Surcharge

[Bikehigh]

OK, I have this one customer who told me that she'll give me a call when she wants me to start mowing, and thaqt it will be some time after May 1st. So, I drove past the property last week, and the grass is LONG. I called her up and told her it looks like the grass needs cuttng, and she agreed. She also told me she had fertilized. Now when I cut the grass on the first pass, it was unsightly with a blanket of mown grass and clumps covering much the lawn. So anyway, I made a second pass, raked the offending areas, and made a third pass to make it look good.

I'm planning on tacking an additional $20 onto the bill as a surcharge for overgrown grass. Her weekly rate is $35. I don't think that's too much. I can't be expected to leave a lawn looking like that can I? Am I out of line here? Is this something I should just swallow?

[Phil Nilsson]

(IF) It's a one time thing ... no surprises on her bill.

[GrassMaster]

This is what I would do...

Hello:

The thing is, you should have discussed the extra charge with her, before you performed the services.

This day & time, people expect to pay exactly what they are told & if an extra fee is going to be charged they should be told in advance. Even if it's 2 cents! I've been there & done that both ways!

Put yourself in her shoes, what if this happened to you? Would you fuss about the $20 extra after being told it was $35 a pop? See what I'm getting at?

We give estimates on mower repairs every day, if we try to charge one penny more than what we quote them when they come to pick it up, they boof about it!

Me personally, I would explain that you had to make the extra passes & if this happens again, there will be an extra charge between $20 to $35 extra depending on the length of grass due to extra work & time involved.

This could turn out to be the beginning of a Good Customer Relationship & $20 is not worth the gamble, In my opinion?

LOL, don't get me wrong but what if you were at Appleby's real late one night & you order the "Mexicano Gas House Special" & when they hand you the check after you get you belly full of Beans & they say...

Hello Bikehigh due to you waiting so late at night ordering your "Mexicano Gas House Special" we had to reheat yo Beans & theres going to be an extra 57% charge added on to your bill of $35.00 for the Special...

So that will be $55 please! And that Waitress is standing there with a Well are you going to pay it Look on her face? See what I mean?

Start off on the right foot, make it clear up front & this could very well be the beginning of a good working relationship for many years to come with this customer.

Besides that, almost every account I took over, it was over grown & the first cut was always the hardest.

I'm sure you will do what's right, Good Luck to Ya!