What do others do when clients skip multiple weeks in a row? I have a situation where for years I was providing weekly services, and this year I’ve skip a certain property more times than I’ve serviced. How should I handle a discussion with the client? Should I be charging more the times I do show up?
For me it would depend on why you had to skip service. If we had to skip because of aggressive dogs, or the customer leaving the gate locked even though we provide ample "On The Way" notices before arrival, I would still charge them the full amount because you spent the time driving to their property and the onus was on them to give you safe access. If it's things out of your control like weather or a flat tire for example, I'm more willing to provide a credit or discounted service because it wasn't the client's fault you couldn't service their yard.
Yes, you should definitely be charging more—or setting a strict policy on skips.
When a lawn skips weeks, you’re dealing with double passes, heavy clippings, extra equipment strain, and extra time on site. You end up subsidizing their savings with your labor.
Here is how most guys handle this:
How to message them:
"Hey [Name], since we've skipped several services this season, the lawn requires double-passing and extra time to keep clean. To keep you on the route, we can either stick to a consistent weekly schedule at X, or transition you to a bi-weekly rate atY per cut to cover the additional labor. Let me know which works best for you!"
Bottom line: route density and predictable revenue are everything. Don't let a long-term client hold a spot on your route for free.
