What dome people will do to not pay.

[TDunk]

Just need to rant hear. Did a job last weekend. Nothing big at all. Take a small leader off a chestnut tree, and take some branches off of another. Figured 1.5 hrs. TOPS by my self. Told them $150-200. They say ok and all is good. It had rained off and on alot the week before, well you guessed it, got the dump truck and chipper stuck. I told her i'd be back to fix the yard when it dries out a little. She's ok, i'll give you a check before you leave. Yup, she's no where to be found, but i'm not worried because i have to come back to fix the yard and figured maybe she wants the yard fixed before she's hands over the money.

So i go back a few days later and fix the yard. Tried to call her while i was there and left a card in the door. Couldn't get a hold of her for a few days, then she calls, saying the yard looks like S:censored:T blah blah blah. I said "ok, i'll be in later tonight and bring in some more topsoil and collect my check" She's say ok "i'll be hear all night" I show up with a local lawn service guy (to make sure everything is done right) ,no body around. And also some one else has driven through there yard right where i fixed it (yes i took pics. of it) Called her 6 times last night and twice this morning, no answer.

I have a funny feeling that she's going to use this as an excuse to TRY and not pay me. Any suggestions?

 

[TheLumberJack]

I'm assuming SOME not DOME...


Always get a contract.


In the mean time, keep following up. It's where she resides so she'll be there eventually.

When you do see her, don't argue or even discuss the situation. Say, "I'm doing one of two things when I leave here...1) going to the bank to cash the check you write me right now or 2) driving to the magistrate to file suit against you for non-payment."

She'll get her checkbook.


This is IF...and only IF...you did indeed fix what property you tore up as best as possible. IF you didn't, then shame on you because that's bad business.

 

[TDunk]

I didn't half :censored: fixing the yard. It's good top soil, seeded, and hayed. The first time i left the top soil about and inch or two below the grass line so when the yard "pops" back up, there won't be a hump there. The second time i made everything level with the grass line. The guy i had with me said she's going to have humps there in the spring with out a doubt.

I might be over reacting here, but i feel like i've been lied to twice now about when i'd be getting paid. It should have been a simple in and out job and hear i am. I'll see if i can get some pics off the yard and see what you guys think.

 

[NCTREE]

This happened to me a few years back, had a verbal agreement with a customer to remove one tree and take few limbs off another. Leave all the firewood on the jobsite. The lady called me to tell me I got the job but she wanted all the wood moved to the other side of the yard. I didn't't figure this in my price so I said I will have to see about it. Anyways I ended up leaving the wood where it fell and called the lady after I was finished to tell her it would cost a little extra for the wood relocation. She said don't worry about it I'll send you a check.

Well weeks went by, no check. I called her numerous times, no answer. Luckily she lived closed to my folks house. My pops drove by one day and saw the car in the drive and the door wide open. he called me and I came right over. Funny thing is as I was pulling up she was going to the car. You should of seen the look on her face. I explain that I didn't't get the check and left numerous messages. She said she mailed it but she would write another one. I said great if the other comes in the mail I will mail back.

persistence my friend, persistence... she'll pay

BTW that check never did come in the mail, go figure

 

[arbor pro]

Sorry to get off subject but, for a $150-200 job, I can't imagine there was much cleanup to do so, why drive a dump truck and chipper onto the lawn in the first place and risk ripping it up? Was it a forestry truck and you needed to use the boom to do the work?

Either way, look at it from a business/advertising perspective. She's upset about the damage you caused even though it sounds as though you have tried to repair the damage. It's not worth the $150-200 to make her mad and risk having her badmouth your reputation around town so, just send her a letter and invoice explaining that you are sorry for the damage but you have attempted to make things right.

Tell her to pay whatever amount she feels is fair under the circumstances and explain again that you are sorry for any inconvenience in the matter.

If she sends you a payment of any amount, consider it better than nothing but, above all, since you caused the damage to her lawn, she has the upper hand in the situation and it's not worth making her mad for that small of an amount. Do what it takes to keep her happy so you get her business and that of her family/friends in the future or it will cost you a lot more than $150-200 in the long run if she starts badmouthing you around town. My 2 cents...

 

[TheLumberJack]

Like I said...always get a contract.

Sadly, there's no such thing as 'verbal agreement' or 'on a hand shake' anymore.

A couple more of these situtations happen to you and you'll agree.

So either way you want to go...chalk it up as a loss or fight for your two bills...it's going to cause your blood to boil and you probably won't a good referral from her ever.

...six of one, half dozen of the other...

Nature of being a business owner.

 

[lego1970]

As mentioned try a few more times to collect but also try not to let a small loss get you more frustrated or waste too much more of your time and energy. Even if she doesn't pay, keep all your records and take pics so she doesn't try to come after you over the lawn. I mow grass in summer quite a bit and I've been ripped off a couple times. It sucks, especially when I'm hurting for cash, but something better always comes along which makes up for the times when I get the short end of the stick.

 

[arbor pro]

I have a half dozen 'Terms and Conditions' listed at the bottom of my job proposals and one of them stipulates that, (paraphrased) 'should heavy equipment such as trucks or loaders be necessary to complete the work specified, damage to lawn and landscape areas may be unavoidable. Please present any concerns you may have regarding such PRIOR to the proposed work beginning. Any costs associated with repairs to lawn and landscape or to other areas as specified within this proposal will be the property owner's responsibility unless specified otherwise'.

I always point out the terms and conditions to the HO when having them sign the proposal and use that time to discusss their concerns if they have any. If they have specific concerns, I make sure they are addressed in writing within the proposal before they sign it and get a copy for their records. When I leave with signed proposal in hand, we both know what to expect after the job is completed.

If damage is caused that was simply my fault due to error or oversight, I do whatever it takes to keep the customer happy. That's how you get repeat business and referals.

 

[TDunk]

Well, it's all solved now. I had some O2 tanks to fill so i thought i run by and see if she was home. Her room mate was there and talked to her for a while and had a very nice conversation with her. She had said the yard looks great and that she wanted me to grind out 8 spruce stumps along there driveway, and SHE would pay for that, not her room mate.

I guess i'm more confused now than i was before, but at least the person who payed me is happy with the work and she wants me to do more work.

 

[TDunk]

Sorry to get off subject but, for a $150-200 job, I can't imagine there was much cleanup to do so, why drive a dump truck and chipper onto the lawn in the first place and risk ripping it up? Was it a forestry truck and you needed to use the boom to do the work?

The job was suppose to be super simple. Drop a small leader and take a few branches off. That's it. The only reason i pulled off the drive way was i didn't want to have to drag brush 300 ft. to the road. There use to be an old drive way right where i needed to go, but they never used it so it's over grown with grass. Figured i'd be ok (and so did they) but the old drive way made and arch and i didn't.

 

[jefflovstrom]

So , you willl get a signed contract for the extra work, right?

 

[TDunk]

I think that's something i'm going to start doing from now on.

 

[arbor pro]

I think that's something i'm going to start doing from now on.

I just used the estimate template on quickbooks to create a custom proposal form including the 'terms and conditions' which i put in the lower left memo portion of the estimate form and then took a copy to a local printer and had triplicates made of it. When I write one up, I give the customer a signed copy, one copy goes with the work order (seperate estimate calculating sheet I created with all my rates on it) and one copy stays in the office.

works slick and you can get 1000 or so triplicates made up for a couple hundred bucks and, with your logo and such on it, it makes it look real professional.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Hey, whadaya expect from homeless people?

http://www.domevillage.org/


Or were you referring to the other kind of dome people??

http://naturalspacesdomes.com/special_people/special_dome_people.htm



:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[RVALUE]

Don't pick on dome people, they can't hep it.

 

[treeslayer]

Well, shows why the chipper should stay on the road where it belongs. :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[ntsarborist]

could have alturna mats or even plywood have avoided the situation?

 

[TDunk]

could have alturna mats or even plywood have avoided the situation?

I have about 10 sheets of 3/4" ply wood that i could have used, but didn't bring with me. I figured i wouldn't need them as long as i stayed on the old drive way. OR, if i had used my old chuck-n-duck instead of my 12" Morbark i would have been ok too. I think what really did me in was once the chipper got off the old drive way.

 

[KRP]

Lesson learned. My Dad told me once on a job, when I wanted to go into the Collection process, sometimes it's not worth the fight. You have proof of the fix, send the photos with the invoice, certified mail, keep records, in the end you can write it off as a bad debt. Lesson learned.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I've had very few bad experiences. A buddy here in MKE contracted to get a medium large tree on the ground, the customer to clean up. He had a separate bid to do a clean job.

As soon as they saw the mess, the lady changed her mind and insisted he do the cleanup, at the original price for a clean job. Refused To Pay (RTP) until it was done.

An acquaintance in NorCal took down a huge Monterrey pine from over a big house. The contract read "removal of all debris" the lady RTP'd until they cleaned all the rotten duff out of her gutters, since it was tree debris.

I do not know how many times I've heard demands for stump debris to be hauled, even though the contract states that the pit will be racked back.

A buddy in MKE would sent his wife, with kids in hand, to collect anything over 90.