Late callers

[jaclawn]

Does anyone else have a problem with customers calling late at night? I made the mistake of having my home telephone number in the phone book, and people will call that if they get the machine on the business line. I had one call this week at 11:30. I did not make it to the phone, and the machine got it. Since it was a garbage customer that is getting dropped next season, I did something that I wanted to do for a very, very long time, give a customer a wake up call. 4:45 a.m. I told the woman that I was leaving pretty early that morning, and that her call must have been an emergency for her to be calling me so late at night. She was not a happy camper. I go to bed early, (should be there now) and get up early. What other business answer phones that late at night? Same deal goes for hoildays.

[accuratelawn]

I received a call at 10:20pm and 6:14am, both in the same weed. What do people think?

[BUSHMASTER]

all my customers call my pager and get voice mail and if it sounds like something that can keep til morning i'll call then....

[Lazer]

jaclawn, that's a thing of beauty!

Phoning between 8:00am and 8:00pm is fine w/ me.

When vacationing in Phoenix last year, I realized in some areas people start early: the pool guy knocked on my cousins door at 5:45am!! The homeowners thought nothing of it! The little *#^@ woke me up.

[eslawns]

You could ask them not to call you at your house.

"Since it was a garbage customer that is getting dropped next season..."

Why wait? What is a "garbage" customer?

[lawndog]

How about getting a second phone line for your business
and then only answer when you want,otherwise let them
leave a message,also email works well.

[Twotoros]

Had a out of town customer-same time zone call at 1-2 am at least 4 times in a two week period . I ignored it and let the machine in the office take it . I was doing the lawn at her mom's house and the back yard had always been a "don't mow " . I was told now it should be mowed ,it was totally out of control -only 500sq feet, it took an hour and a half and looked like hell .
I was going to bill her extra . Well that morn at 2 am I wake up to my office phone ringing and she is bitching me out for the crappy job . Next morn I was so mad I lost it and called her voice mail as that was all I could ever reach. I called her every name in the book using swear words , hung up and called back to repeat myself . I swear I almost had a heart attack . I now it was wrong but I would do it again. I was so bad I think she could have sued me. A pro am not I guess.

[gusbuster]

Do these people realize that your business phone is your personal phone?? I have this problem also. My wife wants me to get a third line.

Seems to me that it's most of my Asian clients that do this to me. First offense I tell them not to call any later than 8 pm. Second offense, guess who is looking for another lawn care professional.

Seems ridiculous that I have to spend extra money to get piece of mind.
John

[Twotoros]

I won't even call friends after 9 on a work night and 10 on weekends. I have turned my ringer off on the biz line and let my machine get it . Also tellymarketheads hate a machine.

[Charles]

Ring ring Heeeelllooo lol, this is the year 2000 isnt it? Get caller id. woohoo!! Problem solved. I too only answer the business calls between 8 am and 8 pm. Get control of your life man.

[Rufur]

I took a call once half-asleep, my wife answered and had to wake me, I probably yawned into the phone, I mumbled doubt I made much sense I immediately felt like an idiot after I hung up...now I never answer anything too early, unless Im prepared, I have an answering machine in the next room so I can listen to the messagew/o having to get up

[Toroguy]

I think some customers call late to leave a message. They dont expect an answer.

[jaclawn]

eslawns- I have a seperate number for the business. They went to the phone book, and looked under my last name, and called the personal number, not the one for the business. They are not getting dropped now because we only have 5-6 more cuttings to go this year. A garbage customer is a customer that calls late at night. A garbage customer is a customer that asks the same question about her lawn every other week. A garbage customer is a customer that wants 5-6 quotes per year on various projects, then never acts on them. A garbage customer is a customer that will call at 3 in the afternoon wanting to know why you were not at their house yet. A garbage customer is a customer that wants everything for nothing... Get the idea.


This is the same deal as you or I calling our mower dealer at home late at night asking a question about out mowers. I would only do this if he told me 1. it was alright to call at home, and 2. he told me it was alright to call that late. My personal number will be unlisted from now on.

[thelawnguy]

"Next morn I was so mad I lost it and called her voice mail as that was all I could ever reach. I called her every name in the book using swear words , hung up and called back to repeat myself . I swear I almost had a heart attack . I now it was wrong but I would do it again. I was so bad I think she could have sued me. A pro am not I guess."

We should all be very careful what info we leave on an answering machine or voice mail. Whatever you say could possibly be there forever (same as e-mail or other written forms of communication). I make it a habit of leaving only "call me back" type of messages on the phone and save the new a-hole ripping speeches for when I can be within 3 inches of their face.

[lawnMaster5000]

I know that you are looking for some peace of mind, but you should have known that things like this would be happening. If you are going to try and pass of as a professional company your cstomers will believe that you have a company line. Therefore when calling at late night they are expecting to get a machine, so they can leave a message.

Anyway, what are youguys doing talkinga bout saying that you wil not call friends after 9 or 10?? thats crazy. I work 10 hours a day getup at 6 mon- sat. and go to bed around 2 or 3 every night. well maybe thats just because i am crazy.

HAPPY MOWING- SLEEPING

[Turfer]

This is a post I can relate to but I thought I was getting away from late night calls. As a systems manager at a bank for the past 15 years, I can't tell you how many calls I've gotten at 0 dark thirty. Between midnight and 4:00 a.m. is crunch time at a bank. Many times I would have to get up and go into work if the problem was really bad. I've gotten calls on Thanksgiving, Christmas Morning and in the hospital while my wife was giving birth to our first born. Always on call, 24/7, is not any fun. I've even changed the way I sleep. I sleep with my right arm out from under the covers so I can answer the phone quickly when it rings. I've even slept with a pager on vibrate clipped to my pj's. I've phased out of that job now and am pretty much at peace at night. I thought I was done with these late night calls until I read this post ! LOL !!

[parkwest]

Had a customer call one time in the middle of the night about some changes he had come up with while he was sleeping. He said he would have jotted them down but he didn't have any paper handy by his bed and he said he knew if he went back to sleep he would forget what he had dreamed up. Sent him a bill for after hours consulting. Have never had that problem since. The word gets around.

Don't get mad, Get Paid!

[Bill c]

Once we had a customer call on a sunday morning in july wanting to know if we were going to plow her driveway this year.I then had a second line installed with a machine just for these kind of ignorant customers.

[Runner]

I had a customer call me up at (now dig this) 4 a.m.! He wanted to know if I could come back out to his house (which was almost 30 min. away) to "bag the grass clippings". I had just been out to his house the previous day, because they were having an open house the next day, and didn't want the clippings "dragged into the house". I just bit my tongue and went out and did it that morning. As I think of it now, I should've jumped out of bed at the time of the call and went out there right then. I could just tell all the neighbors that I woke up that it was at HIS request.

[Stinger]

Communicate with your customers and make them aware of your hours of opperation. If they call me after 9pm they can talk to a machine and I'll return the call the next morning.
Now if i'ts an $$$ important client i'll acknowledge them if possible. When I first started out people would call late at night and want you there first thing, for there party is tomorrow (like i'm suppost to read minds)? First light and we're mowing, (lady comes out yelling)!I just smiled and said: I got here soon as possible to make everything nice for your party! Last time she ever called me late again!