I was curious, on residential pre pay contracts, if the lawn is skipped a few times due to lack of growth. We skipped a lot of lawns last summer due to the drougth. So my question is due you reimburse the customer or credit them on a fall clean up or maybe credit their account for next year.
Customers pay for that spot on your route. We never totally skip a customer. We'll edge or have the foreman knock on the door and discuss things but we do make a visit and customers pay for week 1 thru 28.<p>Regarless of what is done, in most markets the customer pays to be on your list, pays to have that spot reserved. <p>Tell them this:<br>We don't charge extra when the grass grows fast, we don't give discounts when it grows slow.
I took a beating last year on residential mowing for I had contracts on a per occurance basis. It stopped raining on May 15 and did not start again until August 15.<p>What I am going to do with my existing accounts is to put them on a budget.<br>But I am going to require them to pay up front of seven monthly equal installments of $$$ payable on or before April 1, thru October 1. They will HAVE to send the first<br>payment back with a signed contract or they<br>can go pound sand. Then I will send them a payment schedule and 6 SSAE envelopes so I don't have to screw with monthly invoices.<br>I will give them a 3o day<br>out with a prorate of services rendered to date.<p>It's a sellers market. YOU are in control.<br>Cull the herd if need be.<p>
I agree with lazer. We always stop by, even if it doesn't need mowed (which doesn't happen in the summer where I live.) In fact, I always tell my guys that if the customer isn't home, mow the lawn anyway. Even if you can barely tell it was cut. At least then we provided our service. If they are home, then we always try to at least do something. Edge, pull a few weeds (even if we don't normally do that there), Rake the flowerbeds, whatever. But I always tell my guys that there should at least be 3 or 4 things marked on the checklists that we leave on their doors. It's a bad idea to just not stop by at all. <p>----------<br>Jim Lewis - Lewis Landscape Services<br>http://www.lewislandscape.com
