[CNYScapes]

Looking for some input on what you guys would do about this customer? I have been cutting this lawn for 2 years. Occasionally calls to complain about a few clippings on the house or in his beds. A couple of weeks ago my guys were cutting in the rain and clumped up the grass a bit. So he calls me all hot under the collar and I tell him we will come back tomorrow and fix it. He also tells me that all 3 of his neighbors arent happy with their cuts either. The other 3 customers have never complained once to me. Come to find out he called all three neighbors and got them riled up. I want to drop this guy but I have 4 lawns in a row and and am worried about losing them all. What do you guys think?

 

[DUSTYCEDAR]

drop him
and let your other customers in that block that he was removed from the list due to difference of opinion

 

[tiedeman]

First of all, have you talked with him first. Tell him what you feel and don't appreciate what he is doing. And also talk with the neighbors regarding their feelings about THEIR lawn. If he is still a pain, just drop him and maintain the neighbors. Now if the neighbors follow him then that are customers that i wouldn't want to have.

 

[Green Pastures]

Find out for sure if he has really been calling his neighbors and getting them stirred up.

If he has, I'd go to his home and have a face to face talk with him.

I'd also do some serious listening to him and FIX the problems he is complaining about.

It sounds to me like he has every right to be unhappy with the service.

That however doesn't make it right for him to gang the whole block up on you.

 

[Gene $immons]

Drop him and then lower his neighbors prices by a few bucks as a gift.

This will tick him off.

 

[dvmcmrhp52]

Sounds like he had a bad day,talk with him and the others to see if they are dissatisfied or not.Patience and persistence.

 

[bobbygedd]

he does not have every right to be unhappy with his service, some people are just chronic complainers. in your contract should read, "we are not responsible for acts of god." rain, is an act of god, and since the clumping was the result of wet grass, caused by rain, it is an act of god. tell him u cant deal with his cr*p, and if it doesnt stop, u will raise the fee for compensation, or drop him like a fat chic when the buzz wears off.

 

[dvmcmrhp52]

Rain is an act of God but clumping is an act of mowing....

 

[GLAN]

Some people you just can't please.........

 

[dvmcmrhp52]

This is also true,But if you read through the many threads on this type of subject the normal reply is dump them.Adds to the bad image of the industry I think.

 

[DUSTYCEDAR]

bad image?
this guy is bad mouthing u to all his neighbors that is not good for the image either. i have worked 4 some real hard azz people over the years and some are just tuff nuts that like to break stones but they pay for the service and i can deal with that.
others are just a-holes that need to get the heav-ho no matter what u do they will not be happy as for the image of the industry i would be more worried about all the uninsured people out there causing problems 4 all of us
just my opinion.

 

[dvmcmrhp52]

Points well taken,as well.

 

[STAN1366]

I think you should try to satisfy his demands for now, and have a talk w/ the neighbors and see if they've got any complaints about your work. Maybe they do & maybe they don't. If they do have complaints that are legit, you've got to do something about it or risk losing them all. Either this guy's a PITA and you need to dump him, or he's right and the others will follow suit and dump you. It can't hurt to just invest a few more weeks to find out, right?

 

[lawnMaster5000]

I am in no way perfect, and my help even worse.

But I still think you should decide if you are going to be a grass cutter or the Lawn Maintainer. Do you try to say you do a good job, if so then do it.

 

[work_it]

Investigate. After talking with all parties involved you may want to send out a questionare to all of your customers. Just include in it that you're trying to better your services and need their recomendations. If you're doing everything well it'll show in their responses. If you're not, at least you'll know what to fix and be able to construct a plan of action.

 

[MOW ED]

You have to ask yourself how bad did that lawn look after your guys were done?
I am not saying it was bad but I know that if I was paying for a service and it didn't look decent I would be less than happy. If that lawn had big clumps of grass and your guys didn't at least double cut it or walk over with the backpack blowers to disperse the clumps then you deserve a call. Now you don't deserve the guy dirting you to the neighbors but some people are a-holes that way.
You have to ask, did you do a job the way you would want it done at your personal residence? If so then you can move on from there. If not you have to look at your operation and make sure that the small details are covered when you mow there otherwise you will be out.
Yes you can go there and be just as loud and obnoxious as the customer but what will that accomplish. You will feel good for a minute and then you will be looking to replace 4 jobs that probably brought you a decent profit.
I am not saying you are wrong here because I didn't see the work done and I don't know this customer but I do know that all people are different and we have to try and please them. If you don't want to (for whatever reason) then let em go. That is easy to do. What is harder to do is to know what to do so they don't call and complain.
Some you can't please but I find it a challenge to at least give it a try. Some of my best customers are hard to please but man do they pay well. Good Luck.

 

[TotalCareSolutions]

1. Appease him for now, be polite, grateful & understanding. Let that marinade w/ him for a minute.

2. Make it a point to solidify your relationship quickly w/ the other accounts. Ask them if service is good, is everything OK?

3. When dust settles, raise your price on the "loudmouth" only.

4. Discipline your help regarding the way they affect your image and income.

 

[TotalCareSolutions]

Originally posted by CNYScapes
he calls me all hot under the collar and I tell him we will come back tomorrow and fix it.

What happened?

 

[mtdman]

A nice big Molotov Cocktail will fix him! AND set an example for his neighbors!





Just kidding.