Client rescheduling?

[jasonw]

Ok so I have this one customer who wants his yard done every other week. I call all my clients a couple days in advance to remind them I will be out there. This way I hope they have all the toys, dog crap or whatever out of my way. Anyway, this one person has consistently rescheduled every time for the last 3 times. Its the one if you remember that is an hours drive from my house. I made sure they were happy with the work so know thats not why they are stalling the next service so much. This person however has a preferred spot on my calender but clearly dose not use it. Should I.............. A. Keep trying B. Take him off the calender and let him call me when he wants it done or C. Consider this person no longer a client. I don't have this problem with any other person. One time a person called me a rescheduled but other than that everyone has there yard done on time every week.

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White Company

[CHEESE2009]

Lawn care business tips

My customers are told their lawns will be maintained once every week. I do have a schedule that I follow & I do certain customers on certain days of the week, though I'm not forced to follow it. I can take my Monday customers & do them Friday, as long as I don't skip a week. If a customer wants you to come on certain dates, that's a pain. Especially if it's not weekly visits & the grass is long. I say, if your able to mow whenever he wants, go for it. But if you have to chase him around vice versa to find out when it can be done, forget about it. Customers who have called me to cut their lawn on days they want, they get ignored. I'm not jumping logs for them. I like to be organized & not have to contact someone every few days just to keep the job. It'd be better if he said, mow my lawn every 10 days, at least you have an idea of when to show up! Honestly I have no idea if this helps, i forgot what you wrote before this lol...

[mark123]

If you are calling your customers a few days before mowing every week then you aren't training them properly. If you have to move a toy, charge them for it or leave it at the entrance to their driveway so they can't leave or enter without moving it. If you have to pick up poop, charge them for it (charge a lot, I don't touch poop, ever) or mow around the steamy pile.

They'll get the picture after a few times.

[justin_time]

My schedules and estimates are the same as my route schedule.

I schedule my lawns the same day a week. So I don't spend my time driving around for nothing. If I would be you, I would just cut it anyway and if they don't like it well time to drop the customer. Especially if you drive out for 1 hr and they tell you don't cut, i'd say something about that.

I don't call my customers, i just knock on their door this time of year if they want it done or not, if they do, fine, i cut it, if they don't or not home, i make the decision to cut.

[jasonw]

Originally Posted by justin_time

My schedules and estimates are the same as my route schedule.

I schedule my lawns the same day a week. So I don't spend my time driving around for nothing. If I would be you, I would just cut it anyway and if they don't like it well time to drop the customer. Especially if you drive out for 1 hr and they tell you don't cut, i'd say something about that.

I don't call my customers, i just knock on their door this time of year if they want it done or not, if they do, fine, i cut it, if they don't or not home, i make the decision to cut.

Oh no I don't drive up there unless I am told to. I only call. I tried to explain this time that I will be only a mile down the road finishing another job and it would be a good time to swing by and get it done. I was told they would check it out and call me back Friday night or Saturday and they never called. I think I will just take them off the calender. They have my number and will call when they need it done.