Worst Lawn Care Business Experience
Вставка
- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- Worst lawn care business experience. When you do these kinds of lawn care jobs you have to make sure you get the price right. If anything I would suggest you over bid because doing a job like this and not getting paid enough is not a good feeling.
Join me so we can share ideas and learn from each other and
build our business together, one stripe at a time!!
TOP 10 MUST HAVES FOR YOUR LAWN BUSINESS
• Lawn Care Business Top...
INTERVIEW PLAYLIST
• Interviews
email- topnotchlc7@gmail.com
Facebook- / brian.shain.52
Twitter- / topnotchlawns7
Top Notch Lawn Care is powered by Yardbook.com Top Notch Lawn Care
is Powered by www.yardbook.com/ topnotchtraile... topnotchtraile...
Get it in writing before you start the work...Work Order...Customer signs it. Works every time. Get Paid before you start the job.
September 2012: Similar thing happened to me where I walked away from a mulch job that I had about 4 hours into + 2 cubic yards of black dyed. Woman was being real irrational and refused to pay claiming she did not like the smell of mulch & she would be sick from it so I walked away.
October 2012: Hurricane Sandy DEMOLISHED her house which was 2 blocks from the Atlantic Ocean and 100 feet from the Shark River inlet in Avon, NJ. Heard she was away on business & took shuttle to airport so she lost her car as well.
November 2012: As traffic was allowed back into town, I passed by her house & saw a pile of trash. In that pile was a Weber propane grill. Took it home, cleaned it & I am still cooking on it to this day!
ragingbullhcwf Dude that is one hell of a story. I am still laughing as I'm typing. You can't make this crap up. Thanks for sharing.
Most people are good and will be happy to pay. However after that mulch job, I stated taking 1/3 up front & have them sign business agreement; especially new customers and 1-shot jobs like this.
Did similar "knockdown" job at a vacant house where guy was going to get a huge fine by code enforcement if not cut in 24 hours. I rented a Billy Goat Brush mower for $65 then hit it with my 36. Told him $500 + cost of rental. It was either that or $1000 fine & mandatory court appearance. Landlord lived in Florida, so he Paypal'd me the money & I did the job.
😂😂😂😂 karma is a bitch, and nice win on that Weber BBQ they aren't cheap, like $400 for a small one burner one
Beds had to be prepped first. Overgrown with weeds and covered with leaves. Bed was in a backyard where mulched had to be wheelbarrowed.
So what
13 years in the industry. Honestly if I drove up to a job like that I'd just flat out say I'm not interested. People that let their property get to that state are usually trouble. I find I've become an excellent judge of character over time. Also as you pointed out it's hard to quote accurately, it's hard on your equipment and there's always the risk of damage due to hidden objects. Cheers
I think he played you. So that he did not have to pay.
I think so too!
i think so too
pasquale parente tre
true
He knew what he was talking about. It was a miscommunication on his part in order to have an argument not to pay. Just consider this a major write off.
if someone let's that yard go to that point... red flag!!!
Agreed! He should not have taken the job-- the lot even has derelict cars in the middle of the property
Yeah I would tell them straight up how much I'm doing and if there's anything in the grass
agree!
Imagine the interior of the house.
I feel this on a spiritual level. I’m only 21 but have been mowing lawns since I was 13. Well, when I first started it was just a few people in the neighborhood... decent size yards, hills, good bit of weed eating.... easily a $250 for a lawn care business but since I was 13 they practically made me their slave. I would get up every Friday morning and go mow these yards, usually took me about 6 hours sometimes 7 1/2, and i only got paid a total of $30 at the end of the day. Well, after a few months I called them and told them the only way I would be able to continue mowing their lawn is if they each paid me at least $25 per lawn ($75 at the end of the day) but the daughter freaked out and said im ripping her off and that I don’t even weed eat (straight up lie) and that she’s gonna go tell everyone in town that I’m a bad worker... so I called her a dumb cunt and told her she’s been making me her slave all year and I’m done with it and good luck finding someone else to mow her yard for $10. Not long after saying that to her, her mom and dad (the other 2 lawns) dropped me, and that’s the best thing that’s ever happened. Big relief. Horrible experience
This type of behavior is unbelievably common. I'm speaking from experience.
Knights2theEnd a lot of people are just dickheads to law care people and I'm not sure as to why, showing people some dignity and respect will go along way and you get better service.
Knights2theEnd well why be stupid and ask for 120 in the 1st place and then at then end say its free
Knights2theEnd behavior?
People in general are dumb as shit, self centered,self righteous, and the world owes them. Sad really.
That happen to me just last weekend when I trimming tree, but thank goodness I didn’t do all of it and that crackhead customer only paid me 50. He got 4 big tree like 18 to 20 feet tall. I only trimmed tree that land over that touching vehicle that it as that customer told me to do so . He tried to played my mind by keep add up more work to trimming whole freaky trees for 50 dollars I told him that going to cost more and he won’t pay anymore. Try to treat me like I am idiot cause I am hard of hearing. I just left that house with 50 dollars....
You made me felt a bit a better about myself that with your experience, you have the same issue as me. Taking job and working for free and sometime at a lost.
As soon as someone uses the fixed income excuse, I bail. I know they are going to be a problem. One lady asked me why I didn't want to do the job? I said right to her face, "I've heard every sob story and excuse to not getting paid. You've used the three most popular ones in our conversation. I know you will never pay me a dime. You won't get a minute of free work out of me."
Phil Builds Dam skippie
Right! Then they give you a check and tell you to wait 2 weeks before cashing it, till their social security check gets deposited in their account
Phil Builds yeah sure you did tough guy
@@Juan-nq2jp What's tough guy about not risking being ripped off? If you think that's tough, wait until you learn what you have to do when you hear an Indian accent. How to boost your profit while you deal with their "negotiating". This is business and every stereotype is there because there is much truth there.
Right! you say you're on a fixed income :0 why you even wasting my time!! goodbye! seriously call a chairity!
many good points!
I'm a licensed and insured electrician.
people always want stuff for free.
they assume a switch at home depot costs 1.00 so it should be the same to wire it.
also everyone has an uncle that does wiring.
In any business time is money.
If you are in business, you need to charge to cover your expenses. including health care, insurance, workers comp insurance, vehicle reg, ins.
payroll, and profit.
Donald Trump I thought you worked in real estate Mr. President?
Weeds aren't "trees" by any stretch. This guy did a shakedown on you.
Sounds like he set you up so that he had leverage on the costs. I know it wasn't easy, cool to hear you kept it professional.
Good that you took the low price initially to help the customer, shame you got grief. I hope you get blessed for your hard work and ethics
I used to work for a landscaping company and my bosses would always bid $100 higher than normal for jobs they did not want to do. More often than not, they would get those jobs. And it'd be sort of worth it because of the extra cash they were getting. Also my step dad owns a construction company, and when he first started out he had 3 or 4 customers that would not pay him. So he started making his clients sign contracts saying that they had to pay him. So just a little tip if you don't already do that.
I know exactly what you mean brother. A guy saw me at the gas station and asked for a card, he called me yesterday and asked if I could swing by and take a look at his property because he needed his grass cut. While I was on my way there I thought that it was just going to be a simple lawn mow and that's it... surprise surprise. I get to his property and it's a huge front yard with high ass grass and obstacles everywhere... I priced him between $400- $500 and let him know... he never contacted me back lol. I don't give a shot anymor... I will rather lose the job than cheat myself out of money. I know that we're all guilty of it but once you learn there are no more excuses. I'm no longer doing jobs in the crappy part of town... let those cheap bastards cut their own lawns.
@ndleinahaystack - well done. Guarantee you the guy had been fishing around and trying to find someone he could lowball. I’ll bet you weren’t the first guy that priced that job similarly. He just wanted $500 worth of work for about $150 bucks.
okay , now I feel a little better . I just underbid a job that took me far longer to do than expected and took a lot more work in 100+ degree heat index ...I feel for ya , I know how you feel ...
A friend of a friend asked me to take a local at all the new trees and landscaping work they had done. Everything was dead, and I mean everything was DEAD. Before I did anything I found out who the contractor was, "who had an incredible reputation" I called the contractor in front of the owner, the contractor was never payed for close to 10K of materials and labor. The owner was a POS. The contractor came back and literally salted the earth. I stood in front of the owner and laughed until I had tears in my eyes. Homeowners are crooks
Mowing with my dad when I was younger, and mowing on my own, I feel you man
This is the kind of yard I'd throw Kudzu seeds everywhere and it'll eventually engulf his whole property
OMG........... i thought the same thing. Go back and seed the place.
Dude, you got played. That old man knew exactly what he was doing with those "trees". He probably didn't even have the $120.
i have to deal with old people like that at my job. hard to respect elders who don't have any integrity...
Hey man - thanks for being so honest and sharing your experience. It's really good of you to allow others to learn from what you went through. All the best for your business in the future.
Wow. Sorry this happened to you....chalk it up to experience and never let it happen again. I've been in the business 25 years and nothing surprises me about people anymore. I've also had customers refer to non-trees as trees so I can absolutely see how this could happen.
Be careful doing those types of yards, too, as there's usually rocks, bricks or tools hidden from view under the tall grass. This could ruin very expensive equipment and cost you even more than your time.
tommy hall how much would you have charged for that job? i think atleast 750-1000
That's one reason I use cheap equipment. I bought a used Yard Man tractor in the spring. 18hp twin, 46" deck with big rust holes in the top, but it had the anti scalp wheels and it mowed nice once I got the bad gas out of it. I paid $74 for it, spent $35 to fix it, mowed all summer with it till the steering shredded out of it, pulled the engine off and scrapped it. Now the engine is powering an old Cub Cadet zero turn that I bought cheap cause the engine was missing.
Angel Martin you gotta use the blower and pile it up in a corner then pick it up or leave it there in the corner depending if the customer wants to a little extra
I wise old man told me many years ago, "There is some business that you cannot afford to have." And like you, I had to learn the meaning of those words the hard way.
I won't cut a tree down unless it is either *very* clearly marked with spray paint or has a fluorescent ribbon tied around it. I won't plant a tree unless the spot is marked with fluorescent marking paint. Keeps confusion to a minimum.
localcrew Thank you, this will be my policy now too.
Been in the business 36 years! I'm 51 now, I've had a couple of these people a year! Call the police! It works every time for me !!
Good idea.
Angel Martin they contracted you for a service and then refuse to pay for said service thats theft... If you contract a company to do a large enough service to your property and dont pay that company can put a lien on your property until you pay it off. At least in ohio they can
As a part time LCO and full time officer, I can tell you right now it's a civil matter because there was an pre-negotiated agreement in place.
Just don't call the police in Seattle... they will arrest YOU for harassing the home owner.
Always get it in writing what exactly what you are going to do and what the price is,even that sometimes is a challenge,I had one flaky customer say through her husband that we are not going to pay you,well i just said i will put back the 20 bags of yard waste back on your lawn! They paid real quick.
+Gerry Persowich I told someone who said they weren't gonna pay me...Oh really? Okay, I'm gonna go fire up my mower, set the deck low as it will go along the side of your driveway with the discharge chute pointed at your vehicle and I'm gonna throw rocks all over your car. I got my money and told them don't ever call me to do work for you again.
Wow. This showed up in my suggestions. I remember watching this four years ago, one of the first videos of yours that I watched. Amazing to see your journey from this to where you are now.
i love doing overgrown yards honestly
If they pay fair....Then i love them too!
Jason Ayers yeah there's something soothing about it when the lawnmower hits the deep grass at a very slow speed.
Jason Ayers I love doing tall yards too
I bet the before and after is good times for everyone.
I live in Texas. If you do work like this for a 100$. I have a ton of work for you! Just let me know. I will be waiting for you! LOL
I have been in this situation more than once. Just like you, I've had a hard time saying no. I learned. This guy asked you to do more work after the bid had already been given at a low rate, (I can't stand people that do that, I stopped letting that happen as well). Then he bitched. He didn't care about his property in the first place that's why it got so bad. He could care less bout those trees, he was hoping you would knock money off the total and he was successful. I learned to be very strict when people ask for more after the price has been given. They either pay more or they don't get the work done. I've also learned to be very strict on my bids. It's not an auction- it's a business. *****sorry for the rant, I've just been there and I feel your pain brother.
I understand. I thought he might have been trying to pull one over on me. At that point I just wanted to get the heck out of there.
CountrysideLawnNY Agree. The price is the price.
I at first had that problem too, since I am a kid-pre-teen people think they can use me, but I use top notch equipment and do just a good of job as a lot of other lawncare companies in my opinion(not to be self-esteemed) and still I charge quite a bit less than them, but people don't seem to get it!!!
alright, looks like youre right up the ally of proffessional. By the looks of your profile picture of course!
This is a more powerful video than some may think! There are about 10 times a season an old lady will call and want us to come cut the yard and its overgrown like this and you have to determine a line of being a nice human and being a business owner. I definantly have to work on that this year! Especially if your paying gas, labor and ruining a $10,000 piece of equipment. You handled it, by just leaving which is about all you can do if he doesn't have money!
I don't mind helping people out. I actually enjoy it, but when you want a miracle for it that prob won't happen.
B&B Lawn Care you guys are soft as hell. I work for a company and for the first 3 months of the year all we do is yards like this and worse. We charge ,55 an hour per person. Lol I do yards harder than this mydelf. Grow a pair
Marc Holloway us Mexicans work way harder than that come on boy .
B&B Lawn Care I agree with you on this. Have to draw the line somewhere. Know your worth.
Marc Holloway go watch the B&B videos my guy. 100 times the quality you’ll ever offer son. Go check out his videos you’ll def learn a thing or two
That goes for other situations as well not just in lawn care. Good video and tip on life in general!
I hate when I hear stories like this. The one time big clean up client almost never gives you more work so charge high or just pass. It's just not worth it.
PrimoLandscaping.ca I agree
Yup I don't do these anymore. Had a few like this but never near as bad. Now I just pass or tell them I'm too busy
100%
I had a buddy hit me up for a fall cleanup. I explained my standard procedure is to come twice 1 in late October 1 in November. “Yeah yeah yeah, I get it; I’m in.” Okay, so then he also has me do his rental property a couple streets over. Month goes by, I hit the rental house again and he calls me complamenting my work. At the end of the conversation I say, yeah and I’ll be by within a week to get your place 1 more time. Response “No, I’m good.”
Hmmmm okay.. so that cleanup that was $125 2 years ago after he pulled that jumped to $180 last year.
absolutely ridiculous. I don't landscape but I've had issues like this doing construction. I've learned the exact same lesson you did. sometimes it's better to just cut your losses and leave before things get worse. don't get discouraged honest people will always prevail. thanks for the video and good luck with your business in the future.
I had the same issues last month with two former clients. Boy I'm glad I no longer have them. I've gained four extra clients since I let them go.
Makes me think for any tree to be cut, it needs to be physically marked and signed off by the customer first before I do it.
Rich H paper contracts.
im in a different kind of business but my mentor once told me the best job you get is the one you didnt get. dont be afraid to say no and dont work peanuts.
My son and I run a local mowing business and that kind of thing has happened to us too.
The home owner says one thing then says another thing after usually to get out of paying for the work.
We have been abused and threatened by some people because they don't want to pay afterwards..... My son was almost choked out over $5
Sometime you think why bother at all
:(
Good reason to send your kid to college, instead of a labor job.
Thank you for being the professional that you are.
Out of all the lawn business vids on this site, this is probably one of the most important. Yes, we have all had these yards (most of us anyway) and underbid to get the job. Not as bad when you're a solo operator or having one helper, but still bad and not recommended. Ever!
As for the trees, another reason I get a signed estimate/bid of all the various services and pictures to back them up.
Customers can say anything to get out of a deal. Hard truth but people do and will lie! Another reason to have liability insurance and a cash cushion set aside if it is your screw-up. Because if it is your screw-up, own up and make it right. What hurts in the short term will ease the pain in the long run.
I've been there too. It only takes one or two of these to say no thanks. I sometimes wonder if the client ever plans on paying for the service in the first place.
+Velvethamma I think he had it planned. I won't be doing any of these anytime soon.
yeah, he had it planned. i used to do handy man type stuff, no major landscaping. but a few times i was asked to cut out/dig up plants, etc. i always had the customer walk with me and stand at the thing they wanted removed just because i saw the possibility of someone trying something like this (i had had a few clients pull similar stunts on luckily low value/time invested work in the past)
I've got my own inground pool company. When I first started out I thought I had to be cheaper just to get the buisness.........come to find out though, the more I charged the busier I got. Bottom line..........never sell yourself short.
I woulda guessed at minimum $1,000 to do all you did, not no $500 let alone $120.
Hey man... Look at this way... When your standing up there at the pearly gate.... Show them the picture of this jungle!!!! LMAO. Someone's gonna step right up and hand you a cool beer! Thank goodness your guy didn't mow over a brick or block or Prius ... Hidden under that crap and smoke a blade or spindle or something that would have cost you even more!!!! I love the shot of the weedwacker actually weedwacking at like head height!!!! I was like what the hell am I seeing!!!! You're up for sainthood in my book.... Man. I pray you are rewarded in a large financial way for your kindness!
David Thorne That grass just needs to be burnt like a field. LOL
whenever you hear that "i'm on a fixed income" crap you may as well forget it tell them to call someone else. i respond by saying "well since i am am not on a fixed income i need to earn a living. goodbye.".
I do this a lot. Thanks for posting this video. It really helps realize I could be making it a lot better if I'd stand my ground on my pricing sometimes.
Thank you. This video has lessons in it that reach past lawn care.
I’ve made some mistakes like that. Every time I bid low or give a deal something goes wrong. You’re exactly right... don’t be afraid to walk away.
let me tell you guys mine it was my first season 5 years ago this guy was selling his house the backyard was pretty big he wanted the trees trimmed the grass bagged weed wacked edged debris raked up a hole clean up i bid $200 9hours later 30 trash bags and the guy said what about the alley and this other side area i was then told i would not be paid i was scared to bid it right $600 but in the end i lost a good weekly client who referd me to the cheapskate i guess my advise is bid a fair amount because in the end you can loose your ass and more clients than you had planned
+Ernesto Robles Very true!
Nice of you to keep calm, considerate & sorry for your loss buddy. I hope you gain 100 times more than what you lost but ethically.
The funny thing is you were mowing around a ride on mower collecting dust.
i would have pulled up and took off once i saw the place
Christopher Reynolds you are soft
Marc Holloway lol
From an ex-mowing professional, that's a crazy way to mow. You're placing too much strain on the machine doing it that way. Do a maximum of two laps around ejecting the clippings inwards (clockwise, to the right in the video) and then turn around and go anti-clockwise blowing the clippings outward. This ensures you aren't creating a bigger and bigger mound of clippings for your mower to run over and discharge. Otherwise you're running over not only the long grass, but also the ever-increasing pile of clippings and placing unnecessary strain on your engine by doing so (which also wastes fuel, which costs money).
$120?!?!? I thought I was underbidding...I would of charged them 400-500....
Jesse Erickson I would've charged 40 haha, I've gotta bump up my prices
I would of charged $220 the very least
Jesse Erickson he said he'd normally charge 500 but was a friend of a friend he was trying to help
500-600
Shit for that much cutting I think it about 1000-1500 at least in my area lawn maintenance is expensive here for 1 hour of work per person it’s about 150 with tools but they would of sent like 6 guys out here for the whole day do the math 6x150 plus the other fees
I've found that low prices attract customers that expect too much & are never happy.
you say get paid what your worth but then leave without getting paid that sounds like that guy did that on purpose so he wouldn't have to pay.
Jason Ayers That's the whole point of the story the customer didn't want to pay 💰
100% agree. People think that old people are nice and always want to envision the "kind of man/lady" that just needs some help cuz they 'Ain't as young as they used to be".... but they are playing the game JUST like the busty girl at the bar.
Been there done that. Your right the only reason I would ever do one of these again is if the buddy calls and has a friend that can not work in the yard. Feel for you Bud. These are the type that makes you want to quit.
Video record all transactions with a customer. Less hassle when the case goes to court.
no good deed goes unpunished
Been there... I have a hard time saying no too. somehow I still let this happen once a season
You are a saint for not losing your cool. There are bad customers everywhere. You handled yourself very well. Lesson learned. God bless❤️
fixed income , elderly, people on hard times etc. yeah those situations, people wanting to pay less than what is right, I've came across one recently myself . didn't lose like the you did on this property but I see I'm not the only nice guy tryna run a bussiness.
right on man . gotta say NO sometimes
It's hard but your right. Unfortunately people will take advantage of you.
Belligerent Drew ka
People always "want a break"... There was a tractor and brushhog siting there if anyone else noticed, fire that ol beast up!
Alex Matthews I noticed all the mowers the old guy ruined over the years cutting that property lol!
this Belligerent Drew
This is exactly why I dont do any sort of freebies unless its for a very loyal client who pays me well. It sucks when things like this happen.
Should have said a thousand bucks. That should've scared them away.
+Ben Kempa I know right? LOL
I totally hear ya man! Had a client who would purposely not answer the door for 15 minutes at a time and would constantly want extra add ons for no raise in price. Good thing you kept your cool!
Yeah....I know what you mean..... I had to quit a yard on my first year. She only wanted to pay me $40 a month and she wanted me to scalp it. She wanted me to take out some small trees. I helped her out once but she wanted more and more.....all for $40...... I said I can't do all that you are asking me to do for $40 a month
You have to draw the line somewhere.
TopNotchLawns Hey, just watched this video and sorry for all that trouble you had, but in the long run man you will be blessed for doing all that work for free. You might already have seen some good things thats happen to you since you did this yard. Take care man, you seem like a nice guy.
It was a good learning experience for sure.
What I took from that experience is you have to get paid what you are worth or you will never make in this business
I never thought a video about mowing lawns would give me such amazing advice!
I’m a freelance photographer in STL! I shoot weddings mostly. My biggest thing I struggle with is pricing, I always undersell myself.
I’m going to take to heart what you said!
Thanks!
Lol captions at 0:23 said got to do some weed before we can even start cutting.
A lot* of weed... Roflmao :D
TopFin 😆😆😆😆😆😆
I been on the landscaping and lawn care for 10 year , and when I started I got couple customers like this , and I , like this guy could not say no, so I got taking couple times , but I did learn. now I look at the person and that job ,if they look hard to deal with , I over bid so if I end up getting the job , at least I get pay for my trouble, or I don't get the job , and move on to the next project , anyway you are a nice and a hard working man , and I know you are going to do just fine
Passed a tractor with a BUSH HOG.....LOL
djflexmaster79 Yeah, I noticed that too. That's what he needed for that jungle, I mean, lawn. I've bush hogged fields that weren't as bad as that "lawn".
If you lived closer I’d call you to come mow my lawn! You really are the best lawn care guy out here. Not cocky or condescending! Awesome work guy! Seriously!
A lot of that "lawn" was what I call brush hog status. I've actually had to brush hog a couple that were pretty overgrown. I had one that I call the nightmare property, because the brush was up to six plus feet high in many places. Not to mention there's this nice steep twenty plus degree mini hill, that the tractor couldn't make it up except for one spot...
Then on top of that, there was junk buried everywhere in that tall brush. Umpteen five gallon buckets, a couple of "dead" toilets, a dishwasher, tub, logs, stumps, ditches etc... Oh, and, a comforter... Why? Why not... You name it, it was there. That property gave the term "white trash" an ENTIRELY new meaning...
Just when you think it can't get any worse, it does... To top it all off, as I was backing down the hill, I very quickly went right into a big ditch. Well with 4x4 and even with the differential locked I still couldn't get out. But wait there's more... I kept getting deeper into the ditch and the tractor was now leaning extremely on the left side.
So much so that without the seat belt, the seat interlock wouldn't be depressed and would shut off the engine... I had to support myself in the seat, with my left hand and foot against the ROPS and fender respectively, I think that tells you how bad it was... Well at this point nothing would work, the front end loader wouldn't help since it just kept slipping off the dirt. By now the 4x4 and diff lock was pretty much useless, since the right side of the tractor was up in the air...
I had to unhitch my '91 F-350 4x4 (CC LB 7.3L IDI with an ATS turbo, ZF S5-42.) I call "The Beast", to come rescue the tractor. About thirty to forty five minutes later from getting stuck to unstuck... When that tractor got stuck, I think I said some cuss words I didn't even know I knew... I'm surprised I didn't even break a sheer bolt...
Well that's my long winded story about a property I call the "nightmare property"... Moral of the story is, charge a lot or don't bother. I did charge the property management company somewhere around $700, which to be honest, may have been on the cheap side if you ask me...
We've all been there brother but these types of jobs shows your a good person and the universe will surly pay it forward.
couldn't the guy of used his tractor and brush hog?!
I was thinking the exact same thing after I saw the tractor and lawn mowers out there.
Jamie Eyre Haha, shit. didn't look like he could even get to em
SBB1809 the attachment on the back of the landowners tractor
Bush Hog is a brand, brush hog is a generic term for rotary brush cutter
Jeffary with J&K Branching Out here,
I agree 100% with you. Don't feel bad man. I think we've all been there. I know I have. It's the nature of a beast being a small business owner and trying to be a nice guy. I'm still a small business owner and I'm still a nice guy, but you're right. you've gotta learn when to say no and when the price of job right. Been there done that. Drop Customer because of it.
Ps, Thanks for your videos. I use them and learn a lot and I'll put some up to eventually. Here in Stamford Connecticut, your friend.
J&K Branching Out.
ive worked so many jobs currently 25 and i wouldnt of done that he would had to pay me 1000 at LEAST older folks have money trust ✍ that crap looks like HELL
Nah, it wasn't that bad. I would have just mowed through most of that without messing with the weed eater. Now I've seen some that were far worse. I had to turn one down cause my equipment flat wouldn't handle it, even if they paid whatever I wanted. The grass was over 30 inches thick, and it all laying flat. Just to be clear, it was laying flat and it was still 30 inches thick. And there was like 4 acres of it. My only option would have been to go borrow my cousin's 1940's Ford 8n with the 6ft brush hog, and they weren't gonna pay me enough to haul that rig 80 miles and back.
Ya maan! I am here in Seattle, I instantly thought at least $2,000. But if I had a walk through it might drop. All my job will be on paper, and photos will be taken.
John Doe ha ha ha !!! that $30 would not off even covered the cost of the fuel to mow that much !!! then there is the wear and tear on your equipment that you have to service !!! and most of all if you have to pay a helping hand as well as insurance !! but i dont know where your from maybe everything is cheap where you are !!! where i am min wage is close to $18 hour !!! a coffee will cost you $4.50 min !! average family car is between 35 and 40 thousand! !! to buy that mower he is using in this vid will cost you about $5000 or more !!!
Denzel 'My Nigga' Washington 6 acres for $30? Mate...... you are seriously undermining yourself, it usually costs between $450 to $750 to have 10 acres slashed (as far as i know of)
Holy hell! And I thought my yard was almost unsalvageable after a few months without mowing it... Respect for even taking on a job like this. My method of dealing with this would probably be something along the lines of waiting until it hasn't rained for awhile and the grass is all dry, then setting everything on fire right as a rainstorm is starting so it doesn't burn down my house!
The old man played ya.
Been there before. I pulled up to a yard like this, this year. Knee high field. I turned around. Its not worth it, and the customer won't pay what you want.
I had that done to me as well. You are very right, sometimes you have to say no...
Sad to see stuff like this but you will always come out ahead with your positive attitude and work ethic! Great video thank you for sharing.
i been in the lawncare business for 13 years yards like this i wont touch... if you care to notice the home owner had junk mowers and trailers and vehicles in the yard..... in these cases theres a good chance you could hit an object and bend a blade or spindle on your mower...not to mention there could be tree stumps or anything else in that tall grass and weeds that you wouldnt see... the risk simply isnt worth the reward... finally i gotta say ...i would be very leery of hiring a lawn man filming my property ..... also mr top notch i would try to find a cheaper mower those big zero turns have put a lot of lawn guys out of business... ive seen plenty come and go over the years....it the fact you still have to make your payments in the winter ...of course ive seen a lot of guys start out with brand new everything.... those guys usually dont even make it a whole summer before something gets repossesed... best of luck to you mr. topnotch.... this summer was my last season ..so happy to be getting out of this line of work....
I agree, not worth the risk. I've made my share of mistakes and I'm sure I'll make some more. There's always a discussion about mowers and buying new vs used. I can't afford to have my machines in the shop so new for me is worth it. I do have another job so making payments in the winter isn't a problem. If this was my only source of income I'm sure I would think differently. I appreciate your feedback.
Top Notch Lawn Care well...good luck ..im getting out of the business sortve. im hoping that on the 14th ill be starting work for husqvarna ... as for maintenance i worked in a shop for 2 before i got into lawncare ...so repairs werent an issue for me.... but either way good luck with your business
Thank you!! Good luck to you as well.
georgiaridgerunner 79 p
georgiaridgerunner 79 I agree with you a 100% man! sometimes it's just better to double up on push mowers for a big lawn or even triple up then to go out and spend literally an arm and a leg for a riding mower. after they buy their expensive riding lawn mower they start mowing lawns that are literally 10 x 10 taking 20 minutes to get it off the trailer and popping a tire every week it's a joke.
I'm so sorry to hear that story man. You are an amazing guy. It is such a shame on that customer.
Nice guys finish last..... :/
Had the same problem with a job it was a 800+ job 5 rentals all waste high grass and weeds. I was new and my second job I ever bid on didn't have a clue about bidding at the time told him 200 and when I was done he made every excuse not to pay me and to this day haven't seen a dime. I always get those customers that claim to be on a fixed in come.
Anybody else wonder how they got here? Lol
did you ever survey land? I walked all over Ohio and Kentucky and a few other states up there in that area .... we had a machette and we got into places you can't imagine.. all so we could find a metal stake in the ground and say ...... Here is the corner of the property !!!
Wow you’ve really grown since this video it’s an inspiration!
It's a real shame that this guy wanted you to help him out in time of desperate need on his part. You would of thought if he did not have any money he would of maybe even offered to barter with u. Seems like he was trying to sell a lot of junk out front. Maybe the truck but definitely the tractor would of been nice to fix up an restore for the business. Better luck next time
Some people are so cheap and yet demand other things after the price has been lowered.
Also you were set-up... i would put a lien on his house for $500 just be be a dick XD but that's just me :P
I had nearly the same thing happen to me, but it was hedge bushes. I even walked over a pointed them out and she still said it was wrong. I've done the same thing so don't feel bad, just told them we were square and left, never returned.
I learned how to be a not good person anymore... because people like this keep screwing me over... you always have to care about yourself first.
Just take them to court
I learned from doing service on gate openers and garage door openers and hardware never try to give the customers a break - they will resent you for it.
That's crazy that the guy only payed you 100 dollars. I would've charged 800 minimum.
***** Ah.
Kaleb DeGroot more like 400-500 btw 800 is insane. I'm the job was tough but pretty much no one will pay that
Too much tf
and now you are doing them for free and loving it love how times change
Your biggest problem is that you thought 3 Rose of Sharon BUSHES (Hibiscus Syriacus) were trees!!!! The lesson here is actually....Don't get into a business in which you are not educated in. You are lucky, you did not get sued! Top-Notch..............MY-ASS!!!!!
Been there buddy.
My favorite is when they want to renegotiate the price after.
You got played for a sucka!
You’re a nice guy man. I wouldn’t have cut the trees down for free let alone walked with out that $200. Props.
Well, you deserve that for only paying your guy $10 an hr when you charge $100+
71sc502 um? Stfu you idiot.
***** upset?
71sc502 10$ I'd make more at McDonald's with less work
He's the boss. You're one of those people.... blegh
Pure Swag - You're an idiot, bring a comment with substance to the table for once in your life.
You have come a long way since then. Be proud of what you do know. 🙂