Lawn Guy

I called Jim to possibly have his crew come over and clean up the leaves in my yard. I hired him approximately six years ago for the same job and he charged me $75 at that time. This time, Jim said he would evaluate the job then call me with an estimate. I ended up missing his call (from a phone number that I did not recognize) and Jim left no message. So we never discussed price or the details of the work that I wanted done. I did casually mention to Jim during our initial conversation that I wanted the leaves placed against my garage door. Without a price agreement or further description of work from me, Jim sent his crew to do the job anyway. If Jim made it a point to speak with me ahead of time, he would have known that I also needed the leaves bagged and that I had a budget. I came home to find a large pile of loose leaves lying up against my garage door. The volume of leaves involved was less than 1/3 of what Jim billed me $75 to bag just six years ago, yet he felt justified to charge me $150 for this job (cash only). Jim claimed that it took his two guys 1.5 hours to move what amounted to 3.5 bags from the back yard to the front. I find that hard to believe. Jim was reluctant to send his crew back to finish the job, citing how much money he would lose. I was reluctant to pay him $150 for an inadequate job that I did not agree to, and that would still require me to do the bagging myself. In the end I agreed to pay him only $100 and bag the leaves myself because it was quicker than arguing with him. Jim took his $100, apologized and promised to give me a break on my shrub trimming next year. I will not give him the chance. Quality of work is OK. Prices are high. Communication could have been a lot better. Company seems more interested in the bottom line than customer satisfaction. I feel like I got taken.