I Don’t Think So. 

Hi rob, like you the red mist came down for me this year on a job, I was asked to quote a job at a pub to do a number of hanging baskets and raised beds filled with a mixture of perennials and annuals and this was to include supplying the plants, they excepted my quote and I carried out the job it cost me £200 in plants and I quoted £150 for my labour, I done the job and was told the money would be transferred into my account in 3 days, 3 months later and after numerous emails and phone calls still no payment, so one day they were having a special event at the pub so I turned up first thing in the morning removed all the perennials into my van and pulled up all the annuals cut the roots off and dispersed them all over the patio of the pub, a few hours later I received a phone call from the owners asking me why they are watching me on there cctv removing their plants I said no you have not you have seen me on cctv removing MY plants. I know it was probably the wrong way to do things but at that moment it gave me a lot of satisfaction even though it cost me money

A mate of mine once told me about a landscaping job he did for an old dear. She was very nice and made them teas and cake at break times. When it came to settling up he gave her the bill and she gave him one back for all the tea and cakes. He was actually gob smacked and didn’t quite know what to do, so he paid up. Obviously never went back. It’s a pity there isn’t a list of cowboy customers that local contractors can update with information about shoddy payers and customers to avoid.

Never work for family my sister in London got quoted 9000 for fitting a bath suite tiling walls and floor a drove from Scotland an did it for her she gave me 30 quid

Life of a gardener is having a van full of spiders and other wildlife haha. love your videos Rob.

I love your Chanel Rob ... I'm a window cleaner of 31 years self employed . The similarities on our businesses are there . I learn off you but also sometimes hold my head in my hands 😁 It's wonderful following your journey Keep on with the videos 😁

Mate you are not wrong to do that good on you!!!! Im in your trade👍

I just don't know how people have the nerve to not pay. I think you were well within the boundaries to leave your waste with them. Good for you, too many people get walked all over in this life and I think your decision was very fair. Thank you Rob have a lovely Christmas yourself and a gooooooood rest.

Rob I run a window cleaning business and have had the same problem. I got called out to do a quote on a house today pulled up front garden covered in weeds long grass and a old bike frame. Front door window broke and a quilt cover up at the window for a curtain. I just drove off, would be a ball ache to get the money off them. Always visit.

Thanks for keeping us entertained 👍 Merry Christmas to you & all the other gardeners. Time to crack open the whisky & relax..

Great video. Rob I got bumped once the customer withheld payment at the end of a ten week contract for all the breakfast rolls he supplied & the time it took to eat them… possibly 15 mins break out of a 12 hour day… 7am to 7pm. I never asked him to supply the food and he payed me weekly never once mentioning the food until the last week of the contract. He was so miserable that he felt great to trick me out of payment for a few days work by leading me along and refusing to pay when he was done with me. I soon realised why his usual driver wasn’t available. Never happened before or since. Keep up the good work.

Gut reaction every time Rob, and if a little wary maybe a deposit up front!

Merry Christmas to you too Rob! Always enjoy your vids and thoughts. It can be lonely when you are working by yourself and sometimes end up questioning yourself on various things, but you sharing the thoughts we are probably all thinking and talking about, helps us all in the gardening community. Have a good one!

Another good video. I have a customer that won't pay. They even asked me to send a copy of an invoice of privet hedge I had delivered to them for planting for their taxes. I then asked for them to pay my invoice. Nothing.. so just like Santa, they are now on the naughty list. To all you gardeners and landscapers have a Merry Christmas and Happy New year.

Only had it happen to me once Rob, she point blank said on the phone she's not paying so i just blacklisted her a wiped the debt, cba to argue and stress over it. Now since ive been using Jobber, the automatic payment feature let's me take payment direct from a card which the customer has willingly saved on file 👍🏾 Have a good Christams mate!

As a retired grounds maintenance contractor Rob thanks for your videos they bring back happy memories for me,may I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and hope the weather is kind to you in 2024 and you have a profitable year,all the best.

Happy Christmas Rob, loved listening to your chats this year and reading the comments as it seems we have all gone through the same shenanigans and will all be doing it but hopefully a bit wiser! Next year. Have a prosperous new year everyone.

We've all been there.I don't stand for it anymore,it causes sleepless nights and stress. Nothing worse than chasing up money after you had an agreement even if they do eventually pay up.These days I just let them go , mostly politely and am much better off for it.

Another great video. I look forward to your videos. Your content is really helpful for me on my journey to starting out on my own gardening business thanks and keep up the good work.

Thankfully I’ve never been bumped, just a slow payer who gave a sob storey so I said I can’t come back until the debt is cleared. After nearly a month I cut their grass again and had to wait weeks for the money again. Needless to say I no longer do their garden. Thanks for an entertaining year of videos, Merry Christmas 🎄

I've been in the game 25 years now rob. and had a customer do the same to me this year. after weeks of chasing payment i finally got paid. guess what? I won't be going back, and told them good luck with the next gardener. onwards and upwards. Feet now up for Christmas. wishing you the same rob.

Fair play and wise words Rob. I do think when you’re starting out you take any job that comes along. I know that’s what I’ve been doing this year. Next year I will look to tighten things up and make my jobs work more logically. I’ve learned a lot from your videos Rob and you’ve saved me making several mistakes. If I think a customer might be a pain, I just put in a sensible quote, inevitably that want it done cheap, so I never get those jobs 😂 Have a cracking Christmas.

The only people i've had an issue with is a management agency for flats. I'm not doing them any more, even though it was good money. I felt like I was begging to be paid. Ridiculous! I rewound the video when the spider appeared and said to my son, guess what he does for a living. My vans full of the little guys.🤣

Grateful for experience shared Rob. Have a lovely Christmas and a happy and prosperous new year.

Happy Christmas to you and your family ,thank you for your video’s through the year

Im 18 been doing family and friends gardens for a while now, but gonna start properly this summer. This is the main thing im worried about lol

Spider sense was tingling.... Along comes a spider 😂😂😂

I had a similar issue last summer. Landlord wouldn't pay for there jungle of a garden to be cut. Luckily it was the estate agent that it went through. They were embarrassed about landlord not paying but after a month I got the money. Like you say have to be careful with one off jobs and think about the area its in.

Had my first refusal of payment this year. Agreed a price to spray all weeds on drive, pathways and shingle areas etc lady turned around and said she would only pay when she knew weed killer worked! I spent ages before hand saying it could take weeks as weather was so cold so was fuming when she clearly capitlised on my warning. Threat of bringing waste id taken from a previous job for same customer got half the payment out of her bit never saw the rest. Cheeky cow had the audacity to ask me to come back and cut the grass after 2 months and said she would pay me the money she owed ontop of grass...as if!!!

had a similar experience when I first set out, we live and learn Rob. The spider shinning down the screen has made my evening mate!...my daughters hate climbing in my van because of all the spiders that us gardeners have in our vans! Merry Christmas to you and the family, hope to see more videos in 2024. Richard

I don't blame you Rob that's what i would of done, I run a Entertainment company and been a DJ for 30 years and i had a party that did that we done the function and at the end of it dint pay us. So the next morning i went round there she refused not to pay me so I went and got some rubble and dump out side her door. Keep up the work.

I had a regular customer when I first started gardening. I used to do 4 hrs stints every couple of weeks. One time I was doing a hedge and had filled the tranny up with full dumpy bags. I had done 3 1/2 hours and was just about to take it all to the dump as part of the job. She was a bit miffed at me knocking off half an hour early, so I asked how else it was going to get taken away? She said her husband, who worked away (I can understand why) could take it to the dump at the weekend (in his Mercedes lol!) So I said fair enough and dumped it on the lawn. It was still there with me mowing around it months later. In the end she pissed me off so much I jacked.

Loving all the comments on this one, Rob. You did absolutely the right thing. If it was me it would have been a big heap of steaming manure.... Best wishes for the New Year x

I do quite a few one off jobs fencing etc all from recommendations. I think if "xxx" recommended me and they paid ok then their friends will pay ok too. The other thing I do is not take on any jobs that are too big. If I did a 2 day job and the customer didnt pay It wouldnt be ideal but I would get by. If I did a 20 day job and the customer didnt pay it would be a disaster. Have a Great Christmas. I will look forward to more videos next year

Have a good one had one customer who didn’t want to pay but had a friendly chat to him and it got sorted😊

Great video Rob. Hopefully you dont have this situation happen again.

Only time I didnt get paid was soon after I set up in business and we were very young and green. It was quite a big job for us at the time, a turfing job at a pub. Wouldn't settle the invoice, citing head office delays, no VAT number etc. We kind of gave up on getting the money - until eventually a cheque arrived months later. Turns out my mate's mum went round and gave em what for, a bit embarrassing but effective !

When I first started I was exactly like you Rob, I used to be vert cheap, u always visit the premises now 100%. Thank you Rivmb again. Enjoying your content.

I only do pay on the day if regular customers. If one off then payment on completion at the door. I don't mess around.. even if regular customer pays late, polite message the next day. If not paid by the end of the day they're cut off even after they've paid 2 days late.

Great story Rob. Would have loved to see his face when you dumped the bag on his drive. Merry Christmas and a happy new year.

I find that customers who slag off and are overly critical of the last gardener, builder or whoever are the ones to avoid. Always swings back on you. 😅 Neil, Wallsend

Rob, money on the day as you start, or nothing, that’s the world today most folk are fine though, but you can not chance it. Well said you.

I'd have done the same thing. Sometimes have to show em who's boss 😅 Have a merry Xmas all

Have a great Christmas Rob, enjoy a well earned break with your family. Cheers 🍻 🍺

For small jobs that take a day or less, I ask in advance for being paid end of the day.

Sometimes the red mist can work in your favour. Well done. I've done similar things, the Gods will look after you if you are in the right. Best not to go down the official route.

Hi Rob had something similar years ago when I was a self employed painter a d decorator front a terrace house two with down door frame and door complete burn off rub down k otting solution on the note primedthe wood two undercoat and gloss plus the two stone cells under the windows. Charged only 30 quid took nearly 6 months to get the money and when I finally got the money after a threat of putting paint stripper all over when I went to collect the tight bustard got the biggest word of notes out of the draw in front of me I was fooking fuming and then the cheeky bustard asked for a for quote for more work. Unbelievable some people take the pics your trying g earn a living putting g a roof over your head and food on the table.

Been great watching your videos because i started my own gardening business up this year been a great help merry Christmas to you and your family 🎉🎉

😂😂 I'm a window cleaner text nothing went back to ask for the money and refused couple of days later dumped my paint cans I couldn't get rid of by her car door on her drive. Didn't hear anything from her loool it was only 15 quid 😅

I can relate to Everything you have said we definitely Live and learn!

I am aware of some people charge up front for 1 off jobs! Have great Christmas Rob and a prosperous New Year.

Always enjoyable rob,love yr stories and look forward to yr exploits.yr such a nice down to earth humble and likeable person, how people can even contemplate doing these things is totally wrong. Have a wonderful Christmas rob Mrs and family regards tom.

I think you handled that one spot on really, better than i might have.

I've not had one refuse to pay, but I've had to chase a few. It's insulting i find, not nice at all. Yes you develop spider sense, and you learn how to avoid being swatted unlike that one in the van 😅. Poor little spider. Merry Christmas Rob. Enjoy your time off.

Yea right thing Rob I think sizing up the customer is just as important as sizing up the job especially one offs. Of course you can't always be sure. The large house customer you priced for last week sounds very rude and probably would've been a nightmare for payment even if dirt cheap.. Its sickening that people do things like that really. I understand maybe shoplifting by desperate people even though that's still a crime but to bump a sole trader relying on payment for a good job and hard work time etc is reprehensible

I think us ex military have special ways to exact parity! As patient as the day is long...but when the day is up its time to foot the bill, one way or the other. In my area the crews give hand signals or shake their heads when youre at a bid and they pass by or are close. Its a universal language here. Mexicans, S. Americans, Russians, Americans. We all know the code that identifies a "problem" customer. And their property is always in a state of shambles! Merry Christmas to you and yours, Rob. Great channel.

Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄 Rob! Enjoy the rest as it will back to it before you know it! All the best for the new year 🎉

Haven't had a no pay yet fingers crossed. But have had can i pay you next time im a bit short for money this week. Happened to me a couple of time's. The way i deal with it tools straight back on the truck and go.

Did the right thing Rob, or at least you did what you thought was right, and that's usually the right thing, always go with your gut, even if it is unorthodox, or you regret it later (never regret anything, remember, you may not start it, but you can finish it). Doesn't matter who wants a job done or who doesn't, if it get's done, you get paid, they can fight it out between themselves, tells you all you need to know about them when they put you in the firing line of their disagreements, personally I'd have been mortified if I were the guy, but then my wife and I would have 100% agreed with each other in the first place!. Loved the tale, pity you had to experience it, but don't sweat it, on to the next job, have a fab xmas mate 😀

Nice Video Rob. With casual customers always clarify your price and terms. Terms for casuals should be payment upon completion, ie cash or transfer whilst still there. Save a lot of uncomfortable conversations and wasted time.

Hi rob, I watch everything you post. The gardening community know most RED FLAGS but what’s your GREEN FLAGS on customers/jobs… what jobs can you not turn down¿

Thanks for the van talks love em All the best have a blinder 🎉

All of us know the red flags by now.. or we should do at least.. I’ll do a summary.. ahem.. 😂 I could do it myself but I don’t have the time. My previous gardener… How much do you charge per hour? We have a party on such and such a date.. I can put more work your way.. This should take this long.. The previous gardeners charged me this much and we’re only here for a short time.. After the party we would like maintenance (they really don’t 😂) all massive red flags

Rob you mentioned small claims court. That was my method of approach ( 22 years self-employed). Register on Gov website ( used to be Money Claim Online…..might be different now). Do the usual two calls/letters asking politely for payment …..then get online issue a summons through gov website sent out , it’s not complicated and you don’t need any paperwork at all. If no response back on web and apply for a warrant and if they don’t respond then they’ll end up in court. You won’t have to go. Most bad payers react to the summons which is probably all you’re going to need. I experienced three bankruptcies which means essentially you’re going to get nothing but they get a CCJ. When I was doing this a summons was £30 ( recoverable) and also there was a charge for a warrant ( again recoverable). Don’t let them get away with it. Robbing bastards.

Thanks and a happy Xmas to you and the family

I've done end of tenancy tidy ups recently mate haven't met the customer just seen pictures and asked for 50% upfront before I even start👍 have been in your situation before chasing payment nothing worse. Have a good Christmas and New year 🎉

Yep sometimes you just have to say "No" especially for one off jobs. Learning to say no really protects the business.

You made me laugh Rob! I could do with you coming up here and giving a bit of that red mist to the one miserable non-payer I had this year. I can't bear confrontation, so I let her get away with short-changing me £200. The thing is she was really nice, she didn't set my spidey senses tingling at all. It was a huge painting job, fences and sheds, on an agreed hourly rate of £15 (yeah, I know). She was happy for me to come back again and again - I always checked she was happy for me to keep going - and she always came out for a friendly chat. I was doing 7 working hour days in the blazing heat we had at the start of the summer, with no breaks other than an hour for lunch. I wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. She was there every day and saw that I was going full pelt. She asked for second coats, and care to be taken not to get any on the neighbour's side etc. I stupidly agreed to let her pay at the end of the job, but was starting to get worried about the bill she was clocking up. So I told her what it was costing so far. She wasn't happy, said she hadn't been keeping a tally herself, and she'd only budgeted so much. She didn't pay for a month, and when she did she paid me what her budget had been, leaving me nearly 14 hours short. Lesson learned - do not EVER let a one-off customer (or a regular, actually) accumulate a bill. I ask for payment after every day worked. And I don't offer painting anymore. If a professional painter can do it quicker then she can get one of them next time.

Well done, 💯

I personally don't see what you done as out of order. They are lucky you where so nice about it with the dumpy bags. I'm going to be honest this is my biggest fear when it comes to starting up this summer.. I personally don't think id be able to bite my tongue or take a professional approach. I know it can effect your business etc. I just couldn't let someone get away with owing me money. Must be difficult rob, especially when you know you can handle yourself. Bigger man than me for not resorting to hands. That would have been my first thought lol

Merry Christmas to you and your nearest and dearest. Keep the content coming .. .. ..

Hi Rob same here did a one off massive clear up job in May took me the best part of 4.5 hours , I trusted the lady who said pay at the end of the month , by August I was calling it in , after numerous excuses and me not being hard enough I haven’t received pay till this day , she eventually said at the beginning of December she hasn’t got the money so it’s going to small claims

Could not imagine not paying someone for their services, some people are despicable!

Love the video's Rob , have a great Christmas you and your family.

theres always a few i had to go small claims court which costs.but its the principal.

Merry Christmas to you and your family have a good one

Love watching your chanel Rob have great Christmas and keep up the good work

Entertaing story as always Rob. I've found dropping a veiled threat about having lots of high strength weedkiller works a treat 😂. Have a great Christmas break.

I always get first time lawn customers to pay me up front. I do this because I've run into the same type of clients as you described.

Brilliant job with the videos, Merry Christmas to you and your family, from NJGreen and family

Great Video 👍

Have a good Xmas mate.. you deserve it. Look forward to more videos in the new year

Hi Rob. I hope you have had a good Christmas. I am guessing it is easier to take payment in advance if it's a new customer, and then, once you get to know them, you can have them on a payment plan that suits you. I understand that there is a bilateral trust issue, but your references would show that you are a trusted service provider, and if a new customer has a problem with an up front payment, then maybe that's a red flag. Have a great new year. Peace and love to you

If it’s a one off job and a bigger one. Had a hedge job to do and the price was £400. Got a bad feeling about them for paying so asked for £200 deposit to secure a slot in my busy diary. They paid it and then final balance due when work was complete. Will be doing this on more larger jobs going forward. We do take a risk taking on work with no guarantee that we will be paid. I have a presence online and business is registered so customers have some comfort. Compared to us gardeners who may only have communicated with a customer online or a brief visit

I've been knocked for a total of around £2000. Notable instances were when an elderly customer disappeared from her house after I'd tidied the garden, and I could not get hold of her or her family again, lost £400. Another instance was working for a well off hotelier under instruction from his decorator to remove ivy off the house for painting. I was supposed to get the money off the decorator but he did a disappearing act & the hotelier did not compensate me, lost £180. The worst one was working for 3 months at a house owned by a wealthy estate agent, who also owned a house in France. Tried over & over again to get paid, give up in the end and lost £1200.

I done that its amazing how money suddenly comes

Merry Christmas Rob and family

Hi Rob, think we've all been in that position. I set my business up 10 years ago and I was the same when I set my business up drive all over the place for the work but you live and learn. I watch your videos as it's good to see how others get on as I'm still learning.

Dumping the waste is always a good threat, we often keep hold of the waste off a job until payment is made. Bit of an insurance policy haha

Great video as usual Rob, Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Great video as Usual Rob and great advice for myself starting up here in the Highlands, though most people here are pretty honest have been bumped once already ,lady not paying for months for very small strim job, now her Cat s died and its cost her £300 at Vets!! So because its Christmas I m just leaving it. Looking at comments from Guys that have done work for Pubs and no been paid.....reckon i d just take the whole Family down for a slap up Christmas meal, all the courses and drinks and guess what at the end! Thank you very much Landlord. (as we say, A Fair exchange is no Robbery)

Only happened to me once about twenty years ago, after a few years you can tell as soon as you speak to someone whether you should just walk away. Commercial jobs for big companies can be a pain to get paid from, I remember a few contracts that would not pay for six months or more and just bullshit you when you phoned.

You said spider senses then a spider dropped down the screen 🤣

Fairplay to ya Rob..... the red mist is a bad one mostly people with hearts of gold get it...people think they ca take ya for a ride because your polite then they see another side and they back track haha.... but never less your right keep it legal and smart we arnt cowboys and have nothing to hide from anyone...Best luck in new year and I look forward to watching your videos sat in truck whilst it smashes down ha.

Always go with your instincts, im the same, if a customer calls me and i just get a bad feeling about it, i will make some excuse to leave waive the job off. Honestly it saves so much grief and no amount of money can make up for distress, time lost etc that a bad customer can bring you, it can also impact on yur business as a whole, remember bad news travels 10 times faster than good..and bad customers like to run their gobs.

great video Rob,well done getting your cash👊

Don’t stress rob, remember most people are in jail because of a flash of temper, in time all things will be forgotten and in time all things will forget you, life is short, love it.

Brill videos . Can you do a video about pricing and then organising them to work best for younlike you say keep them close to each other ect . Love the vids keep it up :)

You’re so right it’s the one offs that’ll bump ya. Like you I’m experienced so I like to think I can gauge the ones that’ll pay or won’t pay.. but I still get it wrong sometimes and people surprise me (in a negative way) when I think I’ve got them sussed. If it’s a one off for a lot of money.. say.. £250/300 plus which in this current climate IS a lot of money.. then I’d insist on some of it upfront and the remainder on completion.. if I REALLY didn’t wanna do the job I’d probably insist on all of it upfront 😂 and the likelihood is they’d say no anyway so.. no loss..

Yes goes down as a Nugget

Happy Christmas to youon