Ranting about the $15k Toro irrigation job that went sideways
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DustBunnyBoss
·1mo·31 replies·28 participants
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DustBunnyBoss⭐ ExpertOP1mo
87
Just finished a $15k install with all Toro parts on a commercial landscape and the client is bitching about uneven coverage because the heads aren't hitting right. We followed the specs to the letter but now they're threatening to withhold payment over some bullshit about water waste. IMHO, these corporate types don't get that landscaping ain't perfect every time. FML.
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ColorCraze2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
30
Haha, sounds like my last mulch job where the client said it looked 'too brown' after I charged them for premium cedar.
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WeedWhackerWill⭐ Expert1mo
41
Lol no kidding, I once had a guy complain his new sod was greener on one side. Told him to wait a week or paint it.
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TrackTech⚒️ Journeyman1mo
4
Paint it? Genius move, charging extra for that.
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WeedWhackerWill⭐ Expert1mo
20
Dude I sprayed the whole yard with Roundup before that Toro install, saved me hours on prep.
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TarpTitan5⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Roundup? In this economy? Nah, switching to organic chems to keep the eco clients happy.
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CanvasCrusader⭐ Expert1mo
13
File a mechanics lien right away, don't let them drag it out. Toro has good warranties but clients won't care.
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TermiteTerror3⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Fuck these commercial clients, always nickel and diming on landscape bids while expecting miracles from the crew.
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DustBunnyDave⚒️ Journeyman1mo
36
Totally, saw the same crap in the Landscaping Professionals FB group last month, guy lost 5k over a similar irrigation beef.
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DustBunnyDave⚒️ Journeyman1mo
34
Man, been there with Toro systems, the pressure regulators are finicky as hell in sloped yards.
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TarpTitan5⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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SharkBite for irrigation? Nah, stick with proper fittings, but yeah clients hate paying for quality.
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TrackTech⚒️ Journeyman1mo
25
Same boat here, irrigation jobs always end with some complaint about flow rates.
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NailGunNinja2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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man, irrigation gigs are a crapshoot every time, always some picky homeowner whining about the spray pattern not being perfect. i had one last summer where the whole system backed up on day two and they blamed me for 'poor design' even though i used hunter valves and rain bird heads. should've seen the look on my face when i pulled a kid's toy out of the main line. these jobs test your patience like nothing else.
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BroomBandit⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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ha, pulled a kid's toy? next time tell 'em it's the neighborhood raccoons sabotaging the system for their midnight swim.
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PipeDreamer22🔧 Apprentice1mo
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man, i feel that - got a hunter controller buried under some kid's junkyard last week and spent half the day diggin it out. raccoons or kids, its always somethin sabotagin your work. been there more times than i can count, total pain in the ass.
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PipeLord4205⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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next time bury that hunter controller in a bigger box with some chicken wire around it, keeps the raccoons out without much extra hassle. saved my ass on a few jobs already.
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EaveEater2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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pulled a kid's toy outta the main line? hell, i once fished out a barbie doll's high heel clogging a hunter valve, thought it was sabotage til i saw the toddler grinning like she owned the place. irrigation jobs are basically babysitting with shovels. 😂
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RodentRidder⭐ Expert1mo
19
Never install without a solid contract clause for adjustments, learned that the hard way on a $10k drip setup.
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HeatPumpHero⚒️ Journeyman1mo
24
These PE-backed property managers are the worst, squeezing every landscaping contractor until we all go under.
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NotAnElectrician16⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Insurance companies love denying claims on these too, had a similar mess with a Stihl-equipped crew last summer.
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JoltJockey2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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insurance assholes denied my claim on a botched hunter sprinkler install last year too, had to eat the whole $8k loss. fuckin sucks when they twist the fine print against us.
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V8076🔧 Apprentice1mo
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for insurance crap like that, start documentin every damn step with timestamps and photos right from the hunter install; itll save your ass next time. i got burned once and now i use the tmc-212 controller logs as proof too.
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BoxHaulerBen⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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insurance pricks ALWAYS pull that fine print BS on us, had to eat a $5k hit last summer on a similar mess.
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WrenchWiz2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Clients acting like they know better than the pros, SMH every time.
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BloomBandit⚒️ Journeyman1mo
32
Haha, next time quote them a 'perfect' install for double and watch them squirm.
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FrameFreak4⚒️ Journeyman1mo
26
Pissed me off too, just wrapped a landscape reno where the client ghosted after the initial deposit on the edging.
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GrimeFighter2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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fuck deposits under 50% on big jobs like that irrigation crap, they're just asking to get ghosted. homeowners these days treat us like atms, snatching the 30% upfront and vanishing when the real work starts. i started demanding half or full mobilization fees on anything over 5k, and it weeds out the flakes quick. y'all still doing the old school 10-20% bullshit?
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FlangeFanatic⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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had a similar bullshit job last month where the homeowner bailed after 25% and left me holding the bag on materials. should've seen the red flags sooner but i was desperate for work. now i push for 60% upfront on anything irrigation related, no exceptions. fuck the flakes, they aint worth the headache.
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GroundFaultGary⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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fuckin homeowners think they can string us along then ghost with a pocket full of our materials, its bullshit and they deserve to be blacklisted everywhere.
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CanvasKid⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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what kinda materials did these assholes walk off with on that toro job?
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ComboBreaker⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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on a toro job like that, the assholes probably swiped the dci-100 decoders and a couple rolls of 1-inch blue poly pipe, always lock that shit up tight with a milwaukee packout box next time.
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V6946🌱 Newcomer1mo
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homeowners who ghost after the deposit are straight up THIEVES, should hit em with a mechanics lien every damn time to make it hurt. had a guy pull that crap on me last summer with a $5k sod job and i chased him down for the rest or hed still be laughin. dont let these cheap bastards get away with it, or theyll keep doin it to the next guy.
