Getting the pinch put on

[taborekle]

Hi all,

Ok, I'm a little steamed right now, so this is my vent.

We don't usually get a lot of snow in Southern Maryland. As you know we've been slammed. It's a really heavy snow, and my little tractor would have taken forever to move it. So we really appreciated it when our neighboor (Mr X) came though with his big 640 John Deere and a hydraulic 8 ft blade and cleared Doe Lane for us. Gee that's swell. In the past I've usually slipped him a $20 for diesel money, and in talking to the other 4 neighbors found that they did not. Hummmm.

So it was great having him come up yesterday and clear our lane. And this morning he was back. I was already on my Kubota when he came through. Wow that sure save's me a lot of time.

So he drives up to my place, hops out and says, "So you're taking up the collection for me?" I said, "Well, we were just going to get a card for you." (I had already talked to one of the neighbors about getting him a card and taking up a voluntary collection) and he comes back, "$50 a person, or I can always put the snow back. This is a $60K piece of equipment here and I need to pay for it, and people are calling me to clear their drive ways for $75, so I'm only charging you all $50."



So I went in, got his $50 and talked it over with my wife. He's a neighbor and good friend, but really, to render the service and then ask for payment, and to ask me to collect it I think is a little much.

So I gave him his payment and then said, "Here you go, but I'm going to tell you, I don't like collecting from the other neighbors for you. I'll do it, but next year, you don't come back here until you get a call from us." And he said OK and then left.

What would you do?

 

[Thomas]

"and he comes back, "$50 a person, or I can always put the snow back."..hostage??

I think that was little over bearing from Mr.X.

 

[luscsmith]

I would have given him $200.00 and said thanks you did a great job, I'll call you when I need some more help.

Scott

 

[TripleR]

I guess it is different out there, around here people including me don't charge for helping neighbors out whether it is pushing snow or clearing storm damage.

I could understand it if he came and told what he was going to charge and asked you if you wanted him to do it. I don't have any problem with someone being in business, but this is simply not right.

I would have told him to collect his own money and not to come back. You describe him as a "friend", but I sure wouldn't have a friend like that; acquaintance maybe. If he truly is a friend, maybe you should be talking to him with your concerns as this is clearly going to affect your relationship.

 

[Mike Costello]

The guy wants you to face all the neighbors and take the heat--what an A-
Hole. I'd tell him since he's extorting everyone, to collect it himself!
Last Spring I cleared the road of a fallen tree (big wind storm in Mo) so all the people on my road could get out. I wouldn't have even considered covering my tractor payment for what I did for all those folks. It was just the right thing to do, period. Mike.

 

[GPintheMitten]

He was wrong, very wrong. On the other hand, it has probably bothered him that you were the only one who ever gave him anything.

He probably saw dollar signs when he saw all the snow and his only chance to get paid real money. But he got carried away and did it all wrong. He should have either did it for gratis or whatever folks wanted to pay him or called ahead of time and negotiated a fair price.

What you said and did was fine. He had already step over the line.

 

[MikeD74T]

I'd even consider hiring someone else to plow & wave to him on the way by! After all, you don't him to wear out his $60K machine. On the other hand maybe it was his (tasteless) way of soliciting a contract for future work. Keeping that $60k toy may be a little hard on his wallet in these economic times. Either way he'd be collecting from the others himself. MikeD74T

When this post maxes out send him a copy. Might change his attitude.

 

[ModMech]

IMO, what he did is unethical and mean spirited.

In many northern cities the alleyways are not plowed by the city, that job is left to the community to manage. You have to take up collections from all the neighbors on the block and pay the person plowing the alley. Generally this is a flat annual fee ranging from $50-$200 per household. When you are talking about 100 houses on 12 streets, that's a LOT of money! All of these arrangements are made BEFORE services are rendered.

I have plowed, blown snow and shoveled to HELP others, even cut grass and pulled people from a ditch and never ASKED for payment especially from a neighbor.

What he did was wrong, just wrong.

 

[flyingcow]

You handled very it well. Your neighbors did not. In the spring or when things cool off, go talk to him, donut/coffee or beer in hand. With as much bad weather you guys are having, everyones a little touchy. He was kind of a azz to you, but he's gettin' tired of your neighbors. And gettin' tired of the ignorant amount of snow you're getting. A long stretch of bad weather is brings out the edginess in everyone. Good Luck, if you want to get away from the snow, come up on this end of New England, was sunny yesterday.

 

[wedge40]

What he did was pretty cheesy. But it's a sign of the times. Two parties were at fault here. The guy doing the plowing and your neighbors. Good neighbors would have always paid for having their drive cleared or at least offered. You shouldn't have to wait for someone to ask for payment, but show appreciation along the way. I can remember my father giving $10 back in the 70's and all the guy wanted was something to warm him up. Usually a shot and a beer. We also sent a thank you card in the spring. Not sure if money was in there or not. I can remember my dad and the neighbor arguing over the payment. The neighbor didn't want to take anything for being neighborly. Hence the thank-you card in the spring I think. But then again we had real neighbors where I grew up. I'm not saying it doesn't exist today, but it sure seems to be far and few between.

If it were me I'd have the guy on my Christmas card list with a gift certificate each year. Addressed to the driveway man or something smart like that.

Wedge

 

[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.