| Trials & Tribulations - The drama of running a business and of life. It's not as easy as it looks. Running a business is full of drama. Customers, employees, money, family, time. You name it, it's a problem. Share with us your drama and how you handled it. |
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So annoying lol
Trials & Tribulations - The drama of running a business and of life.
It's not as easy as it looks. Running a business is full of drama. Customers, employees, money, family, time. You name it, it's a problem. Share with us your drama and how you handled it.
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06-07-2012, 02:47 PM
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Dr. Scott - Ruler of the Underworld
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: I like to complain a lot.
Age: 72
Posts: 4,272
Rep Power: 9
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So annoying lol
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This is from Monday... I was interrupted SO many times!
Part 1
I go to cut a lawn, and the guy (client 1) comes out saying how he could get me to fix his neighbors lawn mower. So I had a look to be nice, said it could use a new air filter and a new spark plug. My client then said, "You should bring it to the shop you use, just put it in your trailer".
I said, "No. I want space in my truck and trailer today".
The client insisted on leaving the lawn mower outside, saying I should come back later to pick it up once I'm done for the day.
Part 2
The same client stops me again halfway through the job and says, "can you cut my lawn just a bit shorter?"
So I did just that, and I hit a water main.
Part 3
I go on to another client (old lady, client 2, same street) and both of these clients come out to chit chat with each other, and they are standing in my GOD DAMN WAY.
Me: Move over please, you're going to get dust and grass all over yourselves standing there.
Client: You can cut the sod now, and cut this part shorter too!
Me: They (the city) just put this sod down last week, it's not ready.
Client: No no, it'll be ok.
Me: Can you guys move?
My clients move a few feet, still in my way. I wave for them to GO AWAY, they were seriously 4-5 feet away from me, and my tractors chute.
They decide to only take a step back... So I think to myself, "screw this" and I just start mowing. A big cloud of grass covered them, and they backed off out of my way. I even scalped the sod very nicely.
Part 4
The old lady (client 2) comes out and stops me, and says, "You can raise your mower up actually".
Me: Told you.
Part 5
As I'm mowing, the client stops me. I shut down the tractor for the 1000th time, and she says, "I'm just going out for an hour". Like I really needed to know that?
Part 6
I'm on to my third client. The same guy (client 1) stops me and says, "do you want something to drink?" - I say "no".
Part 7
I'm stopped again minutes later, and the same guy (client 1) stops me and says, "here you go, here is some water". So I have to stop everything and find a place to put the bottles of water.
Part 8
I'm on my fourth property. The same guy (client 1), "Are you sure you can't take the mower now?".
At this point, I wanted to pick him up and throw him into the back of my truck and drive off a bridge.
I say, "When I have the time, not now".
-
Basically, why the hell would I help out one of my clients neighbors to go front the bill to have his mower repaired, when the neighbor isn't even a client?
This main client of mine is such a p.i.t.a. He speaks on behalf of all my clients on the street and I have no idea why they let him. He is a real estate agent who thinks he calls the shots because he can get his neighbors 'deals', yet I would have offered his neighbors the same price without him. He's got a real big head.
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Part 9
I receive a phone call, "You forgot the lawn mower".
Then an email, "Memory jog, the lawn mower".
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For the love of god, this man needs to get a life.
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Last edited by CHEESE2009; 06-07-2012 at 02:51 PM.
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06-07-2012, 06:27 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: CT
Posts: 171
Rep Power: 2
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Lawn care business tips
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man what a pain in the a$$. i would have had a melt down. haha. i've got a customer like that. I call her the ring leader. Huge pain, wants everything for cheap. always raves about the work but has never once given me a tip at the end of the year and complains if i charge her $5 extra dollars for something. Only reason i keep her is cause she got me 6 of her neighbors and if i cancel her all her friends will follow her.
She's old and broke a hip so at least she can't come out and stop me every 5 mins.
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06-07-2012, 08:18 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 2,468
Rep Power: 5
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Cheese,
I would like to thank you for reinforcing the fact that I have the bestest clients on EARTH!
The worst of them only asks if I can take her trash to the curb when I'm in the neighborhood. I want to go kiss them all.
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06-08-2012, 12:08 AM
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Member
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Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 93
Rep Power: 2
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christ on a cracker! is this guy new or what? real estate game, terribly picky & bothersome...
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06-08-2012, 05:35 AM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: Florida
Posts: 486
Rep Power: 3
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Just tell him you have a $25.00 pick up fee and the same for returning it. I'm sure he'll tell you it's okay, "I'll take care of it." Lol I know people. Lol
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06-09-2012, 10:06 AM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 597
Rep Power: 4
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Go to pick up the mower and hand him a bill
1. pick up 25
2. estimated repair 25
3. drop off 25
total 75
then tell him you need that money up front because your not real sure of the cost of repairs, and he will ahve to pay the full cost of repair beore you drop it back off.
you should make your money regardless.
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06-11-2012, 01:04 PM
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Administrator
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Join Date: May 2003
Location: East Coast
Posts: 33,709
Rep Power: 10
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Has anything else come of this?
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06-11-2012, 08:22 PM
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Member
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Maryland
Posts: 32
Rep Power: 2
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hahaha wow i was about to die reading about this. i would have gone crazy.
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06-11-2012, 09:17 PM
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Dr. Scott - Ruler of the Underworld
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: I like to complain a lot.
Age: 72
Posts: 4,272
Rep Power: 9
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Well he expected me to come back in the evening, I had to dodge a few of his persistent phone calls and emails.
Then today came along (Monday), and he didn't come outside for once, THANK GOD!
Such a pain in the arse.
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WORSE
Another client on that street confronted my guy and told him that she wants her lawn cut at 4.5". I told my guy that that's f'ing crazy, and we do not do that.
But we are allowing it this time, just so we can tell the client off when her neighbors receive service and she doesn't due to all the water retention in her lawn  - We don't mow wet, sorry!
It's the only way she will listen, I'm not going to bother arguing with her yet. I just wanted today to be over.
4.5" , she's god damn insane. It'll be up to our necks soon, and this means there will be patches of uncut grass and clumps after every mow, WHICH WE WILL NOT PROVIDE A SECOND PASS TO CUT DOWN.
"Oh, I see there is some places that the mower didn't get, can you go over it again?"
HELL NO! BEND OVER!!!
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