Rant for the day....

[HPI_Savage25]

Ok so I was browsing good ole CL the other day and ran across an ad. Here is the specific ad http://augusta.craigslist.org/fgs/3218865059.html Due to allergies and my hectic career, I have been unable to care for my lawn lately. The grass is not tall, just dense, therefore HIGHLY suggest a riding mower with a collector on the back. I absolutely do not want the grass mulched back into the lawn so you must be able to haul it away. The whole yard is less than 1/2 acre so fairly easy, but I would like the full treatment as far as trimming some small bushes and edging up near the concrete. I can offer $60 and unlimited beverages while you work. Please help me out - bring your riding lawn mower and I'll fill you up with ice cold beer, soda, or water. Email is best for now. I went by and looked at the yard, wasn't too bad but a lot of work and some weeds in the back were a good 3ft tall. I got all the hedges trimmed up, edged the curb and driveway and weedeated. Spent about 2 hours over there so far. The curb was covered completely with grass. Had to go behind with a shovel and get it all up. Anyways I got to the back yard and the Walker 42" broke down.....something with the drive, I can only go in reverse. Now I understand she said it MUST be bagged but I showed up with an Encore premier 36" walk behind. I didn't even make it 2 swipes and she comes out asking why I wasn't using the riding mower. I explained to her on Saturday when it broke down that I would have to put it in the shop. So I explained again it was in the shop and I wasn't sure exactly when it would be fixed. She said just leave and come back when I have it back. Don't forget, the yard already has 3ft tall weeds but she doesn't want it mulched back into the yard because it will spread more! I really just want to tell her to forget about it and find someone else...two trips over for a lousy $60...

[dpld]

Lawn care business tips

i would tell her to hit the bricks. you can not allow people to dictate how you do business as well as a walker mower is not designed to cut and bag 3 ft tall grass. you should have told her the the exmark is better suited to actually cut the grass down and chop it up initially and by cutting it down now it would have allowed the grass to dry up. that is the thing about CL, too many people try to tell you how it is gonna be and how much they are gonna pay you. unfortunately the lion share of people that hire from craigslist are the bottom feeders as far as customers go. any real legitimate customer that is seeking true professional service is not posting ads on cl they look local businesses up and have them come by for a proposal. most of these people have had proposals and don't want to spend any real money and have it in their head that they only want to spend x amount for said service and broadcast it out there to take advantage of someone in need of work. more often then not the guy who does the job loses and if you want to cash in on the craigslist cow you will be settling for the same wages as if you were working for someone. frankly, if that is how you want to build up work you are better off working for someone and every time these azzhats get the end result they desire it just knocks our industry down another notch.

[HPI_Savage25]

Yeah I know exactly what you mean. She might get someone to come cut it for $60 now but hell I already did 1/2 the work!

Should have been about a $100 job but I figured I'd be nice....maybe I will just take her offer up on the beer

[CHEESE2009]

Is she hot?

[HPI_Savage25]

hahahha Yeah I wish....I just want to get the job done and hope she never calls me back.

[bruces]

whats your hourly rate ? theres no way that is a $60.00 job,let alone a hundred dollar one ,that should be several hundred .

[HPI_Savage25]

I am still in college and I am going for my Horticulture Diploma so I do this after school and when I'm not in school although I run this as any other business.

I like to make a minimum or $25/hr

I was just trying to help out and figured heck why not. It was perfectly flat, hedges werent overgrown too bad. Spent maybe 30mins on hedges....edging was just really really bad.

Yes it should have been much more than $60 but she named the price and even if I make $60 just from the time I get out of school for the day it still isn't too bad.

[baileysgreenthumb]

Originally Posted by HPI_Savage25

Ok so I was browsing good ole CL the other day and ran across an ad. Here is the specific ad

http://augusta.craigslist.org/fgs/3218865059.html



I went by and looked at the yard, wasn't too bad but a lot of work and some weeds in the back were a good 3ft tall.

I got all the hedges trimmed up, edged the curb and driveway and weedeated. Spent about 2 hours over there so far. The curb was covered completely with grass. Had to go behind with a shovel and get it all up. Anyways I got to the back yard and the Walker 42" broke down.....something with the drive, I can only go in reverse. Now I understand she said it MUST be bagged but I showed up with an Encore premier 36" walk behind. I didn't even make it 2 swipes and she comes out asking why I wasn't using the riding mower. I explained to her on Saturday when it broke down that I would have to put it in the shop. So I explained again it was in the shop and I wasn't sure exactly when it would be fixed. She said just leave and come back when I have it back. Don't forget, the yard already has 3ft tall weeds but she doesn't want it mulched back into the yard because it will spread more!

I really just want to tell her to forget about it and find someone else...two trips over for a lousy $60...

As long as you bag it up she shouldnt have an issue. Up to you. Go back or never go back. Tell her how it is and go from there. good luck

[Chaz]

sometimes i find myself in jobs and i just think to my self
"what the hell did i get myself into?"

the longer i work though, the fewer jobs i find myself in like this

[HPI_Savage25]

Just an update on this job. I got the Walker fixed (ended up being a broken spring thank goodness!). I went back and finished the job right away. I got paid and was gone, lol. I thought about telling her that for $60/ every two weeks I would keep it maintained but since she was posting on Craigslist.....she is too cheap for a real company anyways...