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View Full Version : Best Solution to Combat Another Companies Non-professional Practice


Skookum
10-21-2000, 03:32 AM
I have mowed several accounts over the years were I have found small landscape stones from the property or a surrounding properties beds that had been thrown or kicked into the grass by kids, vandels, people without brains, etc.. But, this is a new one on me.

One of my accounts, I have taken care of for three years now, just had a Super Wal-mart built behind it. They put a road through next to my property. The final grade people did a crap job. I picked up 5 five gallon buckets of small to medium stones, baseball to coke can size, all in about a 20ft x 150ft space where the road cut through my account.

Around the backside, Wal-mart had to put in a drainage ditch with flow stops every so often. This area is divided from my account by a 10ft wide brush area (I have put in a unsolicited bid to my account for cleanup of this area). Last week the mowing crew that mows for Wal-mart mowed this back area for the first time since they opened over three months ago. Thier side is huge, about 100ft x 300ft, excluding the 20ft wide drainage area.

When I mowed my grass side of the brush area this week, I found same size stones I picked up from before, all over the lawn and even the parking lot. Upon ivestigation, I found same size stones also thrown in the brush area. I just walked this brush area a few weeks ago when putting my bid together to clean it up, and there were no rocks. Then I remembered, I had noticed all the small stones on the Wal-mart side and had thought what a mess the final grade guys made over there also.

Now, I did not see the mowing crew throw those stones, but I know that they did it. I imagine they were throwing them into the brush area without really looking and many bounced out to my lawn side, which the brush is my side also. I picked up three 5 gallon pails in the grass and parking lot alone just to be able to mow. I wanted to just throw them back over, but I am not that kind of person, besides they might throw them back again. That could go on for ever, besides they really do not care about thier expensive blades, they are just lawn grunts.

Any ideas?

MOW ED
10-21-2000, 06:11 AM
You certainly are correct in not having a rock shooting contest with a 40 dollar set of blades. I have a customer where this sort of thing happened and my suggestion to you is to do what you already did and then raise the deck. Eventually the rocks will be pushed down into the soil if they are small enough and if anything is big enough to hit your deck at 3 1/2 or 4 inches you should see it.

awm
10-21-2000, 07:07 AM
If i understand correct walmarts mowers
created problem. If so their management
would probably get it stopped for you.
good luck TM

Lawn Cruiser
10-21-2000, 01:48 PM
I would complain to the management at Wal*Mart and tell them that if it doesn't stop you are going to charge them to clean up their mess.

chrisbolte
10-22-2000, 12:54 PM
You can tell Walmart you are gonna charge them but will they pay? I dont think so. It wasnt their fault. They may say something to lawnmowing company but they will deny doing it.

Lawn Cruiser
10-22-2000, 01:05 PM
See if you can catch them in the act. If possible get pictures for proof otherwise it would be hard to prove that they are doing it.

zimm4
10-23-2000, 09:03 AM
I would talk to the lawn crew first. They may not know your doing this part. If you tell them they may say we did not know sorry it wont happen again.

If they give you a bunch of sh**. Then complain to walmart.