Would you still offere partial services?

[Ramairfreak98ss]

Client from last year was about to send back their 2009 lawn contract..

Emails us yesterday saying they found another company that didnt require a contract so theyre going to use them instead.
Also said that we basically "cant be trusted" cutting his lawn weekly because we missed his fenceline on the first cut last season "which i went back the day after and trimmed myself".

He wants us to still come over next week to re-mulch, edge and weed the garden which ive given him a quote for already.

I was going to include mulching some tree on the back side of the house " for free" in his original quote.... he then says, if i dont respond to him today, he will have the other company do it.

My feeling is, go right ahead, if he's shady of us after a whole year and yard work prior, and wont use us for the lawn service, screw him, have the other joe do it. $300 bucks aint any slack on my back.

Same company that didnt require to have him sign anything to start lawn service, im sure ill see them this thursday/friday and ill be taking pictures and mailing them into the authorities:nono:

[Ecscaper]

Given the current situation I wouldn't give him anything "for free", but if you had a signed proposal I would do work that he contracted to pay for. I would do a good job and let him know he can call you any time.

I wouldn't turn down work from a paying customer. jmho

[MBS Services]

I agree with Ecscaper. If I had a signed proposal I would go do the other work, becasue I bet he will be back asking you to cut his grass soon.

[Ramairfreak98ss]

I agree with Ecscaper. If I had a signed proposal I would go do the other work, becasue I bet he will be back asking you to cut his grass soon.

yeah your probably right. He never did sign the proposal and mail it back, just said in an email to come out and do it... then i get the crap back from him about hiring another company.. youlll love this next part...

I get a call today, 7:12pm.. HIS neighbor which we are going to cut tomorrow, calls asking if we are next door.... your guys blew grass all over my side she says jokingly but kinda ticked, till she realized that it wasnt us lol.

Now i know, most likely being that they are cutting in that development at 7pm+, they are part time and not legit, "most likely"... so next week ill be waiting with the zoom lens on the SLR camera at that corner for 7pm and see when they show up. byebye little lawn company with no deposits and no contracts and no taxes:nono:

[Runner]

As far as doing the mulch and the side work,...yeah,...I'd do it - no problem. You have the best of both worlds. You are given the opportunity to do the higher paying stuff without even having to be stuck in doing the mowing - which is the LEAST paying stuff. This frees up all that time to go do something else that can make you money...even it is another mowing contract, it still puts you on another property that opens a door for more mulch, bed care, and perhaps future landscape renovation or whatever.
As far as doing the mulch and stuff for "free", just to have the mowing...that is exactly backwards. you ar already doing the mowing, which is almost a loss leader compared to the other work. Don't step over quarters to pick up dimes.

[ExtExc]

good points, but you mis-read i think, he was only mulching around a tree for free, not doing the entire mulch job for free. id say bang the job out and call it good. im a believer in never burning bridges. even if in some instances, they deserve it, when you piss off a customer, your just poking a proverbial sleeping bear. the more ya piss em off, the more they feel the need to attack you and your reputation.

[lawnman_scott]

I would not do anything for him, but what do the pictures prove?

[HOOLIE]

Now i know, most likely being that they are cutting in that development at 7pm+, they are part time and not legit, "most likely"... so next week ill be waiting with the zoom lens on the SLR camera at that corner for 7pm and see when they show up. byebye little lawn company with no deposits and no contracts and no taxes:nono:

My God have you nothing better to do??? Didn't you just post another thread along these same lines? And who are these "authorities" of which you speak?

[bigw]

My God have you nothing better to do??? Didn't you just post another thread along these same lines? And who are these "authorities" of which you speak?

FOR REAL GET A LIFE!!! THEY DONT NEED CONTRACTS , DONT NEED DEPOSITS AND HOW DO YOU KNOW IF THEY PAY THEIR TAXES OR NOT?? I hate the low balling weekend warriors myself but to sit their taking pictures and reporting them thats just lame if you ask me...by the way do you have insurance?:hammerhead:

[DLAWNS]

Client from last year was about to send back their 2009 lawn contract..

Emails us yesterday saying they found another company that didnt require a contract so theyre going to use them instead.
Also said that we basically "cant be trusted" cutting his lawn weekly because we missed his fenceline on the first cut last season "which i went back the day after and trimmed myself".

He wants us to still come over next week to re-mulch, edge and weed the garden which ive given him a quote for already.

I was going to include mulching some tree on the back side of the house " for free" in his original quote.... he then says, if i dont respond to him today, he will have the other company do it.

My feeling is, go right ahead, if he's shady of us after a whole year and yard work prior, and wont use us for the lawn service, screw him, have the other joe do it. $300 bucks aint any slack on my back.

Same company that didnt require to have him sign anything to start lawn service, im sure ill see them this thursday/friday and ill be taking pictures and mailing them into the authorities:nono:

For $300 and all the grief the guy has given you I'd pass on the mulch. Just my opinion. All the time that you would waste dealing with this a hole you could be doing stuff for loyal customers. I would just send him a polite email saying that he could go with the other company.

[nosparkplugs]

I agree, and Personally I would drop him, and give my loyal customers extra time that have signed contracts. I don't do work without contracts. These are the type of customers I don't miss


For $300 and all the grief the guy has given you I'd pass on the mulch. Just my opinion. All the time that you would waste dealing with this a hole you could be doing stuff for loyal customers. I would just send him a polite email saying that he could go with the other company.

[ED'S LAWNCARE]

I don't use contracts never did, I'm legal. He obviously felt since he signed a contract last year he was obligated to keep you, even thou he was not happy with your service, ie, missed trimming the fence line. Don't sweat it just get another acct. I would do the mulch job and do a fine job at that. Never burn your bridges.
Turn this into a positive learning lesson, not a bitter I'll get the guy who took my account time wasting rant.

[Jason Rose]

Yes, if he still wants you to do the mulch job, and the price is agreed upon, go ahead and do it. Who knows, the other company has done a couple cuts on the lawn by then, you show up to mulch, you may get the lawn back too, assuming he's not happy with their service.

I also don't understand who the lawn police are you are going to report the new guy too. There's no "rules" that state you have to use contracts and get a deposit to mow. And as for taxes, are you talking about sales tax or IRS? Many states don't do sales tax collection on services like lawn care. Be sure you are following the laws too! If you are collecting tax and you shouldn't be, that could be just as bad.

[beegreenlandcare]

I get kinda bitter when I lose a contract also but. learned along time ago hatred is a non productive waste of time and energy. If you hang around (cloak and dagger type are u?) and get these guys busted for anything at all, is this really gonna benefit u?
I would do the work, take my money and move on. You may or may not get the job back but who cares u did the "right" thing.

[Stillwater]

Same company that didnt require to have him sign anything to start lawn service, im sure ill see them this thursday/friday and ill be taking pictures and mailing them into the authorities:nono:

Every minute you spend being angry or watching others, or stalking former customers to identify their service provider, snapping pictures and mailing this or that you are taking away from your business, this attitude has a corrosive effect on your other affairs. You sound like this issue is more important than your current customers. I respectfully suggest you place a higher importance on your business and not others. Kick back and take a breath, and think about this, customers come and go and that is a fact. Focus on completing your current job and obtaining the next and improveing your operation nothing else. Your snapping of pictures, waisting stamps and printer ink and stalking to identify your replacement is Not building your business and is a sure fire formula to failure.

[Daily Lawn/Landscape]

I wish all my contracted customers called and just dropped their mowing with us, then I could be making really great money. Like I've said in the past, mowing is the lost leader to the very profitable work.

James

[Ramairfreak98ss]

FOR REAL GET A LIFE!!! THEY DONT NEED CONTRACTS , DONT NEED DEPOSITS AND HOW DO YOU KNOW IF THEY PAY THEIR TAXES OR NOT?? I hate the low balling weekend warriors myself but to sit their taking pictures and reporting them thats just lame if you ask me...by the way do you have insurance?:hammerhead:

There are plenty of agencies in NJ that govern business. We all have to follow the rules. YOU DO NEED CONTRACTS! its the LAW!, wtf do you people act like no one needs them? you all must be illegals on lawnsite as well huh?

Ive left them alone for years now, see them every day last year even, never did anything, theyre out in full force still this year taking our accounts. Nothing will ever change. A few pictures though and theyll go under in a month or less time.

Ill make plenty of time to catch them. My one hour is worth a lot less than what one account can earn us to get back for the season, even if its for next season. Ill make sure our jobs are done, or lawns care cut so i can be there by 7pm. The police around here are pulling over companies for weight issues and stuff falling off but nothing else.

I see guys all the time, hauling everything with single axle and small "landscape" open trailers, dirt, stone, mulch, shiat flying everywhere, stuff falling off, tree branches just laid on top, none have company signs on them.

[Ramairfreak98ss]

I don't use contracts never did, I'm legal. He obviously felt since he signed a contract last year he was obligated to keep you, even thou he was not happy with your service, ie, missed trimming the fence line. Don't sweat it just get another acct. I would do the mulch job and do a fine job at that. Never burn your bridges.
Turn this into a positive learning lesson, not a bitter I'll get the guy who took my account time wasting rant.

How are you legal? because you registered your business and have GL ins? What happens if say you mow someones property "with no contract" , they mail you a check, which shows proof of services, yet what services? since nothing in writing is in place, and they sue you for someone that drove a car into their small oak tree, knocks it over, they blame you? How are you to say you had nothing to do with it? They could say you hit it with your tractor or skid steer when doing hardscape work... again, no one knows anything because you arnt professional and have nothing in writing.

Let me ask you this, how do you collect on accounts people default on when you go into court and the judge asks to see the contract? What do you say to him.. Im sorry your honor, we are a legal company that doesnt use contracts? He/She would kick you out of the courtroom faster than a bastard step child

[topsites]

I might tell the customer that I am sorry to hear about their decision,
however I would be glad to take care of the work they had in mind.

Oh yeah, and don't worry about the other company. :p

I get kinda bitter when I lose a contract also but. learned along time ago hatred is a non productive waste of time and energy. If you hang around (cloak and dagger type are u?) and get these guys busted for anything at all, is this really gonna benefit u?
I would do the work, take my money and move on. You may or may not get the job back but who cares u did the "right" thing.

Yup, yup, I learned that same lesson too, the hard way in my case,
it quite simply doesn't pay (in the long run) to play hardball like that.

Especially in the long run...

I also learned it's really not that hard, to stand my ground while being nice about it,
the only real difference is I'm not getting in the customer's face yet I still get
what I was after, so who cares?

Doesn't pay to burn bridges.

[Stillwater]

could you good people be confusing service agreements with contracts? because contracts for lawn maint. are worth squat. I stopped useing contracts about 16-17 years ago.

[georgiagrass]

Do the work, thank the customer for the opportunity and ask them to call you if you can ever do something else for them. That's what makes you a professional.