Near miss with that entitled client on the mulch delivery job
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WeedWhacker3
·1mo·24 replies·23 participants
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WeedWhacker3⭐ ExpertOP1mo
55
Man, had a close call last week with this client who blew up over a simple delay on a mulch job, demanding I redo the whole thing for free or he'd trash my name online. We're in Texas so everything's bigger, including the egos, and this guy starts yelling about how his backyard oasis was ruined by 2 hours of waiting. I almost lost it and told him to find another landscaper, but talked him down with a discount on the next edging. Now I'm wondering how you all handle these near-miss blowups without walking off site. Saw a similar rant on r/landscaping that made me feel less alone. TBH, it's exhausting dealing with folks who think landscaping's just pushing a mower. Anyone got tips for de-escalating before it turns into a full crap-show?
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TurfTamer⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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how do you usually spot those entitled types before they even unload the mulch?
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TarheelTiler3🔧 Apprentice1mo
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dude same shit here in the carolinas, had a guy lose his mind over a 90-minute rain delay on a sod job and i almost told him to shove it but ended up comping a trim to shut him up.
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PipeLord42029⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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these entitled assholes always think their backyard's the eighth wonder, pissin me off every damn time. last one threatened a bad review over a rain delay and i nearly told him to shove it, but yeah, discount's the only way out without losin the gig.
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LatexLegend⭐ Expert1mo
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been there with those texas know-it-alls who think a two hour delay means the apocalypse. same shit here, i just nod and offer a free weed whack next time to shut em up before it escalates.
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V6158🌱 Newcomer1mo
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man ive been there on a mulch drop that got delayed by traffic, and the homeowner starts screamin like i personally invented rain. sucks how quick they turn on you when things aint perfect.
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V5759🌱 Newcomer1mo
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dont ever give in to those demands for free work or discounts right away, i saw a guy last month who caved and the client still left a 1-star review trashing his whole business.
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JackOfAllTrades3⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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those entitled homeowners think we're their personal slaves, i almost told one to shove his complaint up his ass last month when he flipped out over a rain delay on a sod job.
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V3356🔧 Apprentice1mo
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dont ever walk off site in a huff, had a buddy lose his license over a heated mulch dispute that turned into a swingin fist fight. keep your cool and document every damn thing or youll be the one payin for the lawyers.
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FixItFelix12⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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what's your go-to line for cooling down those hotheads before they start swingin'?
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NewbieNailBanger⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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dude, i feel that in my soul, had a client last month lose his shit over a 30 minute delay on some edging and nearly posted a fake review. been there with those entitled types thinking we're their personal slaves, sucks the fun out of the job.
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KeyMaster992⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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these entitled homeowners are the WORST, acting like a 30-minute delay is the end of the damn world when they're the ones who scheduled us around their golf game. i've had clients in the dc suburbs threaten to sue over a blown tire on the mulch truck, all while we're busting our asses in the heat. angi leads just amplify this crap, sending us these high-maintenance types who think they're paying for a butler service. last week one yelled at my helper for not dumping the pile exactly where his fancy landscaping app said, like we aint got enough to deal with. its like they forget we're human too, not some on-demand robot army. screw that noise, i started charging a $50 rush fee for any last-minute changes to weed out the whiners. united we stand against these clowns, or we'll all burn out quick.
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PanelPusher4🔧 Apprentice1mo
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these entitled assholes always think a two hour delay means the whole jobs on fire, had one last month who threatened to sue over wet mulch and i was this close to telling him to shove it.
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PipeLord42029⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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what'd you end up doing when he threatened to sue over the wet mulch?
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BoxBoss2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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same shit here in the suburbs, had a guy lose his mind over a 90-minute rain delay and i almost told him to shove his deposit, but yeah talking em down with a free weed whack next time saves the headache.
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TileTitan⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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those entitled homeowners are the WORST, always thinking their backyard dream trumps a little rain delay or traffic crap. i swear half my headaches come from folks who wouldnt know a bobcat from a john deere and still wanna micromanage every damn pile.
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PaintSplatterPete⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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been there bro, those texas clients act like a two hour delay is the end of the world and expect free everything just to shut em up.
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TidyTim⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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next time just offer to mulch his ego for free, that'll shut him up faster than a weed whacker on steroids 😂
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BugBlaster9⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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entitled clients like that make every delivery feel like a damn battle. been there more times than i can count, just wanna mulch their whole attitude.
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PestPatrol3⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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don't ever walk off site without getting it on camera first, had a guy last year in dallas threaten to sue over a rain delay and i almost left but filmed the whole blowup. ended up using it to show his ass in small claims and won my $500 fee back easy. save yourself the headache and always document these entitled pricks before they twist the story.
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ThermostatTamer⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Entitled clients like that deserve to be dropped immediately - life's too short for the drama when there's plenty of good ones out there.
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DrainDoctor⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Ugh, same here man, had one flip out over sod not being perfectly green and I felt your pain reading this. These near misses make you question the whole gig sometimes.
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LawnLordLee⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Screw these homeowners who think they run the show, it's the insurance hikes and bad reviews from jerks like that killing small ops like ours. We need to band together and call out the BS more often.
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NotAnElectrician17⭐ Expert1mo
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Couldn't agree more, just wrapped a season hitting 120k revenue by firing the toxic ones early and focusing on referrals from solid clients. Feels damn good to build without the headaches.
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NotAnElectrician17⭐ Expert1mo
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After 10 years, I just hit a milestone of ditching drama clients and it's boosted my bottom line big time.
