Lawn service payment in advance?
 

Hi folks!

I just engaged a lawn service and he says he doesn't bill clients - but to just send the check for the month to his P.O. Box in advance. I thought this was odd as I used to having services rendered, being billed, and then paying for them. Is this payment arrangement peculiar to you, or is the customary in TV?

This person is being used by 2 different neighbors, so I reached out to him myself.

Would not pay in advance. Pay for services rendered.

It's a general rule in TV to not pay for any services in advance. Way too many stories of very poor outcomes.

If you are doing business with a major company, it might not go badly, but, doing business with contractors that demand payment in advance is a bad idea.

Well, after winter is over our lawn guy comes by once per week, sometimes a little more often. I don’t want to be paying weekly bills for lawn service. I pay him in advance every six months. That being said, I have been using him for several years and he has proven I can depend on him, so I have no worries with the advanced payment.

We chose Falcon for our lawn service and pest control when we moved in five years ago. We paid them in advance for the first year.

We have been very pleased with their service. Each year, we pay them in advance for the next year.

I mow the grass myself.

Absolutely not
 

No one should be paying for any service in advance of the service performed. Do you pay anyone else in advance? Doctor, barber, restaurant? I don't care if they are responsible and honest. If indeed they are, why then do they need to be paid prior to performing a service? I would ask him just that question.

It would be a gamble but how much? $75 that you risk losing? If your two neighbors have had a good experience with him and if they say he is dependable and does a good job then roll the dice. You still control the payments. If he doesn’t work out then stop payments . If he is good hang on to him and give him a tip or bonus occasionally. Good help is hard to find these days!

No way. Too many horror stories about services not provided. Even if his intentions are good, at best people can’t follow through and things go wrong. There are lots of reputable lawn service people who will do the work, then collect payment. Get one of them to do the work.

Pay it .... don’t listen to anyone who said receive bill and pay it after month of service - they live in a bubble- where talking lawn mower guy....

when we moved here we were taken by a woman who said if we paid 3 months ahead she would give us a free month. she seemed very nice so we did it. she cut our grass twice then she was gone. turned out she'd done this to several people and had changed the name of her "so called " company over and over. please be careful. most of the service people around TV are terrific, hard working and honest

I pay them in the middle of the month. Most service providers in TV don’t want a reputation for providing poor service. I’m not too concerned because they know we talk to each other.

I know a couple who lost 15,000 by paying in advance to a contractor a few years ago. No work was done, and these people were nowhere to be found. If it is a reputable company they will do the job and be paid at the end.

Just the movies .

Read also another person’s problem similar to yours on this sight ML SMITH, bottomline, NEVER PAY IN ADVANCE FOR ANY PROJECT!

As a person who uses contractors on occasions, I always verify with others who have used this particular contractor. My lawn people do not bill us, but asked us to pay at the end of the month for the monthly service. They mow the grass and we pay at the end of the month. I dont need a Bill, I can see the services are rendered and we are all happy. I would suggest you check them out, or ask your neighbors who they use and if they are happy then go that route. 6 of us in the neighborhood use the same vendor and we are all happy and our grass all gets cut at the same day....

Never pay in advance for a local operator for services.

In the beginning, I would pay them after the work. If you are satisfied with their work, then pay in advance. (I pay mine quarterly with bank auto pay in advance). It is great to use someone that your neighbors do so all the noise is at the same time.

Unfortunately those painted advanced has come from the fact that a lot of citizens here do not pay their bills at all and end up stiffing the vendor.

For 13 years I have paid lawn, weed, shrub, tree company 3 months in advance AND I have paid inside/outside pest, lawn fertilization company 12 months in advance. Services have always been completed with excellent results. Guess it entirely depends on company.

This example is apples and oranges. Paying for what I assume was contracting work vs paying for a lawn service isnt the same. Most, including myself pay in advance. If you dont trust himthat much then change people and get someone who will bill you. Youre not locked into this guy

I use Massey, a large and dependable company. But, I only pay them after they have completed a service. They offer a 5 percent discount to pay a year in advance, but I would rather pay the extra 5 percent and not pay in advance. I would never pay any contractor for work they have not performed.

Ask the neighdors
 

Ask the neighbors how long they have been using him and if they are happy with his services. My bank automatically sends a check every month for my lawn service.

I pay mid month and it works well, never had a problem. He gets his money and I get great service.

Hope it isn’t TruGreen
 

I hope your fertilizer company isn’t TruGreen. Had them for 9 months. Twice, the tech put an invoice in my door without doing ANY service. I let them come back the first time, but fired them the second.

My lawn man barely speaks English. I pay $50 a month to a PO Box. I let him decide when my lawn needs mowed. I do not see him as much in the winter months and I do not care. He comes so much in the summer it makes up for it. He is great. Does it with a push mower. I doubt he has time or resources to send me a Bill. If he quit tomorrow I would be out $50. Not worried

I have lived here for 17 yrs and have always paid my lawn guy 6 months in advance. Never had a problem. I am fortunate to find an honest and reliable guy. Having said that, paying in advance for services is generally not a good idea.

Run. Do NOT pay in advance, you would only be asking for trouble.

Who is this guy and what is his number. Thank you

We're talking about monthly lawn service here. NOT a major job service where he's asking for thousands of dollars. I pay my guy(lives 2 blocks from me) first of the month by PayPal. He has about 75 customers, mostly local in Charlotte.
:coolsmiley:

I send a check $60 first of the month in advance to my mowing guy. He uses a push mower, does a great job, and I appreciate having him. Again , he does not need to spend time and expense sending a bill.

Deans does pest and fertilizer. Auto pay when completed.

read the post below about " Good Neighbor" lawn svc scamming people. Used to be Service Smart, but changed names several times to escape prosecution. DO NOT EVER pay in advance, I don't care what anyone says on here. They have just been lucky so far. I like to sleep at night.

While we were up north for the summer our lawn cutting person billed us at the end of each month but failed to show up to mow the lawn. Neighbors were sending us pictures of our long grass.

I am billed at the end of the month following a month a grass cutting.

Find another lawn service. There are a lot of reputable companies that do no require payment up front.

Mowing
 

May I ask who your mower is?

May I ask who your mower is?

Check with the neighbors

We learned the hard way. Used a company for years and paid monthly in advance. Then he offered a discount for paying 3 months in advance. Within a few payments he took off. 3 months paid with no service. He was hired by half the homeowners on our street. We reported him to Crimes Against Seniors. Never found.
Now we pay after services rendered.

The person mowing our yard has been doing it for the seven years we have owned the house and a couple of years before we purchased. I have him set up as a monthly payment. It has been so long I don’t know if it is prepayment or in arrears. Either way if I change services tomorrow I am only out a few bucks.

In what can be a long termed arrangement, You have to show some trust sometimes. If it is a one time thing, for sure, pay after the work is completed.

A reputable company will not require advanced payment
 

I have learned my lesson not to pay for lawn service in advance especially for the year. A reputable company will not require you to do so. They may give you a discount but I would still not recommend. I have also used a company that 'does it all'. That didn't work out either. You may pay a little more when paying by the month but you will be glad you did.