Invisible Fence...

[TLS]

I now have 3 customers with these invisible DOG fences. Seems every year or so, I have one in my route for about a month, but 3 all at once!!! UGGH.

All those little freakin' flags to go around (I refuse to string trim around them), and they always put the flags in the most undesirable places. In a few weeks, they will be removing every other one, and then in about a month, all flags will be removed.

Question is....Should I be charging extra for this? One of them is the owners of one of my commercial sites' home, all under same contract, the other is on a property that I get well over the going rate (avg. $65/hr) and dont want to "Rock the boat". The third, I will definately raise a little for my inconvienience. How much do you think?

[mdb landscaping]

I think you should bring up your concerns to them and tell them that you need more money if they want them string trimmed around. Maybe they will have a solutiont that works best for both of you.

[TLS]

mdb,

They will never be string trimmed around, at least NOT by me! I, in the past, usually talked the homeowner into moving them inbound about 6" so the next time I could mow where they were. They always seem receptive to this idea! Anyting for "FIDO"!!! Dog people are amazing sometimes!

I just wondered if I should charge for the hassle of just "mowing" around the 352 little wire devils!

[GroundKprs]

The flags are put up so the dog has a visual reminder of where the fence is. He also gets an audible beep as he approaches the fence. If he keeps moving closer, he gets a shock from the collar. The flags are just a training aid, and are gradually removed over the first few days or weeks.

If you do not like the flags, just don't take customers with dogs. Or write a stipulation into your contracts that there will be a surcharge for invisible fence installation during the training period.

If you don't realize that you are now in the service industry, where you need to adapt changes on your clients properties, then perhaps you should investigate www.pissandmoan.com .

[Harvestman]

Personaly I hate these things. I'm always cutting them with either a stick edger, bed edger or aerator. Now I ask everybody if they have one and tell them I'm not responsible if it gets cut.

[TLS]

Originally posted by GroundKprs

If you don't realize that you are now in the service industry, where you need to adapt changes on your clients properties, then perhaps you should investigate www.pissandmoan.com .

Thanks GroundKprs, I do know that I am in the service industry. This was a thread designed to vent (something I don't usually do on Lawnsite) about something that just about everybody here will have to deal with from time to time over the years. Why of course I dont like the flags, do you? I "wish" I could have all "non-Dog" lawns, but that would be something over 50% of my weekly schedule!

I just found it odd that there are 3 of my customers with new installs at the same time? Kinda odd! They must have blanketed the area with a strong sales campaign.

What I'll do is just bite my lip with these customers and use it for ammo when they complain about "extra" visits when things slow down in the Summer.

[Commander]

When a customer of mine has a sign up, I try to steer clear of there. It has been my experience that these things are a PITA to trim around and usually you wind up messin them up anyways. I also, in the past have heard stories about those things being projected literally THROUGH people by push mowers which were nice distances away. Tell your customers that it is a safety issue and that you will cut those turfgrass plants when the signs start disappearing.

[Raven]

I mark the location of the flags with marking paint as I'm removing them the first time. I mow and then replace the flags each week. They're only up for 4-6 weeks. The paint dot will last until they can come down, so you only need to mark once. Usually, after 2 or three weeks only every other flag has to go back (Check with the homeowner on this). Even with 400 flags, this shouldn't take more than 5 extra minutes.

[MuskTurfKing]

Originally posted by Commander
When a customer of mine has a sign up, I try to steer clear of there. It has been my experience that these things are a PITA to trim around and usually you wind up messin them up anyways. I also, in the past have heard stories about those things being projected literally THROUGH people by push mowers which were nice distances away. Tell your customers that it is a safety issue and that you will cut those turfgrass plants when the signs start disappearing.

I bet they could fly well and go pretty fast, bet that doesn't feel good...:(

Hank

[David Haggerty]

I know this belongs on the P&M site, but I just wish they'd quit using the wire flags. (thanks for the link :D )

The little plastic posts like the lawn chem people are starting to use are real satisfying when you disintegrate them with a mower.
But the wire ones either wrap around the spindle or go into a tire!

I tell the folks that have flags that the tall grass around them helps reinforce the dogs' boundary training. When the lawn gets shaggy enough they pull the flags out. Or maybe the dog's trained by then.

BTW Don't even try to string trim around the wire ones. If you just touch one, the string wraps around the wire, yanks it out of the ground and flings it halfway across the lawn. Kinda scarry. Been there, done that!

Dave

[HOMER]

400 flags removed, painted dots....................all in 5 minutes!

You da man.

You a flag snatchin nut!
You a dot paintin..................

400 flags............300 minutes.....................1.3333333 flags per second + a dot of paint.

I need you man........I could be rich in a matter of weeks!

And then you put the flags back?????????

Ah man.

I got to say..............you one bad @#$$%$##:D

You kow I'm just havin' fun..........don't get "miffy".

[Raven]

Homer-

I'm a rookie at posting to this forum. Now that I think about it, 400 flags in 5 minutes is far-fetched!!!! My hyperbolic tendencies took over.

On TLS's original post he mentioned 352 flags which is for 3 properties. 117 flags per property spaced at six feet, which is closer than these are normally placed, would make these properties roughly 31,000 square feet. These are $65-$75 accounts.

Now that I've come to my senses, I'll try to make my point. In my experience, accounts of this size generate about $4,000 of income a season (mowing, fertilizing, mulch, shrub maintenance, spring cleanups, and leaf removal/fall cleanups). Would I spend an extra 10 or 15 minutes a week for six weeks to pull some flags and put them back? You bet!!!

[TLS]

Originally posted by Raven
Homer-



On TLS's original post he mentioned 352 flags which is for 3 properties. 117 flags per property spaced at six feet, which is closer than these are normally placed, would make these properties roughly 31,000 square feet. These are $65-$75 accounts.



Raven,

Actually two of these lawns are 2+ acre accounts. They both encompass the entire property, every 2 to 2-1/2 feet! There must be 117 flags on just one of the 4 sides! When I said, 352, I was just guessing, but I may even be a bit low on the guess! The other lawn is only a 3/4 acre property with just the back yard wired!

For as "temporary" as these flags are, I just mowed up pretty close. I actually bend the wire with the side of the deck, and then loop around it pretty close. IT would take me almost an hour to paint and remove, just for one lawn! No way Jose! Next week I'll move them a bit to conform to my pattern better.

Before I know it, they'll be gone anyway!

That would be great if they made them biodegradable, just mow them and make'em disappear!......Hey, theres a multimillion dollar Idea!!!