The old "the lawn guy quit showing up" bit

[zechstoker]

I got a call today from a customer enquiring service for his mother's house. Apparently the now-former lawn guy hadn't shown up in a couple weeks, so they started thinking about hiring someone else who would be more reliable (me being their prime candidate based on the son's experience with me). Anyhow, they were trying to contact the other guy who had been doing the service there, and they found out that he got deported. Well, I guess that would explain him not showing up. I've heard a number of reasons/excuses for people not showing up to work, but this is actually the first time hearing that one.

[weeze]

i had a customer a year or so ago that let someone borrow money so there way to repay my customer was to mow the grass for the guy. this went on for about a year and then i got a call the other day saying they needed me to cut it again. the guy's mower had broke down.

[Jrob]

I fortunately got connect up with a customer this year that had a guy doing all of his mulching and edging each year that also got deported. Luckly for me he's referred me 7 of his neighbors that this guy had apparently done work for as well (granted it was bad work). Crazy!

[grassmonkey0311]

I just had a customer like that. A guy called looiking for me to mow his mothers house.

Guy: "Can you mow my moms house? I had a guy who used to do it for $20. But he stopped showing up. Can you do it for $20?"

Me: "No, but I can stop by and get an estimate. I can tell you now it will be more than $20. Most houses here average between $30-$40."

Guy: "Well why can't you match his price and do it for $20?"

Me: "No thanks. Why don't you call him and have him do it?"

After a few seconds of silence.....

Guy: "Good point. When can you start?"



I get a lot of calls saying the old lawn guy got hurt, so he can't mow anymore. Anyone else hear that same excuse?

[CreativeLawncareSolutions]

I had a guy ask me yesterday to scalp his yards because "all of the neighbors are doing it." He was right too. He was surrounded by scalpers. I told him they're doing that because they don't want to mow any more than they possibly have to. He understood that logic, thankfully.

[MTenterprises]

Common thing in this business. I always tell them to call that "other guy" back and get him to do it. .... They get the point and I get a laugh because the other guy is either out of business or actually got smart.
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[dstifel]

Had a lady do that the other day my other guy this my other guy that well ma'am I'm going to recommend that you call him back because i highly doubt he charged you 20 dollars to cut your yard when it was a foot tall and then raked it for free. And if he did can i have his number to sub my yards out too? Obviously didn't say that last bit just thought it to myself. Then i got the well i mowed for 30 years and your not even that old so i know more. No ma'am I'm not that old but have been doing 20-30 yards for the last 3-4 years which is like you mowing your yard for 80-120 years so i have picked quite a bit up in a hurry about doing this type of thing. She just said ok come next week and walked inside haha

[keithslawnc]

Originally Posted by zechstoker

I got a call today from a customer enquiring service for his mother's house. Apparently the now-former lawn guy hadn't shown up in a couple weeks, so they started thinking about hiring someone else who would be more reliable (me being their prime candidate based on the son's experience with me). Anyhow, they were trying to contact the other guy who had been doing the service there, and they found out that he got deported. Well, I guess that would explain him not showing up. I've heard a number of reasons/excuses for people not showing up to work, but this is actually the first time hearing that one.

Had the same thing happen a few months ago. Customer said " We had been through two or three services in the last 5 years but this guy was great the last couple of years until he got deported!"
Oddly enough my service was to expensive. Things like insurance and paying taxes will do that to for you.

[zechstoker]

Well, I finally did the estimate for that house, and 100% certain I won't be getting that job. That's alright though because I don't have room in the schedule for it anyway. We went over everything that needed attention every week, and my price came out to $385 per month. Apparently the other guy was only charging $85 per month... Can we say "lowballer"? Good Jesus...!

[knox gsl]

Had a guy approach me today, said he had some Hispanic guys mowing for him but they didn't get the clippings cut up nice and it didn't look good. I then ask him if they were coming every week, a reply of I can't afford they to mow weekly. He then noticed that I wasn't real interested in the conversation going much farther and left with a card.