Dropped Customer - Feedback

[Billy Goat]

If a good customer contacts you to terminate your service. Do they tell you why or do have to try to figure out why. If they do give you feedback, do you make adjustments going forward with your current and/or new customers?

[LawnBoy0311]

Lawn care business tips

Originally Posted by Billy Goat If a good customer contacts you to terminate your service. Do they tell you why or do have to try to figure out why. If they do give you feedback, do you make adjustments going forward with your current and/or new customers? It really all depends. A lot of situations are different. Here are 2 examples. 1. I had a customer last year call me for service. Its a tiny property, so I quote her $25, biweekly. No big deal at all (I pass her house going to 2 others). I mowed for a month (a whopping 2 cuts!!!) and she calls to quit. ***At this point I ALWAYS ask....."So I can maintain a high level of good service, was there anything I did wrong so I can improve with my other customers?***** She says no, her son came home from college and he's going to cut the grass. In this situation, because shes already on my route, I would take her back if she wanted....but up the price and explain why****> Because she kicked me to the curb before. 2. Another customer last year quit when she sent me an email saying she wanted to cancel service and thanked me. ****At that point I asked the same question as above...**** She says she didn't like the way the edging was done. I took this with a grain of salt. I thought the edging looked fine, and I even did it myself before she quit. She also said that she was upset I didn't come by to pick up her leaves after Hurricane Sandy (She never even asked...she just assumed). I would not take her back....she was a constant complainer and always wanted things done for free. She was also VERY hard to collect from. She would only pay cash, but I had to go get it from her when she said she was available. She would always ask for "extras" before giving me the money...like trim shrubs, spread seed, remove dead shrubs...and would get upset when I would tell her a cost. Not worth the headache. So to answer your questions, always ask. Like my situations above, they may be BS or they may be legit. Who knows. Now, if I had 2 or 3 people quit for the same reason, it's time to adjust my plan.

[Grass Doctor]

Originally Posted by LawnBoy0311

It really all depends. A lot of situations are different. Here are 2 examples.

1. I had a customer last year call me for service. Its a tiny property, so I quote her $25, biweekly. No big deal at all (I pass her house going to 2 others). I mowed for a month (a whopping 2 cuts!!!) and she calls to quit.

***At this point I ALWAYS ask....."So I can maintain a high level of good service, was there anything I did wrong so I can improve with my other customers?*****

She says no, her son came home from college and he's going to cut the grass. In this situation, because shes already on my route, I would take her back if she wanted....but up the price and explain why****> Because she kicked me to the curb before.

2. Another customer last year quit when she sent me an email saying she wanted to cancel service and thanked me.

****At that point I asked the same question as above...****

She says she didn't like the way the edging was done. I took this with a grain of salt. I thought the edging looked fine, and I even did it myself before she quit. She also said that she was upset I didn't come by to pick up her leaves after Hurricane Sandy (She never even asked...she just assumed). I would not take her back....she was a constant complainer and always wanted things done for free. She was also VERY hard to collect from. She would only pay cash, but I had to go get it from her when she said she was available. She would always ask for "extras" before giving me the money...like trim shrubs, spread seed, remove dead shrubs...and would get upset when I would tell her a cost. Not worth the headache.



So to answer your questions, always ask. Like my situations above, they may be BS or they may be legit. Who knows. Now, if I had 2 or 3 people quit for the same reason, it's time to adjust my plan.

that was really help full explanation there. i had i say 5 customers dropping me last year and one i drop one my self that i owned him 15.00 since he pay me ahead i took out the 25 for cancellation fee now i charge 45. well i had 2 calls this week from this 2 of the 5 that drop me they last year around december they didnt call me, not txt me back, totally drop me dead, well i decide to wait and not do nothing this guy txt me(OK IM READY FOR SPRING HOW MUCH FOR A CUT, PRE-EMERGENT, TRIM BUSHES AND TRIM A TREE) I said its 45.00 for the cut, and 80 for the pre-emergent and i will have to see the mulch and whatever u need to be trim to give u a precise estimate. thank u for txt we also have a lawn maitenance plan that cover from fertilization program, bush trim and pre-emergent application for 80 per month year round contract thanks for txting and let me know.

THIS FOOL already sing up last year so he understood that the extras i did for him where not for free. (bushes and fertilizer,pre emerget) for him where not free they where pay by the months i didnt do shieaaat when he sing up he need to pay me December, January and February now he gets treated as a one night stand and he will not get prices as a regular customer. why i should charge a person as a regular when he drop me whenever he decide to, when i have other paying customer that pay for winter(cause they understand i need to have an income in winter 40 customer stay with me this winter a few i pick up in January.

i know he will txt back, he will prepay for the month and bang i will drop him dead cold. mow for him once and bang a cancellation contract note at his door and ill keep the money for the other service. $45 you have to teach people not to rude and let know whos the boss ROSS TRILLA

[Steve]

She says she didn't like the way the edging was done. I took this with a grain of salt. I thought the edging looked fine, and I even did it myself before she quit. She also said that she was upset I didn't come by to pick up her leaves after Hurricane Sandy (She never even asked...she just assumed)

Is there anything that can be done to catch these customers before they call to cancel?

Especially with newer customers, should some sort of letter or email be sent out to them after the first service or two, to make sure everything is ok and if not, what can be improved upon?

[LawnBoy0311]

Originally Posted by Steve

Is there anything that can be done to catch these customers before they call to cancel?

Especially with newer customers, should some sort of letter or email be sent out to them after the first service or two, to make sure everything is ok and if not, what can be improved upon?

Well it goes back to the collecting money part. When I had to stop by to get paid one time, she brought up edging. So I explained the cost and she seemed upset that it wasn't a "freebie"....along with other things she wanted.

It's a good point though to send them an email or call to see how things are going. I'll have to do that this year. But I think this year I'm not going to put up with headache customers for as long as I did before. I'd rather replace them with someone else.

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

9 times out of 10 its about money.

The others are moving, someone lost a job, senile, kids are doing it, etc.

[LawnBoy0311]

Originally Posted by SECTLANDSCAPING

9 times out of 10 its about money.

The others are moving, someone lost a job, senile, kids are doing it, etc.

See I couldn't figure this lady out....but now that you mentioned it....it makes sense.

She was single when she moved, and I saw a guyover there all the time. One day when I was collecting money, he said he was her boyfriend. I bet she got him to cut it!!

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

I had a guy hire me to remove 6 bushes, spray cracks in drive and cut weekly. First week I show up cut the grass. I knock out 4 out of 6 bushes then it downpours. I tell him Ill finish the bushes next week and spray when its dry. He says ok, talks about little league for 10 mins then says he wants it cut biweekly now.

The day before I was suppose to cut he text me all kinds of nonsense. I didnt spray the grass, finish the bushes, my pictures are fake, etc.

I just laughed and sent him a bill. He didnt pay so I started hand delivering them every week. I noticed at least 4 different lawn guys there. Then eventually he moved. The guy was just trying to stiff people.

[Steve]

If a good customer contacts you to terminate your service. Do they tell you why or do have to try to figure out why. If they do give you feedback, do you make adjustments going forward with your current and/or new customers?

With all these great stories, have they changed your policy on how to handle this?

What brought up this question? Was there a story behind it?

[Grass Doctor]

well the guy call back ill let u guys now whats up with the drama

the other guy i drop i was driving and he was out side his house i stop and i had a lot of cash and took out my packet and toll him i dont wnat to feel like i own u so here is your 15 bucks after i took out the cancellation fee he didn't even say a word about he choose to be nice and ask me how my business was doing i say great as usual clients are happy have no weeds etc,