charging the customer for sprinkler damage

[treeminator]

how much are you guys charging the customer for damaged pipes resulting from stump grinding. i bill out at $30 per hour for the repairs. i figured the local irrigation companies charge $60/hr + which means i'm providing a much better value. is this too low? how much are you charging them?

 

[Dadatwins]

So you hit the sprinkler lines with your grinder and then charge the homeowner to fix them. And the homeowners are OK with this because you are lowballing the local sprinkler repair folks. This is an interesting business plan that I am not sure many have thought of.

 

[clearance]

I was determined not to be the first responder to the Tard, now I can speak. I charge $60hr, and I also make more profit than the other guys cause I pay my guys $8hr and scrounge pipes and fittings from the dump and then bill them as new parts. Actually, heres a tip I'll share, instead of using rigid or poly pipe, sometimes if no one is watching I get my guy to use old garden hose. Some of my employees that I got from fast food places have g/fs or buddies working at **** Depot (where I get climbing rope), they steal glue for me, as a favor cause I have brainwashed them into thinking they cannot make it without me. I also talk old people into getting me to extend sprinkler lines, I get my guy to bury them about 3" deep, saves time, at $30 per foot with the old garden hose it really adds up, try it guys.

 

[Sprig]

^^^^^ ^^^^^

:jester:

Dang, now I goota clean the cider off ma keyboard!


opcorn:

"they steal glue for me" , and let me guess, it ain't used fer gluin'?

 

[diltree]

In 48 years of providing stump grinding service we have never destroyed a sprinkler line.....Ran over a sprinkler head a couple times: maybe, but never busted a line with the digger....I think Clearance has had this guy pegged as a ******* since his first post and evrey post he writes just confirms this label.:notrolls2:

 

[treeminator]

i swear Clearance, sometimes i think you're psychic. i DO get alot of left over PVC pipes from construction sites.

as for the billing. i tell the customer beforehand that unless they point out the pipes, i can't be responsible and they'll be charged a "good" repair rate if they get damaged. it's common courtesy for the homeowner to let me know where the unforeseen hazards are.

 

[DDM]

lmao :taped:

 

[okietreedude1]

Ill admit Ive hit a sprinkler line or two in my time. Do I bill the customer???? HELL NO!

If I take my truck to get the oil changed and they strip the oil plug, should I have to pay for it???? HELL NO!

One of your buddies at McD's f's up your booger, are you going to pay for it anyway? HELL NO!

Sure accidents happen. Even IF you ask where the lines are. Suck it up as customer service and go on.

 

[DDM]

Treeminator? Do you have a reasonable rate for roof repair as well?

 

[spacemule]

I was determined not to be the first responder to the Tard, now I can speak. I charge $60hr, and I also make more profit than the other guys cause I pay my guys $8hr and scrounge pipes and fittings from the dump and then bill them as new parts. Actually, heres a tip I'll share, instead of using rigid or poly pipe, sometimes if no one is watching I get my guy to use old garden hose. Some of my employees that I got from fast food places have g/fs or buddies working at **** Depot (where I get climbing rope), they steal glue for me, as a favor cause I have brainwashed them into thinking they cannot make it without me. I also talk old people into getting me to extend sprinkler lines, I get my guy to bury them about 3" deep, saves time, at $30 per foot with the old garden hose it really adds up, try it guys.

Wow Clearance! I'm impressed. You've nailed his writing style. The minimum of two I's in every sentence had me thinking it was him 'til I looked at your id.

 

[Dadatwins]

as for the billing. i tell the customer beforehand that unless they point out the pipes, i can't be responsible and they'll be charged a "good" repair rate if they get damaged. it's common courtesy for the homeowner to let me know where the unforeseen hazards are.

Don't know why everyone is knocking this, think of the possibilities for extra income on a job site.
Ma'am we just dropped a tree on your fence and you should have moved it, I will only charge you 1/2 the price of the local fence repair to fix it.
Ma'am the wind blew the wrong way and the tree just crushed your roof, you should have warned me about the wind, but its OK, I will fix it and only charge you 1/2 price.
I have got to start visiting construction sites and build up some scrap inventory, apparently there is a whole lot more $$$ to be made out there from these silly customers.:notrolls2:

 

[treeminator]

Don't know why everyone is knocking this, think of the possibilities for extra income on a job site.
Ma'am we just dropped a tree on your fence and you should have moved it, I will only charge you 1/2 the price of the local fence repair to fix it.
Ma'am the wind blew the wrong way and the tree just crushed your roof, you should have warned me about the wind, but its OK, I will fix it and only charge you 1/2 price.
I have got to start visiting construction sites and build up some scrap inventory, apparently there is a whole lot more $$$ to be made out there from these silly customers.:notrolls2:

now you're just mocking my business model. i ONLY charge the customers for repairs on unforeseen hazards. a fence, a roof...they are foreseen. seriously though, if you ask the customer about the pipes and they shrug "i dunno", then i'll be damned if i pay for the repairs. they know their yards more than i do and it's their responsibilty to tell me.
by the way, i usually average 5 or 6 pipes a week. an extra $200 that pays for all my gas and lunches.

 

[Steve-Maine]

When I was doing stump grinding my contract was worded. We are not responsible for any damage to any underground utilites not marked by DIG SAFE. Worked very well for us. I always brought this to the attention of the customer. I don't like surprizes. Just my thoughts

 

[b1rdman]

by the way, i usually average 5 or 6 pipes a week

That just made my day!

 

[Ekka]

Sprinklers, hoses?

Lucky for some.

We have had water restrictions now for over a year and next month we go up another notch to hand held buckets and watering cans only permitted outdoors.

We are in our worst drought in a hundred years, customers dont mind you ripping up their irrigation, they haven't been able to turn it on for years!

http://www.seqwater.com.au/content/standard.asp?name=DamOperationsAndMaintenance

We are in deep chit, and in the middle of our dry season (winter)

 

[1CallLandscape]

sounds like a couple of you guys are real un-ethical business owners....

When i grind and hit something i repair it at no additional cost to the customer. now it would be different if i had asked a customer to move their vehicle out of the danger zone and they didnt.... and while grinding a stump a rock smashed their windshield, id place them at fault, as i asked them to move it and they didnt. Therefore it would result in them paynig, not me

Another example: When snowplowing i hit irrigation all the time. after the last snow i go back and repair it with NEW PARTS and i use the RIGHT PARTS, not some piece of crap garden hose that isnt rated for irrigation. I also Dont charge the customer for my carelessness.

I dont know why you would screw your customers when the bulk of our work is word of mouth. Just think... you sour one relationship with a customer and you'll lose more work than you know!!!! Just sucks that in stead fo providing an honest service you'll have to learn the hardway...

 

[woodchux]

At least half of my business is with repeat customers,
And probably another 25% referrals.
You gotta take care of your good clients , and establish new ones.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Another example: When snowplowing i hit irrigation all the time. after the last snow i go back and repair it with NEW PARTS and i use the RIGHT PARTS, not some piece of crap garden hose that isnt rated for irrigation. I also Dont charge the customer for my carelessness.

clearance (and others) were being sarcastic. They were mocking treeminator.

 

[spacemule]

as for the billing. i tell the customer beforehand that unless they point out the pipes, i can't be responsible and they'll be charged a "good" repair rate if they get damaged. it's common courtesy for the homeowner to let me know where the unforeseen hazards are.

That's what my dentist does when he works on my teeth. If he inadvertently cuts a nerve and paralyses my face, he'll give me a good deal on prosthetics. He says he can't be responsible for cutting nerves if I don't let him know where they are.

 

[arboristman]

am i understanding this correctly?
you damage something,and want to charge for it?
if you damage something,you fix it,you dont charge.weather its via insurance,or out of pocket.
its that simple,dont be foolish,or your tree service is doomed from the start.