2 Questions

[jasonw]

Ok so first one has to do with a charge I have. I put on the price list on the website a $10 surcharge for any job requiring me to drive more than 20 miles from my office. Is that pushing it or do you think that's 100% acceptable? The last job was a little over an hour away and cost me about $10 to get there. This is why I implemented this idea. Next is about taxes. Should anything be passed on to the customer? I am not selling products but I am paying tax on all the products I need to buy "such as bug spray" Should some of this be passed on or should the service price be high enough to cover any of my losses by its self?

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White Company

[XtreemGreen]

Lawn care business tips

I would not add a surcharge... Just add it in to your estimates.. Down here in Florida, I only charge sales tax on stuff like mulch, sod.. Stuff the customer is buying from you such as mulch, sod, plants etc.. You cant tax services here..

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In Memory of My Dad..1943-2008..Gary "Snuffy" Smith

[jasonw]

I am pretty sure I can not tax a service here as well. Ok so I have my prices on my website. Should I take them off so I don't get someone arguing with me that is over 20 miles away saying "but your website says $60 not $70."

i wouldnt list prices to anyone because every job and site are always different. Thats where u could end up hurting yourself. xtremegreen is right just add the ten bucks on and dont say anything. Its given if you have to drive further that its going to cost something. if your estimate in your head is 65 dollars tell them its 75.

[Steve]

I agree. I wouldn't show prices.

Also I wouldn't show a surcharge. I would simply include it in the price of the service.

Keep us posted on how this goes.

[turfmaster]

I wouldn't show prices either. Doing that gives your competition an advantage as well as you may not get the chance to even bid on the job.

[jasonw]

Sounds good I am going to remove the prices. The good news is I got another job. I need to go bid it tomorow afternoon. the problem is one of the things the customer wants done is some bushes trimmed. Any advice? I have never even trimmed bushes yet

bushes are a funny thing. i always ask them to show me what there thinking of how much they want off. that way you cannot get blamed for cutting too much down. take a rake with you and when you get a certain distance lets say 10 feet or 20 feet shake that bush to see if theres any strands that you have missed on top. i always go down on the sides once you get the top cut. again, have them show you or tell you where outside. take your time and you'll be fine. clean up is part of the bid so, don't forget that part of it. might take you an hour to clean up and unload it as well. watch for bare spots in the bushes cut or trim to thin it will show. its just a haircut thats all. take pictures and show us the aftermath. you using gas trimmer or hand or electric?

[jasonw]

Originally Posted by MikeO

bushes are a funny thing. i always ask them to show me what there thinking of how much they want off. that way you cannot get blamed for cutting too much down. take a rake with you and when you get a certain distance lets say 10 feet or 20 feet shake that bush to see if theres any strands that you have missed on top. i always go down on the sides once you get the top cut. again, have them show you or tell you where outside. take your time and you'll be fine. clean up is part of the bid so, don't forget that part of it. might take you an hour to clean up and unload it as well. watch for bare spots in the bushes cut or trim to thin it will show. its just a haircut thats all. take pictures and show us the aftermath. you using gas trimmer or hand or electric?

What would you recommend using? I like gas stuff but saw an 18V trimmer yesterday. I don't have one yet but according to my business plan will buy it once I bid the job.

[jds2381]

Originally Posted by jasonw

What would you recommend using? I like gas stuff but saw an 18V trimmer yesterday. I don't have one yet but according to my business plan will buy it once I bid the job.

The only thing I can recommend is an electric trimmer. I hate electric anything when it comes to yards but this is all I have used. My friend has one and instead of renting or buying one, I borrowed his. The customer, my friend and my wife were all very VERY happy with the results. Oh yeah, my first time using them too. lol It was an experience. I probably wasn't the fastest he could have gotten. He wasn't paying me by the hour though so my loss. That was the squarest bushes I have ever seen! They were great. He (my customer, 76years old and picky as hell) went on and on about them! He said "looks like a professional did them." I said "Who do you think you are dealing with buddy?" and we had a nice laugh. My highlight for sure.