Lowballers

[Lawnboy18]

Yea, 10$ for a cut is real nasty. I've seen a few around here. I can't put the add that I found, because it is in French. His prices start at 200$ for a full season (about 23 cuts). How can one make money off that? That is less than 10$ a cut!!!

I've done some calculations to see how much one lawn cost me to do. I even calculated amortization of my mower, trimmer and blower and gas. I think it summed up to about 2-3$, but amortization is a little useless since my equipment pays itself very quickly. I price my lawns according too how much I want to make per hour. Around here lawns are not that big. I can do them all with my Ybravo 21".

 

[TaskForceLawnCare]

Those low ballers are clowns. I wouldn't service your lawn for $10. If it was on one of my routes and close to another lawn we service I would stop a truck in front of your house for 5 minutes for $10 though.

 

[CZLawnCare]

Yea, 10$ for a cut is real nasty. I've seen a few around here. I can't put the add that I found, because it is in French. His prices start at 200$ for a full season (about 23 cuts). How can one make money off that? That is less than 10$ a cut!!! I've done some calculations to see how much one lawn cost me to do. I even calculated amortization of my mower, trimmer and blower and gas. I think it summed up to about 2-3$, but amortization is a little useless since my equipment pays itself very quickly. I price my lawns according too how much I want to make per hour. Around here lawns are not that big. I can do them all with my Ybravo 21".[/QUOTE
Hi, are you by any chance talking about jr et fils. He is the biggest lowballer in our area, he will travel to evey corner of the province for less than i would charge my neighbor

 

[Lawnboy18]

Yea, 10$ for a cut is real nasty. I've seen a few around here. I can't put the add that I found, because it is in French. His prices start at 200$ for a full season (about 23 cuts). How can one make money off that? That is less than 10$ a cut!!! I've done some calculations to see how much one lawn cost me to do. I even calculated amortization of my mower, trimmer and blower and gas. I think it summed up to about 2-3$, but amortization is a little useless since my equipment pays itself very quickly. I price my lawns according too how much I want to make per hour. Around here lawns are not that big. I can do them all with my Ybravo 21".[/QUOTE
Hi, are you by any chance talking about jr et fils. He is the biggest lowballer in our area, he will travel to evey corner of the province for less than i would charge my neighbor

No, it is SMP... We also have another low baller in town.
I did see jr et fils on Kijiji, he is real cheap charging 330$ for a full season. Check your PM, I sent you one a while back...

@ Taskforce. That is true. 10$ is very low, but if it is right beside another client that you have and the yard is real small and takes you barely 10 minutes, well that isn't so bad. Just scoot along with the mower to that yard, but 10$ per cut for a full size yard (3000 square feet) is ridiculous!

 

[TaskForceLawnCare]

Most yards in my operating area are well over 3k square feet. We don't mow much in town. 99% of what we service is in subdivisions or HOA's. I've set my companies minimum at $35 for a stop. That's even if its just 300 sqr ft if they don't like our price no hard feelings. You can hire the guy with a push mower working out of the trunk of his car. Maybe they are insured and do quality work if they are and do I'm happy for them

 

[Lawnboy18]

Most yards in my operating area are well over 3k square feet. We don't mow much in town. 99% of what we service is in subdivisions or HOA's. I've set my companies minimum at $35 for a stop. That's even if its just 300 sqr ft if they don't like our price no hard feelings. You can hire the guy with a push mower working out of the trunk of his car. Maybe they are insured and do quality work if they are and do I'm happy for them

Yea, that 35$ minimum seems popular, but around here if I were to do that, I wouldn't have many clients. Even tho I am young, I charge a fair price. I may not have a big truck and trailer, but I have very good equipment to mow lawns and I do a very good job and that comes with a price. I explain to my clients that they not only pay for mowing, but service. They can find cheaper, but it might not be as good. Many of my clients that dealt with previous companies had that problem. The person would not come, or mow real bad. I come every week, and phone/text if ever I can't come (heavy rain, grass is to dry, etc.).

 

[jekjr]

Yea, that 35$ minimum seems popular, but around here if I were to do that, I wouldn't have many clients. Even tho I am young, I charge a fair price. I may not have a big truck and trailer, but I have very good equipment to mow lawns and I do a very good job and that comes with a price. I explain to my clients that they not only pay for mowing, but service. They can find cheaper, but it might not be as good. Many of my clients that dealt with previous companies had that problem. The person would not come, or mow real bad. I come every week, and phone/text if ever I can't come (heavy rain, grass is to dry, etc.).

We try to do $35 minimum. I do have one small trailer park lot that we cut for $25. We pass right by it though all of the time so it is only a matter of stopping and cutting it and loading back up....... We could not drive any distance and come out ahead doing it.

 

[hunter5567]

How long is your cutting season where y'all cut?
I work in Baton Rouge, LA and the growing season is at least 9 if not 10 months out of the year with touch ups in the winter. I could get leaf yards in the fall since the trees around here drop sporadically and all winter long. I usually charge a minimum of $25/yard and that's for a garden home lot on a zero lot line on the right and left of the house, small patch in the front and back. It takes longer to weedeat, edge, and blow.
I do have some larger yards that might be an acre to cut in grass and I'll charge $75 for those. I mostly specialize in medium to small residential yards and don't have to carry insurance for those. The most damage I have done was with a weedeater were it slung a rock through a plate glass window that cost me $500 to replace but I would have had to pay that anyways with a $500 deductible on the insurance coverage.
I was doing the homeowner a favor by weed-eating weeds in the flower beds when that occurred and which is not covered in basic lawn service. No good deed goes unpunished, lol !! I keep it sprayed now.

 

[Lawnboy18]

Around here, 35$ would be very hard to get for a yard of small size (only done with a 21"). I charge that sometimes for larger yards that take me longuer to do (1/4 acre).

It has been told on the radio that the average price for lawn maintenance is 400$ for a full season (23 cuts). I know, that is low, but it is what the market is at. I try to go above that and I do achieve that by charging 25$ for a yard. To each there market I guess. I aim .80 cents a minute (50$/hour). Then again, not all parts of town have the same revenue.

A season here of lawn maintenance is 6 month. Start mowing in May and in October (sometimes, November) and after that it is leaf clean ups until mid/end november)

 

[TaskForceLawnCare]

If you as the an actual professional running an established business aren't setting the price whatever it is in your area. Then the low ballers are winning, they are driving the entire market down for your area. Stay firm on your price and sell reliable service and quality. I realize there's no one perfect answer for low ballers. So I can only speak for how I work around low ballers. Most are dead beats working for beer money or whatever. Some are new comers that are still trying to figure out things and get a few customers. I just stand on my pricing and offer the take it or leave it, but let the customer know what the risks are of hiring a LCO that gave them a half or lower quote.