maybe a better question is , do you run your business or does your business run you.

 

Maybe its just "talk" Ya know?? I mean...heck..if I said some of the things that I think...Id be broke lol But I get what you're saying. I try and do everything to make my customers happy...as long as its reasonable and fair.

 

It's funny you mention dog sh!t in your post. That's the first thread that came to mind about how some of us treat our customers. I'm talking about a guy that sent letters to his customers complaining about the dog crap in the yard. For what we get paid, I think we can deal with a little dog dooty and some of the other unpleasant stuff that comes with the job. We all have our pet peeves I guess. But yeah, you're right. The more customers we get the less valuable each one is to us. BTW, how do you like working in Fort Collins? Plenty of competition I bet.

 

It's funny you mention dog sh!t in your post. That's the first thread that came to mind about how some of us treat our customers. I'm talking about a guy that sent letters to his customers complaining about the dog crap in the yard. For what we get paid, I think we can deal with a little dog dooty and some of the other unpleasant stuff that comes with the job. We all have our pet peeves I guess. But yeah, you're right. The more customers we get the less valuable each one is to us. BTW, how do you like working in Fort Collins? Plenty of competition I bet.

Have you ever left a job with dog crab all over your tires only to have to stop and scrape or wash it off, because the rest of your customers don't like dog crap in their yard, and they pay you to do whats best for them. The ones with crap all over have to pay extra or I let them go. Just fired a good paying customer for this reason. He had 1 little dog when I started, now he has 3 and they are going everywhere. The question is...How much crap can you take before you decide you need a new customer ???

 

I'm lost on what goes through peoples' minds?!?! When we go to do a lawn we want to leave it looking as well as we possibly can for both customer satisfaction and to reflect well on our company. For the most part we have people who are willing to work with us to achieve that goal. Then there's the few who fertilize and run their sprinklers 72 hours on one setting and then lie to us and say they barely water. The grass is 6-7 inches tall and flattened by the excessive watering. Or the ones who leave their water on until five minutes before we come to cut. We ask them to work with us and they refuse as if making it hard to do a good job gives them a strange thrill. These types of customers are few but they sure can spoil my day.

 

The customer is always right, just like in any other bussiness. Now, that doesn't mean I let them walk all over me or don't have any rules....does this answer your question?

 

I'm lost on what goes through peoples' minds?!?! When we go to do a lawn we want to leave it looking as well as we possibly can for both customer satisfaction and to reflect well on our company. For the most part we have people who are willing to work with us to achieve that goal. Then there's the few who fertilize and run their sprinklers 72 hours on one setting and then lie to us and say they barely water. The grass is 6-7 inches tall and flattened by the excessive watering. Or the ones who leave their water on until five minutes before we come to cut. We ask them to work with us and they refuse as if making it hard to do a good job gives them a strange thrill. These types of customers are few but they sure can spoil my day.

I know they just don't understand or don't care. I have tried for yrs with some customers explaining that they need to stop watering 24 hrs before we arrive. But after letters and knocking on the door and explaining everything over and over. I decided fine I will mow and go if it looks crappy or gets ruts it's their problem I've warned them .

 

Have you ever left a job with dog crab all over your tires only to have to stop and scrape or wash it off, because the rest of your customers don't like dog crap in their yard, and they pay you to do whats best for them. The ones with crap all over have to pay extra or I let them go. Just fired a good paying customer for this reason. He had 1 little dog when I started, now he has 3 and they are going everywhere. The question is...How much crap can you take before you decide you need a new customer ???

I never said I liked dealing with the crap. My point was the way the guy handled his customers. He worded his letter in such a way that it offended some of his customers. That is the topic of this thread, How we treat our customers. My point was most of us take our customers for granted (to some extent) the more customers we have. I have a customer who has dogs and yes, the crap is a pain in the a$$. Next season he'll be paying more because of this or he'll get someone else to deal with it. In the mean time I'm going to treat him as if he was my only customer. That's just the way I roll, Dog.

 

I never said I liked dealing with the crap. My point was the way the guy handled his customers. He worded his letter in such a way that it offended some of his customers. That is the topic of this thread, How we treat our customers. My point was most of us take our customers for granted (to some extent) the more customers we have. I have a customer who has dogs and yes, the crap is a pain in the a$$. Next season he'll be paying more because of this or he'll get someone else to deal with it. In the mean time I'm going to treat him as if he was my only customer. That's just the way I roll, Dog.

I didn't read his letter he sent out. I just sent a letter stating our policy as nicely as possible. He didn't take care of it for 3 weeks so we sent him a termination letter. He called practically begging us to come back, but we knew his kids would not do what we asked, so I said sorry I'm just to busy to stop and go thru this week after week. I felt bad because I liked him, but not his back yard. Maybe it's because my phone is always ringing and this allows me to be take the good and now after 15 yrs I have a No Pita policy. If times get rough I will start taking pitas back or find a new line of work. BUt we all have to take a stand or some customers will walk all over you.

"Thats just the way I roll." You been listening to Colin Cowheard :laugh:

 

I don't necessarily think that anyone treats their customers badly... unless their customers are treating them badly (PITA's)

For the most part, I think everyone likes to VENT here, because we all understand what each other is talking about.

I'm the first to say don't bite the hand that feeds you, but when they give you your bread and then treat you like crap, I can always find another hand to feed me.

 

Ummm. Let's see.

Last monday: Fired customer for AGAIN leaving more than 5 poopies in the yard.

tuesday: Fired a customer who felt we should charge less cuz now we can get a Z in her backyard. We cut it for 2 years (with a 33") until my partner found out he can make it between two trees into a backyard that you can literally ski down. It used to take 45-60 minutes to cut with all the back and forth, now maybe 15 minutes.

today: Customer did not want a fall clean-up...didnt want a spring clean up this spring either yet expects...no, demands that we somehow get rid of the leaves so yeah, I have to say my biz does revolve around me and more importantly, whats best for MY biz.

I understand that customers pay the bills and perhaps we (where I live) have way more customers than LCOs even though there are H U N D R E D S of em. I drove down my sons school street and there were 3 within 8 houses of eachother yet the demand is so great.

I can honestly say that if it were different and demand wasnt great, I would be kissing more a$$ than anyone else. I would be the A$$ kissing lawn care co.

 

I didn't read his letter he sent out. I just sent a letter stating our policy as nicely as possible. He didn't take care of it for 3 weeks so we sent him a termination letter. He called practically begging us to come back, but we knew his kids would not do what we asked, so I said sorry I'm just to busy to stop and go thru this week after week. I felt bad because I liked him, but not his back yard. Maybe it's because my phone is always ringing and this allows me to be take the good and now after 15 yrs I have a No Pita policy. If times get rough I will start taking pitas back or find a new line of work. BUt we all have to take a stand or some customers will walk all over you.

"Thats just the way I roll." You been listening to Colin Cowheard :laugh:

I haven't been in business for myself long enough to be able to chuck customers that easily. I'm looking forward to that day though. I'm not saying I'd chuck a customer at the drop of a hat, but it would be nice to have the upper hand in that situation. BTW, who's Colin Cowheard?

 

i have an answer for the title of this thread. its simple. A LOT

 

The customer is always right, just like in any other bussiness. Now, that doesn't mean I let them walk all over me or don't have any rules....does this answer your question?

Exactly! Thanks for posting.
BTW Mojob, Next to places like Florida and California, Fort Collins is one of the most competitive places in the country for LCO's.

 

The customer is always right, just like in any other bussiness. Now, that doesn't mean I let them walk all over me or don't have any rules....does this answer your question?

Exactly! Thanks for posting..

maybe in a fantasy world the customer is always right. there are good and bad customers... its a give and take relationship.
People will try and chew you down to save a nickle, and in some cases you can even predict the exact scenario. the customer is not always right. with the abundance of lawnboys cruising the streets, crafty clients will try to take advantage of you under the pretense "customer is always right" because there's always someone to fill your spot... and just the same, for me, there's always someone to fill their spot

 

I think wild west has the right idea liifes too short to be miserable you can deal with it and realize its just a job or you can beat yourself daily, we all must realize we are not here without our customers but not all customers are worth having , if your customer upsets you then let them go you will both be happier, you have to know also the reason they hire us is because they dont want to be bothered with maintaining their lawns so some dog crap in their yard is not going to be a priorty to them and my last bit of wisdom from an old man is if you are good at what you do and are honest and fair you will have no problem staying busy with the kind of customers you want

 

maybe in a fantasy world the customer is always right. there are good and bad customers... its a give and take relationship.
People will try and chew you down to save a nickle, and in some cases you can even predict the exact scenario. the customer is not always right. with the abundance of lawnboys cruising the streets, crafty clients will try to take advantage of you under the pretense "customer is always right" because there's always someone to fill your spot... and just the same, for me, there's always someone to fill their spot

Do you think I'm stupid? I didn't say that I would let the customer chew me down on price. What I'm talking about is customer service. A concept that seems to be lost on some people.

 

Do you think I'm stupid? I didn't say that I would let the customer chew me down on price. What I'm talking about is customer service. A concept that seems to be lost on some people.

never claimed you were stupid..
give me an example of "the customer is always right" customer service issue from you as the owner at an account? what issue have you had where you said to yourself, "you know, customer is always right."

Customer service goes hand in hand with common sense in return.

"the customer is always right" is a term used for employees, with little to no authority when confronted with a problem or issue directly from a customer.
example,... a waiter, guy who rips your movie stub, a laborer of any kind... etc, especially in large franchises or companies.
further example, my workers can think like that, but i can not. I as the owner have to weight every situation.

 

I haven't been in business for myself long enough to be able to chuck customers that easily. I'm looking forward to that day though. I'm not saying I'd chuck a customer at the drop of a hat, but it would be nice to have the upper hand in that situation. BTW, who's Colin Cowheard?

I thought for sure you would know who I was talking about. He is a radio talk show host that does national sports radio every morning on espn. I've heard him say the same thing Thats just the way I roll, Dog.

 

never claimed you were stupid..
give me an example of "the customer is always right" customer service issue from you as the owner at an account? what issue have you had where you said to yourself, "you know, customer is always right."

Customer service goes hand in hand with common sense in return.

"the customer is always right" is a term used for employees, with little to no authority when confronted with a problem or issue directly from a customer.
example,... a waiter, guy who rips your movie stub, a laborer of any kind... etc, especially in large franchises or companies.
further example, my workers can think like that, but i can not. I as the owner have to weight every situation.

To honestly answer your question: I decided to open this thread after I read another that was recently started about how some Lawn care company was mowing somebody's dorm at eight o'clock in the morning. I simply said that I don't mow any residential accounts before nine or ten and some people thought I was crazy. Someone made a comment like "I hope your kidding! If their not out of bed by eight, that is their problem." I just couldn't fathom how somebody with that kind of mindset was in business at all. So, in that respect, the customer is always right. I never implied that I would let them walk all over me.

 

The customer is always right, just like in any other bussiness. Now, that doesn't mean I let them walk all over me or don't have any rules....does this answer your question?

Good answer.

 

To honestly answer your question: I decided to open this thread after I read another that was recently started about how some Lawn care company was mowing somebody's dorm at eight o'clock in the morning. I simply said that I don't mow any residential accounts before nine or ten and some people thought I was crazy. Someone made a comment like "I hope your kidding! If their not out of bed by eight, that is their problem." I just couldn't fathom how somebody with that kind of mindset was in business at all. So, in that respect, the customer is always right. I never implied that I would let them walk all over me.

not to keep going back and fourth.. but that exactly my point. good customer service goes hand in hand with mutual respect and common sense.

i come from a middle class family who always appreciated the rare times that someone was coming to our house to perform a service we couldn't do or didn't want to. I would never have the nerve to tell a worker who came to my house, to perform a service for me when and how he should do his job, unless he was acting dangerously. If you're paying a guy a fair wage, i see no need to feel higher then him, enough to tell them when they can come to your house. period.
how could you possibly know the guys schedule, what he has planned for that day. to complain about being inconvienced for a very short time, at most once week... comes off arrogant. i respect peoples time and let them work when they can. if they do a quality job, and finish in a timely manner, then i have nothing to say.

 

I would never have the nerve to tell a worker who came to my house, to perform a service for me when and how he should do his job, unless he was acting dangerously. .

.... or expect them to walk through dog mine fields, actually i'd be too embarassed... or expect them to move toys around.

 

I thought for sure you would know who I was talking about. He is a radio talk show host that does national sports radio every morning on espn. I've heard him say the same thing Thats just the way I roll, Dog.

I must have heard it somewhere else because I've never tuned into his show. I just think it sounds funny. Especially coming from a white guy my age.

 

I must have heard it somewhere else because I've never tuned into his show. I just think it sounds funny. Especially coming from a white guy my age.

Cowheard has a good sports program every morning that leaves me laughing so I listen while mowing every morning. I laughed the 1st time I heard him say it too. Have a great day !