What is in the water? Difficulty in the South

[Conan The Librarian]

I got a place now that's a flea's sneeze south of the Alabama border. I can't live there full time, so I need some services while I am away. Some of these guys in things like lawn care and home repair seem to be oblivious to the concept of customer service and civil communication. For example, for lawn care, I all I want is for somebody to come by once a month and cut the lawn, then send me a bill which I will promptly pay. Sounds simple? Better not think so, me bucko!

I called a guy in the hurricane shutter business. I was polite. I inquired about whether he is still installing shutters in that area. This, keep in mind, is a 10 to 15 thousand dollar job on most houses. The guy acted like he would be doing me a favor if he took the job. Within ten seconds into the first call he absolutely convinced me that he was not the guy for the job just from his attitude. So I found somebody human in the next county to do it and was satisfied with the results. The surly guy then called me back a couple of weeks later asking for the job and I told him that it was already done. He got even more surly.

How on earth do these guys manage to be in business for any length of time?

The lawn care guy I hired for the first month knows that I want the lawn cut once a month, and he charges $60 per cut. This is work during the warm months only, but still it's between $500 and $600 per year guaranteed easy money for a 1/3 acre lot of sparse gulf coast grass and the guy doesn't even remember me a month later when I call him and ask whether he has sent the bill yet. I had to remind him that I want the law cut again.

Is this just the way it is in the south Alabama/Florida Panhandle area? How do I navigate this situation? I want to get along and have good relations with people, but some just make it hard.

[S.S.]

I have found that most of the people in Florida
are not Southern. I do not really even consider Florida
a Southern state. It is a resort plain and simple that is owned by
Northerners and folks from the middle east or india. Sadly,
I am being completely serious.

[Heather]

Florida is NOT a southern state.  They do NOT serve sweet tea therefore they are NOT a southern state.  No it isn't that way everywhere in Alabama.  I have met a many of businesses who are good country people who call you name and treat you like family.  I am sorry you are having problems with certain businesses.  Just like with anything else you can't judge the goodness of the group by the actions of the few.  I applaud you asking before forming the opinion that all of us Southern folk are rude and incompetent.

Heather

[Conan The Librarian]

I can promise you that this part of Florida is most definitely Southern, otherwise I wouldn't be there. The customs, manner of speaking, demographics, religions, upbringing, etc are practically no different than just east of Birmingham, for example. I think a lot of people judge Florida by the peninsula. If it helps, it's best to think of Florida as two separate states: The peninsula and the panhandle.  A lot of people from the north do move to the panhandle, but they eventually blend in, except in the bigger cities like Panama City, which is something more cosmopolitan. But get out in the country and into the smaller towns, and it's the South alright.

The real question here is I'm looking for help fitting in there and I'm trying to understand how to get on people's "good side" without a struggle. I've been all over and had to deal with this kind of thing in places like northern Georgia, Montana, Detroit, etc. But now I'm putting down some roots and I want to do it right.

People in this area are generally just wonderful folks, but it seems like a others are just plain crabby. It's kind of why we have terms like "bubba".

[briarpatch]

What I have found here in Florida concerning lawn care.
A lot that do it, cant or want work anywhere.  To lazy, drugs or cant get along.
They buy or steal a trailer to pull around, you hire them, they mow one time and you will see them no more.
Not all of them are like that but you will weed through a lot before you get one that will act and do as a lawn man should.
Just ask them what job they had last. If they say they worked for a man that did not know as much as they did, so they quit, look for another and ask the same question.

[williamlayton]

The type of people you are discussing ARE not dependable----well, period.
I have a lawn care that is a landscaper and a contractor---a business, a place where there is an office, a secretary--a phone.
These folks are whom you are seeking---and---they are out there.
Blessings

[Land_Owner]

To paint Florida, or anywhere, with such a wide brush is disingenuous.  Besides, your property is in ALABAMA and your comments and those of the others herein most certainly pertain thereto.

Greed is a reason business relationships fail.  You, as an absentee landlord and single party to the loose "contract" (probably not in writing), are providing the fundamentals for them to "get away with" something for nothing.  They can read that into this deal.  Without oversight on your part (or other third party of your choosing) I believe you will get very little overall satisfaction.

A Property Management Company through a Realtor is a way to keep service providers trustworthy.  For an additional fee, the PMC will contract for you, keep tabs for you, and ascertain that providers are getting it done.  Most PMC's have subcontractor providers for HVAC, lawn service, plumbers, electricians, etc., that they try to keep employed.  They weed through the bad ones and you get the ones they trust.  Also, a PMC is a deeper pocket in the event that you become dissatisfied or suspicious of collusion or failure to perform.  You should have a written contract.

It's not personal...it's business.

[hillbill]

its not just florida, or the south, you cant generally hire anybody to do anything the way you want it done or even with any kind integrity or pride in their work.i gave up, i just do everything myself.

[Conan The Librarian]

Crikey! Alas!

Thank you for the warnings and the benefit of your experience!!!

My original thought was to hire a neighborhood kid to do it. After all, that's how I made my money when I was a kid. The kids don't to this kind of thing anymore. I guess they are too busy with video games or something.

The guy I hired is in the phone book under lawn care but his communication, and that of his wife, is just terrible. I hate to fire anybody but it looks like it's going to have to happen.

The stunning thing here is that there is so little effort involved in doing a good job! It's a small lot. Short work for anybody who is willing to work. And $60 for what can't be more than 45 minutes work, including edging and weed wacking. Follow up with a prompt bill either by e-mail or US mail and you get paid. I find it difficult to believe that there are people with a work ethic so weak as to not be able to accomplish this reliably without having to subcontract through a property management company.

But such is life!!! If that's the way it is, then that's the way it is.

When I was a kid, I used to help a friend of mine during the summer. His father was  a lawn care specialist, full time in South Florida. He was truly professional, and kept the same customers for literally decades until he retired. How things have changed!!!

[kynardsj]

Don't judge us all here in Alabama by the folks you've dealt with so far. I'm born and raised here and Alabama like everywhere else has good folks, bad folks, hard working folks and lazy folks. The post by Land Owner has some sound advice on this matter of caring for your property while you're away.

[The Hermit]

Conan, the advice about a neighborhood boy worked for me in the past. I had property in Jefferson County that needed mowing. I talked to a young lad about 14 and his mom. He lived right across the street from the property.  She said it would be good for him to do the work and send a bill as it would teach him responsibility and handling money. Every month I got a hand written bill and sent a check. Adam mowed every year through high school until he went off to college. Just a thought.
Most of the contractors up here, by the Canadian border, seem reliable and hungry for work.

   The Hermit

[Land_Owner]

This is work during the warm months only...[and] The stunning thing here is that there is so little effort involved in doing a good job!

From the quote I infer that you live in the North where there is a definitive Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall.  In the coastal panhandle of Florida, you will find the growing season is MOST INTENSIVE in mid-Spring/Summer/early-Fall with a fair bit of growth in Winter.  Winters are MILD here.

Lawn mowing weekly or bi-weekly is the NORM.  If you wait a month, the lawn is absolutely more difficult to mow, weed, and edge.  And you want it done monthly for $60.00.  Better look for the neighborhood kid.

Today, "Labor" is about the MONEY; not job satisfaction.  Besides, how will you know from hundreds or thousands of miles away?  

Spend the time to do research to find a reliable and reputable Lawn Care Service Provider; one that comes with REFERENCES that you must VERIFY.  Ask people!  Then ask a lot more people!  How best to get to know some of the people in town than to call them and talk to them.  Let them get to know you as you get to know them.  Call a neighbor by your house.  Call all your neighbors.  Get to KNOW your neighbors.  

One of the larger brokerage firms had a national TV ad that showed the Corporate Boss handing out airline tickets to the associates for the express purpose of going to the clients and meeting them face to face LIKE THEY USED TO instead of sitting in the Ivory Tower and isolating themselves from the personal relationship of business.

[Conan The Librarian]

Land_Owner:

I agree! I just haven't been able to make those relationships yet. In this case, the lawn really does not have the kind of growth pattern that makes it more difficult after a month. It's very sandy and gravelly soil with very sparse grass. I have seen what it looks like after a month even with decent rain and the only issue is that some of the weeds get a bit tall. In any case, an engine-less push mower would do the job easily. It's part of the reason I like the neighborhood: low maintenance lawns.

Actually, I'm from farther south where the growing season truly is year-round and the lawns are more lush.

This first guy I hired was hired because he's one of the few in the phone book and I figured he must be reliable if he's going to be in business to support a family.

I asked him whether the once a month was reasonable and he said yes, except maybe if there's a lot of rain. I'd be willing to have a more flexible schedule based on weather, but I can't get the guy to talk very much in a language I can understand-- business language. In any case, we're going back later this month and will get it straightened out.

[gypsyman]

Conan, I can realate to your situation, and I live in northern Ohio. It's not just in the south, it's everywhere. Some people think that just by being around you, it's a privledge for you. When you do business with them, you should be glad to give them your money, just for them to be there.
You did the right thing. Tell them thanks, but no thanks, and move on. gypsyman

[Conan The Librarian]

Thanks for the dialog fellows! I really appreciate it. It's an emotional subject. I'm going to die in this place and this is a big move, so when things go wrong, it hurts a bit. It's a bit awkward living in one house and transitioning to another one in another place. The process will take years, not days or weeks like most moves.

I must say that services have been a minefield. Some have been superb, but most others have not. Some have been "par for the course", i.e., contractors that don't do what they say they will do but eventually get it right with a little nagging. Generally my feeling is one of disappointment, though. It's been a struggle to get the right things done.

I'm a customer service oriented guy. I would not last in my job if I were not. It's so hard to understand this other work ethic.

Maybe my source of frustration is that when, at my main home, something simple comes up I just do it, then hire professionals for the hard stuff and oversee the work. At the remote house I can't do that for stuff like lawn care.

[blind ear]

conan, You are in a land that makes a living from tourists and/or real estate. Everything is high dollar. Those that don't roll in that world get squeezed out quick.

If you have a Yankee accent the true natives won't trust you, If you have a Southern Drawl the imported crowd of Florida residents won't trust you.

Tourism and real estate don't create a base of trust in doing business in your situation where so much of the population is transient.

It will take time to find good people.

eddiegjr

[Drilling Man]

Florida is NOT a southern state.  They do NOT serve sweet tea therefore they are NOT a southern state.  No it isn't that way everywhere in Alabama.  I have met a many of businesses who are good country people who call you name and treat you like family.  I am sorry you are having problems with certain businesses.  Just like with anything else you can't judge the goodness of the group by the actions of the few.  I applaud you asking before forming the opinion that all of us Southern folk are rude and incompetent.

Heather

  Not long ago, i was visiting near Pensacola for 2 weeks, and every restraint i went into offered "sweet tea", as my friend their drinks it.  I found all of the folks i met there, very friendly and nice to me, many having lived in Fl. all of their lives.

  DM

[Conan The Librarian]

By cracky, EddieGjr, you may have summed it up best. It may be the root of my perplexity. Where I come from, if somebody offers us money for a job we advertise to do and it's legal and moral, then we just do the job, take the money, smile, and say "Thank you, is there anything else I can help you with?".  Accent, color, etc don't matter at all.