Had a guy mow my lawn one time because I didn't have the time. He told me, 40 dollars up front, no weed pulling, no plant or tree trimming, mow, cut, trim, and blow. At the end of the job I asked why all the stipulations. He said one or the other spouse has different expectations and you can't make everyone happy. So he just cuts, trims, and blows. And that is how I would approach it. Keep it simple.
I had a customers neighbor send her husband out the other day to tell me I am NOT to mow when it’s windy! Apparently some dust, not grass clippings, but dust traveled over two driveways, around a garage and over 150ft of lawn to land on some clothes she had on her line. 🙄😆
One time a customer was losing his shit over the phone... Couldn't get a word in edgewise! Finally, while he was taking a breath, I said "WOW!' and hung up the phone. He tries calling back once in a while. NO THANKS, BRO!
Had the SAME stuff happen to me TODAY before noon over snow removal at a small commercial account. Owner of the business called me every same in the book, told I was nothing but a stupid c&$@ sucked maybe 10 times. Told me he’s not paying me and see ya in small claims. All the worst insults you could hit someone’s with, I got multiple times. 20 straight minutes of me getting SCREAMED at. Idk how I did it, but I remained calm and flat out took it. I did have my reasoning on why the snow hadn’t been done yet; however; the snow was always going to be cleared before the business opened, which I finished 15 mins prior. Still on time in my eyes??After 20 minutes and me apologizing that he was upset with the service. He all a sudden flipped a switch TOTAL 180 and said QUOTE “It’s remarkable you’re still here and actually going to remove my snow now” followed up with a few apologies. It ended on the best note possible face to face. I guess. But my spirit was totally broken and I actually felt sick because of this the rest of the day. I’ll stick it out for the rest of the season, but next year; no chance. I’m still retelitivally new to the business (I’he had my own gig for 3 years now and worked for an established company for 3 years prior) but have had HORRIBLE luck with the commercial accounts I’ve come into. Told the other 1 I had to find someone else after 3 pushes because ALL they did was complain and demanded I make special trips for them. Oh and btw, we really need to you to plow around these 14 cars while people are walking around along with cars coming in and out.. This is the tightest most narrow parking lot in the midwest. Yeah, those kinds of demande. I felt/ know I did quality work each and every time I was there.Great video Brian. It’s so hard to get used to being verbally shit on by crazies.
Sorry to hear all that pal! I feel ya 100%. It's just not worth it with these type of people. I pray they get a sucker punch from life one day to balance things out, it's just not cool.
I had a hotel not pay me for 2 months... after several talks and explanations of how the check was sent out multiple times I told the owner that I would simply just put a contractors lien on the property. He said, OVER JUST $300!??" Then I said if it is just $300 then pay it.... got the check in 2 days 🤔
Bri, I always take the higher road so I would have just walked away. The added cost and frustration just for $125 isn;t worth it, peace of mind is priceless and the way I look at things is that these types of things happen for good reason and the almighty above will always send you back your loss three times over if you believe so thats my take on this subject matter!
Tim Xoque my contracts had a reasonable late fee assessed for every 30 days paid late, plus a lein clause, plus suspension of service until past due is paid.
bro i had the same thing happen to me, when i said in sending it to collections they settled. like do good work get paid its simple. i think sometimes people try to get a brake and it us that suffers. love your vids like this 100% right.
God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy! Having had encounters similar to what you described, I usually respond with the following line. Excuse me Bill, but when you are able to get yourself under control, call me back and we’ll continue our conversation, until then, have a nice day..... click. This is like a slap in the face to idiots like that, and it ends the insanity, instantly. It puts you in complete control of the conversation, and let’s them know that you are the adult and they are behaving like a child. It works like a charm every time. Thanks for sharing your story, cheers!
Haha you aint seen nuthen yet. Been cutting a clients property at 7.30am for 3yrs. Turn up as normal for service and a “new neighbour” couldnt sleep in with us mowing at 7.30am. I apologised for the inconvenience but told him we can start at 7am legally. He didnt like that and basically i had to use my edger to keep him from attacking me lol. Turns out he wasnt a new neighbour, hes been there for years but had just gotten outta prison that week. Thankfully 2 weeks later for next service hed been locked up again. What a psycho lol.
Legally yeah but do you want neighbors on you? Id rather have all those people as clients. I sharpen blades at 7:30 then fire up at 8:30. Stop for dinner hour. Then when we are backed up go again at 6:15 or so
Had an old man get so mad at me after he demanded I cut his whole lawn again. He tried to throw a punch while I had the redmax 8500 blower running and I went to block it but squeezed the trigger on accident and I blew his tigers hat right off his head. He was stunned lol
lol I just discovered your channel. I am in the mowing business. My policy for myself is I will argue with you but don't touch me and I won't touch you. I had a customer. New customer. She told me the grass didn't need to be mowed. I didn't agree because in less than 2 weeks we had 18 inches of rain. When she did finally let me mow the grass I explained I was not cutting it for $30. The growth was to much and the who yard needed to have a spring mow which included multiple mow and stuff. She turned to me and took her hand and slapped my arm and TOLD ME HOW THINGS WERE GOING TO BE AND WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO. I looked at her and said bye. she tried to yell at me and I went off. I told her that she hit me. I don't put up with that. Argue with me that is fine but don't touch me and i quit. she kept yelling and said she would call the cops. I told her fine. I will wait in my truck for them to arrive. I am not scared because i did nothing wrong and you will get arrested for touching me. She yellled back as a kept saying bye and laughing at her.
We had one last year. My son mowed the small back yard, he was done in about 5 minutes. I had the zero turn mowing the front yards (corner lot). Easy and quick yard. The owner's boyfriend called me and said his girlfriend was home and she didn't see us do anything. After he blew up on me I finally said if you want to mow it you can. He said I will. The next week she called me and said I was there, you didn't do anything. You guys were done in 15 minutes. She then wanted a fee mow. I said sure if it will make you happy but you have to run it past your boyfriend since he wants to mow your lawn. She said thanks, I just wanted you to know I was here and saw that you left in 15 minutes. I never mowed her again and didn't give her the free mow.
thats the reason id rather deal with cash over checks or card. one I dont have a machine to deal with credit or debit cards two I dont have a bank to deposit the money into. *I might open another account to put the money into and then I will earn interest onto it
This happend to me with a Bushtrimming job lady went bipolar on us saying you guys are doing a horrible job you guys aren't professional then hr later came outside and said you guys are doing a great job it looks great thank you and all I could do was laugh but definitely kept my cool with her told her will take care of it wait till we're done when we are I will do a walk around with you
Hey there I had kinda the same scenario last year. People are crazy for sure. Hey, do you have a video on what to do when a potential client or customer has a backyard loaded with dog poo? I would love to hear the stories on that and how you quote that if you quote that or flat out deny the client because of a yard full of dog bombs. Thanks!
After cutting the yard the customer walks out and asked me to trim one little bush and she's elderly or in her 60 so I trim one branch and then she starts asking me to do other things. I picked up quick on what was about to happen and she was about to have a list for me before paying me. I told her she can pay me for the cut and we will work out the other things separately. Can you believe she had the nerve to tell me that that's supposed to be included in the cut 🤨🤨🤨🤪🤪🤪 I should have told her there's going to be an added fee for wasting my oxygen 🤢🤢🤢
You absolutely handled it correctly. Stay professional, be cordial despite your urge to go off, and if the bill is $100 or less, then write it off. I've had customers do that, and we just went our separate ways. The sick part was after getting his service for free, he calls back the next season wanting work! Sorry, but that's not gonna happen. We're professional, but not dumb. Staying professional might turn things back to positive, and absolutely helps get and retain customers through your reputation. And that's priceless.
Brian, you mentioned you have resources for dealing with people like this, in terms of collecting or going after money owed, what do you have in place if you don’t mind sharing.
a customer like that I would just drop unless they made it right right away and never gave problems again or unless the bill is an outstanding amount then I would go after it but if it's small change I would just drop them
Just had a customer fire me because I was mowing on my normal day normal time. Because I didn’t get her message that she didn’t want it cut this week. She was sending the messages to the wrong number. I told her it would be bad business to ignore my customers, in which she replied yea it is. Lol long story short she was sending messages to the wrong number therefore I would never receive them. My number is on my truck, shirt, Card and invoice. Crazy people today.
Taking him to court would be too negative for your business. I would wait for check he promised. If it doesn't show. Hand deliver a statement to his business, maybe he might be embarrassed in front of his employees. Or keep sending a bill. But in some cases you were fired by the 51% owner of the property.
I had a guy deduct 5 bucks from payment because of so called grass clippings on the driveway. I just called and canceled his service and then he tried to say you can cancel on me I laughed and hung up the phone and I still due two properties on both sides oh him
No I never had that kind of experience before to go to court over $100 I would demand my money and if it's not paid I would never do business with that person ever again until they come correct and I would let that guy know that if his wife responds that way to to me again I will cancel my service because I made the arrangements with him and not his wife so that's a situation that he needs to address with his wife
Well always keep your cool and for a 125.00 it would have cost more in legal fees sometimes you have to eat it. I had to have gallbladder surgery last September I had 9 customer's and all but 2 drop me without a notice and for me if a customer dropped me without notice I will not take them back
There are some great customers out there and then there are some that have the crazy expectations. I used to work with a retired small town police chief that taught me a lot about staying composed when the conflicts occur. We did home warranty work and sometimes when you politely prove them wrong, they get embarrassed about it and will give you respect. Sound's like you did just that. Hope you get your check from "Bill".
1. Stand your ground. 2. What no Culver's? You seem to be a little thin to me. I suggest you order a concrete mixer. May favorite is lemon. BTW, make sure you get a quart of custard for your wife too.
Question: If you guys have to pick up sticks and branches so you can mow and not damage blades or equipment, do you charge for the time cleaning up the yard?
Every time someone says “I’m a man of my word and don’t worry about the bill” they’re probably bullshitting Had to edit lol, Cut a lady’s lawn for two years… Going into the third year she saw us out working earlier in the spring when things were long and a lot of clippings… She asked if we bag the lawn and I told her no and she thought that we had been removing her grass clippings for the entire 2 years 😂 I’m like no that would cost twice as much 🤑😂
I've spent countless hours attempting to get paid from PO'd customers who had absolutely no foundation for their complaints. I'm 35 yrs old now, 5 yrs in business, I don't waste my time with them anymore. I send invoices for a few wks afterwards but if they don't pay I say the heck with it. A few hundred bucks isn't worth the stress, I'd rather take the loss.
That is difficult one it is not worth it to go to war for a 100 dollar bill there is more fish in the sea who are a willing to pay and get their lawns mowed😁
We had a lady give us a 5 out of 10 on a survey that the yardbook software offers. Her complaint was about grass clippings on the driveway and that if we are in such a rush that we can't clean the driveway to her satisfaction that she will have no choice but to terminate our deal. She had given us 10 out of 10 every time before and I knew that her driveway was spotless when we left. I called her and we talked about what may have happened and come to find out the neighbor had mowed right after we left and he blew his clippings onto or customers drive. Of course no apology from her.
I would've politely dropped him as you did. He's just testing to see if your desperate for his money. I live in flint and it's tough getting paid sometimes. But the word spreads fast among the mowing community and before you know it the city is mowing and sending them a 250.00 bill. Gotta love it.
I just watched your video I had the exact same couple of customers my way handling it is I just let them talk and then I tell them I don’t want them to be unhappy don’t pay me have a good day sorry they felt miss treated or whatever and you know what guy they call you back and they want your bank and they call you back and they want you back in next year they’ll call you back I want you back in a year after they’ll call you back and watch your back people are strange
I’ve dealt with a few situations like this over the years and one thing I’ve learned: if anyone is weird about money when you first meet them then run away immediately. Red flags include, “money is no issue for me”, “I have a great job”, “I always pay my bills”, “I’m a business owner too so I get it”, “I’ll take good care of you”, etc. Don’t even think about taking on a client who says this kind of stuff, it always ends badly.
One of the biggest reasons I love owning my business...I don't have to take shit from a customer!! I worked for corporate America for years and was constantly swallowing my tongue...no more
Brian. As a licensed and insured business owner, you should be able to sell that bad debt to a collection agency. At least you would be able to recover some of the money and the client would then be dealing directly with Portfolio Recovery Associates. Doctors offices do this kind of practices every day. And you're a professional as well, love the company name. Great segment Bri
Ew I would never sully my company name by working with scummy collections. I worked for an agency for a few weeks as an employee and the whole system was back handed, corrupt, and made me feel ashamed of the work I was doing.
Bill, We demand payment. It appears you are pissed off at your wife and that's something between her and you. Thanks for your business. Hangs up the phone...
I had a customer once who I charged $30 per cut (weekly) thats my minimum, after a few weeks she calls and says our guys didnt weed the beds, trim the shrubs and put any "food" on the lawn... She actually thought $30 a week mowing service covered her whole property maintenance needs..... The funny part about is was she wasn't very happy with the $30 per visit..... thinking we take care of everything for that price.
I dont take nobody's shit I had a customer constantly antagonize me I was being so nice the whole time I finally just said fuck off and hire someone else trying to get free service out of me every week some people you just have hit them with reality and not take there shit because I have a collection agency if they dont pay me it goes to them and on there credit report so I win either way
In my state, just south of you ;) there is a $40 filing fee for a personal small claims (under 5k). The Plaintiff (business owner) is always at fault for this fee, again in my state. So in the end it comes down to this: how much more than the filing fee is worth your time in court? If it a single customer at a hundred bucks I will pass. My rule of thumb is $250/more. It takes me an hour(maybe 2 including drive time on average) to go to court so $125+ an hour is worth it; they are willing to lump some cases (sometimes) also making it worth it. I then place a lien on any property I can put my eyes on(cars/trucks/boats/home). They quickly come to their senses most of the time once they receive the lien notice. There are people that hold out, but that is rare. But that is just my experiences. If they never pay after 9-12 months sell any delinquent accounts to a collection agent/agency, you basically break even on these but at least you didn't throw the money in the trash. Wasted more time... time=money. I know... a bit of a paradox. I personally see a net positive on this, which I deem worth my time, thus why I personally do it. NOTE: If your state charges to place a lien on property (especially per item) it is best to let it go, sadly it will cost you more to collect than it is to just let them go. IT SUCKS but it is the cost of doing business i guess :(
Dude, i would never go to court over 1 or 2 payments, it just isn't worth it. This is a frigin funny ass story 😂😂 had to deal with people like this every day when i worked at a bank
No multiple cuts without a contract, sorry. First cut for residential is always cash or debit card run on my phone. After a relationship is established, a payment schedule can be set up. Stand your ground for services rendered, but always do it professionally. Once the customer becomes irate or unreasonable, they get cancelled. It shows what to expect from them in the future. I used to service lawns in a VERY exclusive area of my city and a neighbor came out while I was working to demand that I cut down my customer's garden because rodents were living in the garden and coming into his lawn. I politely explained to the gentleman that cutting down the flower garden was not part of my contract, but that I would be happy to raise the issue with my customer to see of it could be added to the service call. The man became irate and began stopping around my clients yard and yelling at me about the rodents. He exclaimed that he was the head of the HOA and prominent real estate broker and that of I wanted more work in the area, that I would cut down the flower garden. Now, I was a Military Police officer for 8 years with 27 months in a war zone, so I am easily able to keep my composure, which I did. I again explained that I would have to talk to my client about the garden before I did anything to it. I explained that I needed PERMISSION from my client to do extra work, and that it would cost my client extra for me to do the additional task, because I do not work for free, sir. He was all "How much will it cost?" So I told him and he said "I will pay you that right now." and reached into his pocket, I presume to get money out. I again calmly explained that I was not about to do ANY work outside of my contract without first getting permission from the client and coming to payment terms with them. The man was really getting red in the face and shouted "I WILL TRIPLE YOUR COST, JUST DO IT NOW!!" To which I replied "Sir, you could offer me a million dollars cash and I would refuse. I will go talk to the homeowner right now to see of we can get this done, ok?" He shouted "Fine, I will just have my crew do it tomorrow!" I said, well if you choose to violate your neighbor's private property rights tomorrow, I can't stop you, but have fun with that in court." Man, I thought the guy was going to hyperventilate at that! HAHAHAHAH! I told the man to have a nice day and went to talk to my client, who thanked me profusely for not cutting down his wife's flowers, and gave me a nice tip for refusing his PITA neighbor, who truly was the head of the HOA and a prominent real estate agent. I picked up three more properties in that neighborhood THAT MID-YEAR! Classic!
I’m not as nice as you. I’ve spent 4,100.00 to collect $325.00 from some ass out of principal. Cause guess what if he got over on me just like any upset customer. He’d tell 30 of his friends he got over on me. Pretty soon one of those people are calling you for service and boning you too. F-that.
OMG, the same thing happened with us and a customer over our snow removal service. She got all PO'd because we left snow in her driveway next to her car. She actually thought we were going to get out of the tractor and shovel the snow from around and under her car. LMAO...Well, she was having a tiffy. Going on about how bad we were and she has never been given such bad service. I told her No problem it appears there has been a misunderstanding here. Please allow us to reimburse the full amount of your agreement and we will cancel right now. In the end, we finished off the season. I will not take her again. I told her it would be best to go with my competitor. LMAO, nothing like passing the crappy customers to your competitor. Let them have fun with this one.
Had a very similiar situation last month. The husband pulled me up half way and told me to go home. I called his wife, my client, for confirmation. She said don't listen to him, he has nothing to do with this! So i did it. The husband wasn't happy and doesn't say hi to me anymore. Lolol
Standing firm and knowing when to bow out is a balancing act. I don't think you can always stand firm or always bow out. I think everyone needs to carry a little bit of a chip on their shoulder, but not so much that we make a fool of ourselves. Sounds like you handled it well. The crazies are everywhere.
Yeah, he went overboard but what it didn't seem like you considered was if his wife had a mental condition. Of course he would not have told you about that. When he called you, he should have been referred back to get it straight and contact you back. He probably did talk to his wife before he called you back to apologize.
ROFLOL This happened to me today, was cutting shrubs and the wife came out and told how great everything looked and the tree trimming was fantastic. Husband comes home and wanted to throw me and my crew off the property. I told him I would leave with 400.00 in my pocket or we call the police and have them help us out. Stormed in to house, about 30 min went by he comes out (I guess he took a pill) Totally nice handed me cash and asked us to continue. I also mow the lawn there and he is never late paying. He said I just had a rough morning and I am really sorry. I said no harm done, so we are just going to continue to service the property. It's a gold mine and 2 Neighbors comment and asked me to do there shrubs.
I would have waited until you got the check that he was going to mail, then called and said we are no longer doing work in your area, thank you for the opportunity,,,,bla bla bla.... then never return. Nice video, thank you.
I’ve been in retail for over 10 years as a customer service supervisor and I deal with people wanting to fist fight over 50 cents multiple times a day. Doing my best to get into lawn care so just like you did, I can cut the trash customers out when I need too. They can be someone else’s problem instead of having to deal with their BS on a daily basis. Well done!
Tell them a non payment will force you to ad there name and address to a " Non payment list " with the local landscape business association for non payment. Finish by telling the customer it will be unlikely they will be able to receive a professional provider to give them an estimate or start service till they pay the bill to get off that list. The customer doesn't know you are bluffing,but stand your ground
At the end of the day he highered u not her he pay his only he has the power to cancel u not wifes or mistresses as for bagging she should have asked can u do infuture and u talk to bill about the situation. I only deal with the higher er not the spouses.
I've only had it happened twice in the last few years but when people start to act that way and speak to me like that I just simply tell them that we're done. We're parting ways and if there's any money owed here's what you owe. No tolerance for getting treated like that and no tolerance for not getting paid for your work.
I liked to use the phrase "I am going to let another contractor have the opportunity to bid on your project." It seemed to have a calming effect most of the time.
Nice couple.
Sounds like they’re made for each other.
How sweet
Nice until I got my check. Lol great story.
I appreciate this conversation.
I would have stopped mid cut and left the yard looking like crap. Wave bye as you are pulling away. Haha.
Had a guy mow my lawn one time because I didn't have the time. He told me, 40 dollars up front, no weed pulling, no plant or tree trimming, mow, cut, trim, and blow. At the end of the job I asked why all the stipulations. He said one or the other spouse has different expectations and you can't make everyone happy. So he just cuts, trims, and blows. And that is how I would approach it. Keep it simple.
I had a customers neighbor send her husband out the other day to tell me I am NOT to mow when it’s windy! Apparently some dust, not grass clippings, but dust traveled over two driveways, around a garage and over 150ft of lawn to land on some clothes she had on her line. 🙄😆
Lol 😝
Unique Landscape services,Brian you stood your ground $100 is my family and business property, just like his lawn is there property.
One time a customer was losing his shit over the phone... Couldn't get a word in edgewise! Finally, while he was taking a breath, I said "WOW!' and hung up the phone. He tries calling back once in a while. NO THANKS, BRO!
Had the SAME stuff happen to me TODAY before noon over snow removal at a small commercial account. Owner of the business called me every same in the book, told I was nothing but a stupid c&$@ sucked maybe 10 times. Told me he’s not paying me and see ya in small claims. All the worst insults you could hit someone’s with, I got multiple times. 20 straight minutes of me getting SCREAMED at. Idk how I did it, but I remained calm and flat out took it. I did have my reasoning on why the snow hadn’t been done yet; however; the snow was always going to be cleared before the business opened, which I finished 15 mins prior. Still on time in my eyes??After 20 minutes and me apologizing that he was upset with the service. He all a sudden flipped a switch TOTAL 180 and said QUOTE “It’s remarkable you’re still here and actually going to remove my snow now” followed up with a few apologies. It ended on the best note possible face to face. I guess. But my spirit was totally broken and I actually felt sick because of this the rest of the day. I’ll stick it out for the rest of the season, but next year; no chance.
I’m still retelitivally new to the business (I’he had my own gig for 3 years now and worked for an established company for 3 years prior) but have had HORRIBLE luck with the commercial accounts I’ve come into. Told the other 1 I had to find someone else after 3 pushes because ALL they did was complain and demanded I make special trips for them. Oh and btw, we really need to you to plow around these 14 cars while people are walking around along with cars coming in and out.. This is the tightest most narrow parking lot in the midwest. Yeah, those kinds of demande. I felt/ know I did quality work each and every time I was there.Great video Brian. It’s so hard to get used to being verbally shit on by crazies.
Sorry to hear all that pal! I feel ya 100%. It's just not worth it with these type of people. I pray they get a sucker punch from life one day to balance things out, it's just not cool.
I had a hotel not pay me for 2 months... after several talks and explanations of how the check was sent out multiple times I told the owner that I would simply just put a contractors lien on the property. He said, OVER JUST $300!??" Then I said if it is just $300 then pay it.... got the check in 2 days 🤔
Bri, I always take the higher road so I would have just walked away. The added cost and frustration just for $125 isn;t worth it, peace of mind is priceless and the way I look at things is that these types of things happen for good reason and the almighty above will always send you back your loss three times over if you believe so thats my take on this subject matter!
💯👊
Funny thou drink a Jimmy J and laugh it off carry a whipper sniper as a weapon yo!!
You need to add in your contact notice of lien on the property if the bill isn't paid before 30 days and add the filing and service fee.
Tim Xoque my contracts had a reasonable late fee assessed for every 30 days paid late, plus a lein clause, plus suspension of service until past due is paid.
Longer you mess with a turd the more sh*t you get on u drop them and move lifes to short for bs like that
bro i had the same thing happen to me, when i said in sending it to collections they settled. like do good work get paid its simple. i think sometimes people try to get a brake and it us that suffers. love your vids like this 100% right.
God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy! Having had encounters similar to what you described, I usually respond with the following line. Excuse me Bill, but when you are able to get yourself under control, call me back and we’ll continue our conversation, until then, have a nice day..... click. This is like a slap in the face to idiots like that, and it ends the insanity, instantly. It puts you in complete control of the conversation, and let’s them know that you are the adult and they are behaving like a child. It works like a charm every time. Thanks for sharing your story, cheers!
Haha you aint seen nuthen yet.
Been cutting a clients property at 7.30am for 3yrs.
Turn up as normal for service and a “new neighbour” couldnt sleep in with us mowing at 7.30am.
I apologised for the inconvenience but told him we can start at 7am legally.
He didnt like that and basically i had to use my edger to keep him from attacking me lol.
Turns out he wasnt a new neighbour, hes been there for years but had just gotten outta prison that week.
Thankfully 2 weeks later for next service hed been locked up again.
What a psycho lol.
Legally yeah but do you want neighbors on you? Id rather have all those people as clients. I sharpen blades at 7:30 then fire up at 8:30. Stop for dinner hour. Then when we are backed up go again at 6:15 or so
Make sure you get paid. And drop customer, you were amazing not going off on him and her.lol
Did he say he was getting $25 per cut on this yard in a nice subdivision? No bayyybayyyyy!
Had an old man get so mad at me after he demanded I cut his whole lawn again. He tried to throw a punch while I had the redmax 8500 blower running and I went to block it but squeezed the trigger on accident and I blew his tigers hat right off his head. He was stunned lol
lol I just discovered your channel. I am in the mowing business. My policy for myself is I will argue with you but don't touch me and I won't touch you. I had a customer. New customer. She told me the grass didn't need to be mowed. I didn't agree because in less than 2 weeks we had 18 inches of rain. When she did finally let me mow the grass I explained I was not cutting it for $30. The growth was to much and the who yard needed to have a spring mow which included multiple mow and stuff. She turned to me and took her hand and slapped my arm and TOLD ME HOW THINGS WERE GOING TO BE AND WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO. I looked at her and said bye. she tried to yell at me and I went off. I told her that she hit me. I don't put up with that. Argue with me that is fine but don't touch me and i quit. she kept yelling and said she would call the cops. I told her fine. I will wait in my truck for them to arrive. I am not scared because i did nothing wrong and you will get arrested for touching me. She yellled back as a kept saying bye and laughing at her.
That's funny haha, thanks for sharing!
I would call a couple of times if I still haven't gotten paid by then I would send it to collections
A signed service contract is binding.....handshakes only go so far. Not like it use to be.
words can't hurt. sounds like he was a having a bad day. maybe they both were. he did the right thing & apoloized; that's showing integrity.
We had one last year. My son mowed the small back yard, he was done in about 5 minutes. I had the zero turn mowing the front yards (corner lot). Easy and quick yard. The owner's boyfriend called me and said his girlfriend was home and she didn't see us do anything. After he blew up on me I finally said if you want to mow it you can. He said I will. The next week she called me and said I was there, you didn't do anything. You guys were done in 15 minutes. She then wanted a fee mow. I said sure if it will make you happy but you have to run it past your boyfriend since he wants to mow your lawn. She said thanks, I just wanted you to know I was here and saw that you left in 15 minutes. I never mowed her again and didn't give her the free mow.
I say sue Bills @$$
I had a lady that acted like she was the only customer and was like that.
thats the reason id rather deal with cash over checks or card. one I dont have a machine to deal with credit or debit cards two I dont have a bank to deposit the money into. *I might open another account to put the money into and then I will earn interest onto it
He hit The blunt , came back and was like, my bad bro
Should of got the check then told him
I would of got my money and keep my cool and laugh just like you did and never go back
This happend to me with a Bushtrimming job lady went bipolar on us saying you guys are doing a horrible job you guys aren't professional then hr later came outside and said you guys are doing a great job it looks great thank you and all I could do was laugh but definitely kept my cool with her told her will take care of it wait till we're done when we are I will do a walk around with you
Would drop customer and never look back. If it happened one time it will happen again .
Hey there I had kinda the same scenario last year. People are crazy for sure. Hey, do you have a video on what to do when a potential client or customer has a backyard loaded with dog poo?
I would love to hear the stories on that and how you quote that if you quote that or flat out deny the client because of a yard full of dog bombs. Thanks!
That guy is trying to get your work for free
in the Soprano's world you'd be cutting it for free
Would have got my payment and dropped them immediately after
I would walk away, why throw good money at bad money. I wouldn't waste the time or the money for a lawyer, just write it off as a loss.
After cutting the yard the customer walks out and asked me to trim one little bush and she's elderly or in her 60 so I trim one branch and then she starts asking me to do other things.
I picked up quick on what was about to happen and she was about to have a list for me before paying me.
I told her she can pay me for the cut and we will work out the other things separately.
Can you believe she had the nerve to tell me that that's supposed to be included in the cut 🤨🤨🤨🤪🤪🤪
I should have told her there's going to be an added fee for wasting my oxygen 🤢🤢🤢
You absolutely handled it correctly. Stay professional, be cordial despite your urge to go off, and if the bill is $100 or less, then write it off. I've had customers do that, and we just went our separate ways. The sick part was after getting his service for free, he calls back the next season wanting work! Sorry, but that's not gonna happen. We're professional, but not dumb. Staying professional might turn things back to positive, and absolutely helps get and retain customers through your reputation. And that's priceless.
Find a collection service. Let them earn their fee. You may not make much, but people like you describe need to get the same treatment they dish.
Brian, you mentioned you have resources for dealing with people like this, in terms of collecting or going after money owed, what do you have in place if you don’t mind sharing.
Working to make that resource available online at Lawntrepreneur Academy soon.
Grass turn yellow? Did she water the grass or no? That’s ridiculous, that why I don’t like to talk to some crazy women.... about 30 minutes
a customer like that I would just drop unless they made it right right away and never gave problems again or unless the bill is an outstanding amount then I would go after it but if it's small change I would just drop them
Just had a customer fire me because I was mowing on my normal day normal time. Because I didn’t get her message that she didn’t want it cut this week. She was sending the messages to the wrong number. I told her it would be bad business to ignore my customers, in which she replied yea it is. Lol long story short she was sending messages to the wrong number therefore I would never receive them. My number is on my truck, shirt, Card and invoice. Crazy people today.
Taking him to court would be too negative for your business. I would wait for check he promised. If it doesn't show. Hand deliver a statement to his business, maybe he might be embarrassed in front of his employees. Or keep sending a bill. But in some cases you were fired by the 51% owner of the property.
I had a guy deduct 5 bucks from payment because of so called grass clippings on the driveway. I just called and canceled his service and then he tried to say you can cancel on me I laughed and hung up the phone and I still due two properties on both sides oh him
Wow! Crazy gonna crazy! LOL
No I never had that kind of experience before to go to court over $100 I would demand my money and if it's not paid I would never do business with that person ever again until they come correct and I would let that guy know that if his wife responds that way to to me again I will cancel my service because I made the arrangements with him and not his wife so that's a situation that he needs to address with his wife
You are funny man hahha u don’t bag we don’t bag nobody bags around here lol
😂🤷♂️
Well always keep your cool and for a 125.00 it would have cost more in legal fees sometimes you have to eat it. I had to have gallbladder surgery last September I had 9 customer's and all but 2 drop me without a notice and for me if a customer dropped me without notice I will not take them back
let them go. not even worth the trouble. there ought to be an angies list for shitty clients/ non payers
How do you like those electric brakes on that trailer? They look like they're pulling a bit hard. I hate em!
No real issues with the new trucks gain control
Trailer brakes ARE adjustable.
Benton Addison No kidding??
You want a bag? Yes. Yo Vinny. She wants a bag. She wants a bag huh. Yeah she wants a bag.
There are some great customers out there and then there are some that have the crazy expectations. I used to work with a retired small town police chief that taught me a lot about staying composed when the conflicts occur. We did home warranty work and sometimes when you politely prove them wrong, they get embarrassed about it and will give you respect. Sound's like you did just that. Hope you get your check from "Bill".
Check came today :]
1. Stand your ground. 2. What no Culver's? You seem to be a little thin to me. I suggest you order a concrete mixer. May favorite is lemon. BTW, make sure you get a quart of custard for your wife too.
+HJW81253212 Ha. Haven't been to the gym in 2 months!!
Question: If you guys have to pick up sticks and branches so you can mow and not damage blades or equipment, do you charge for the time cleaning up the yard?
We will the first time, after that yes we will let the customer know if they're not picked up, we will have to charge a nominal fee.
Every time someone says “I’m a man of my word and don’t worry about the bill” they’re probably bullshitting
Had to edit lol, Cut a lady’s lawn for two years… Going into the third year she saw us out working earlier in the spring when things were long and a lot of clippings… She asked if we bag the lawn and I told her no and she thought that we had been removing her grass clippings for the entire 2 years 😂 I’m like no that would cost twice as much 🤑😂
Haha
Wow don't u love ppl like that. lol. I feel ur pain brian. I just got done with a customer like that
send the bill, when he don't pay send a collector after em.
I've spent countless hours attempting to get paid from PO'd customers who had absolutely no foundation for their complaints. I'm 35 yrs old now, 5 yrs in business, I don't waste my time with them anymore. I send invoices for a few wks afterwards but if they don't pay I say the heck with it.
A few hundred bucks isn't worth the stress, I'd rather take the loss.
He probably took his meds
you need to point out what you do and what you do not before starting any job process this on quote
for a hundred bucks, i'd try to collect a few times myself, but i wouldn't spend any money on it,
Mike T Agreed. I have 2 clients who are lawyers and they send stuff out for me for free. They are nice people.
No payment = 2 ton of pea gravel in the center of the front lawn..... Makes it all worth it when you eat lunch and watch your guys dump and go 😄
Sounds like you handled it perfectly. They sounded crazy and we don’t need clients like that at all.
That is difficult one it is not worth it to go to war for a 100 dollar bill there is more fish in the sea who are a willing to pay and get their lawns mowed😁
We had a lady give us a 5 out of 10 on a survey that the yardbook software offers. Her complaint was about grass clippings on the driveway and that if we are in such a rush that we can't clean the driveway to her satisfaction that she will have no choice but to terminate our deal. She had given us 10 out of 10 every time before and I knew that her driveway was spotless when we left. I called her and we talked about what may have happened and come to find out the neighbor had mowed right after we left and he blew his clippings onto or customers drive. Of course no apology from her.
I would've politely dropped him as you did. He's just testing to see if your desperate for his money. I live in flint and it's tough getting paid sometimes. But the word spreads fast among the mowing community and before you know it the city is mowing and sending them a 250.00 bill. Gotta love it.
Brian tell us who hired you the husband or the wife. Does that make a difference. To me it always has.
Husband.
I just watched your video I had the exact same couple of customers my way handling it is I just let them talk and then I tell them I don’t want them to be unhappy don’t pay me have a good day sorry they felt miss treated or whatever and you know what guy they call you back and they want your bank and they call you back and they want you back in next year they’ll call you back I want you back in a year after they’ll call you back and watch your back people are strange
I’ve dealt with a few situations like this over the years and one thing I’ve learned: if anyone is weird about money when you first meet them then run away immediately. Red flags include, “money is no issue for me”, “I have a great job”, “I always pay my bills”, “I’m a business owner too so I get it”, “I’ll take good care of you”, etc. Don’t even think about taking on a client who says this kind of stuff, it always ends badly.
One of the biggest reasons I love owning my business...I don't have to take shit from a customer!! I worked for corporate America for years and was constantly swallowing my tongue...no more
Absolutely!
Brian. As a licensed and insured business owner, you should be able to sell that bad debt to a collection agency. At least you would be able to recover some of the money and the client would then be dealing directly with Portfolio Recovery Associates. Doctors offices do this kind of practices every day. And you're a professional as well, love the company name. Great segment Bri
George Lomas thanks pal!
Ew I would never sully my company name by working with scummy collections. I worked for an agency for a few weeks as an employee and the whole system was back handed, corrupt, and made me feel ashamed of the work I was doing.
Bill, We demand payment. It appears you are pissed off at your wife and that's something between her and you. Thanks for your business. Hangs up the phone...
What do u mean we don’t bag? ALWAYS BAG, way more professional and looks way better.
It’s a regional thing. We don’t bag in the Midwest. Thanks
I had a customer once who I charged $30 per cut (weekly) thats my minimum, after a few weeks she calls and says our guys didnt weed the beds, trim the shrubs and put any "food" on the lawn... She actually thought $30 a week mowing service covered her whole property maintenance needs..... The funny part about is was she wasn't very happy with the $30 per visit..... thinking we take care of everything for that price.
Lol
Contracts, with very specific scope of work wording, man.
I dont take nobody's shit I had a customer constantly antagonize me I was being so nice the whole time I finally just said fuck off and hire someone else trying to get free service out of me every week some people you just have hit them with reality and not take there shit because I have a collection agency if they dont pay me it goes to them and on there credit report so I win either way
Thanks Brians for all your advice persons like you is what I like to learn stuff from
In my state, just south of you ;) there is a $40 filing fee for a personal small claims (under 5k). The Plaintiff (business owner) is always at fault for this fee, again in my state. So in the end it comes down to this: how much more than the filing fee is worth your time in court? If it a single customer at a hundred bucks I will pass. My rule of thumb is $250/more. It takes me an hour(maybe 2 including drive time on average) to go to court so $125+ an hour is worth it; they are willing to lump some cases (sometimes) also making it worth it. I then place a lien on any property I can put my eyes on(cars/trucks/boats/home). They quickly come to their senses most of the time once they receive the lien notice. There are people that hold out, but that is rare. But that is just my experiences. If they never pay after 9-12 months sell any delinquent accounts to a collection agent/agency, you basically break even on these but at least you didn't throw the money in the trash. Wasted more time... time=money. I know... a bit of a paradox. I personally see a net positive on this, which I deem worth my time, thus why I personally do it.
NOTE: If your state charges to place a lien on property (especially per item) it is best to let it go, sadly it will cost you more to collect than it is to just let them go. IT SUCKS but it is the cost of doing business i guess :(
What about sending their bill to collections?
Dude, i would never go to court over 1 or 2 payments, it just isn't worth it. This is a frigin funny ass story 😂😂 had to deal with people like this every day when i worked at a bank
Bro' just today I walked away from a lady customer...
I would of asked him nicely to pay the bill and have a good day and never mow the yard again. Crazy old people lol
No multiple cuts without a contract, sorry. First cut for residential is always cash or debit card run on my phone. After a relationship is established, a payment schedule can be set up.
Stand your ground for services rendered, but always do it professionally.
Once the customer becomes irate or unreasonable, they get cancelled. It shows what to expect from them in the future.
I used to service lawns in a VERY exclusive area of my city and a neighbor came out while I was working to demand that I cut down my customer's garden because rodents were living in the garden and coming into his lawn.
I politely explained to the gentleman that cutting down the flower garden was not part of my contract, but that I would be happy to raise the issue with my customer to see of it could be added to the service call. The man became irate and began stopping around my clients yard and yelling at me about the rodents.
He exclaimed that he was the head of the HOA and prominent real estate broker and that of I wanted more work in the area, that I would cut down the flower garden.
Now, I was a Military Police officer for 8 years with 27 months in a war zone, so I am easily able to keep my composure, which I did. I again explained that I would have to talk to my client about the garden before I did anything to it. I explained that I needed PERMISSION from my client to do extra work, and that it would cost my client extra for me to do the additional task, because I do not work for free, sir.
He was all "How much will it cost?" So I told him and he said "I will pay you that right now." and reached into his pocket, I presume to get money out.
I again calmly explained that I was not about to do ANY work outside of my contract without first getting permission from the client and coming to payment terms with them.
The man was really getting red in the face and shouted "I WILL TRIPLE YOUR COST, JUST DO IT NOW!!" To which I replied "Sir, you could offer me a million dollars cash and I would refuse. I will go talk to the homeowner right now to see of we can get this done, ok?"
He shouted "Fine, I will just have my crew do it tomorrow!" I said, well if you choose to violate your neighbor's private property rights tomorrow, I can't stop you, but have fun with that in court."
Man, I thought the guy was going to hyperventilate at that! HAHAHAHAH!
I told the man to have a nice day and went to talk to my client, who thanked me profusely for not cutting down his wife's flowers, and gave me a nice tip for refusing his PITA neighbor, who truly was the head of the HOA and a prominent real estate agent.
I picked up three more properties in that neighborhood THAT MID-YEAR! Classic!
Nice!!!! LOL
I’m not as nice as you. I’ve spent 4,100.00 to collect $325.00 from some ass out of principal. Cause guess what if he got over on me just like any upset customer. He’d tell 30 of his friends he got over on me. Pretty soon one of those people are calling you for service and boning you too. F-that.
Love it.
You’re an idiot
But I don’t believe you
OMG, the same thing happened with us and a customer over our snow removal service. She got all PO'd because we left snow in her driveway next to her car. She actually thought we were going to get out of the tractor and shovel the snow from around and under her car. LMAO...Well, she was having a tiffy. Going on about how bad we were and she has never been given such bad service. I told her No problem it appears there has been a misunderstanding here. Please allow us to reimburse the full amount of your agreement and we will cancel right now. In the end, we finished off the season. I will not take her again. I told her it would be best to go with my competitor. LMAO, nothing like passing the crappy customers to your competitor. Let them have fun with this one.
why doe rear tint look off
🤷♂️
Had a very similiar situation last month. The husband pulled me up half way and told me to go home. I called his wife, my client, for confirmation. She said don't listen to him, he has nothing to do with this! So i did it. The husband wasn't happy and doesn't say hi to me anymore. Lolol
Your business will not last
Yup 12 seasons in, you’re probably right.
@@BriansLawnMaintenance you are proving my point 100.00 should not phase you you are operating s hobby
greg cross $100 is $100, and that being said, it’s principal. These people were sheisters and aren’t getting away with it.
" I'm going to sue you if you don't find someone who will cut my lawn." xD LOLOLOLOL
Standing firm and knowing when to bow out is a balancing act. I don't think you can always stand firm or always bow out. I think everyone needs to carry a little bit of a chip on their shoulder, but not so much that we make a fool of ourselves. Sounds like you handled it well. The crazies are everywhere.
Florida Turf Pros agreed pal
Yeah, he went overboard but what it didn't seem like you considered was if his wife had a mental condition. Of course he would not have told you about that. When he called you, he should have been referred back to get it straight and contact you back.
He probably did talk to his wife before he called you back to apologize.
+Rob J Ya that's what I am thinking
Nope
ROFLOL This happened to me today, was cutting shrubs and the wife came out and told how great everything looked and the tree trimming was fantastic. Husband comes home and wanted to throw me and my crew off the property. I told him I would leave with 400.00 in my pocket or we call the police and have them help us out. Stormed in to house, about 30 min went by he comes out (I guess he took a pill) Totally nice handed me cash and asked us to continue. I also mow the lawn there and he is never late paying. He said I just had a rough morning and I am really sorry. I said no harm done, so we are just going to continue to service the property. It's a gold mine and 2 Neighbors comment and asked me to do there shrubs.
Don Scurry lol! That's awesome 👏
Dude what is it with Michigan though. The angst in so many people. S'insecure. Lol
I would have waited until you got the check that he was going to mail, then called and said we are no longer doing work in your area, thank you for the opportunity,,,,bla bla bla.... then never return. Nice video, thank you.
I’ve been in retail for over 10 years as a customer service supervisor and I deal with people wanting to fist fight over 50 cents multiple times a day. Doing my best to get into lawn care so just like you did, I can cut the trash customers out when I need too. They can be someone else’s problem instead of having to deal with their BS on a daily basis. Well done!
Tell them a non payment will force you to ad there name and address to a " Non payment list " with the local landscape business association for non payment. Finish by telling the customer it will be unlikely they will be able to receive a professional provider to give them an estimate or start service till they pay the bill to get off that list.
The customer doesn't know you are bluffing,but stand your ground
Nice bluff !!!
At the end of the day he highered u not her he pay his only he has the power to cancel u not wifes or mistresses as for bagging she should have asked can u do infuture and u talk to bill about the situation. I only deal with the higher er not the spouses.
I've only had it happened twice in the last few years but when people start to act that way and speak to me like that I just simply tell them that we're done. We're parting ways and if there's any money owed here's what you owe. No tolerance for getting treated like that and no tolerance for not getting paid for your work.
Thick Green Line Amen pal. I agree
I liked to use the phrase "I am going to let another contractor have the opportunity to bid on your project." It seemed to have a calming effect most of the time.