Peeing in the bushes pays!!!

[JimLewis]

:D You guys will love this one.... and it's all true - I swear.

A week or two ago one of my employees pulled up to a house (across the street from a client of ours), opened the truck door and proceeded to 'whip it out' and began peeing right out of the truck into the street, right next to the yard of the house in front of him. Well, a lady was at home and has an office upstairs and could see right out her window what was happening. She yelled at the employee then called me. I appologized profusely and told her I'd definitely take action against the employee.

Then I called the employee and he admitted it all. He said he just had to go and didn't know where else to do it. Well, needless to say, I let that guy go.

But today I went by the lady's house and introduced myself. I again appologized and offered to do whatever she'd let me to in order to make it up to her. I told her that I had taken action against the employee and didn't want her to think bad of our company or that he was representative of the rest of our staff. To my surprise, she was very forgiving and was almost embarrased she had even called. I re-assured her it was I who was embarrased and she was in the right.

Anyway, long story short, she wouldn't accept my offer to do something for free to make it up to them but instead, booked a $600 job for March with us.

Can you believe it? She hired the company who basically pee'd in her lawn! I guess anything can happen.

Fortunately for me, we already had a great reputation in this neighborhood before this incident and she said she wouldn't tell anyone. So thanks to our existing reputation and my schmoozing her, she not only forgave us but also hired us for some work!

LOL.

[65hoss]

Jim, that is great. Peeing up customers. I wonder if I could do that? Wait, I would have to fire myself.

Good customer and community service. You turned a wierd situation into a winner.
Eric

[CS Lawns]

If that is what works then I will be P ing on lawns instead of leaving flyers! just hope they are home to see it ! LOL
Did you hire that guy back yet? he could be salesman of the month! LOL

[PAPS]

thats pretty funny... gotta love pissing on customers and them paying you for it... :D

[2 man crew]

Well I guess I should cancel the flyers, pull the yellow page ads I'll Just get a 16 gal keg and let the guys piss all over the place! :D

That's a great story. Just goes to show how some people can turn a bad situation into some thing positive. Good job.

[beck]

I think after doing the job for her. I would send her a thank you/ apology card with a nice gift certificate.

"again i apologize for my employees actions and am embarrassed by what he did. Thank you for not judging my company by the actions of one former employee. I appreciate your business and please enjoy a nice dinner on me."

something to that effect
because if she wanted to she could tell her friends and neighbours.

[JimLewis]

Beck, I think you're right. I will do that.

[RB]

I wonder would have happened if that guy would have took a dump instead!

[JimLewis]

RB, you are horrible! But you made me crack up laughing just picturing that.

I've had some clients I wouldn't mind doing that to. :p

[VLM]

That's why I keep an old 64oz. cup in the back of my rig. I wonder how much work that woman would have given you if your guy had taken a dump instead!

[Charles]

Maybe she liked what she saw and was yelling at him to come in and pleasure her

[65hoss]

Jim, make sure the guys know about this before they do the work. Let them know there is no tolerance for anything else stupid on this property. It would be real hard to handle the situation if she sees anything else embarrassing. Not to mention all the people she would tell.

[osc]

Please, no water sports.

[HOMER]

Heck, if they caught me they would feel so sorry for me I'd get all kinds of work.

"Hey............PEE WEE, need some work round here"................:cry:

Talk about embarrasment:rolleyes:

[kutnkru]

You could have given her some Cok-a-mammey story about prepping to test the urea content in lawns curbside that you have treated to guard against damage from the neighborhood dawgs.

Proceeded to dig yourself deeper by explaining that it was simply part of a time trial to test this "product". Afterall her property had not been treated as her neighbors had been and you needed similar test subjects in various neighborhoods.

Then you could have hooked the bait and told her that if the results were favorable, when you offer this plan to clients as an "add-on" to your Lawn Programs next year she can get her first year free for being a "Test Subject".

Nahhh, I didnt think they'd buy it out West either -LOL!!!



Well its good to hear that something positive came from the truth. ;)

[awm]

i think u are lucky u found out about what this employee would do.thats as bad as ive heard of and theres no telling what else he might have done.i can sympathise with his needs ,but he can do better than that.

[lawncare3]

LOL LMAO I coulden't stop laughing.

[mike9497]

oh please com`on guys.if i was her i would tell everyone and there mother.one time i was over a friends house and he had to go number 2 bad.he came running out of his pool and his wife wouldn't let him in until he was dry.well he couldn't hold it any longer.busted through the screen slider ran into the house dropped his shorts in the hall way about 10 ft from the bathroom door.got in there and missed the CAN by 2 inches......lol lol.
it was a nice long size piece,but man i wasn't going to pick it up....lol lol.didn't mean to gross you guys out but you would of been LYAO if you were here.i told everyone about it even my mother....lol lol

[bobbygedd]

man, y did u fire the guy? should have given him a raise. but really, if he had to go, he had to go. today i peed in a parking lot. came out of the establishment, it was freezing cold out, and i left the headlights on. so the battery was dead. couldnt find anyone to give me a jumpstart, could not hold it anymore, so i peed.

[leadarrows]

One more reason I love owning my own business. No one can fire
me for something this stupid. I guess he should have peed his paints in your truck. :(

[LAWNGODFATHER]

I don't agree with you on letting him go.

He did the best he could to disguise the situation.

[conepile]

He should have done better. While we don't have all of the facts, the result is clear: somebody was offended by his action, and while it may not seem like a big deal, it is not unreasonable for a homeowner to expect that the local lawn care professional will not be urinating in the street (albeit from the trailer). Regardless of how bad nature was calling, the employee exercised poor judgment by urinating where someone could see him. We have all been in near panic bladder emergencies before, yet had enough sense to be discreet, and to make sure nobody could potentially see. He was fired for poor judgement. If I pick up the Big Gulp between jobs I have to plan on purging some of that liquid; I plan on stopping somewhere and at least keep a cup or bottle in case of emergency. I have had to go in the back of the trailer, but I closed the door to ensure I didn't offend anyone (this was at a jobsite for a full-day installation. I had a cooler with drinks, and didn't break for lunch).

Image (and performance) is important for retaining business, as well as growing, and one "aw shi*" wipes out 100 "attaboys" in the minds of most people. I don't think most people are sympathetic to a contractor peeing in the street.

[Fvstringpicker]

Apparently, the lady didn't think it was a big thing.

[Gravely_Man]

This just goes to show you have to tell some employees everything. Don't urinate in public, mow over the flowers in the beds…..Not the best thing for your employee to have done but I am sure we have all worked with people that make us wonder how then even made it to work. Some people just do dumb things all of the time and some just can't think for themselves.


Gravely_Man

[bobbygedd]

shame on you! all the guy did was pee. holding in pee when u really have to go can cause health problems. so she was offended. hey, one time this guy sneezed in front of my house, i was really offended, wonder if he should have lost his job over it.

[conepile]

Apparently the lady did think it was a big enough deal that she yelled at the guy AND called his boss. The only reason that she felt better about it was through Jim's response. Had he not responded in a professional manner and instead said something like, "Hey, the man had to pee!", do you think she would have been willing do any business with him? Jim turned around a negative situation and left her with the feeling it was not a big deal. He also demonstrated his excellent customer service and professionalism.

Your crews represent you and your company. Negative exposure is damaging. People don't always tell others about positive experiences with companies (unless it is truly outstanding), but will go out of their way to tell ten people about negative ones (think about vehicle purchases/service).

[bobbygedd]

and if the guy was a good employee, what is a $600 job compared to what he was worth to the company.?

[promower2002]

What a great story. Made my day! Another option for the guy would have been pretending to get someting out of the back of the pick-up with one hand, while doing his business with the other. but with her watching closely at all, it would have been very amusing. I've already got off the mower to "check something out" (way out back, of course) thats a good way to go!

[turfman59]

I can top the peeing in the street story, as the local town mayor I had to call the Dept of public works to have my water meter replaced. of course about 1 hour later 2 guys show up in the citys water truck and hop out. The foreman looks at the meter and either determines he needs another part or whatever but leaves the other guy standing there waiting, Well after 10 minutes and one trip to the bushes to pee The kid lays down on the ground and falls asleep, No sh*t , Mind you that the mayors house is pretty much a modest 3 bdrm Ranch but this was all it took, I grabbed the phone and called the Director of the DPW and asked him to bring a blanket up to 637 n. oak st when he asked why I told him that one of his employees was here and I was fairly concerned that his nap would be more enjoyable if he had a blankie to cover up with.. believe it not the guy still has the job.

[Tony Harrell]

The focus so far has been on the employee and/or Jim. I think the customer showed Jim she's a keeper. Not because of the extra work but, because she understood that employees don't always represent a companies policy/procedures. Too many people get a bug up their ***** about something and cut their nose off to spite their face. SHE'S A KEEPER AND COULD GET YOU SOME GREAT REFERRALS BECAUSE SHE PROBABLY ASSOCIATES WITH LIKE MINDED PEOPLE. OOPS! I must have offended the censor, I spelled A*$*$ without the astericks.

[GarPA]

just another reason to buy enclosed trailers....many a time I thanked the Lord I had one....you guys with them know what I mean....

[Sooners]

Guys are crude and can pretty well go anywhere. I wonder how the gals handle this kind of situation?

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by Sooners
Guys are crude and can pretty well go anywhere. I wonder how the gals handle this kind of situation?

Empty cup.

See it done.

[JimLewis]

Oh Lord. Someone dredged up this old thread? Hehe.

It got even better later - I forgot to tell you all.

The employee who peed was fired, obviously. And so he went to the State to see unemployment benefits. And they call me asking why he was fired. I said he was peeing in the street right in front of a few customers homes - and right in front of a lady who wasn't yet a client.

So they deny his benefits.

So he appeals.

We have a phone trial conference call thing. And the judge just treats him very harshly. She berated him even for his stupidity. So after the appeal trial I am thinking, "Ha!!! Take that sucker! She told you off! You're gonna get what you deserve!" She said she'd mail us her decision.

A week later I get her decision in the mail - HE WINS THE APPEAL! I couldn't freaking believe it. Something about because it was an "isolated instance of mis-judgement."

I was floored. I couldn't believe it. Well, that's government for you. And that's where our tax dollars are going.

[Simone Lawn Service]

I sounds to me like you handled the situation very professionally. Image is very important ESPECIALLY in the services we provide. When I read the title of the thread I thought sure you we're going to say she came out and propositioned the guy-or the whole crew! LOL:p

[whitleys]

Jim Lewis You are First Class. I commend your for your professionalism and handling of this matter. We all should be challenged by you.

As for the whole thread, I've been on the floor twice rolling. What and experience.
Made my day Thanks!
Scott

[brucec32]

This from the guy who says mulching is unprofessional and you're a scrub if you dump debris at the back of a customer's wooded 14 acre property.

How professional.

[whitleys]

Well Brucy, my senior member friend, How would you have handled the event?:rolleyes:

[brucec32]

Originally posted by whitleys
Well Brucy, my senior member friend, How would you have handled the event?:rolleyes:

My comment was in reference to a 14 acre property with lots of woods that another member here handled. He was trying to make a point that it was damaged by mulching. However, this guy weighed in with comments that mulching is unprofessional and that's total BS, first of all. Then he makes a comment that dumping clippings and leaves on a clients property is grounds for being instantly fired. Again, total BS. Apparently he's never heard of composting and prefers to fill landfills with tons of clippings and leaves. And I know of very few customers willing to PAY for the costs of bagging and hauling off leaves. They're not all millionaires, you know. Just how many people out there in America can afford to have 14 ACRES bagged and hauled off on a regular basis? Maybe this guy lives in a land of nothing but pristine tree-free lots, but around here, everybody dumps their leaves in a compost pile on site usually because there is no legal place to dump them short of buying a lot and dumping them there. Doesn't make the mowing guy a scrub, as this "professional" claims.

But back to my point. He's calling many of us here scrubs because we use technology to save time and customers money , yet he's got low-lifes working for him that go pee in other peoples' lawns. Apparently it ticks him off that not everybody wants to pay the $5,000 a year he wants to handle their lawns. Yet another lawnsite member who can't handle honest, above board competition. I'm guessing he's never owned an Exmark mulching deck. Cuz it works. I did it for the first time this season and got ZERO questions or complaints. Nobody could tell the difference. I suppose I could go buy a $50,000 dump truck and $5,000 vac system to handle bagged leaves so I too could be a "professional" like him, even though nobody even cares.

[JimLewis]

Dude. Drop the mulching b.s. Nobody wants to talk about that anymore. We killed those threads a while back. Everyone's sick of it. You're way off base here. Not to mention totally off topic.

And just because I had one scumbag out of the 50 or so guys who've worked for me over the last decade doesn't mean I am unprofessional. I fired the guy because of it. That was the most professional thing I could have done. If you've found a way to screen out bad employees and hire perfect employees every time, please share your secret with us. Because we're all dying to know.

But if, as I suspect, you have no clue how to prevent situations like this from happening, than quit piping off and changing the subject and go back to your mulching and dumping your debris behind your clients trailer.

[whitleys]

Bruce, I don't care to argue your points. I do agree with you on the mulching. I don't see all the posts.

In my area we can get by with mulching a couple weeks of leaf drop then we bag and haul off. Very little goes to the landfill. Most lco's that I am familair with have rural properties where the leaves / clippings are hauled, composted and worked into the soil. Most lco's are muching the grass all season. Only leaves get hauled off. I have a large garden plus 7 acres behind me. I also have access to two farmers each with several hundred acres for back up dumping. That's what works here.

Scott

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by jimlewis
go back to your mulching and dumping your debris behind your clients trailer.

<<<-ROTFLMAO->>>

To each their own.

[Miller]

Bruce,

Jim's right. You are out of line here. IMO, Jim is one of the most professional guys we have on this site. And just because he had an employee who made a stupid mistake doesn't make him any less professional. You may disagree with his stance on mulching. And that's fine. But respond to it in THAT thread, not this one. To bring it up here, almost 6 months later, is just uncalled for.

Jim works in a very different area than many of the rest of us and what is unprofessional to him in yuppy richville, might be perfectly acceptable in your neck of the woods. So you may both be right, from your own perspectives.

But to attack him and call him unprofessional just isn't cool. If there were more like him Lawnsite would be a much better place. He is a credit to this site and has helped more people over the years than almost anyone else I can think of. And he deserves our respect.

[mike9497]

i mulch grass and grass only. i would never even think about dumping leaves or clippings at a customers place.if i have to i dump it in my yard until theres enough to fill a 40 yard dumpster.seems to me you are a scrub.your the type that low balls everthing and does things half @#$%*&!
you won't last long.your what i call a one hit wonder.this form was made i feel for us to stick together work together and make this trade grow.i would never bad mouth a fellow landscaper to a customer or future one.i wouldn't say anything about them i would just say i know of them.so i think your out of line.this thread started as a guy doing #1 on a persons lawn so if you don't have any input on that just shut up.

[tbettis]

just thought ide give this thread a bump:laugh:

[topsites]

One more reason I love owning my own business. No one can fire
me for something this stupid. I guess he should have peed his paints in your truck. :(

I'd have to agree this is something more along the lines of a write-up, or a reprimand.
A quick reminder, nobody is perfect.