Pay, or Complain?

[Amethyst]

We have a landscape company that trims our small lawn and shrubs once a week on Wednesdays for $250 a month. They did not come Christmas week, and didn't come till late Friday the following week. When I called the owner, whose English is slightly better than my Spanish (meaning I don't always understand him), he didn't apologize - just said they were not coming on Christmas week.

I got the bill for $250 today. Is it worth complaining and trying to get a 25% reduction, or should I just pay?

 

[Teacher Terry]

I would complain and want a partial refund. Why does your yard need to be done weekly? The

 

[Rianne]

$250 for trimming shrubs and a small lawn? That's highway robbery. Yes, I would complain. Does that include weeding? And weed control in the grass? And fertilizing the lawn? And watering when it's too dry? And mulch? If it includes all that, maybe.

 

[Aerides]

Depends, if you have an annual kind of thing with them, vs. one offs, they probably have their weeks off baked in, but neglected to describe that detail with you when you signed up, especially if that got lost in translation.

Do you have any friends that use them? Chances are their experience is the same.

PS I'm a bit south of you, but we go on a 2 week schedule this time of year. Grass doesn't need a weekly cut in FL in Nov-Feb or longer. Ours does weekly for the summer, and every 2-weeks in the winter. You must have a pretty big property for that arrangement. Mine is $90 a month but lawn only, 10k sf yd, but I know I have a good price.

 

[Moemg]

I would look around for another company .$250 seems really high .We pay $70 a month for cut & blow .If we want extras we negotiate with our guy . He comes whenever he thinks we need it and He has always been right .

 

[Jerry1]

I would just pay it less the 25% for not coming and see if they pursue it. As for the cost, that does seem high, but if they're reliable and it would be hard to get someone else out there, that may be as good as it gets.

We had all kinds of trouble getting someone to cut MIL's lawn before we put her in memory care but I finally found someone through a friend and it was getting done. DW's sister kept complaining about how they did the lawn. I just made it clear to her that if she confronted the guy, she owned getting the lawn cut. Point is, sometimes you just have to suck it up if there are no other alternatives. I'm not sure what your local situation is, but you may want to consider that before you do anything other than paying the full tab.

 

[Sojourner]

I got the bill for $250 today. Is it worth complaining and trying to get a 25% reduction, or should I just pay?

I would mail them a payment for $188 with an included note about why you're not paying the full $250. If they don't like it, let them make the next move. But be prepared for them to "fire" you as a customer. If things in your area are anything like they are around here, finding a reasonably priced, high quality, reliable landscaping company is next to impossible.

 

[Katsmeow]

Was this the first Christmas you used them? If, not did they come Christmas week year? How do they handle other Holidays? Will this be an issue that comes up again? Do they consider this a flat monthly fee even if they don't come weekly during the month?

You need to get clarity on the arrangement. I used to pay $60 a week for our front and side yard (back was not done -- we were on an acre total). However, during the winter we usually only did the yard every other month. They didn't do shrubs though. But, we didn't pay for any week they didn't come.

On your question, I would inquire and get clarity. Maybe the bill was a mistake and they will adjust it. Maybe not. But you will find out by asking.

 

[momoftwo]

Wow, that's alot.
We have a small lawn in NJ, in a residential lake community.
Local guy charges us $30 a cut. Comes weekly in spring, fall. A bit less in dead of summer.
$100 extra for full clean ups spring and fall.

And this is in a HCOL area.

Do you have other choices?

 

[Bigdawg]

OP, you are in San Diego right? I sold my house in Poway 20 months ago. I was only paying $80/month. That was basically 2X/month though. Good luck.

 

[RunningBum]

If you like their work, consider it their Christmas bonus. Otherwise, pro-rate it for the time missed, with a written explanation.

 

[aja8888]

OP, you are in San Diego right? I sold my house in Poway 20 months ago. I was only paying $80/month. That was basically 2X/month though. Good luck.

OP is in Florida and moved there last year, I think. Around here (Houston, TX areas), you can pay that much, but that's for really big lawns and bush/tree trimming. Winter months are usually at 1/2 rate.

 

[MichaelB]

Depends, if you have an annual kind of thing with them, vs. one offs, they probably have their weeks off baked in, but neglected to describe that detail with you when you signed up, especially if that got lost in translation.

This makes sense. The last time we used a lawn service here in South Fl the agreement / price was monthly, and the frequency of cuts and varied during the year. Much slower this time of year, much more frequent in the summer / fall months. As long as they pick up the pace when the lawn needs more frequent cuts, I’d just pay and not worry.

 

[Franklin]

This makes sense. The last time we used a lawn service here in South Fl the agreement / price was monthly, and the frequency of cuts and varied during the year. Much slower this time of year, much more frequent in the summer / fall months. As long as they pick up the pace when the lawn needs more frequent cuts, I’d just pay and not worry.

+1

 

[socca]

Huge seasonal variation for South Florida: during the wet season, a week to 10 days between cuts is required. During the dry season, it's possible to go 10 weeks between cuts if your lawn isn't irrigated. I cut my own lawn so I'm familiar with the pattern.

 

[CardsFan]

$250/month is more than my HOA fees, which includes: all outside maintenance (snow removal, lawn care, staining siding every 4 years, etc,), an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, and a rec center with gym equipment.

Of course, notice I have SNOW removal. OP probably doesn't have that in FL

 

[jollystomper]

I would complain and ask for the reduction. If they refused, I would pay, but then put the work out to bid to other companies and let them know that.

 

[CaliKid]

I would most definitely not complain. It's minor and much more important to have a good relationship with a good service provider in my opinion. Our guy goes to Mexico for 2-3 weeks every Christmas/New Year. Some years he has someone cover for him and some years not. However, I'd rather have a guy I like and trust. We also pay $250/month.

 

[427Vette]

Rather then complain or rudely short them on their payment why don't you simply call them and have a polite conversation and ask them about it? I am thinking that they wouldn't intentionally be trying to take advantage of a good repeat customer. You will get further this way then taking matters into your own hands and shorting them.

 

[427Vette]

I would mail them a payment for $188 with an included note about why you're not paying the full $250. If they don't like it, let them make the next move. But be prepared for them to "fire" you as a customer. If things in your area are anything like they are around here, finding a reasonably priced, high quality, reliable landscaping company is next to impossible.

I don't understand this logic. You say that it's next to impossible to find a reliable, high quality, reasonably priced landscaping company in your area. The OP is apparently happy with the service person they are using but should be prepared to get fired for not paying a bill in full. Wouldn't this then subject the OP to the task of locating another service provider that they can trust and does quality job? This could take a long time and require a ton of effort and may end up going through several before a quality provider is located. It just doesn't seem logical for $62.00. It would be much easier to make a simple phone call and see if a resolution can be reached.

 

[Katsmeow]

Rather then complain or rudely short them on their payment why don't you simply call them and have a polite conversation and ask them about it? I am thinking that they wouldn't intentionally be trying to take advantage of a good repeat customer. You will get further this way then taking matters into your own hands and shorting them.

I agree with this. In my post, I pointed out that the main thing that needs to happy is to get clarity on these kinds of things. Do they consider it a monthly rate that is paid even if a week is skipped due to holidays, etc.

 

[Amethyst]

Yes, indeed, I do know how to be polite I called when they missed Christmas week, remember.

But, frankly, there are communication issues. There is only one person to speak to, the owner. His English is not great and my Spanish is rudimentary. When I call with a question or concern, he just seems to want to get me off the phone as fast as possible. He talks faster and faster until I'm not sure what was said, and if I politely ask him to repeat himself, he talks even faster.

So how do you handle such situations?

Rather then complain or rudely short them on their payment why don't you simply call them and have a polite conversation and ask them about it? I am thinking that they wouldn't intentionally be trying to take advantage of a good repeat customer. You will get further this way then taking matters into your own hands and shorting them.

 

[Badger]

This makes sense. The last time we used a lawn service here in South Fl the agreement / price was monthly, and the frequency of cuts and varied during the year. Much slower this time of year, much more frequent in the summer / fall months. As long as they pick up the pace when the lawn needs more frequent cuts, I’d just pay and not worry.

This is common here in North Fl. and we pay about $250/month too. If you have ever lived in a sandy environment with St. Augustine grass you would appreciate the effort it takes to mow this kind of thick and dense grass with tough, meandering above ground stems. It will take a toll on both your equipment and your body.

We had a great service for a few years by a group of older men who did a great job including trimming shrubs, edging, etc. Unfortunately they retired and sold the business to a young man who did not do a good job so we had to let him go. I went through another service that I also had to let go. Now we have a one man service who does a good job. On a couple of occasions he missed the mowing day. Once to take care of his mother who had to go to the hospital and another due to heavy rains for a few days (not good to mow in soggy ground anyway). The cost has been about $250/month for any service. Some of our neighbors pay a bit more for companies with fancy trucks and shiny equipment.

I would not let an off day bother me. There are too many other important things to spend my time on.


Cheers!

 

[Dtail]

In Tampa, we pay $185 a month for cutting and fertilizing a medium size lawn and we think that is high and am looking to lower it. St. Augustine grass.
They cut it bi-weekly in the winter.
I would let it go.

 

[Cobra9777]

I would not use a landscape service if there was no way to communicate effectively. I do my own landscape maintenance. But DW and I help DMIL coordinate with her landscape guy. DMIL cannot hear very well and it's worse with a strong accent.

They are a father/son team with some other helpers. We can communicate with the son but not the father, who is the owner/decision-maker. This is cumbersome at times but always works out. Without the son, whose English is not good but functional, we'd have to get a different service. We have special requests from time to time that would be impossible otherwise. For example, they also do minor maintenance and seasonal adjustments to the sprinkler system for her. But we have to communicate when there is an issue. Same for weeding beds.

She pays $150/mo year-round for about 1/3 acre lot. It's well understood that she pays $150 every month regardless of how many times they come out. They come every week April through October. Less in November through March, but usually every two weeks or as needed. Every time they come, they mow, trim, and blow. But the monthly cost also includes trimming shrubs and trees as needed (typically 4-5 times per year), fertilizing twice a year, mulching beds once a year, weeding beds as needed, and adjusting/maintaining the sprinkler system as needed. The only extra costs are if we ask them to do some new plantings or if they have to replace some parts on the sprinkler system.