Jaw Dropping Rates!!!

[Jay Ray]

Originally Posted by doitforjohnny

If you've read my other "trailer" post I just recently started a lawn care business.
I'm in the process of making flyers and figuring out what to charge. Well I called around to other companies in my Riverside California area to get an idea of what the rates are out here. I myself figured 35.00 dollars a lawn. Well I was on the phone with one guy acting like I was a homeowner looking for lawn service. I asked him "so how much for a mid size house"? He said "I can't give estimates over the phone but it's somewhere between 40-60 dollars" Ok, now I was happy by this time. Then I said "so if it's 40 dollars a week then that would be 160.00 a month? He said "no no no! I do it for 40 a month and I come once a week so that's 10 dollars a lawn. 40 dollars a lawn is crazy nobody does it for that much"!

My jaw dropped and my eyes sprung out of my head!!!!!! BOING!!!!

I called another guy and he does lawns for 30 bucks a month, once a week (7.50 a lawn). Am I missing something? Is this a low rate? Is the Californis rate?

Is there any other guys on here that are from Riverside/California or close by that can explain this?

FYI the first guy ran 4 crews and the second one was a solo operator.

Johnny

I've never understood why anyone would want to go into business for the purpose of becoming poor by laboring very hard for next to nothing.

[ED'S LAWNCARE]

Sounds like they knew what you were up to and gave you a line of bull. If you want to get an honest estimate have them come to your house or a friends. Just remember what you are doing ( wasting his time ) will be happening to you just as it does to all of us. Know what your business needs to survive and go from there.

[hess]

Gas and parts must be free

[Dave_005]

WOW, those rates wont even pay for my gas !

[RedWingsDet]

Originally Posted by bohiaa

a lot of co's do this,

they will fill up your lawn with 4 to 5 guys and be outta there in 10 minutes.

the only problem is that when ya do that, your guys will knock out 25-30 a day,

they come in and there dead dog tired, so they look for other jobs.

Na, they still cant be making money doing 30 per day with 5 guys.. Figure he pays them 7.50 an hour in a 10 hour day.

So thats $375 in labor per day.

Then cutting 30 lawns at $10 is only $300.

So this guy is actually loseing money.

Something is wrong with that...

Plus they have to be cutting more than 30 per day, because I cut 45 lawns (15 are big and require a 21" in the backyard) on thursdays in one day with myself and 2 guys (3 guys total). Mondays we do 30 and it only takes 8 hours with 2 guys (2 guys total)....

So those lawns in cali must be super small and they must be doing like 90 per day to make any money.

[doctordun]

When you folks talk about doing 30 or more lawns in a day, just how many square feet are they on average and are they all in a row so you don't have to move your equipment very much? Are you working an 8 hour day? That's just 16 minutes per lawn. I could see it if they were postage stamp lawns and very close together. In my area, the small lawns are 1/2 acre.

[Turf Terror]

Originally Posted by doitforjohnny

....Well I was on the phone with one guy acting like I was a homeowner looking for lawn service. I asked him "so how much for a mid size house"? He said "I can't give estimates over the phone but it's somewhere between 40-60 dollars" Ok, now I was happy by this time. Then I said "so if it's 40 dollars a week then that would be 160.00 a month? He said "no no no! I do it for 40 a month and I come once a week so that's 10 dollars a lawn. 40 dollars a lawn is crazy nobody does it for that much"!

My jaw dropped and my eyes sprung out of my head!!!!!! BOING!!!!

I called another guy and he does lawns for 30 bucks a month, once a week (7.50 a lawn).
Johnny

So...after you hung up, these guys are probably laughing to each other, saying...
LCO Guy #1: "It's that Johnny, from "Johnny's Lawn Care" calling again. He's trying to figger out how much to charge. Doesn't he know we can see his number on the caller I.D."
LCO Guy #2: "He's been calling here all the time too. Next time he calls, tell him we do lawns for $5 bucks now."

[Tim Wright]

Originally Posted by Turf Terror

So...after you hung up, these guys are probably laughing to each other, saying...
LCO Guy #1: "It's that Johnny, from "Johnny's Lawn Care" calling again. He's trying to figger out how much to charge. Doesn't he know we can see his number on the caller I.D."
LCO Guy #2: "He's been calling here all the time too. Next time he calls, tell him we do lawns for $5 bucks now."

EXACTLY

Tim

[doitforjohnny]

Originally Posted by Turf Terror

So...after you hung up, these guys are probably laughing to each other, saying...
LCO Guy #1: "It's that Johnny, from "Johnny's Lawn Care" calling again. He's trying to figger out how much to charge. Doesn't he know we can see his number on the caller I.D."
LCO Guy #2: "He's been calling here all the time too. Next time he calls, tell him we do lawns for $5 bucks now."

By George, I think you got it! NOT,

I blocked my number from showing up on his caller ID. Believe me he wasn't on to me. I told him that my Dad is getting old and he can't do his lawn anymore. And that I want to hire someone to do it for him. I don't think that an LCO would be that smart to figure me out and jepordize his business and prices. That would be so stupid of him to assume that I was another company fishing for prices!
Plus even if I didn't block my caller ID my business name isn't on there. I blocked it because I don't want him to know my name and try and look it up to call me back. Now what?

Johnny

[Big Bad Bob]

Originally Posted by doitforjohnny

"I can't give estimates over the phone but it's somewhere between 40-60 dollars" Ok, now I was happy by this time. Then I said "so if it's 40 dollars a week then that would be 160.00 a month? He said "no no no! I do it for 40 a month and I come once a week so that's 10 dollars a lawn. 40 dollars a lawn is crazy nobody does it for that much"!

My jaw dropped and my eyes sprung out of my head!!!!!! BOING!!!!

I called another guy and he does lawns for 30 bucks a month, once a week (7.50 a lawn). Am I missing something? Is this a low rate? Is the Californis rate?


FYI the first guy ran 4 crews and the second one was a solo operator.

Johnny

The only explanations I can come up with is: they know who you are and are pulling your chain : they're really bad business people: they're doing postage stamp size lawns at 20 per stop: you're yanking our chain.