Greedy Customers. Don’t Tolerate Them. 

Spot on Rob in 39 years of self employment I’m well established and only take on customers who are worthy of my time when I get rid new customers are calling every day pick and choose and have a stress free day all the best Rob 👌😊☀️

fair enough, you can’t afford to let customers mess about. You did the right thing

If I have a picky customer like that rob I tend to cut the grass higher. When it’s done it still looks decent but the next time I visit it visibly needs cutting.

Good on ya mate! Same with customers that challenge you on price... be confident in your value, and ditch them (politely) if they won't pay what you're looking for. In the long run, that supports the value of the industry too!

😂😂😂 Yep you made me laugh. Just started watching your vids been in the business for 6 seasons and all are so true. So refreshing to actually hear someone with the balls to talk about money 🤑👍🏼💷💷 The lady who just messaged me today to say the grass isn’t needing done tomorrow think I will take a leaf out of your book.

It’s 20 degrees here in Scotland too Rob. Customers say to me you’ll be pleased it’s hot at last, we’ll no not really it’s too hot for a full days graft but I’m not complaining. Anyway you are correct what you did to Betty some people don’t respect their gardener for whatever reason. I have 2 customers that I lose money for - one is an older frail lady that I’ve had since I started and she is too far away plus she is on a cheaper rate as she couldn’t afford my new rate. The other customer lost her job and could only afford once a month cut rather than fortnightly but I have continued despite it being tough going when I visit. I have though dropping them but my conscience won’t bear it.

The reason why i went from domestic to commercial.

Absolutely bang on , you would regret it and it would in fact give that customer more power over you as they would assume you needed them. You would become more stressed and they would never learn .

Once again, you are absolutely right Rob. Time and again I have come across this to the point one of my customers had me emptying her dog poo every week from a wheel barrow that was filled up from the week before (it was a big dog..) and if it was wet that week it would have been full of water too. 35 years I've been doing my job until I asked myself "what the hell am I doing pushing someone's dog poo around the garden for" We could write a book on our stories !

i think you are spot on with your attitude to "those" customers Rob. I have a policy of letting them take a liberty just the once, I explain to them I'm not happy and ask them not to do it again, if they do then I move on. Unfortunately they almost always do it a second time, so you are right in what you do and I'm sure I am wrong, I just always want to see the best in people and that's why I'm so often disappointed. As for the joke, I wanted to hate it , but yes I smiled (I'm a dad too) 😆

Rob, My Grandmother had a saying-- "You can have anything you want to pay for! Because you're not going to get it for free, and that includes ME!" And that woman meant it. You want something extra; you pay extra. Pretty simple. You have an arrangement; you honor that arrangement. In my 50 years in business the people most likely to trade on my kindness were the least likely to display it. I note Betty never said go ahead and skip next the next mow, just go ahead and bill us as usual. It never occurred to her to show generosity. Never forget this is all about a living wage! As always good luck to you!

Rob , don’t listen - that moth joke is class ! 😂😂

Hi Rob love watching your videos I’m not a professional gardener like yourself just a keen home gardener .You make me laugh and put a smile on my face I no where your coming from .Keep the videos coming 😂

Just watched this one sitting in the van in a wet November day and you had my laughing at the joke Thanks Rob 😂

Hello rob I’m a bricklayer based in Portsmouth said it before I find your video’s enjoyable and relaxing I just want to say I had a customer wanted a back wall rebuilt I gave the price put few extra quid on cos she looked like she had plenty !! But her husband cancelled me 2 days before I was to start I went straight round knocked on the door He went white a a ghost I dragged him down his drive away from his Mrs and put him in hospital not proud of it but moral of the story don’t cancel last minute to try save few quid cos dental work way more expensive then laying few bricks

Well said. I had a customer who I visited 2hrs each week and mid way through the season they dropped me with no further visits needed...inwas fuming and left immediately. The next year i had constant calls and messages asking for me to come back from with appologies and excuses. I quoted a higher price and stated payments were needed in advance. It lasted 3 visits before a missed payment so that was that...once bitten shame on them but twice bitten shame on me...lesson learnt

😂 that was a good joke that made me smile great video and a great story have a great day 👍

Good advice. I suffered from the can you just syndrome all my gardening career, I use the term career loosely! The worst are nearly always the biggest houses and more well heeled customers as well. One lady was as tight as the proverbial ducks behind & used to fill a trailer with her snippings & every month or so would say can you just take it to the tip when I’d finished my 4 hours hard graft! I said I would but when I started & in her time not mine. I sacked quite a few customers as well!

i like that joke Rob, you made me smile! You are right about the Betty's of this world. Have a good day.

It used to be one off requests I'd be fine with and wouldn't charge any more, but the busier I got the realisation soon kicked in that charity had to be nipped in the bud. For the sake of serving all of my customers to the best of my ability, I make sure I charge more for the customers convenience of getting their additional request done on that day, or defer it until next visit and let them know in advance how much extra it'll be, giving them chance to decide whether its likely they can do it themselves or if not getting a family member to do so(which is often the case), saving me a job in the process. Surprise expenses do happen for everyone, but when someone decides to take on a gardener, they should've factored in that cost over the long term. I prefer customers who're passionate about their gardens and take pride in them looking well year round. You find that no matter what trade you're in, you're personality naturally settles with those whose personalities compliment yours. Before you pick up a tool if the customer is giving you a headache, that working relationship isn't going to grow into much long term, and the path of least resistance in gardening is always the best route (Be like water).

You are sooo right Rob. Let them go. I don’t do it quicker enough and they prey on your mind night and day. Whatever you do they just won’t be satisfied. Polite thanks but no thanks. Move on. I MUST do it quicker,even after 31 years I still let the greedy customer effect me ! I even had a non customer today “SHOUT” at me via email because I said no to her job. It was thru the house and I just don’t do those gardens. She went loopy. Told her to go on Facebook and find one of hundreds of £10 a cut men !! You can’t please them all 😡

Brilliant Rob great joke and yes it made me smile😁,very clever joke too actually,sound advice there about customers,I'm not a gardener but I am a self employed tradesmen and I have one or two customers who are always looking to get a little bit extra done for free and I'd like to say goodbye to them but never seem to manage it,your videos are a breath of fresh air and I admire your honesty for telling it exactly how it is,enjoy the good weather

Rob that did actually make me chuckle 🤣. Might try that joke tomorrow 👍

There are ALWAYS better customers out there Rob...I had 300,,and dwindled them down to 100,,got rid of the ""can I pay you next time"" or can we make it next week""" GONE.. Now I have absolutely fantastic customers...Pay on day,bang,,wether that's cash or tippy tippy into bank..They all get invoices..Boom.. It took me 15 years to get them all weeded out...But so damn worth it..

Rob everything you’ve said is spot on… i’ve always had the same problems, some delay it for months on end, I even get some ask me for a price… only to find out they get it done already for £15 & were looking for it cheaper! I have no words some time, keep cracking on mate

Hi Rob, you definitely put a smile on my face today… thanks xx

Spot on Rob, that's exactly what I do. Happy mowing.

spot on Rob,Its the only way to keep sane....all the best Tony

Wise words Rob 👍.. I’ve a customer who I always need to “ remind” to pay me 🤬 trouble is I’ve only started this year so need the work and it’s quite a good lawn to do 🤷‍♂️. Liked the joke it made me 😂.

all worth it for the moth at the end 🤣🤣

Wise words as always Rob. Good story

Love the channel, love the t-shirt cabbage head 👍

Hi Rob. Great advice, as ever. 😀😀

Great video Rob.! Yes defo give clients the boot that start messing around wanting to skip visits. Like another subscriber said cut the lawn on a setting higher 😊 Yes the days are long and hard graft at the moment with the grass growing like mad and still needing to complete all your regular visits in for the day🥵 Have a great bank holiday weekend Rob to you and family🌞

Had the same thing with 1 of my customers, his daughter cut the grass the sunday before i was due on the Wednesday and he told me due to this i wasn't required for another 2 weeks. I replied and said that was fine with me but it would be double next time, he was confused by this and asked me to explain and like you i explained that i quoted for fortnightly lawn upkeep and that the price is based on x amount of cuts and that one off or sporadic cuts are charged at a higher rate. He didnt reply to this explanation so when i next went to cut the grass i asked if he would be paying me double before i started and he said he didnt feel he should have to pay me for work i didnt do so No he wouldn't be paying me double. So i thanked him for his business up until that point and wished him well for the future. Then as i walked away he accused me of biting my nose off to spite my face😂 i ignored this and drove away. So yeah i agree with dropping customers like these, this guy was my highest paying customer and i didnt even hesitate.

Aye, Brilliant Rob.....the joke that is! I could see it coming but delivery was spot on. I m just in my first season(part time/as dropped a day at day job to do gardens) up here in the Highlands. Your vids have been spot on for me. Am just helping out with Pensioners Only and been great so far. I ve done it to try and keep fit really, but having followed your advice on being welcoming i m spending too much time drinking tea and eating shortbread and listening to their tales after! 😊

I sent a WhatsApp message to all my customers in February informing them that i was only doing Weekley or one visit every two weeks and there will not be any three weekly or four Weekley visits except in certain circumstances, Weather and holidays anyone that cancels will not be guaranteed a slot in the future, I've not had anyone cancel yet. Great video again Rob except for the ending 😂

Nice one rob!!

Made me smile Rob!😂 Dave(North Yorkshire)

Keep doing what you're doing Rob and ditch those tight arsed customers and it definitely made me smile bud

Totally agree Rob you did the right thing 👍🏾 Also I have to admit that joke did make me giggle 😂

Same here Rob, my phone has been ringing constantly. Keep mowing the green gold. Hope to see you at Saltex 👍

lol brilliant good one rob

Great video. I get customers here in the US that want to skip weeks and it drives me crazy. I’ve explained I cant live when I skip lawns and they dont care. Thanks for the video I’m letting some go.

Hi Rob, awww poor betty lol You did right my friend and I am sure the replacement gardener probably let her go too, lolol your joke make me laugh. All the very best to you from Nick in Wolsingham.

Good one! Same down here in Hampshire. It's my first year and I'm booked out. Constant requests and now turning people away. I need to clone myself!

Another cracking clip Rob. We’ve all got or had a “Betty”! “ I saw your light was on”…..brilliant. You need to replace the green gold strap line with a joke on each video mate, you’ll knock ‘em dead! I’ve even got my ten year old laughing at it and she’s up for watching every video if there’s a dad joke on it😂

Loved the joke Rob keep the videos coming, you should finish with a joke every video the free advice is good crack

on the money Rob yes a thorn in the butt these customers unfortunately but you handled that so well . I find being polite but getting to the point quickly is the way to go , as we say keep moving look at the list and drop the lower ones and replace, don’t need to tell you that .. thank you for the nice review of the podcast we did recently and after the interview I mentioned you as being a great friend and a very good operator… Mate when all this started you inspired me to do the utube thing , I must say you are becoming no can’t say that you are a legend .. well done young fellow !!

Hi Rob, great content as usual, I’ve got a customer at the moment, been doing his grass weekly (it grows like a field), this year I put his price up by £5 a visit, he now only wants 1 visit a fortnight, I’ve done it twice now and it’s hard graft.. I think it’s time to wave goodbye.. P.S the Dad joke was shocking.. lol

that is the right answer rob mate scrap the crap i remember we spoke about the betty customers i have had few call back to work take the ### out of us guys at times. and yes there is something going on with the calls for garden work i have taken on more work and working till stupid o'clock at the minute i keep looking at extra staff i have cut back to a quarter of the marketing and getting triple the work. and the joke class dad joke i have loads all the best mate shane

nice one rob

Good content as ever, keep smiling and keep answering that phone. You maybe able to cut down the snow stripping work ? Mark

Totally agree

You made me smile too Rob.😄. Yes I don't blame you at all. As you say ,if they all did that you wouldn't be able to afford to be a gardener in the first place.

I agree 100%.

I’ve recently had a couple of clients who have been like this. They would say they didn’t need any extra time from me that day but right at the end you get “can you just quickly do this?” It’s so awkward. From now on I will say that I can do x y or z, PROPERLY not quickly, and that I can stay on an extra half hour or so (if I have time) and that it will cost x amount extra

Great vid Rob, you tell a story well. I was there with you in mind through the Betty saga 😂👍🏻🇬🇧 For me, it's the not having easy access/needing to check in with customers before coming which is becoming a real headache.. because by checking in with them sorta gives them the option to cancel, ya know? You either want a gardener or you don't.. l don't like the sporadic thing and/or not having a key or access without them being present, I've gotten better at that, demanding keys cut and access codes and the like, because you've gotta get on eh?

Is that the Royal Marines crest Rob? Great vid, very true. 👍🏼

I applaud you sir Likewise I had to put up with this 💩when I had the business

I have had that happen to me a few times, so I know the feeling pal.

So true what you say

Great video, well done on the Betty situation… she got what she deserved. Good joke too. Keep up the good work.

I think I'll get my Para Wings embroidered on my polo tops. Gone all Johnny from 'Blades of Grass'. Maroon & Green machines. 👍

Rob, I have listened to your point of view, and you are free to run your business as you see fit, I myself let the Betty’s of this world get away with the odd infraction, because there is always another garden I can fill the gap with, I am not saying you are wrong, but you are asking for peoples opinions on the way you handled this situation, and I have given you my point of view,

💯 a 4 week cut not happening. Yep 2week cut are nothing let them go👍😂😂

It grows overnight, apparently. Great advice as usual.

Loved the joke keep them coming !

I had to dig out a tree for a mathematician the other day, it had square roots

Good customers are great some you never even met they pay promptly and even give a tip at Christmas, Greedy customers or someone always trying to ask for more to be done at zero cost need a reality check how would they feel if you said the grass does not need cutting this week but they still have to pay. A good worker like yourself needs good customers and good customers need a good tradesman like yourself,the bad tradesmen and customers deserve themselves.

Hi Rob. You can teach a monkey to drive a car, but I wouldn't want one to drive me home from the pub, or anywhere else for that matter. Difficult needy customers ! I have a special tax for these people, it's called a C tax, (the C standing for a word that sounds like runt). It's great to hear that you're very busy. Peace and love to you brother.

I'm a window cleaner and get the old can.we miss it this time now and again, pisses me off😂

Not worth your time being messed about. Every time I let one go over something similar, I can guarantee within a week I've had a call from someone in the same area who is much better to work for. If you do a good job then your reputation will always win 👍

Hi Rob. In a previous life, when I did paintwork on cars, it was common for people to say, whilst you've got the paint in the gun, can you just ....... I have fallen out with so many people, and some good friends who though they could get work done for free. Stick to your principles mate.

Thought my girlfriend was asleep next to me until she laughed at the punchline 😂

Rob. £35 for an hours work, you need to up your prices. It’s a real bug bear of mine that we under value our profession. A good reliable tradie is worth their weight in gold and our charges should reflect that. Great post as usual.

💡🙄🤠

Hear Hear!

yep,you get some nuts,i had one chap just mow the grass, bit of weeding but don't touch edges of lawn I like to do them myself. Next time I called hadn't done them. Went a fortnight later edges of lawn were like a foot long. Ilet him go.customers!

Happens to us all rob , I had one this morning already explained too long a month between cuts and they still left money with neighbour who I also cut but she left me an extra fiver 😮 and I did it but it'll be the last time, mugs all of us

We need some rain now to get the ground wet again 👍

weldone mate , good job on filling youre books , wishing you all the best , hope i fill my books soon am really struggling in north west

Ha can you just ..... yep they wind me up lol Hey have you tried a honda izy 466 skeh 18 inch Light and nimble but pack a very interesting punch . If you haven't tried one , I'd give one ago there great little mower for certain lawns

😅😅😅😅😅 very corny but made me chuckle mate lol

I always point out to the customer that I don’t use the word just. Second time they use it il say “there you go again with that word” and so on making them aware of how they sound in a friendly manner as I genuinely think a lot of them don’t really realize how they’re coming across and it’s nipping it in the bud early on. I have a few Betty’s and when the requests comes out I usually say “c’mon so what is it I haven’t much time” and it’s usually something small that they would have a hard time doing. I honestly don’t mind. I’m from inner city and the Betty’s are usually out in affluent areas so I go with the fact that they already think that I am in their language “ uncouth “ even if I was trying really hard not to be 😂

Great videos Rob, learning many things from you, everyday a school day in many ways, quick question, aspen fuel, worth the extra £ in the 2 stroke machines? or keep on mixing.....all the best Lee 👌

Good one Rob but you`re not supposed to laugh at your own jokes 😄, yes get rid of the waste of timers, theres plenty of decent ones that deserve your attention!

Hi Rob, have you ever had a customer take you to court or threaten to take you to court, if so how did you deal with it? Thanks

Corps crest on the T-shirt .. What years did you serve ? Was in 81 to 90 and now doing gardening in the Yorkshire area … Good luck

I now identify as being invisible. I'm trans-parent 😂 I blocked a customer of mine only today. Newish customer. Been to hers twice before. First time she was a day late paying. Last time I'd still not received any money off her after 24hrs. So I sent a polite reminder. She read it and did not reply or pay me. So I gave it 24hrs and sent her a polite message saying I won't be calling again due to none payment. Five days after that she paid me. Then today she messaged asking when I'm next around 🙄 She's now on my shit and blocked list

😂😂😂😂 they're everywhere

Weve all had them. You soon loathe going

Yep fool me once you are the fool. Fool me twice I'm the fool

Youve got 2 types of customers. The tight arse ones that want it doing for now't and the decent ones that will pay for a quality service. Theres plenty of work out there once you build a repution, meaning you can pick and choose the best customers for you.

Do you get them to sign a contract. If so they can't do anything if it's on paper

Well done for sticking to your guns. Plenty of customers out there.

Rob whats the best way to send you a message, id had a few questions i was hoping could shed aome light on, thank you.

😂

This is sound advice. You will get the behaviour you are willing to tolerate. Soon as they start mucking you about - get shot there and then, leave a space on the ladder for a better customer. I think you are too kind. I would be tempted to say Ok and not go back - leave her with a month's grass and let her think through that problem herself. Imagine it battered with rain for three weeks around that date......

LOL