In over your head?

[Steve]

Have you ever taken on a job where you felt over your head? This article talks about how it can happen and happens often. This specific LCO needed to get paid for this bad job or he would have been out of business. Contract landscaping can be gamble - "Nothing is level," said Regina Trapp, sitting at a patio table and showing how easily a person could fall over. "He considers it finished, but it's nowhere finished because it's so un-level. Now, I have to call somebody else to finish it and it'll cost me even more money." Corp chalks up some of the issues with the project to his lack of experience - it was his first paid landscape install job - and a lack of communication with the Trapps. He believes the project looks good but added he knows the Trapps are unhappy. The Trapps paid Corp $6,000 toward the $12,400 job. To resolve the matter, he said he would only charge the Trapps the cost of materials and not labor. He said if he can't collect the remaining amount that his venture into the business would be over. "I felt I did a good job despite my inexperience, but I feel badly because they're unhappy and the customer is always right,'' said Corp, noting he has spent 19 years in the customer service industry in the grocery store sector. "Maybe if we had spent more time discussing what she really wanted, it might have turned out differently. I'm still learning. I'm just looking at a way to resolve this.''

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[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

Barbara Read of the Better Business Bureau said Originally Posted by [b Quote[/b] ]contractors soliciting door to door is one of several red flags when considering hiring a contractor. "Good contractors don't need to go door to door; they'll be plenty busy from referrals from satisfied clients," Read said. A very interesting view point. I wonder what they suggest the newer start up companies do to attract new business?

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That is why it is not always good to venture into a new area of service without the education or experience. That is why I do not do installation projects. The last installation project I did was in May of 2005, before that, June of 2004. So in the last two years I have only done two projects. Why? Because I am not experienced in landscaping installation so why should I do something that will make me look bad and perhaps endanger the customer.

[Steve]

Would you like to do more install jobs if you knew more about it?

I would like to be the general contractor for them, but not necessarily the installer.

Installs are where the money at though..big money