. Then we double up to get done by Friday. We front load our weeks schedule and lighten up at the end of the week to take care of extras... so extras get pushed back and just the grass gets cut if we're behind. We don't push back to Saturday. In some cases, we've cut a Friday house on Monday if the whole week was wet.

[kerr lawn]

if it rains monday then it sucks for us on tuesday, but we get what had to be done mon first and then move on tuesday, then sometimes that gets pushed into wed and so and so on. If it rains for more than a day, i have rested some more and i use every bit of energy i got and i go from 7:30-8 till dark till things for the week are done.
when the grass starts growing in early to mid april, it doesn't stop growing until august maybe, then picks back up in sept-oct/nov. So we really don't have to worry about ppl saying don't cut my grass, if they don't want it cut then they better call me. Or else we still cut it and i still get my money.

[PAPS]

if we miss a day due to rain... I'll usually throw that days schedule on the next day and add another guy or two to that crew and tell them to hammer them out and don't come back till there all done.

[JimLewis]

Well rain is just a natural thing here in Oregon. So we mow in it all the time. Although it's never really bad. It just drizzles here and there. If there's a severe thunder storm (they are rare and only last 10-15 minutes) the guys just hang out in the truck until it stops.

As for drought, that doesn't happen here much. But even so, 95% of our clients either have an irrigation system or are careful to water their lawns frequently with above ground sprinklers. That's the nice thing about working in newer, upper class neighborhoods.

We mow every day, every week, and never skip a lawn.

[RB]

I mow on Mon, Tue & Wed. If it rains I just delay Mon.'s work til., Tue, and so forth. This is my 4th year in biz and I always finished my work by Friday. (I'm solo and have about 45 lawns). This past year was the first year I mowed every lawn at 21/2" all season, compared to 3" the years before. In the spring (mowing at 21/2") it seemed to make it a little easier. Maybe it was my immagination.

For drought conditions I just skip. I avg. 26 cuts in a 32 week season. This season I'm going w/ contracts so I'm hoping I can "grease" a little and get by with 23 or 24 cuts. When I skip a week I do usually weed whack and edge and maybe spray some roundup or pull some weeds in beds.

Ron

[65hoss]

My policy is very simple. I make the decisions! Its my equipment and business. If it gets overgrown due to the customer wanting to call the shots it puts extra wear on the machines. Its my way or the highway. I'm not rude about it with the customers, but I don't tolerate it either.

[augs dad]

Somewhere I read or heard that you should not mow b4 or after certain hours...thats easier said than done...is there in fact a guideline for residential mowing? thanks much...How about Saturday mowing if its been a rainy week? Gary

[AL Inc]

65 Hoss- I like your way of thinking; Aug's Dad, I think when it comes to noise, it is something that varies from town to town. Where I work, it is 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the week, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends. I've never seen these laws enforced, as we do have to bend the rules sometimes. There are actually some snobby communities on the north shore that want to ban all gas powered blowers altogether! So I can live with the restrictions I have here. Your best bet would be to check the local laws in your area. Mike

[LAWNS AND MOWER]

65 Hoss- I operate the same way. I'll put them on a schedule and that's it. If it's during a drought, I'll decide whether it needs mowing or not unless the customer calls before their scheduled day and tells me to skip that week. Don't you love it when you pick up a new acct and the person makes the comment " Should I call you when it's ready to be mowed?" Good grief, I have 60 accts. Could you imagine if every person had to call to get their yard mowed? I have all my customers trained pretty good!!!

LAWNS AND MOWER

PS AL Inc check your private messages!!!!

[TGCummings]

I've nothing to add except that my policy is much the same as many mentioned. I decide the schedule, since I'm the only one who knows the entire schedule. I can't believe the sometimes surprised look on people's faces when they realize I do more than just cut their lawn.

In summation, though, I:

1) Cut year around, on the predetermined weekly or biweekly schedule. Drought does not affect this.

2) Don't cut in the rain. If it rains the schedule gets pushed back to when it stops raining. Fridays are left open to catch up, do equipment maintenance, or additional services. Additional services get pushed back a week if Friday is a lawn day. Two full days of rain, or so, can push Thursday's schedule to Monday of the following week. If it's an emergency, and I'm available, I can cut on Saturday.

I do good work, and strive to get everything done on time, but ultimately it's I who decides my schedule.

[kutnkru]

Originally posted by augs dad
Somewhere I read or heard that you should not mow b4 or after certain hours ...Gary

We have to obtain a permit ($25 annually) to cut within the City limits. The regs are basically that sun up to sun down or 7am -7pm.

There is no ban on weekend cutting but I try to get everything done as close to possible by Friday pm. I also have some accounts that are not in neighborhoods nor residentials lined up for Sundays.

LR44

The best thing that you can do to cover your own tail under these extreme droughtlike conditions we've been living in the past few years (LOL!!!) is to put your clients onto a monthly billing cycle.

This way you will be getting paid whether you are there or not. If you cannot cut for 2-3 weeks at a time then stop by in between (about every 10 days) and run the edgers around the property.

The way that I liked to handle it was if we werent cutting we were still there for the same 20-30 minutes depending on account size and checking the beds for weeds, or pruning some of the shrubbery that needed attending to.

Bottom line is that you have already been paid for the 20 minutes (I tried to not to exceed it) and you arent losing any money by doing a little extra here and there to maintain exemplary relations with your clients.

To me its a win-win situation. You get the comfort of knowing how much is rolling thru the door each month, and crews wont mutiny on you half-way thru the season because there is a lack of work.

[kerr lawn]

I love everyones idea of if it is a drought, check things out to see if they need mowing if not. Prune, clean-up, edge, and then you can still bill the customer for the time and then everyone is happy.
love the idea, thanks all.
bryan

[Jason Pallas]

Re: Rain - if we get rained out for all or most of a day, we just shift the schedule one day (work on Saturday). If we get rained out on two days, llooks like everyone works Sunday too (rarely happens). Usually we can make it up by doubling up on days somewhere along the line. If it's an average year, we end up working 3 - 4 Saturdays at the most (a few in the spring and maybe one or two in the Fall).

Re: Drought conditions - we hava a policy that I strongly reccomend for others. We only skip a customer if they call in to arrange a skip at least 24 hours in advance. That way we can take them off the schedule for that day and not incur the expense of sending a crew out to them for nothing. If a customer begins to habitually call in to skip service, we explain that because of the drought conditions, we're allowing our customers to skip UP TO 4 times this season. They can use them all at once, or during July and August to go every two weeks or in the Fall however they want. BUT if the grass is too high when we come back, there'll be a "high grass fee" AND they can continue to skip after 4 skips BUT they will be charged for their space on our schedule. This really prevents people from using you to get through the high-growth/hard spring season (when you earn your money) and then backing off when the work is easier (when you really make the profit).
You have to explain to people that your price is based on a season long rate of x# of weeks (for us it's 30-31). They're really paying for a spot on your schedule and for your time. They can't pick and choose when they want service. Just like daycare for kids - you pay for the whole week - whether you use it 5 days - 2 days or no days at all. They still hold a spot open for your kid - and you have to pay. This is the way LCOs need to look at their operations too. Only then will the industry be respected and will we get professional pay for professional/skilled work. Don't be a slave to your customers - if you let them, they'll walk all over you and you won't make any money. By shortchanging yourself, you not only hurt your operation - but the whole lawn service sector. Be professional - be respected.

That's my rant.

[greens]

You said it Jason! Can't add much to that.:cool:

[summitgroundskeeping]

Case by case basis. I'm the pro, they signed me to mow and my advice and specialtise. The homeowner is basically not allowed to touch their lawn. "They hire me so they don't have to"
Everything I do is to keep their lawn looking it's best whether that requires me to work 24 hours straight one day b/c of the weather.

[LAWNS AND MOWER]

Quote by Summitgroundskeeping "The homeowner is basically not allowed to touch their lawn"

I use this same approach with my customers, but every now and then you get some clown that trys to pinch a few pennies and decides to put down their own fertilizer. This should be outlawed!!! They normally put down a triple dose and then they can't understand why I'm mowing their yard every 3 or 4 days.

LAWNS AND MOWER

[Jason Pallas]

TRue Dat! I've got one customer who faithfully skips a week during the biggest/hardest growth part of the Spring so that her son can come over and overfertilize the crap out of her lawn. Two years ago he burned it so bad that she had nasty stripes in it all year long. Last year he poured it on really heavy, it rained for 6 of 7 days and she wanted it skipped for TWO weeks. By day ten, the city came by to tell her that would ticket her in 2 days if it wasn't cut. She called me up in a panic - I charged her 4 times her normal rate and told her that I would never allow her to skip service again and that I would stop cutting altogether if her son ever fertilized the lawn again.
She's still a customer today - and she's since "gotten with the program". Customers like that can get out of control if you let them.

[Lawn Dog2001]

I tell all my customers that it is my judgment call. It does not always work out like that. If it really does not need cut, then I do not mind cancellation. The only time I will not tolerate customer cancelation is in heavy growing season. If a customer wants to skip a Spring cut, they may find themselves searching for a new LC. I have enough time constraints in the Spring. In the summer its not really a problem. I can understand the customers point of view. No one wants to pay for nothing.

[bobbygedd]

our contracts state: "skipped cuts" due to periods of drought or non growth will be solely at our discretion. rain: every effort will be made to visit your property on your scheduled day. if rain occurs on yur scheduled day, every effoert will be made to make up that service within 3 days. if rain persists, and the cut cannot be made up within the 3 day period, your property will be serviced on your next regularly scheduled day. ex: u r scheduled for for wed. it rains wed, the make up days are either thurs, fri, or sat. if it rains on the makeup days, we come on the next regularly scheduled day, which would be wed. if at this point there is excessive growth, there will be an extra fee.