Getting the pinch put on

[E/S]

If your neighbors are that unresponsive, i would have told to put the snow back and make his own deals!

E/S

 

[johnamon]

I agree he should have discussed payment before, not after.

Stories like this remind me of how lucky I am. The two guys across the street have compact tractors kind of like mine and we all watch out for each other. If someone is late getting home from work one or the other may already be out cleaning driveways. Last year after a big snow the farmer next door brought over his 'real' tractor with a blade, taller than I can reach, to clear the heavy snow at the end of the driveway.

Try the beer and doughnut idea. If he is a nice guy having a bad day it would be too bad to loose him.

 

[Gizmo2]

MR. X had definitely spent too much time out in the cold and it was affecting his judgment.

 

[spruce Deere]

Thats not neighborly for Mr.x to pin you like that. To me, Mr.x is not a good friend/neighbor. Mabe he should buy toys more in his price range or find real work for it other than bilking the neighbors, You handled it good. What goes around, comes around. Always be neighborly, Do onto others as you would want them to do onto you...... Learned that one before preschool

 

[eazyduzzit]

I don't think anyone will think Mr. X handled it correctly. You don't do a neighborly service then demand payment.

 

[Scotty370]

I've been plowing drives in my residencial area for 35 years with my small JD's. From a 140 to the current 318. Immediate neighbors, I do for free. Of course, I get calls from others on the block, an charge a measly $10-20. if they asked for my service. I've had regular customers over the years, and the they've agreed to the 'Come when you think it needs it, theory.' No seasonal contracts, ever! I've never asked for, or taken money for a drive that I was doing 'Gratis', or from the folks that I just 'wheeled into' to help them out! Lots of times I've wheeled into someones drive that was struggling with a shovel, take a couple passes, and had them try to chase me down the street waiving money! Call it the "Christian' thing to do, or what ever, that's the way I am! Several time over the years I've plowed our street to the main artery. That was back in '77 & '85, two blizzards that crippled Buffalo. I once had a resident take up a collection for that effort, and blushing, accepted it! But to plow/blow out someone's drive, unannounced, and then set the price? Common' man.......~Scotty

 

[jenkinsph]

I agree he should have handled it differently but we are all armchairing this after the fact. I think he was a little miffed that he helped out these people and did not get even a thank you afterwards. In my area I try to help out neighbors and a thank you can go along ways. While he went too far so did the neighbors and note he cleared the snow first.

 

[taborekle]

We'll -I- don't charge my immediate neighbors either. Mr X doesn't live on our lane, so he's not a immediate neighbor. I do think that had all the residents of my lane gotten together, we would have hired him for this job at his rate, as the snow is to heavy for me to do, but I'm still chaffed how he did it.

I've now been to all the neighbors. They've all paid up but one, who needs to get to a Teller machine to get the cash. The typical response has been better then my own. Most of the neighbors just said "ok" and paid up.

 

[JB4310]

I don't see how he could expect to be paid if no one asked him to do it.
May be worth it for you and the neighbors to hire him, but to come after the fact with an attitude? And then ask you to do his collecting. You should just tell him you are deducting your share as a collectors fee after all you probably spent as much time collecting from everyone as he did plowing.

I do a few of my neighbors for free, been doing it for years, sometimes they offer me money or gift cards to local eateries
I'll take what they offer but don't expect it, as they don't ask me to do the work, I volunteer. 2 of them are single parents with kids, I'm glad I can help.
Mostly do it for brownie points, makes it easier for them to tolerate my hillbilly activities in a suburban neighborhood.


A couple of not so close neighbors asked me to do theirs and I charge them per storm. one of them is a doctor, he offered me $50. for a small driveway, takes about 10 minutes, couldn't refuse that.

JB

 

[dave1949]

Well, it certainly qualified as an awkward moment

I see three points:
1) The neighbors had not been neighborly enough to offer to pay in the past.
2) Mr X may be shy about knocking on the door of every house on the lane, thinking, don't these people know this costs money?
3) When he asked if you would collect, and you answered, 'we were thinking of getting you a card'. May have prompted the response about putting the snow back.

It could just be crossed wires, you thought he was doing it to be neighborly, in his own mind, he was being neighborly but began to think the privilege was getting abused.

I have helped neighbors with snow and never asked, wanted or took anything for it, it was always offered however - which I would consider polite. That he is your neighbor and has a big tractor, doesn't obligate him to clear your lane to be good neighbor IMO.

Decent neighbors are rare enough. If you like him well enough in other ways, don't make a big issue out of it. Just explain, like others have suggested, how it seemed to you and how it has to be in the future.

How do you and your neighbors go about shared lane maintenance the rest of the year?
Dave.