Customer Tricks ( cheap price )

[Sandgroper]

What things have customers said to you that means they are trying to influence the price ???

These are mine looking a huge lawn thats a jungle and the cust says.

"as you can see its not very big/ very long/ will not take you a minute."

Some times i do weeding...."the ground is very soft they will come out easy"

"those weeds come out easily" (the ground is bloody hard)

and better still "i dont have very much money" can you do it cheaper i am a pensoner/ single mother/broke etc

and another the cust walks quickly past a hard part of a job ( say cutting down a tree) and spends more time talking about something simple and prentends the hard job is insignifigant.

oh and dont forget "my last mower man only charged me $15" ( said when you give a $40 quote.

any other things we all need to watch out for ???

[hardboiled]

How bout this one from a customer of TTLC603

Well I talked to the owner of the company and he told me that he doesnt believe it is cost effective to worry about weeds, because they are annual and wont be there next year.

I'm still laughing at that one.

[Scott]

I really hate it when the hot mom flashes ya, or comes out and offers you a glass of water with her shirt unbuttoned over 1/2 way, "it's just so hot out here and you looked like you could use this to cool off". But the worst one is when they come out in a skimpy bath robe waving you over. Then she says, "oh, I just wanted to say good morning. So how are you doing?" as the wind blows it open and she acts like she's scrambling to catch it before the peekaboo show begins.
that's why I stopped cutting grass.

[lone gunman]

What things have customers said to you that means they are trying to influence the price ???

These are mine looking a huge lawn thats a jungle and the cust says.

"as you can see its not very big/ very long/ will not take you a minute."

Some times i do weeding...."the ground is very soft they will come out easy"

"those weeds come out easily" (the ground is bloody hard)

and better still "i dont have very much money" can you do it cheaper i am a pensoner/ single mother/broke etc

and another the cust walks quickly past a hard part of a job ( say cutting down a tree) and spends more time talking about something simple and prentends the hard job is insignifigant.

oh and dont forget "my last mower man only charged me $15" ( said when you give a $40 quote.

any other things we all need to watch out for ???

Bobby- When they say those things... do you answer with a shovel? Your post count will hit 10k quicker using only one name. Or are not enough people responding to your threads that you got to reply yourself?

[TTLC603]

I have had a few funny ones...my GM quoted a small patio and retaining wall he spoke to the owner for about a half hour and figured everything out. Gave him the quote and the man said thats not as much as the other company, so my guys get there and they unload the bobcat to get the stone off the truck...the house sits 100 yards from the road...and my forman begins to drive down the driveway...the owner comes out yelling saying he told my GM that he didnt want any machines on the property....well thats is probably why it was more exspensive to use another company because he left out the part about no machines. So we had to wheel all the process, stone dust and best yet the block...well once they had already labored bring all of the old grass out and wheeling everything back in and setting the patio, my guy started the saw and began to cut the blocks to cut in the patio...well again the man comes running out carry those down to the wood line and cut them I dont want the dust around my home. Well the wood line was another 100 yards away from the house...needless to say make sure you get all the info before you start because a job that should have taken a day took 3 because my guys couldnt lug the stuff endlessly ...so I lost a bit of money but learned a lesson I guess

[jt5019]

I really hate it when the hot mom flashes ya, or comes out and offers you a glass of water with her shirt unbuttoned over 1/2 way, "it's just so hot out here and you looked like you could use this to cool off". But the worst one is when they come out in a skimpy bath robe waving you over. Then she says, "oh, I just wanted to say good morning. So how are you doing?" as the wind blows it open and she acts like she's scrambling to catch it before the peekaboo show begins.
that's why I stopped cutting grass.

Im still waiting for this to happen to me :p

[Dr.Bizzaro]

mid 20's, mowing everyday....you're either in shape and glowing, or it's never gonna happen.

[GrassMaster]

You don't want it to happen if you like to get paid with money for your work?

I really hate it when the hot mom flashes ya, or comes out and offers you a glass of water with her shirt unbuttoned over 1/2 way, "it's just so hot out here and you looked like you could use this to cool off". But the worst one is when they come out in a skimpy bath robe waving you over. Then she says, "oh, I just wanted to say good morning. So how are you doing?" as the wind blows it open and she acts like she's scrambling to catch it before the peekaboo show begins.
that's why I stopped cutting grass.

Im still waiting for this to happen to me :p

Nothing but problems when these kind of things happen. That good time could cost you dearly.

When I first got in the business, I met this guy at the local equipment dealer telling me about this big house he cuts during the summer. He said he could go there around lunch time on Saturdays, the parents gone for the week ends to Pine Mountain.

Their college daughter & friends be there sunning with the tops off. He wanted me to help him one Saturday & I said no thanks. They were just making fun of him that's all. A few weeks to a month later the guy calls me up & is wanting to sell me his equipment cheap. He ran his Snapper rider into the pool, busted corner coping or something like that & ripped the hell out of the liner. He had no insurance? He had to sell out to pay for repairs.

The only time I ever got into a fight with an employee...
We had this lady we cut for that had a beautiful southern style home with a up stairs front porch. She was all the time out there talking to us.

She looked like Scarlett O'Hara, one day she comes out with something to drink & sugar will not melt in her mouth she was so sweat. Later my helper is talking to her & all of a sudden puts his arm around her. She screamed like she was being raped. He was beaten & fired. Her husband called me up raising hell, I told him what I did to employee then he fired me.

Had this beautiful looking older lady that always flashed us. She had a lot of trees & a huge back deck that the master bedroom opened to. She was always in there changing clothes. I would look & move on. LOL, she always waved at me.

One day my helper was there, it was cold & windy. She came out on deck telling him about something while he was blowing leaves. I was coming from around the corner. Her robe flew open, LOL down on her arms about to fall off my helper standing there with his mouth & eyes wide open, you would think E.T. just landed by the look on his face. She was laughing at him looking at her. LOL, I told him to quit goofing off & go back to work. Me & that lady talked about that for over a year of visits. A real nice lady that like to cut the fool.

The only customer that ever got away without paying me...
A large property, about 3 acres in the front, 2 acres in the back. We're there cutting one day & I was in the back checking everything listening to the sound of music, mowers, blowers & trimmers running making me money!

All of a sudden every thing shuts off at about the same time. I thought somebody was hurt. They all next to house looking down the driveway. The Doctors daughter little miss just finished private school was standing there bent over with very short skirt on reading the newspaper. You could almost see her tonsils?

I couldn't get the crew to go back to work until I went up there & picked up the newspaper and handed it too her. It was a difficult task for me, I told her it would help if she went inside & read paper while we finished the job. She walked off very nicely waving at the guys? Those private schools do a fine job teaching them how to walk, my wife couldn't even walk like that for a Doctor or Lawyer?

About a year or so later, same thing every thing shuts down in the back yard this time. I look and she's there laying on diving board with no top on. That time we just left without finishing the yard.

Her Doctor dad calls up that night raising hell about not finishing the lawn. I told him he needed to ask his daughter what happened. He questioned me about it & I told him that when she's sunning with the guys there working in the pool area that she needs to wear the Top of her Cheetah Swim suit too if they want the lawn finished. He hangs up the phone on me, never another word mentioned about that again, and Miss Private School was MIA after that until I quit doing the Doctors lawn maintenance.

In the best case scenarios above, you wind up doing the work for free from now on or they get caught & the lawn guy gets put in jail. It's not worth what the end results is.

If you think being the lawn guy is rough, you need to own rental property & do your own repairs. I've walked off in the middle of 2 different plumbing repairs & had to call a plumber to finish it for me. The second time it happened, I decided it would be in my best interest that I quit doing repairs on the apartments while occupied?

I had one other episode that would be hard to describe in PG13 language. But I didn't barter the services, thank god the next door neighbor heard & saw what happened, at first the girls boyfriend a older lawyer cussed me out for the $50 extra for the lawn service that she had us do around the pool area. He then sent me a check in full & thanked me for being honest with him. The way she acted & was dressed in the yard, it would take a barracks full of soldiers to keep her happy. Gone butt not forgotten!

Some folks do anything to beat you out of money one way or another you must ignore it or pay dearly for it. Good luck! If I knew then what I knew now, I would probably be behind bars. Not, but it was fun thinking about it!

[Scott]

shoot just today I was out in my snooty HOA area. While I was spraying this one yard, the wife come out, obivously just jumped out of the shower, wearing nothing but one of those semi-long white beach shirts. well when they get wet they become virtual see-through. She came down the stairs, kinda bouncy, and then bounced right up to me. Holly smackers! Then she asked for a few more odds and ends and basically just wanted to talk. As we walked through her property, she had to bend over to adjust or pick up something right in front of me, don't have a clue what it was because all I saw was the smiling man on the MOON. Then we moseyed over toward a few trees and she had to reach way high up on her tippy toes a couple times to grab a twig and then let it go. She just commented that all of her plants and trees look so healthy since I took over her maintenance last year. The first time I watched what she was grabbing, the 2nd time I saw something else. Anyways, she's a very nice lady, that likes to chit chat, pays on time and always compliments my work along with sending me several leads.
Thank God I only see her about once a month.

[GrassMaster]

Bob Cat & Red Bird?

The first time I watched what she was grabbing, the 2nd time I saw something else. Anyways, she's a very nice lady, that likes to chit chat, pays on time and always compliments my work along with sending me several leads.
Thank God I only see her about once a month.

I can help you with this Mr. Scott or more like point you in the right direction...

I heard we got a new & upcoming Green Industry Insultant that's coming out with a book called How to Lose Clients & Intimidate Customers for $18.50. Order early because it's going to be a hot one!

With a little practice from visual illistrations, you shouldn't have to look at Homer Simpson's choppers any more or face the dreaded Black Bob Cat with a red bird in his mouth again!

[ohreallythanks]

man ..i wondered how many other encountered this type treatment..hahah