Ummm NO THANKS! Pics of places/jobs you've TURNED DOWN

[Hedgemaster]

This may be a bad idea for a thread, but I thought it would be funny to share pics of potential client's properties that were just NOT worth taking on - for any price. I've gone to look at several over the last few days and at a few, I never even got out of the truck - I just drove on. I SHOULD have taken a pic because some are SO unbelievable that a pic is the only way to fully appreciate the magnitude of the MESS that some people expect you to work with. Heck, even if you don't have a photo, feel free to describe some of your "Oh, HELL no" estimates that left you wondering just WHO would actually TAKE the job. I'll be back later with pics.

[Sprinkler Buddy]

Lawn care business tips

I actually like those now and then if they are willing to pay the price. They often aren't willing to pay. Lol I like taking an overgrown dump and turning them back into a nice lawn again.

__________________
Don't Keep Replacing Lawn Sprinkler Heads
Protect them with "Sprinkler Buddy"
CLICK HERE > http://www.sprinklerbuddy.com

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

didnt take? How about took but charged 4xs as much?

This guy thought he was saving money by waiting till june for his first mowing.







Look at the picnic table! 20 acres of 12" high grass.

[Hedgemaster]

I received a voicemail requesting a quote a few days ago.
"I live in Florida and I'm here visiting my mother - her grass hasn't been cut since I was here last - I need a quote to have it cut and I'm leaving on Thursday".

She did leave an address on the message and I looked it up online, but due to the trees, I couldn't get a good view of the property. I called and said I'd get over to take a look as soon as possible.
I ended up getting tied up and couldn't make it by Thursday, so I called to let her know. She said that it was OK - that she found someone who could do it the next day. She asked if I could still stop by for an estimate in case the other guy wasn't going to do it on a regular basis. "Sure, no problem", I said.
"Is that road a through way, or would I need to turn around?" I like to ask so I don't drive up a road with a trailer only to find no easy way out. She verified that it IS a dead end, AND noted that it was a dirt road. The other details she left out. I'll explain further later with video...

Keep in mind that I live in and service the suburbs of a CITY.
This is the entrance to her "street". (Yes, there's even a street sign)





Also keep in mind that I had just put my chrome wheels back on and had washed my truck a few days ago. Against my better judgement, I decided to "Gopher it". ( )

Here's video of my journey IN to go do this estimate. I had a feeling that words would not adequately describe this, so I got out my phone and shot video...
(click image - you can then click in the bottom for full screen)

Video quality is degraded a bit by Photobucket, so it's not as clear as the original file.
Note that I did NOT upload the video of my trip OUT as a result of the excessive profanity.




NONE of these freaking properties had HOUSE NUMBERS. From what I could tell from her description and judging by the condition of the "lawn", I determined that this was the place...







You know, even if this lawn had been cut last WEEK, I still wouldn't have come back down that road to cut this property. I have no idea how anyone could travel that crater-filled "road" on a daily basis. I had made up my mind about fifty feet into that jungle passage that I wasn't coming back.

Side note:
I'd like to build a time machine so I could go back and beat the snot out of whatever redneck it was who created the first "tractor-trailer tire planter". On what planet does that look like something OTHER than an old tire turned into a pot?



GO BUT A POT!
(end rant)




OH! And I got another voicemail asking if I had been by to look. "The guy who was supposed to cut it didn't show up."

Cripes. I wonder why.

[jrayb39667]

Haha, that looks like a yard in south MS, that people ask.... why are you going to charge me so much to cut it?

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

Wow I was thinking the chainsaw massacre was going to hop out of the woods.

thats bad! Thats a bit more then overgrown buddy. You need a bobcat with a brush cutter attachment, probably $450-500 a day. With that machine you would be out of there in 20 mins. I wouldve told them $1500 knowing they would never pay it.

[Sprinkler Buddy]

Love the video! Lol That's when you wish you hadn't had the trailer behind ya. I have been down that road a couple of times. Lol

[Hedgemaster]

Originally Posted by Sprinkler Buddy

Love the video! Lol That's when you wish you hadn't had the trailer behind ya. I have been down that road a couple of times. Lol

Glad you enjoyed the show.

Holy crap I'm glad I asked ahead of time about the road and went without my trailer.


The worst part was I just washed the truck. Sure, it rained that day, but I wasn't expecting to go mudding...







Look. A parasite!




I'm washing the truck tomorrow and I'd better not find any scratches on the sides.

[Hedgemaster]

I was watching the local news this evening when they mentioned a house fire in the area. I recognized the name of the road, but couldn't place it - until they started talking about the difficulty getting fire trucks and water to the remote location. They showed the "road", and I knew...

It was the house in the above post. The one with the charcoal grill in the driveway.
The grill was still there on the news footage - house burned badly - 90 year old and pet made it out alive.

I just watched the video (posted above) again and I'm still pissed that I went on that estimate!

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

Originally Posted by Hedgemaster

I was watching the local news this evening when they mentioned a house fire in the area. I recognized the name of the road, but couldn't place it - until they started talking about the difficulty getting fire trucks and water to the remote location. They showed the "road", and I knew...

It was the house in the above post. The one with the charcoal grill in the driveway.
The grill was still there on the news footage - house burned badly - 90 year old and pet made it out alive.

I just watched the video (posted above) again and I'm still pissed that I went on that estimate!

I cut a few of these yards and the reason was the FIRE MARSHALL! Its a safety issue but thats not why the homeowners paid it was because of the $500 fine.