Got boned out of a job

[mhatkins]

I was called to make a bid on a job this week. Went to the location and checked it out. They wanted us to do leaf clean up(4 5x8 trailer loads of leaves minimum), limb and debris clean up on a .25 acre lot, cut down 3 small trees( less than 6' tall), and flower bed prep(about 2 1/2 hours work in the beds, no mulch, no mowing, and about 15 minutes work trimming their shrubs. We bid the job as a one-time job at $40 per hour. They greatfuly accepted and wanted us to start the next morning at 8 am. At 7:30 the next morning, they call and say, "Nevermind. We found a guy an hour after you left that will do the entire job for $100". He should have called that night to cancel. Well, we rode by yesterday and looked the job that was done, and it looks like a 10 year old kid begrudgingly did it because his dad MADE him do it. The trees that were supposed to be cut down were still there, minus the one that was cut down and fell into the sheds roof. You get what you pay for.

__________________
1994 GMC Safari
Ariens EZR-1742 42" ZTR
Cub Cadet 33" WB
Echo SRM-210 trimmer
Echo BP blower
Stihl BR-600 Backpack Blower
Shindaiwa LE263 Stick Edger
Husqvarna 345 16" Chain Saw
Ryobi Pole Hedge Trimmer
5x8 Open bed trailer

Edward Hunter Yardworks
edwardhunteryardworks.com
edwardhunteryardworks@gmail.com
Powhatan Virginia

[CHEESE2009]

Lawn care business tips

Damn! Well frig those people. They are the ones who lost in the end!

__________________
Keeper of Peace
Security Officer Cheese2009
Gopher Security Central (G.S.C)
4th Floor, office 112

[azlandshapes]

Ive had that happen. I was called by a guy the morning I was suppose to start a job. He canceled and told me he found a cheaper offer.
I told him he could call me to repair the problems this guy was likely to cause. He did. The company he hired cut almost every drip line in the front yard. That SOB paid extra for wasting my time. 65/hr for irrigation repairs. Not an unusual fee but not my normal rate.

[justin_time]

I had agreed to a spring cleanup job a few days before. I show up on Monday morning, the customer tells me when I got there. I am sorry, but I found someone else. Which I had driven about 20 minutes to get there.

Oh well their loss, they had a big yard to clean anyways

[jessechaveriat]

i lost a 1200 dollar mulch job the other day. old people will go with the cheapest bid, even if its just some kid from up the street, who has no business landscaping.

[Steve]

This does make you wonder, if there is anyway to deal with customers who are going to accept your bid and then later cancel.

Could you have some kind of estimate they could sign or initial and maybe have it say something like we require 24 hrs of notification before job begins if you want to cancel?

Would something like that help?

[azlandshapes]

Yup,
My thoughts exactly. Sign here. And we require at least 24 hrs notice, yes thats the soln. Solution to ***'oles with little respect and integrity.
Anyone got a copy of that form already made or do we all need to redesign the wheel?
Id be interested in a copy or a looksy anyway.
Hasta

[Steve]

It could probably be easily added to the wording in some of the free estimate forms we have in the template section.

I think it would fit well along with the wording that the customer accept the price and authorizes the work to begin.

[lxarth]

So I haven't had anything like what the OP is talking about, but just a couple days ago I get an email from a customer I had last year (I tried contacting her this year but never got a reply so I stopped trying).

She emailed wanting me to come out again. I explained that I do her area on Monday, but I can help her out and head over on Thursday or Friday.

She emails back wanting it done Thursday. I was so busy I never got that email until Thursday night. Anyways, I head over on Friday, and someone has already cut the lawn.

I sent a simple email: "I was suprised when I stopped by a couple days ago to see it was already cut down."

I wouldn't mind getting her as a customer again, but I'm not crying if I don't. The only real reason I want it back is because she is just a couple blocks from another customer, and her lawn is about 250 sq-ft. Very tiny. And the fact that she pays on time, lol. Lets not forget that important detail.

Perhaps she was having company over, idonno, it just irks me when I make a special trip for someone and it's a waste of time.