What Is It Worth?

[bobbygedd]

ill tell u guys and girls, the worse part of this business is being treated like a pee on. we had a thunderstorm here a few weeks ago. customer called and requested "storm clean up" , as well as "some topsoil to fill the hole on the side of the house, and prune the dead limbs off my red maple" i did as he asked, and sent a bill. i charged $120 for 1.5 hrs labor and 2.5 yds disposal . the dump i go to charges $15 per yd for disposal. i charged $25 for a wheelbarrow of topsoil, and pruning 4 small limbs off the maple. customer calls up furious, says that all of these services should be included as part of the grasscutting fee. i told him to read his contract. we argue, he says he will not pay me that much money, he will however think about it and send me what he thinks is fair. someone tell me what is "fair" for 45 min labor at sight, plus 30 min labor to dump, plus the dump fee, plus the soil and pruning. this was done with 2 men. i cant stand dead beats. this guy thinks i am to clean his property for free.

[Sean Adams]

bobby...

Did you explain to him in detail everything that you did for him? I don't what your hourly labor rates are, but if it is what you normally charge, he should not be an exception. If the contract states that extra work is an additional cost, then what is he complaining about? I think if you go to him and explain the time and expense involved for you he might realize that what he is being charged is worth it.

[bobbygedd]

sean, ill tell u that right now my heart is pounding like a drum, and i am furious. my contracts clearly state what is to be done under the agreement, and also states that anything extra will be charged extra. period. i started to tell him what it costs just to dump, but he kept cutting me off. he was not interested. he thinks i am his employee.

[Sean Adams]

Send him a bill. Write a letter and explain so he can't cut you off. What is total bill?

[Scotlawncare]

carry him the bill for the dumping fee and ask him who should pay it. then carry him the payroll for your two employees and ask who should pay it for working for him. then ask who should pay for the dirt. If he still argues, DROP HIM. Dead beats will always be dead beats. You could always bring back the stuff you hauled off and put it back on his lawn.

Scot

[Bob Minney]

If he called and requested the work he should pay for it-I get a price approved before starting on things like this.

Your price was way more than reasonable.

I like the idea of bringing his stuff back from the dump-wouldnt do it ,but a fun thought.

Bill him & push for payment-no more work until paid

[awm]

slow u heart dn bobby its just money.
not makin light of it ,but u have run into
a certain type person. my wd forum is nut.i avoid them at all cost,as they cause trouble sooner or later. guess he mabe thinks u operate like triple AAA huh.
these people can seem so normal and then boom they hit u with something stupid.
once killed 300 ft of weeds on a bank in a ladies back yd. [ tried to talk her out of it as i knew it would cause the bank to wash an erode .] also vacuumed out her gutters that day.
she just couldnt believe i was gonna charge her more than the 35 mowing fee.
yea id mowed also. just a nut and i got all my money 150 and told not to call me again. just about lost it with that lady.
i dont sweat an get gyped. not without a fight anyway.heck im already mad just thinking about it. and i told u to calm dn:)

[Administrator]

I used to have several residential clients who literally gave me a blank check to fill in after I had completed my fall or spring clean-ups. These particular clients also paid up front for the entire years mowing maintenance.

Mission Hills & Johnson County Kansas clients.... good stuff. :)

[m&m]

37.00 for dumping, 25.00 for soil, two man crew which totals 45 minutes times two people...........ok that leaves you 58.00 to divide with you and your man...........what is this fella arguing about?

tell him to pay the bill and be happy.

i know what ya mean, i did some extra for a woman and then she said that i should not have biled her for that seeing as to how it was supposed to be included in price. i should notify her next time of any extra charges.......well that is what we agreed to when i first set the deal up with her.......anything other than the regular mow/go services was extra......bottom line..........i thiink me and her are straight now.....we will see when the leaves start filling her gutters up and all the other fall services that will be asked of.......

[Green Pastures]

Originally posted by bobbygedd
he thinks i am his employee.

Bobby,

Uh, you ARE his employee, but I do think you have a right to be mad. But mainly at yourself. I think that this is as much your fault as his. Did you do the work without a contract? Did you REMIND the customer BEFORE you did the work that it would be extra?

They treat us like we're dummies so I just do the same....ie. if one of my customers were to ask me to do the same type of work as your's did, I would ask them bluntly..."Are you aware that this is extra work and is NOT included in the contract?" "Are you aware that my labor rate is $X and that I will incur dump fees?"

Come on dude, this is just as much if not more your fault. It is your responsibility to make sure you will get paid before doing any work. I do not ever, never, ever.....did I say never? I NEVER do anything without a signature.

Good luck. I'd start kissing some customer butt and hope you don't get replaced.

Scott

[bobbygedd]

actually, i am not his employee, he is my customer(soon to be x customer) . the contract clearly states what is to be done as far as "regular service". it also says extras r not free. as far as kissing butt, im not into it, thanks though for the advice. to me, this is a good opportunity to get out of my contract with him, as it also clearly states i have a right to cancel service if payments r not made on time. see, this is the good thing about having these bums on a payment schedule. he pays over and above his grasscutting fees each month, actually, alot of his fall cleanup is already paid . he is due for his weekly cut tommorow actually, and im seriously considering not going there, after all, he already said hes not paying me in full

[KenH]

.

[Randy Scott]

Whether it's one dollar or one thousand dollars, you need to tell the customer up front it will cost extra and at least a ballpark figure. That will at least prepare the customer for what lies ahead and puts you in the position for him to react at the price before you start the work. My very best customers that have complete faith in me and a strong trust get a price up front, it's just good business. I am suprised all the time at peoples reactions to prices. And that goes both ways, the ones you think will freak don't, and vice versa. Another lesson learned.

[nu83]

Bobby, don't sweat it. I couldn't disagree more with Green Pastures, its not your fault at all. If your contract clearly stated that extras are just that, extras, which is common sense anyway then you were in the right to expect him to understand. I think it is good policy to give at least a ball park figure in advance so they will be prepared. This guy seems like an undesirable account, I would mow tommarow and leave a bill due before next weeks cut. If you dont show up tommarow dont expect a check.
Good Luck

[bruces]

Bobby,

Did you give him an idea of the extra costs up front?
That would have let him say yea or nay to having you do the work.

Your posts seem to have a recurring theme of the customer is always wrong!

[Albemarle Lawn]

All that matters is that you STAY AWAY FROM THIS LOSER!

[bobbygedd]

i didnt give him an idea of what it would cost. nor, did he ask. he did, however, boldly ask for the services, without asking what it would cost. did he leave the door open for this problem to happen? what would u expect to pay for what we did?

[bobbygedd]

oh, and bruce, should i quote a price everytime a customer passivly asks for something? tell u what, this happened to me a few years back. was working alot of hours, guess i looked like ****, clothes dirty and so on. well, i ran into some friends in the middle of the work day, and after talking asked them out to lunch at a great resturaunt in my town. well, i guess by the looks of me, the waiter thought i didnt have much money, cus everytime i ordered something, he would quote me a price . i finally got very insulted, handed him a credit card, and said bring me and my guests whatever i ask, ok. point: i knew damn well i would be charged for everything i ordered, didnt want no one knickle and dimin me everytime i asked for something. i dont expect anything for free, do u? i dont give anything for free, do u?

[Lawn-Scapes]

Doesn't seem outrageous but I think you should've given a price beforehand..

BTW.. I find your posts very entertaining :D

[bobbygedd]

thanx, i try

[roscioli]

Bobby- I am on your side. Most of my customers are on that same basis, where they ask for something and trust me enough to not ask for a price. They know my prices are fair, and they know the work NEEDS TO BE DONE. That is what counts. Its not extra type work I am talking about here, These sticks and whatnot needed to be cleaned off this guys lawn, and YOU ARE HIS LANDSCAPER, plain and simple. OBVIOUSLY you are going to charge him for it, he is either a moron or just trying to rip you off. I am guessing the prior. I agree wholeheartedly with you and the way you run your business, sometimes there is no need to quote a price for every little stupid thing. Most of my customers say "OK, this year I also want to re-seed this area and cut those low branches off that tree, blah blah blah." They dont ever ask for a price, and they dont complain when I bill them. Plain and Simple. EXTRA IS EXTRA. sorry for the long post, just got caught up because i am on your side.

[bobbygedd]

rosc, bless your soul. u must be makin money at this. seems too often, these guys give into customers and work for free. or, come down on thier price in a conflict, thats what makes it harder on guys like u and me

[KerryB]

Bobby maybe this guy is just yanking your chain to try and get something for free. If you give in he will most assuredly do it again and again.
I cant understand why anyone would assign blame to you for this unfortunate incident. Afterall if your contract clearly states that all additional services are extra, and he signed it, then he should pay.
Now as for drawing up a contract for every little thing, I just cant see it. For landscaping and the like yes but not for something of this nature.
I guess I have been fortunate in that all my customers seem to have a lot of common sense. If they ask me to do extras they know it will cost extra. They always pay. Most of them either tell me to treat their place as I would my own or they ask up front, "How much do you think this will cost?".
So just calm down and tell him that you decide how much is appropriate for your company to charge and if he doesnt pay up or even if he does tell him that he will need to find a new lco to push around.

[bobbygedd]

thanx doc. the customer is NOT always right. sometimes they are, mostly they r not. it is amazing how veiwpoints vary greatly from person to person. presented with the same incident, some agree with me, some dont. amazing isnt it? i wont nickle and dime my customers by handing them a separate contract for every little thing they need done. large items, like a new landscape etc, of course. but a little top soil? it would take longer to type up the contract then it would to do the work. everyones reply is appreciated, thanx again. its great to have a support site like this. i was flaming mad last night, and within minutes, i had replies to my post. now im goin to cut some soggy grass, great aint it.

[Gravely_Man]

Bobby, I wish you the best in collecting the money. In the future I would just take the extra few moments and let the customer know they will be charged above and beyond their normal mowing fee and give them an estimate. I know you are going to frown on this but why keep having these repeating issues that better communication would alleviate. I am not busting your chops. I just see something you can change and everyone will be happier.

[bobbygedd]

definitly gonna at least mention it in the future

[sgtgm5]

Hmm, yes he is the boss. He is the one providing the paycheck for services rendered. However, I would drop him in a minute. And yes, I always give a quote before doing any additionals.

[bobbygedd]

cmon now? my boss? man, dont lower yourself to that level. he does not provide a paycheck, he pays a fee. when i go to the doctor, i pay him, but am i his boss? dont think so. the difference is, when a "boss" hires an employee, he tells the employee what needs to be done, what time to come in, what time to go home, what time to eat lunch, what days u will work, etc. now, on the other hand, when i speak with a customer, i tell THEM what day i will work, what i will do, and how much they will pay me. there is no comparison whatso ever. cmon man