Lawn Care Services: Guide #2
What You Should Ask Them

You Can Hire The Best Lawn Care Services
When You Know How To Compare Companies!

Would you like to have the knowledge and confidence to evaluate and select lawn care services that are the best and most appropriate for your situation?

This is the second in a series of articles designed to assist you in making that decision as an informed homeowner.

As mentioned in the first article, Guide #1, you may be wondering:

How do you select someone to do the work?
What questions do you need to ask?
Is there vital information to know about a business and the lawn care services they offer?
What can you reasonably expect or demand from a lawn service company?

This article will present you with the insight you need for your satisfaction and protection. Learn all the right questions you should ask the potential service provider.

Lawn Care Services Guide #1 helped you consider certain aspects of your situation to provide pertinent information to the estimator. Let’s get started now with a comprehensive look at the things you need to consider about hiring lawn care services.

QUESTIONS TO ASK LAWN CARE COMPANIES:

SERVICES

What services do they offer? Some independent guys (or gals) focus on just mowing, blowing and going -- on to the next yard. Other people and especially those with multiple crews, and also franchise companies, offer a full spectrum of yard or lawn care services.

A reputable company may present a list of services they can perform. However, some competent and trustworthy individuals may be not so savvy in the marketing department. Don’t eliminate the fellow with a home-made business card and base your selection on a fancy brochure alone.

Don’t be impressed by a slick salesman. They may promise a yard that looks like the cover of a gardening magazine if you contract for all their services. You should have determined already what you need and want. (If not, don’t miss Guide #1.) Listen to their offerings, but hold your conclusions until you get all of your questions and concerns answered.

Promises. Find out what role your contact person plays: is he/she an estimator, a supervisor, the owner/operator, or an administrative person?

Does that person have the knowledge and experience to advise you on which lawn care services are appropriate for you? Do they have the authority to give a quote, and obligate the company to perform as promised?

Workers. Information to know about them includes:

Who actually does the work & who supervises?
Will the same person or crew be doing the work consistently?
How much experience do they have?
What kind of training do they receive, especially for any specialized tasks?
Will someone on the job always be able to speak your language?
Can you request a different crew member if you have good reason to do so?

It is worth asking if their own employees perform all the lawn care services they offer, or if they sub-contract certain tasks, like lawn aeration or tree trimming. This could affect both the rates they have to charge, as well as control over the finished product.

Changes. Can you change, meaning add or subtract services, at any time without a penalty or without restriction? In other words, you don’t want to be contracted to a range of services that may not meet your needs or desires at a later date.

Will you be obligated to continue any lawn care services against your wishes just because you signed up for a package deal? A contract for services (discussed later) should inform and protect both parties. But be cautious about committing yourself to a situation that leaves you little recourse if important or unexpected circumstances necessitate a change.

FEES

Go Figure! A few companies offering lawn care services may have a printed fee chart to show you. Most won’t, because of so many variables in quoting a job. This includes the size of the lawn, configuration of the terrain, obstacles, fences, how much edging relative to lawn size, location, and much more.

For reasons not apparent to you, a neighbor may get a significantly different rate than you, for lawns that appear similar. Or yards that seem quite different may get the same flat fee charged. It depends on so much more than just the amount of time they may actually spend on your yard.

Quotes. Get a written quote. It should be detailed enough to allow you to know exactly what you will be paying for. (It may not be complete and specific about all aspects of the work. This will be considered later in the section on contracts.) But it should itemize all the lawn care services you will receive, and what you will be charged.

A quote should specify if fees are weekly or monthly or a fee per each visit. Be certain to find out how changes in the calendar month will affect your billing. (For example, suppose your scheduled day is Tuesday and next month has 5 Tuesdays. Will that count the same as a month with 4 weekly visits, or will there be an extra charge?)

How long will the fees be valid, and will you be notified prior to any increases? (Don’t be surprised if many types of service companies begin to have fuel surcharges. If you face such a charge, ask if it is permanent, or flexible.)

What do they charge for a simple mow, edge & clean up?

How do they charge for multiple services?

A flat monthly fee for all work?
A basic service fee plus additional charges when certain tasks are done?
Do they charge separately for materials like fertilizer, or include it in set fees? (If they charge you tax for materials, all items like fertilizer, sprinkler parts, plants, etc. should be listed separately from any labor charge. Materials are taxable, labor is non-taxable.)

Be Smart! Be diligent! If you planned to buy a new car, you would investigate the charges for all possible options that might come with the vehicle. Do the same with lawn care services. Don’t be afraid to ask what they charge for different services, even if you may not need them all. That knowledge will help your comparison shopping efforts.

Especially ask what they do not include in their various charges or package deals. Inquire about any extra fees or unexpected expenses some customers might incur.

Who Buys What? Some homeowners desire to provide their own lawn care products and have the landscape maintenance company apply them. Is this reasonable? Would you not save money that way?

Yes, the typical company will charge you more for products than you would pay at the retail outlets. However, they deserve to be compensated for the time they spend acquiring, storing and hauling chemicals so you don’t have to. Larger companies tend to have higher mark-up on products than an independent business, but not always. It pays to be aware of comparative values of lawn products.

(Side note: If you offer to reimburse an independent landscaper only the cost of a bag of fertilizer, and nothing for his time or vehicle expense, that is unreasonable. On top of that, some people expect to get the advantage of any professional discount he is entitled to from wholesale vendors. Unless you are willing to reciprocate with a ‘professional discount’ on services you provide to him, like dental care or tax service, be an honorable person. You don’t expect a discount from your grocer, plumber or dry cleaner. And how would you like it if he asked for a “work discount” -- to do only 80% of your lawn this week? So if he does good work, let him make a profit. He’s not “just a gardener.” He’s a small businessman with pride in what he does, a family to feed, and equipment to purchase and maintain.)

Many lawn care service applicators will not want to accept the responsibility for lack of positive results (or potentially negative ones) when people buy certain products, especially off-brand, budget labels or outdated stock. So they may not be willing to apply your products, but you can always ask. (Using the same reliable products consistently allows them to be effective with results and to be knowledgeable and time efficient with applications.)

Service Changes or Disruptions. How do weather changes or unexpected events affect a monthly or weekly charge if service is not possible?

In cold winter areas, do they provide alternative services to their regular monthly customers in the off season like snow-blowing, leaf collection, firewood, etc.? When will the warm season services be discontinued, re-established, and are there any carryover fees?

Talk About Money. How do they invoice you, when is it due, what type of payment do they accept?

Do they offer discounts for any reason? Perhaps:

After being a customer a certain length of time;
Paying in full within a shorter period of time;
Having a certain number of customers in same area;
Full-service discounts, i.e. using all or most of the lawn care services they offer;
Leaving debris in your trash cans instead of hauling;
Senior citizen discount;
Giving referrals;
Providing lemonade and cookies (just kidding!)

BUSINESS DETAILS

Lawn care service companies will typically be required to obtain and maintain certain regulatory permits. This will vary according to requirements at the state, county, and city levels. In some areas, a person who mows lawns exclusively, with no other services offered, may be exempt from licensing requirements.

You can call your county or city office that handles business licenses to get some information on this. To investigate further, try contacting your state agricultural department or state contractors’ board (and look under lawn care, lawn care services, landscapers, or gardeners).

A Business License is the most basic item. This does not determine how qualified anyone is. It just registers them with the local government agency as a means of control, awareness of who is working, or taxation.

A Professional Certification, like the PLCAA (Professional Lawn Care Association of America, or the Lawn Care Association of your State is optional. Membership in these organizations suggests a more professional approach with their business. Certification may require demonstration of certain standards of knowledge or experience. It may simply require registration and fee payment. In either case, it indicates a professional attitude and a desire to stay informed, capable and current on landscape issues.

An Applicator’s License is often required by a state or local agency. (In California it is the state Department of Pesticide Regulation that demands licensing for all landscape maintenance that involves pesticide usage.) Any application of chemicals must observe strict guidelines. Applicators must pass intensive exams to qualify and receive a license. This must be updated regularly for the protection of people and the environment.

Liability Insurance is a safeguard to protect both you and the businessman and his employees in the event of damage to your property or any personal injury. Not all companies will have this. You should ask. You should also know what your personal homeowners insurance policy will cover or deny when dealing with any contracted or occasional services.

What It Means For You. You are entitled to see a copy of any license the lawn care services company is required to possess. Realize that an individual or company invests time and money to obtain any necessary or optional license or certification. This may be reflected in higher charges when compared to someone who does free-lance work without observing laws or protocols.

Does a license guarantee higher quality performance? No, that depends on the training and integrity of the individual.

Should you hire anyone who does not have these permits? People do, but they assume the total risk and liability when they take this approach. If you merely want to hire a student to mow your lawn (if you can find one willing!) that is one thing. But do you want to hire any unknown person with a truck and mower?

To trust that nothing will go wrong, and leave yourself without recourse if it does, is a questionable way to save a few dollars. It is wise to expect that anyone offering their services to do a job should be willing to pursue the necessary steps to work in a legal manner.

Does it make a difference what type of company you enlist? The choices include an independent person who is the owner/operator; an independent who has multiple trucks and work crews which he oversees; a franchise, which could be a regional or national operation.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each type of lawn care services business. A separate article will deal with these. At this point, just keep in mind that your satisfaction will be determined by the integrity, knowledge and effort of the person doing the work. Be alert and use sound judgment. A piece of paper may demonstrate intention, but the proof is in the performance.

Contracts. The days of a verbal agreement and a handshake are often called the good old days. Those days are gone for most of us. A contract defines expectations and provides a measuring tool for satisfactory performance that deserves payment in return.

If you want to avoid surprises and disappointments, as well as protect yourself and your property, you should insist on a contract. It can be a simple one, provided it establishes all the services that will be performed. A contract should specify what work will be performed, how often, in what manner, and for what fees.

A good way to consider what is important in a lawn care services contract to is look at the project as if you were telling someone step by step what to do. Imagine you are going on vacation and the neighbor is going to take care of your house and yard. You make a list of every detail that is important. If you don’t mention it, the caretaker doesn’t know it needs to be done.

If you are uncertain about all the necessary steps, ask the contractor to list everything they typically do, step-by-step. When your contract specifies all the tasks, there is little chance of a misunderstanding about getting what you want, and paying for what you get. For example, if you expect trimming around the sprinkler heads every week versus once a month, the contract should specify this.

A contract is the opportunity to define what is, and what is not, the responsibility of the contractor. All of the earlier discussed information about fees should be included as well. Some operators may simply function with their quote as an estimate and contract. That is all they need to establish a working relationship with you, once you add your signature. Accept that if you are satisfied. But if there is anything that needs to be clarified, a contract is the place to do that.

You may be thinking, “Good Grief! I just wanted to get my lawn mowed! Do I need to hire an attorney!?!?” Probably not, if you can trust your good judgment. But be alert to potential disagreements or damage that might occur. Protect yourself by providing some form of documentation that specifies the understanding you have reached with your chosen lawn care services provider.

PRACTICAL MATTERS

Experience. The obvious question you might think to ask is how much experience do they have and how long have they been doing this as a business. Go ahead and ask. If they have taken any classes or training in the gardening industry, that adds to the credibility of their business.

Experience and training becomes more important with particular lawn care services you intend to engage. Just because someone can start a machine doesn't make them a master with it. Nor does it help if they don't pay attention!

As mentioned before, your satisfaction depends on the person(s) doing the work, and loads of experience won’t compensate for lack of motivation to do quality work. So you want to find out what they can do and what they will do! This leads to the next issue.

Dependability. The most qualified person cannot serve you well unless they are reliable. Do they promise to maintain a set routine? If a change is necessary will they notify you, or will they initially provide an alternative plan so you know what to expect?

Do they promise to return phone calls, and how soon? The major complaints of homeowners are the failure of lawn care service providers to communicate with them in a timely manner or to show up when they say they will.

If an estimator doesn’t show up within a reasonable period of time, or doesn’t call if delayed for an appointment, don’t expect they will be any more dependable with their performance if you select them.

Scheduling. What kind of schedule do they follow? How often do you think you need the service compared to what they recommend? What frequency options do they offer?

How important is it that you have a particular day or time for service? Some people like mowing done on a Friday in preparation for a weekend; only when they are home; only when they are not home…etc. Providers of lawn care services will appreciate a client who is flexible. But if your household has a person sleeping during set hours of the daytime, this is a critical issue. Are you willing to pay extra to be accommodated as to your particular preferences?

If they have to vary the expected routine (in bad weather for example), what is a typical change or adjustment and will they return to the original schedule? How do they adapt their schedule to bad weather? Do you get skipped or postponed? (Do you get charged the same if weather cancels a visit?)

Occasionally a lawn care services company may have to change a schedule due to unforeseen circumstances (from equipment breakdown to traffic difficulties or health issues). They will not be able to notify you ahead of time, but will they be in touch later? Contact within 24 hours would be a professional response (unless you have a set understanding for such situations).

Special Services. Mowing and edging can be considered the basic items that lawn care services provide. How do they determine when specialized lawn care services are needed? Do they follow a set schedule for all their accounts? Or do they wait until your yard needs it? (For example, do they fertilize all their accounts the same week, need it or not?)

How often do they expect to perform other tasks, like trimming hedges, or pruning or weeding (depending on your agreement)? The frequency is directly related to the fee schedule. You don’t want them to do something before it is needed, if you are on a pay-for-each-item basis. But you don’t want them putting off something that needs attention, if you are on a monthly complete services arrangement.

Realize that some companies may try to talk you into more services than you intended. You expect this when you take your car to be serviced for an oil change. But when your lawn care services estimator (or worker) starts to sound like a salesman, you may be caught off guard. If you don’t know that much about different gardening needs, do you have the fortitude to say no until you have a chance to think about it?

Job Details. Does the company haul off the yard waste or leave it with you? This may depend on community regulations, but it would obviously cost them more to remove and dispose of the debris.

Some municipalities restrict or prohibit the use of leaf blowers for yard care clean-up. You may be personally opposed to the noise. Does the company offer an option to clean up without blowers if you desire?

Do they have all the proper equipment for the lawn care services they want to provide? For example, some lawn grasses, like hybrid Bermuda or bent grass, look better when mowed with a reel-type mower instead of the typical rotary mower. If you will have pruning done on hedges, shrubs, trees, do they use power or hand operated tools?

Along with that, do they have proper knowledge of approved techniques for pruning? (There are specific ANSI standards for pruning. You don’t want someone to just grab a saw and cut anywhere!) Also, do they follow standard safety procedures?

What about their vehicles and equipment, are they newer or older? Not that shiny guarantees better results. But if you would be concerned about possible oil stains on concrete or patio areas from aging equipment, keep that in mind. Let the lawn care service provider be aware of your expectations before something occurs that would disturb you.

Irrigation Systems. Do you need someone who can install, or troubleshoot and repair, or maintain your irrigation system? Not everyone who offers lawn care services is qualified in this area. It may not be rocket science, but there is a science of irrigation.

It won’t require more than common sense to replace a broken sprinkler head. However, if you have a poorly designed irrigation system, or want to install a new one, you must have a qualified person tackle this. Ignore this fact, and you can spend a lot of money only to get a lot of problems.

Confirm if someone in the lawn care services company has the knowledge and expertise to produce an efficient system. Check the credentials of any service training they claim, or ask for a reference from a satisfied customer. Irrigation is one of the most critical areas in which you cannot afford to make a mistake.

You should ask if they offer a reasonable/competitive price for irrigation work, especially if they are providing regular service to you. But also get comparative bids from irrigation specialists before you commit.

WHERE TO FIND COMPANIES TO INTERVIEW

Where do you look for candidates? Everywhere! You should especially consider referrals or suggestions from friends, family, and co-workers.

Check for lawn care services being performed in your neighborhood (if you like the results you see!). For that matter, be observant of gardeners working in any neighborhood you happen to travel through, especially if it isn't far from your home.

Companies who advertise in different news media are a mixed bag of goodies. There are regular classified ads in the newspaper. There is a special "Services Directory" set apart from the other classifieds, in many newspapers, and these are usually long term advertisers. There are local "pennysaver" or "thrifty ads" that get mailed each week. And there are the yellow page, phone book ads.

People who call someone in the phone book usually resort to going with a well-known brand name, in this case, probably a lawn care services franchise. Or they succumb to the lure of the best designed marketing piece, or a catchy phrase, or the promise of something like low prices or 'no job too big or too small'.

The best thing to remember when you call a company solely based on an advertisement is this: make them prove themselves to you. You do this by asking them the right questions. Don't take the shortcut and call just one outfit because you hope their ad is truthful and just maybe it will be what you need. If advertisers are your only source of candidates, it is more important to talk to several and compare.

In contrast if you get a referral, or see someone in action, you have a basis for making a decision, even if you only talk to one person, after you ask the right questions!

If you regularly go to a nursery for plants or materials, ask them who they might recommend. The landscapers who shop with them may have a long term relationship with several of their customers. And a nursery will usually not risk making a bad or careless recommendation because they would not want to upset you and lose your business.

INTERVIEW & DECISION TIME

Have you identified the factors that apply to your situation, or address your concerns? You might want to go back through the article and write down the pertinent questions to ask the candidates you interview for lawn care services. (I am currently working on a checklist of topics and questions that can be printed out to aid in your comparison efforts.)

It might be easiest to investigate some of the critical issues through a phone conversation initially. Decide which questions must be answered in your favor or meet your criteria. If it is related to business matters and not specifics about your lawn, any company should be willing to provide information over the phone. This would save you and the estimator the trouble of meeting if you can discover basic incompatibilities. Before getting an actual quote, however, the company must see and evaluate your lawn condition and yard layout.

Don’t be shy about asking questions. If you don’t understand the reason given for a certain approach or fee, ask for clarification. If you feel intimidated by one individual and not others, trust your instincts. Don’t jeopardize your peace of mind because it might save you a few dollars a month.

Do realize that as you have special requirements for service that are unusual or extraordinary, this will impact the fees you are charged. So be certain that all individuals who offer a quote are clear and specific in their understanding of your needs.

Do you get what you pay for? Is a higher fee necessary to get the best performance? Absolutely not! An individual 'lone ranger' may have lower operating costs and provide better service at a fraction of the cost, compared to an image-conscious large company.

I have known a superb gardener who drove an old truck and wore a torn T-shirt on the job. His work was impressive, though he was not. (Like the best barber in town who has the worst haircut!) There is no substitute for your research and investigation. If you can get a reference contact, call that person. Be diligent now and rest easy later.

If you have some hesitation about your choice, but need to make a selection quickly, then ask for a trial period before committing to long-term service. Let the individual demonstrate the ability and willingness to perform. No need to lose sleep over it.

To summarize: Think through what you need and want. Contact several candidates. Ask your questions. Compare their answers and eliminate any person who makes you uncomfortable. You may come up with an obvious choice based on experience or fees, or you may decide to go on gut instinct Either way is fine, if you have done the homework!

You expect the best, but follow this plan if anything comes up. Communicate with your lawn care services provider when something is amiss. Give him/her a chance to correct any problem areas. If a change is necessary, no regrets, just move on. Chances are, you’ll make a good choice the first time around!

Thanks for visiting The Garden Counselor site. If this has been helpful to you, please recommend us to others.

Future Articles in this series will provide:

a checklist of questions discussed here, that you can print out and use it to compare different companies or individuals;

an evaluation of the different types of lawn care service providers and what to expect from an independent contractor versus a large franchise operation;

a list of best management practices that a professional lawn care business should observe so you can expect and get the best service without having to look over their shoulder.

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Lawn Care Services: Guide #2What You Should Ask Them

You Can Hire The Best Lawn Care Services When You Know How To Compare Companies!