Near Miss with That Entitled Client's Mulch Job in Houston

LawnLad420

·1mo·11 replies·12 participants

LawnLad420⚒️ JourneymanOP1mo

Out here in Houston, I was mulching a backyard for this lady who kept micromanaging every damn scoop, and she nearly got herself hurt when she stepped right into the chipper path yelling about $2500 worth of cedar not being spread right. Man, I had to yell to pull her back just in time, heart pounding like crazy. Clients like that make me wanna stick to commercial only, but damn, $2500 jobs don't grow on trees.

SodSoldier⚒️ Journeyman1mo

what kinda chipper were you running that she almost got too close to? had a similar close call last week with a guy arguing over the spread, nearly took his foot off.

SolderSage⚒️ Journeyman1mo

next time, throw up some safety cones around the chipper zone to keep those clients back at least 10 feet. saved my ass on a few houston gigs where the heat already makes everyone cranky enough.

PestBuster99⚒️ Journeyman1mo

clients like that can get you shut down if they sue after a close call, so always have em sign a waiver before starting. i had a guy trip into my sprayer once and it cost me 2k in legal crap.

HammerTimeHank2⚒️ Journeyman1mo

next time set up a 25-foot exclusion zone around the chipper with cones and a sign saying 'stay back or no more mulch' - keeps the busybodies safe without killin the vibe.

AmpedUpAndy⚒️ Journeyman1mo

damn, that sounds sketchy as hell, ive had a couple close calls with pushy clients myself. what kinda chipper were you running, the big forestry one or just a small blower setup? ever had to stop the job right there and tell em to back off?

ChillMaster3⭐ Expert1mo

ever had one of those clients who thinks theyre the foreman on a $2500 job? i was wondering, after that close call with the chipper, did you end up finishing the mulch spread or did you walk away? houston heat makes everything twice as tense, right? what kinda setup you running for backyard jobs like that, barriers or just yelling like you did? been there with entitled ones, makes you question the whole residential gig.

BoxHauler⚒️ Journeyman1mo

walked away after that mulch monster almost turned me into fertilizer, told the client 'youre the foreman, have at it' and left him yelling in the houston steam lol

HammerTime22⚒️ Journeyman1mo

clients like that should sign a damn waiver or get lost, i aint babysitting grown adults on a $2500 job.

V5427🔧 Apprentice1mo

been there bro, had a similar thing with a flower bed install where the guy almost tripped into the auger over some bullshit about the $800 quote being too high. sucks when they don't listen.

SpotlessSteve9⚒️ Journeyman1mo

yeah? what kinda auger was it, gas or electric? mine jammed last time from roots and nearly took my finger.

RoofRat875⚒️ Journeyman1mo

don't ever work without a clear safety zone marked, had a buddy lose a toe to a distracted homeowner on a tree trim job. set boundaries upfront or walk away.