What would you think if your gardener sent this message to all their clients?

[DoggyDooDooDoo]

"Hi all, just to let you know a new service I'm offering -

Poo picking - Happy to clean up after your dog before I start work
£15 first 1-15min
£1per min after that

Thanks!"

This follows an incident on Monday where they got dog poo sprayed all over them whilst strimming a garden that hadn't been poo-picked (as previously requested) before they started work. They had to leave work to go home and shower as it was splattered over their face.

YABU - dog poo is an occupational hazard of gardening and that's an outrageous price to charge for clearing it up

YANBU - fair enough, dog poo is rank and that's a reasonable price to charge for dealing with it before starting work

Disgusting that he should even have to address this issue.

If it's just one offender, I'd bin them as a client. Multiple offenders - harder, as he could put himself out of a job. But definitely let people know there will be a surcharge for any poo-picking required.

He should just tell them if it happens again he will not work for them any more.

Horrible. My neighbours all have pets that use my garden as a toilet, making it difficult for my children to play.
I wish I could move.

I expect he needs the work.

I think they are making it clear poo pickings not part of their job and they will be charging for it if they have to do it. I don't think they expect anyone to spend £15 on it. I think they expect that, if its going to cost someone £15 extra, that suddenly they won't forget anymore.

I don’t think it’s enough. I would say if there is poo in the garden the charge for that day doubles.

It's disgusting that it's even an issue. My dog tends to poo on walks (and yes, I pick up) but occasionally will go in the garden. We always pick up and would never leave it for the gardener to deal with.

I’d think it was bloody brilliant and pay him/her to do it. I fact I’d ask if my house was near any other houses they did and would they like to do just poo picking a couple of times a week as an extra thing.

That poor gardener. Have people always been such inconsiderate arseholes or is this a new thing?

The gardener of an elderly neighbour has started wearing a face visor when he cuts the grass because he kept finding dog poo.

She doesn't have a dog.

Quite a few visitors to the village stomp across the front of her house (even though it's clearly someone's garden) and it seems that some are letting their dogs use it as a toilet too.

She physically can't clear it up (not that she should have to) so we do it for her if we spot one when we're wandering past with our own dogs. But the gardener still has to play poo roulette. Why would anyone think it's OK to let your dog crap in someone's garden then keep on walking?

Good on him! I pay somebody to poo pick my fields and pay a hell of a lot more than that (horses not dog poo which we pick up ourselves every time the dogs poo!)
Disgusting that anyone would leave somebody to work in a dog shit infested area.

Haven’t rtft BUT absolutely the gardener is NOT responsible for poo picking. BUT, if you are strimming in a garden/anywhere please always wear glasses /protective goggles - getting dog poo in your eyes can cause an infection that could blind you. Yes, the owner should clear up but it’s inevitable the odd poo may be missed.

Unless our dog is poorly she never poos in the garden.
3 walks a day is what's needed.

Fair enough I think. Presumably he's only charging actual dog owners? I wouldn't appreciate being charged for any of the fox poo that's often in my garden or cat poo from neighbours pets (we have no pets, unless you count the blasted foxes that live rent free and poo everywhere).

I walk past a house and regularly hear a large dog barking in the garden. Recently I walked past and they were having a new fence done so I could see in their garden. They had a lovely large patio but it was covered in dog poo. I felt really sorry for the workmen trying to put up a fence whilst trying not to step in it.

Surely if you have workmen coming in you would make sure it was picked up. I also felt sorry for the dog as it made me wonder how often it was walked.

Gardener should consider charging £60 if poo not been cleared up before scheduled visit. Otherwise it sounds more like an (expensive!) extra service being offered.

This. Only send this if the gardener is genuinely okay with picking it up for that price / willing to offer this as a service.

Agree. 15 quid is too little to charge.

Poor gardener! I am a dog owner and think it's a fair amount to charge. Having to pick up someone else's dogs poo is not a fun job and it's hazardous waste.
If the clients don't like the cost they can pick up their own dogs poo. I can't believe they didn't before the poor gardener begun work!

Yanbu but he should charge more than £1 per minute. Too cheap and easy for the selfish customers to choose to pay the fee, it needs to be punitive and make customers choose to do it themselves. Minimum charge £30 if any unpicked poo. Further £3 per minute if it takes more than 10 minutes to deal with unpicked poo.

If a service is affordable people will choose to use it and he doesn't want to be a professional poo picker does he?

I felt sick just reading that, this is one of the reasons I will never have a dog, the poo! People who do not clean up after their dogs, be it in their garden or on the street are just gross. Poor guy, getting splattered in it is hideous. One of my friends has neighbours who let the poo pile up in their backyard, she can't use her backyard due to the stench. She has had words with them, they clean it up and then leave it again for ages. If you have a dog you really should take responsibility for the literally crap bits as well as the pleasure and fun

I think it's absolutely fair enough, and will likely prompt people to just clear it themselves (as they should anyway). My only consideration is that clients should be informed of when to expect the gardener. Not exactly the same, but my window cleaner just turns up at random, I never know when he's coming so even though I regularly clear the garden, he could still arrive when I've not had a chance to go clear the garden that day yet.

I think he should change more!

That is absolutely fair.

I think good for the gardener. Your friend has set his boundaries and given people the choice. If the client doesn't want to pay then they poo pick themselves. He is saying to his clients that he doesn't want to do this, but if they insist then he is compensated. Businesses do this all the time, if its something they really don't want to do they will price themselves out. I have this policy with after hours, if a client demands that they must come at x time (when I'm usually home) then I am compensated by a heavy after hours charge.

Oh, and he should charge more!