working for a landscraper

[treeman82]

So I looked at 2 jobs tonight.

1 was for a neighbor, the guy bought a new house and needs to have some pruning and removal work done. By the time we started walking the property, we both were carrying around glasses filled with grappa. I have to go back again and talk with him in length about what needs to be done.

Second job was for a landscraper. Greedy cockroach. His customer wants to have some pruning done and some very small removals. I gave the landscraper a price of $600 (easy job). To which he replied that I would have to do the job in it's entirety, and that if there were any problems, that I would have to come back and fix them for free. I said that the job is the job, and I do nothing but that, and that if the customer has any complaints that they are his problem, not mine. I told the landscraper that I get paid the day that the work is done in full. I would be working for the landscraper.

I just called him back a few minutes ago and left a message saying that I don't want the job unless I am dealing directly with the homeowner. I can foresee problems there already.

How many of you guys do jobs FOR the landscraper and not the homeowner? How well does it work out normally?

 

[DDM]

I have a very good friend that is a rather large landscaper here i will work for him.
Forget the rest.

 

[Sizzle-Chest]

i worked for a small landscaping company for a couple years, and anytime a customer wanted tree work done, my boss would refer them directly to a local arborist. that way, he wasnt responsible for their work and visa versa. in other words, dont work through a landscaper, it only invites trouble.

 

[DDM]

Most landscapers do not want to have to be concerned with tree liability anyway.The homeowner has always paid me directly.

 

[Sheshovel]

Well you can bet he's gonna charge that customer $900.00 and pocket the xtra 3 for himself,otherwize why would he
sub it out to you unless he was gonna try and make some money off your work?I am a Landscaper anf if my customers need work that is outside of my expeirience and
ability to do,I will find them someone qualified to do the work and send them over.After that I am out of it.

 

[rfwoodvt]

I don't mind the idea of subbing for landscraper. Only problem is there only one guy who routinely calls me. He wants to have me do the job, but he wants to work with me to help keep the costs down and bill the customer for his time and I can bill for mine.

What ends up happening is it ends up my responsibility to get it done right, clean up ends up my problem and the landscraper whith his saw and stuff keep getting in the way and holding up the works. I end up losing $$$ on the job 'cause I bid right, he hoses the customer for his time and the customer ends up losing $$ too.

Oh yeah, the customer now has a really bad impression of me, 'cause the scraper told them I would bill them for the tree work.

Nah, no more aint doing it. Now when a landscraper calls, especially this one, I tell them to have the customer call me directly. I'm just as happy now to pay a finders fee instead of other options.

Now, subbing for other tree-jockies, thats different! Bring it on!

 

[kujoe]

Only been beat out of money twice, once was from a home builder contractor, and the other time was from a landscaper from a fairly big company. Our policy is to be paid when the job is complete. He asked for two weeks to pay. We gave it to him, wrote it up in the contract. Two weeks turned into eight weeks. Kept coming up with excuses that the company where the work was done at hadn't paid him yet for some reason and they had never been late blah blah. I told him that we shouldn't have to wait for Peter to pay Paul before we get paid. He finally cut a check for $1200 instead of $1500, said if he has to pay us 'out of his pocket', he's gonna cut it short. We waited and he still cut it short. He probably billed the company for $1800.
I'm sure that not all of them are like that, but the two that ripped me off acted like the nicest guys in the world until the job was done and it was pay time.

 

[PowersTree]

I wont work as a sub for any landscaper again. A friend of mine owns a lawn service. I did a contract through him. He tacked on an additional $250. Fine by me cause I got good money on the job anyways. Well after 8 weeks of him telling me he hadnt been paid I call the property management company this tree was for. I find out he was paid the day the job was done. Well as of now I have recived $400 of the $1800 he owes me and its been almost 6 months now. I dont sub at all anymore. If the contract isnt signed by the homeowner/property owner I dont do it.

 

[treeman82]

Unfortunately the way I see it is that the fewer people there are between me and the actual customer, the better things are.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

I'm a licenced landscape contractor in Oregon, and when I can't reach, I hire another climbing arborist.

I learned to bid what the job is worth to save the tree guy coming out.

The way I work is that I point out what needs to be done and the money basically is what he needs.

In actuallity, I'm hiring him for an hour, a few hours or a day. I know what he needs, and I know I get him for that time.

He does what I need, because it's listed down.

If something has to be done later due to the customer wanting more, or me, then more money must be paid. Can't expect an arborist to come back indefinitely for free.

Some landscapers work within the concept of total customer satisfaction - like Nordstroms. But we all know that for that to happen, the prices must fit that endless supply of customer service. If a landscaper wants that personally from other contractors, they should offer to pay for it, not expect it on a shoe-string budget.

 

[Monkeywitha_saw]

i sub for 10 different landscapers and they deal with the custumers and i get paid as soon as the last tree is done for the day