The “Since You’re Here” Clients Are Walking Red Flags

I’m a self-employed gardener.

Client: “I need someone to come and mow my lawn.”

I give her a quote for simple mowing services based on area and she accepts. I get to her property and laid out before me isn’t a lawn… it’s a rainforest in miniature.

Me: “I can’t mow this, not like this.”

Client: “It’s just my lawn as I told you. I don’t see the problem.”

Me: “The problem, is this forty-foot conifer over your dog-poop-strewn lawn needs two tree surgeons at the least, I cannot remove that for you.”

Client: “Oh… I figured since I had you that you could remove it for me.”

Me: “Tree removal that involves me and another person, plus removal and other cleaning services comes to [total].”

Client: “What! That’s five times what you told me over the phone!”

Me: “That was for a simple mowing service. This is a bigger job completely, or did you think I would do all that extra stuff for free… since you had me?”

Client: “That’s very underhanded of you!”

Me: “There’s only one person who didn’t tell the whole truth here, and it wasn’t me. You have my number if you agree to my quote.”

And with that, I drove off after wasting a half-hour drive plus gas. She did not call back.