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How dumb is this?

2K views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  Precision 
#1 ·
I went to look at a job for a hoa. The entrance had been let go for months there once beautiful flower beds was COVERED in weeds, dead bushes, and debris. So the head lady asked me to meet her there to so she could show me what she wanted so I did. First off she had no clue what she was talking about. She wanted me to pull up 60 bushes rake out the pinestraw and put sod in that place. In her mind she said it would save on maintance. So I just said ok and went back to the shop to get my bid together. After doing it how she wanted the total was around $7,300. So I decided that I would also come up with another bid for how I would recommend doing it which was pulling out the plants and weeds but redoing the pinstraw. It was about a 40-50 hr job and the mowing was going to be done 3 times a month even though they asked for 2. Well my new bid was $6,000 and when I gave them both to the lady I explained in detail about everything and why I would go with the 2nd bid. She tells me it all sounds great and the price was good and that tthe next hoa meeting is in 2 weeks and she'll let me know either way.
So its been 4 weeks and my girlfriends parents actually live in the neighborhood so last night we went over to ask them about it. How about they gave the contract to some guy who's brand new for $7,500!! Am I missing something? I bid lower, I've been doing this for a while and I told her I would even give her references if she needed. Half the board members weren't even there to vote on it from what I was told. I'm just not sure what to make out of it.

Sorry for the long post, I was just trying to vent.
 
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#3 ·
Its going to happen from time to time. Last year we bid on a Private school for 80.00 a cut,free labor on the mulch only 2 yds. Two weeks went by i noticed a guy on the property with a E150 ,he pulls a Small W.B OUT the back of this Van and statrs mowing..underbid me for 5 stinkin dollars and does a horrilbe job.This year Iam getting that Property!!
 
#4 ·
Nothing makes me more happy than driving by the homes of people who went with a scuzzy looking guy working out of a car or van for $5 less than what I bid and noticing all the bare spots from where his mower scalped down to the dirt, and the wavy edging lines that look more like he had a few too many before firing up the edger or trimmer. Though, this situation sounds like he knew somebody on the board, or said or did something they really liked.
 
#5 ·
These people kept changing their mind and wanted my wife who is a Landscape Designer to put together a proposal for them for FREE! I tell these people no Landscape Designer would do something as extensive as what they wanted for Free. Then I made 2 additional trips to this place, because they kept changing their minds on what they wanted done. Finally I told them, when they had their act together to call me. I'm too busy to waste this much time for a contract I may or may not have. These people were serious PITAes. They have called back to let me know they still want me to be their maintenance so I know they are serious, but they have to understand I'm running a business, and don't have time to waste.

Good Luck down there in Jville. It must be all the influx of people moving to the coastal part of NC.:laugh: They are strange to country boys like me, but I love their $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
 
#6 ·
Yeah, these are the kind of bids I send a polite No-bid letter to anymore.

It's because to me, once my mind has become ill disposed, meaning I'm thinking badly about the place or the person, it's gone too far and it is nothing an estimate can fix because I am no longer in the right frame of mind for it. To me, it's more than about the price. To me, things have to click and the gears should engage smoothly and without trying (a little rough is ok) but once the stuff starts to grinding and I feel the frustration coming on, it's more than likely over before I even get started.

For example, would you want an auto mechanic to work on your car if the mech is already frustrated because he thinks all cars of your make and model are POS? Well maybe they are but there's nothing to be done here, even if that guy is the cheapest, if he has a negative mindset about the work, you're better off talking to some other mechanics first.

Which, if the lady in the first HOA case was as smart as I suspect most customers to be, she may have seen the attitude, and no offense but she simply made the best choice for the community, a job which applies both to her and to you, I am proud of a customer who can see the pita coming and decides to save us both the headache (by the way, that's a hard one to swallow after you go through it from the receiving end).

But anyway, a lot of times when it gets to that point, I realize I'm better off not submitting a bid (because what IF I get it, and then things go wrong, which in this case the chances are high, now comes the anger), I save myself from first wasting more time and effort on the process, but also extricate myself from a potential disaster waiting to happen.

So, I usually send them a short letter like this:
........
[Headers (your address, date, their address, etc)]
Hi,

I'm sorry, but having considered the work and the requirements involved, I'm afraid I can not help you at this time.

Thank you for the opportunity.

.......
And let someone else have the chance, maybe they see what she's talking about, maybe they know something I don't, whatever, it's a good thing it is not my problem when it is a problem I don't have a good answer for.

Peace out
 
#7 ·
Yeah, these are the kind of bids I send a polite No-bid letter to anymore.
It seems you are missing out on quite a few opportunities, as in shooting yourself in the foot.

I am guessing they hired the other person because he had connections. Or they are fickle. The other question is how well recognized is your name and your time in business? Might be worth while to compare the other persons name and time in business.
 
#8 ·
Thats just it we're a family business and it's been 20 years. We've done gov't work, we've done landscaping for a few of our new car dealerships, landscaping for the city, cell towers (we just finished a landscaping job for sprint that cost'em $8,500.) We're good at what we do and for the most part we don't even advertise. The guy they gave the bid to is brand f@#$in new. And I was going to mow 3 times a month and he's only gonna do 2 and he's getting paid more. And what I really hate is that she told me she'd let me know and I never heard from here, when I stopped what I was doing to give them an estimate. Whats funny is last year they kept trying to get me to take over the contract from the last guy that had it but we were to busy with our landscape jobs, and now I actually tell them I'm interested and there not. Kinda funny I guess.
 
#9 ·
We use to cut all the common area and ponds at a development being built with people living in some of the houses now. We had been there from the start. Well they decide last year to "save some money" that they would call me when it needed to be cut. I said ok thats fine just call ahead of time. They would call on Tuesday and want it cut on Wednesday. I ended up telling them to find a different contractor after about 3 times.
 
#13 ·
one thing to remember in all this is that you didnt get the job now but after the newbie screws up everything or doesnt deliver they still have your name and estimate but you also know what they are paying him. IMO i would send a short "thanks for the opertunity and look foreward to future work with you" letter to her. then when things go south with this guy you can date rape them for taking over and getting things back to shape being careful to document all his mistakes and prove why they were mistakes to justify your cost of operations at their location. I have found some of the easiest money i make is cleaning up after someone else has wasted a job. You have the original problem still to deal with and new problems caused by someone else. of corse in doing this you might put him out of business if they persue legal matters.
im new to the lawn and landscape business but ive been in the service industry all my life and your corelation of a mechanic was something i never thought about. Ive worked with 100 or so mechanics over the years and the ones who rag on the product they are servicing have always been the worst ones doing the repair and the ones who charge the most.
.02 cents american
 
#14 ·
Any chance this guy knew someone who was a decision maker? Sometimes I've been beat out by a family member when my deal was better.:usflag:
I second this answer. HOAs can be just as corrupt as any other political entity. The president or other board member probably got a look at your bid right before making a call to a friend or family member. Then they tossed your bid in the trash. Ask if the bids are sealed next time [opened at the HOA meeting or at a board of directors meeting]and request to be present at the meeting to answer any question from cheap homeowners. This is just so you don't waste your time doing the leg work for some unscruplious lawn service.
 
#15 ·
Just goes to prove, it's not ALWAYS what you know...but WHO YOU KNOW!!!!

A board member knows someone, who has a friend, who's brother mows lawns...probably.
 
#18 ·
Ok, today I drove by this place on my way back from another estimate, and how about the new guys were out there putting down pinestraw and mulch. I was told they wanted to do something different then mulch since it's been so costly over the past few years and the new guys put down the pine straw without doing anything do the dead plants that everyone can see. They didn't even pull weeds,just throw the pinestraw over top. Now this pisses me off for two reasons: 1, if your gonna do a job do it right or don't even take it on, 2, this is who I lost out to? They're idiots!!! Part of me wants to go show up on the lady I talked to's door and laugh at her. I guess some people like paying more for less.
 
#19 ·
Ok, today I drove by this place on my way back from another estimate, and how about the new guys were out there putting down pinestraw and mulch. I was told they wanted to do something different then mulch since it's been so costly over the past few years and the new guys put down the pine straw without doing anything do the dead plants that everyone can see. They didn't even pull weeds,just throw the pinestraw over top. Now this pisses me off for two reasons: 1, if your gonna do a job do it right or don't even take it on, 2, this is who I lost out to? They're idiots!!! Part of me wants to go show up on the lady I talked to's door and laugh at her. I guess some people like paying more for less.
Don't take it so personally. A chump HOA got a chump LCO. Sounds like a perfect match.

Happens all the time.
 
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