New Customer

[bel-nor]

Hello to all, hope your season is back to normal. I picked up a new customer about a week ago and gave a quote sheet for my service price. Yesterday I serviced the property and the elderly owner comes out and ask for the rear patio to be blow vac for leaf debris as I was indicating at the time to my helper ...no problem. She comes out shortly afterwards and hands me a my pay and ask for a business card, of which I hand her and thank her. I walk to the trailer and check the cash and its minus $10.00 of my fee. The helper ask if I had any business cards and I asked what for and he pointed out the overgrown occupied propertis ($400,000+ homes) that may be potential customers, he would place a card at these properties..

This is the first worker that ever stated this, and it was impressive. I told him thanks and I had already forwarded post cards earlier in the week. I knock at the door politely and ask her if she still had the quote sheet I gave her and she states no. I informed her my price was on that sheet and she was $10.00 short. She became confused and stated I must not be the same guy she talked to about the service. I explaine I was sent last week by her son. She also said she included a $5.00 tip. WoW. I thought about it and told her including her tip I will service the property for the same amount. In theory there are only a few cuts left, however I want to be in the community for potential customers to see the work. Some how in the back of my mine I think cheapness has peeked it's ugly head. This is a yay or nay call and I went with yay....your thought.

[Patriot Services]

Might want to get carbon quote sheets so there is no more confusion. I barely trust my memory let alone the customers.
Posted via Mobile Device

[bel-nor]

Good idea I normally get a new customer and immediately log the name, adress, phone number and price in the BlackBerry. Thanks.

[orangemower]

I wouldn't worry about it.

[Golfpro21]

i would say good call

treat it as bonus money for the rest of the season...........you might impress her and she might stick with you next year for the official quoted price you give her.........plus you might get other properties in the area

all the best

[Patriot Services]

Originally Posted by Golfpro21

i would say good call

treat it as bonus money for the rest of the season...........you might impress her and she might stick with you next year for the official quoted price you give her.........plus you might get other properties in the area

all the best

How is being shorted "bonus" money? Her son made the agreement. He needs to be notified and told to remind his mother.
Posted via Mobile Device

[MOturkey]

Dealing with the elderly presents its own set of challenges. She may just be cheap, but also may have talked to someone else about servicing her lawn, and actually is confused. If you can live with the lower price, I'd just let it slide.

We mow for a lady who is 93. It is a small yard, so I cut her a break on the price, and just charge her $100 a month, even if I do 5 cuts (normally $25 per cut). She likes to pay cash, so you have to wait until after she gets her pension and goes to the bank the first part of the month. Half the time she is asleep, and won't answer the door. Last month I only mowed one time due to the drought, but she still owed us for July. I finally left a note on the door, and she called and left a message on the answering machine that she was sorry but she goofed up and didn't have enough money in the bank to pay us until September. I mowed it again last Monday, but couldn't get her to answer the door, so left a note and told her to just mail it. Still no money.

She once told my wife she just didn't understand why the guy who mowed for her before quit doing so?

[Dave does lawns]

Originally Posted by Patriot Services

Might want to get carbon quote sheets so there is no more confusion. I barely trust my memory let alone the customers.
Posted via Mobile Device

Very funny, and well put.

[Golfpro21]

Originally Posted by Patriot Services

How is being shorted "bonus" money? Her son made the agreement. He needs to be notified and told to remind his mother.
Posted via Mobile Device

or you could do the old lady a favour...........or you could take the hard road and lose the account.............if he is willing to service the property for the lower price so be it

[123hotdog]

I have a soft spot for elderly people and its always costing me money. We will all be old cheap and cranky one day. At 40 I'm already 2/3 of the way there.