'I'm sure she won't be happy to hear about this': Florida family demands landscapers charge them each the same low rate, landscapers agree to 'hold to [their] word'

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Sep 9, 2023 3:00 PM EDT

When these landscapers got a referral from one customer to another, they had to explain some important caveats. Unfortunately for the landscapers, these clients were not happy with the deal they were going to get. 

Referrals are really important to many companies. In recent years, there's even a big incentive by lots of brands to tell your friends about their product. How many times have you gotten a friend to sign up for a random product just so you can get a discount? Or, if you're crafty, you use multiple emails, and add yourself as a friend to get that 15% off discount you really want. It's worth it for these companies to lose money if they can gain a new customer. 

These landscapers had the opposite problem, as they shared in a malicious compliance story. U/jodakotbe shares that they were the owner of a landscaping business. They'd taken it over from their dad, who had a few clients that were getting landscaping services at a steep discount. These were loyal clients who'd been there from the very beginning, and they had a special low rate as a reward. That ended up being an irritation for the OP after a while, but luckily for them, the problem solved itself. 

Next up, this fast food restaurant manager got their entire staff to walk out on the job — and they cost their boss $25,000.  

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  • 01
    Font - "My children will be paying the same rate as me!" LOC Sorry for formatting, I really don't know what that means. So I'm now the owner of a landscaping business that my father started. He retired last year. He still checks in and helps a lot on the business end of things until I get my footing. We work in a city in south Florida, and about 95 percent of our customers are above the age of 60. My dad has 3 clients that we
    via u/jodakotbe
  • 02
    Font - charge at a very low rate because they've used him since the start of the business. 2 out of the three are great. They understand that they're being charged a low rate and love us for it. But we have one lady that is very hard to deal with. My dad refuses to let go of her contract without a legitimate reason, That's just who my dad is. she has 2
    via u/jodakotbe
  • 03
    Font - daughters and they both own homes with their husbands. We get a call from this lady asking us to take on her daughters. I told her if she would like to give them our number I can talk with them and get it figured out. I was going this as a favor to my dad really because adding the two extra properties right now stretches us pretty thin and I'll probably have to help out as well as my cousin who basically manages the crews. Anyone will
    via u/jodakotbe
  • 04
    Font - tell you expanding with a landscaping company is not as easy as it seems and it's bordering along the impossible without proper planning. So one of the two daughters call in and give me their details and I told them I could come out and meet them and give them an estimate as soon as possible. That was met with a few seconds of silence. And followed by
    via u/jodakotbe
  • 05
    Font - Daughter:uh my mom had told me about the rate she paid, and we were under the assumption that we'd being paying those same rates. Me: unfortunately we won't be able to do that ma'am. we give her a special discount for being with us for so long. Daughter: ma'am is my mom and I'm sure she won't be happy to hear about this.
    via u/jodakotbe
  • 06
    Font - Me:okie dokie Her: click! And after yelling click she hung up the phone. (Not seriously just a joke) So I don't think anything of it, tell my pops what happened. We had a laugh about it and how entitled the people where we live are. Late that night I get the call from the crazy lady. Me: ellooo Her: Let me explain something to you. We have a way of doing things in this town and you just broke rule one. The customer is always right. You told me you would take on my daughters and I expect y
    via u/jodakotbe
  • 07
    Font - I could take them on but not at the same rate. I never said I would be charging the same rate. Her: yes you absolutely did and I expect you to hold to your word like your father would. He would be so disappointed in you right now. (I'm guessing she didn't know my did still took part in the business because he avoids her at all costs) Me:ok ma'am I'll see what I can do. Her: you better. This is just not how you do business Me: ok
    via u/jodakotbe
  • 08
    Font - I went to my dad and told him about it. He told me to end her contract. I told him i had a better idea. And he agreed to it. Now I say contract but it's just a monthly billing for her contract. Due to it being so low. So I call her back the next day. Her: hello Me:ellllooooo there mrs (insert old hags name) it's me your landscaping company calling you back. Her: I hope you have some good news because I still feel slighted. Me: oh I have some news we will be giving your daughters the same
    via u/jodakotbe
  • 09
    Font - When can I tell them you'll be over. Me: we'll get to that but we have to discuss your new rates first. Her: what new rates? I didn't agree to new rates. Me: oh well you requested to pay the same amount as your daughters so we've taken away the special discount we've given you and your new rate will be 800 a month. That will start in 2 months from now.
    via u/jodakotbe
  • 10
    Font - What came after was incoherent screaming and her hanging up. She called back the next day but refused to talk with me. She tried talking with my cousin but he referred her to me. She tried getting ahold of my dad but he shut off his work cell long ago. She eventually calls back and tried to negotiate with me but I told her it was all at her request and too late to go back on it. She dropped us the next month. She had been a thorn in my dads side for so long. He was relieved when I told hi
    via u/jodakotbe
  • 11
    Font - Edit: this is a little of topic but This is for those of you upcoming entrepreneurs out there. It's very easy and satisfying to tell someone to go f themselves, but my dad lived by a set of business rules that his dad taught him. My mom saw "Dexter" now refers to him as Dexter because of his fanatical obsession with these rules.
    via u/jodakotbe
  • 12
    Font - Rule number 1 is very simple but huge. Don't ever give someone a reason to hate you. It'll serve to bolster your pride and can only hurt you in the future. And two: "Don't ever, for any reason, do anything, to anyone, for any reason, ever, no matter what, no matter where, or who, or who you are with, or where you are going, or where you've been, ever, for any reason whatsoever."
    via u/jodakotbe
  • 13
    Font - She was confused. The real rule number one is, when you're getting a hook-up and don't hold any of the cards, don't it up by being a fi bi
    via r/MaliciousCompliance
  • 14
    Font - superflex Just out of curiosity, how much landscaping service does one get for $800 a month?
    via u/superflex
  • 15
    Font - jodakotbe OP. Well that really depends. My father owns a nursery and we will import plants that he doesn't have on hand by request. In all honesty we wouldn't be able to do 800 dollars worth of work on her land. It's just that we don't take contracts under 10k a year anymore. You should probably look into some of the prices of the homes down here to get a better understanding of our pricing.
    via u/jodakotbe
  • 16
    Font - o Swiggy1957 Wait until she finds out how much it will cost her to get a new landscaping service. Calls back wanting to renew her contract. "I'm so sorry, but we're all booked up. We were able to get several new customers after you canceled your service. 190 Reply Share jodakotbe OP Honestly she should just get a regular lawn mowing service. They charge like 50- 150 a month and they do everything she'll need. Have someone come once in a while to trim her hedges and trees.
    via u/Swiggy1957
  • 17
    Font - AQualityKoalaTeacher. It worked out for the best. The time spent on giving her steeply discounted service can now be used for market rate work. And you don't have to deal with her anymore, either!
    via u/AQualityKoalaTeacher
  • 18
    Font - SideQuestPubs • 4 yr. ago The customer is always right Except that saying only means whatever the customer wants to buy is what I should be selling if I want their continued business. It doesn't mean that the customer gets to dictate what rates I charge for a new customer just because the old customer is getting an "old customer" discount and the only thing I promised was that "we'll get it figured out."
    via u/SideQuestPubs
  • 19
    Font - PaulMurrayCbr The customer is always right about what they want. "If the lady wants vanilla, give her vanilla". The vendor is always right about how much it's going to cost.
    via u/PaulMurrayCbr
  • 20
    Font - Akrazorfish If the new rate was $800 per month, do you mind telling us what the old rate was? Curious to see just how good the deal was that she screwed up. Also if she finds a new landscape company, what will she likely be paying?
    via u/Akrazorfish
  • 21
    Font - jodakotbe OP Well if she's smart she'll go with one of the newer guys around here. They'll probably only charge her 50-150 a month. But that's just to mow the lawn and get rid of major debris(palm fronds branches etc.). We were charging her 350 a month but that included trimming bushes backyard trees cleaning up her garden a bit amongst other things.
    via u/jodakotbe
  • 22
    Font - GretaVanFleek. You really mowed her over. Maybe she'll turn over a new leaf. 228 Reply Share jodakotbe OP Doubt it she's a real birch.
    via u/GretaVanFleek
  • 23
    Font - Newuser246886 I never get why business owners dont just refuse service instead of waiting for the sty customer to drop them and say "pheeeww"
    via u/Newuser246886
  • 24
    Font - rhymes_with_chicken Saw that whole plot line unfolding from the first sentence. And, I enjoyed reading every last word. Congrats on spectacularly firing a s customer.
    via u/rhymes_with_chicken
  • 25
    Font - mean_lil_ants Her as was grass and you literally mowed it
    via u/mean_lil_ants

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gardening garden landscape gardens entitled parents entitlement mother work customers daughters entitled family entitled people
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