To have called out my gardener

[Whenindoubthugitout]

I have had a gardener this year. I have been really pleased and happy with the work he has done.

I asked him to reseed my lawn. Which he agreed to do.
The price he quoted was for 2.5 days work.

he reseeded it within a day, and I asked if the price would be reduced to reflect that it hasn’t taken him as long.

he said that - whilst it was reduced slightly - he would come out and water it daily for me whilst we were away, and that this was reflected in the pricing - which was fine.

we have been away all week, and he sent me a text this morning telling me I was due him the full amount.

however - I have a ring doorbell - and he hasn’t been out all week. (Tbf - it’s rained every day)

I called him out, and said I was unhappy to be paying for a job he hasn’t carried out.

he has now backtracked and said - oh yeah - but I plan to do three more trips (cynically I don’t believe him) and that he just didn’t want to bother me on holiday.

Aibu -to think he is trying it on -and the extra 3 trips are now because I called him out. And if he had initially intended to do these - he would have said so upfront……

I feel really sad. And let down
and slightly stupid for trusting someone to do something whilst I wasn’t there.

Some PP are asking why she accepted such a high price and should have done the job herself, grass seed is £8 a box, etc etc. Reseeding a lawn takes much more than scattering a bit of grass seed. As the gardener mentioned, he scarified it first to get rid of all the moss, he probably then aerated it and then added sand and top soil
That preparation itself takes time, labour, tools, and more importantly knowledge on how to do it properly. Then the seed needs to be sown and walked over properly so that the seed comes into contact with the soil. That's the first days work.
Then there is the constant watering, which luckily he has not had to do because of the rain, but I am going to guess he planned to check on it anyway. There will also be patches that won't have grown as well, so they would have needed a touch up.
That's why good gardeners, who have learned their trade through studying and/or years in the job, charge at least £30 an hour.
He definitely could have told the OP that he hadn't been round because of the rain. But I think he earned his payment.

This is why my tradie DP quotes per job. People may ask what his “day rate” or “hourly rate” is and he won’t give one, as he just doesn’t work like that.

He’ll work out what materials will be needed, a rough timescale (mostly for his own calculations, rather than to give an exact timeframe for the customer) and calculate a price for the job.

That’s the price, end of story. He may get it done quicker than he estimated, in which case he gets some extra benefit, or other times a job could run over or have unexpected problems. In those instances, he loses out. He has to calculate on that basis.

That way you’ve not got this issue where a customer thinks they are paying for one thing and the workman thinks they’re paying for another.

OP has said the cost of seed & other equipment was on top…
If you are going to stop using him, I would certainly tell him that you think he took you for a fool.

You posted, I presume, for everyone to say you are correct? Some people agree some don’t. You seem to bd arguing with anyone who disagrees.
Sack the gardener but don’t be surprised if he walks by and releases dandelion seeds in the wind.

Id pay 40% of his quote reflective that price was for 2.5 days, and it took hin 40% of that.

Then I wouldnt use him again. Because hes lying and being a chancer

He sounds like a real jack the lad.and piss takers.

Water the garden yourself.

Pay him for his days work, but not in cash.

Then get rid of him and a.decent garden

It doesn’t take 2.5 days to reseed a lawn!!!

whatever. hes taken the piss once so he doesn't respect you and doesn't play fair. let it go and he'll do it again. say thank you you dont want him to come again. enough money paid and you an water it after work if it needs it. watch bell cam to see he doesn't do anything to spoil it

If you're checking the doorbell camera to see if he's come or not, it sounds like you don't want him as a gardener. Most people only have an issue if the end result is not as expected. As a contractor, sometimes you get lucky and the job you've quoted for is easier and it feels like you've earn't easy money and sometimes the job doesn't go to plan, you honour the quote and you're working for free. Works both ways.

Pay him after he completes the work. That’s how it usually goes. Give him the $250 now and the rest upon completion.

She has 🙄

Get rid! He’s a shyster !!

Your not being unreasonable. Just pay him for what he has actually done up to now! None of this he is planning on doing this that and the other. I would be extremely pissed off that he tried to cheat me out of money for work he actually didn't do why you were on holiday and wouldn't have known he hadn't bothered had it not been for the door bell camera. I would have trouble trusting someone like this again and wouldn't want to employ someone who isn't honest. Pay him for what he has done and get shut of him. I can't stand dishonesty!

Ask him for an invoice with a breakdown of costs & let him list what you're actually expected to be paying for. If he charges per day & finished before the time he'd estimated then the price should be reduced. Again if he was going to charge for hours coming to water the seeds & hasn't then he should reduce the charge. If he is planning on returning to complete something then he'll show the charge. Once you've seen the breakdown of costs you can then decide if it's fair & pay him what he's asking.

I think that's a high price for re seeding a lawn, I'm surprised it took him all day tbh, I've done mine with some help from my 10 yr old and only took a few hours.
However! If you agreed £500 for reseeding the lawn, and the lawn looks great and is growing well, then you owe him. If it had been dry weather, or the initial seeding hadn't worked, then I suspect he'd have been in regularly ro water or redo.
It all depends how you arranged it - if it was £500 for the lawn to look great - you pay him if the lawn looks great. If it was literally "I will be with you for 2.5 full days and do any nd all appropriate work" theb you just agree you'll pay for 1 day, because presmably if it took longer, hed charge more than £500 (e.g. if the first seeding didnt take or it needed additional work). To me, it sounds more like the former - I think that's a rip off but it was what was agreed.....

Cant think why people are telling you to pay the full price.
No matter how good a gardener he is,he is making a fool of you. I would pay him what you think the job is worth and get another gardener.

So the seed would have cost £50. Fertiliser and some topsoil to cover the seed another £50. Probably some waste away. 100sq.m. of seeding a lawn at £5 psm. About right in my experience. Plus, he hasn't been able to work if it's been raining while you were away at least not easily. Think about it like this. Having him there for if the weather went dry while you were away means it was an insurance that the grass would grow. You might otherwise come back to dead grass and have to do it all over again.

When will people get it??? When it comes to tradesmen, the price is the price for the job, not the hours worked. If he managed to get it done faster than expected because he worked a bit harder that day ir for whatever reason then that's great for him. Doesn't effect you whatsoever other than that you get your garden done a day early. Good grief.

I'm curious.. if it had taken him a day longer, would you have paid him extra?

Yes, yes I would have if the job had taken longer.

all work he has done up to now has been paid by the hour.
at no point did he change this.

i asked - he said - roughly 2.5 days.

this is what the grass currently looks like.
so either I pay for the hours
or I pay for the job.

which one is it??

If you pay for the job it seems very overpriced.

The reseeding is rubbish, tell him fix it.
He has been paid royally.
Jeez.

Thats one absolutely awful job.
He needs to redo it.
Bloody hell you have been royally ripped off by him.

Is this necessary? Really? If the OP (who is a woman living alone) dares to no longer employ a tradesman she should expect threats, or basically vandalism to her property from the contractor?
Good god 🤮

ETA: He’s also done an absolutely shit job with the reseeding OP. You poor thing, what a piss taker.

I can't see the grass seed that hasn't come up yet? It should be covering all the bare patches.