Breakups are almost always awkward. There’s finger pointing. Tensions rise. In the worst cases, people throw things.
But if you’re unhappy with your commercial landscaping maintenance, you might need to fire them.
Jump to Section
- Signs You Should Fire Your Landscaper
- You’re Not Happy - Now What?
- What to Expect When Hiring a Landscaper?
- What Should Be Included in a Landscaping Contract?
- What Happens If You Fire Your Landscaping Company Mid-Season?
- What Does a Commercial Landscaper Do?
- Trust Your Commercial Landscape Maintenance to Outback
After all, you’re paying good money for the services. You need your commercial property to look great — your business depends on it.
What are some signs indicating you should fire your landscaper? They’re not delivering the services they promised. Your property’s landscaping is deteriorating. They don’t answer your calls or texts. You’re extremely frustrated, and it’s causing you stress.
Continue reading to learn more about hiring and firing a commercial landscaper.
Signs You Should Fire Your Commercial Landscaper
The biggest sign? You’re just not happy. You feel like you’re not getting what you’re paying for, and what you were promised. Your property’s landscaping is suffering. That means your business might be suffering.
Let’s break it down: should you fire your landscaper? Are you struggling with some of these situations?
Your commercial landscaping maintenance company isn't providing the services listed in your contract. Maybe they skip fertilizer visits. Or they never showed up to prune your 30 shrubs. Or they promised 10 beds of flowers but only installed five.
The work is sloppy. Maybe the mowing quality is bad. Or shrubs are pruned haphazardly. Or crews leave messy debris behind.
You’re not seeing the results they promised, even after a reasonable amount of time.
Their communication is terrible. They skip appointments and don’t notify you. Are they difficult to reach? Maybe the commercial landscaping maintenance company doesn’t return phone calls, or let you know about issues happening on your property.
They’re not up front about the costs they’re charging or the exact services they’re providing. Things seem sketchy.
Crews are rude or unprofessional. They damage your property and fail to offer a solution to repair the problem. Perhaps your turf is damaged due to excessive fertilizer. Or incorrect pruning left your shrubs struggling. They don’t follow proper safety protocol, and you worry about injuries on your property.
You’re Not Happy - Now What?
Communicate your concerns to your Idaho Falls commercial landscaping maintenance provider. Have an honest conversation about why you’re unhappy and give the company a chance to explain and make things right.
Are they apologetic? Do they have legitimate reasons for the bad service? Are they anxious to address your concerns?
Maybe there’s a reasonable explanation for the problems that irritate you.
Get to the root of the problem and give your commercial landscaping maintenance company a chance to make things right.
Can you explore options to resolve the issues making you unhappy? If not, maybe it’s time to move on and hire a landscaper you can count on.
What to Expect When Hiring a Landscaper?
First, they should ask why you were unhappy with your previous company. They should want to know about your past concerns and problems so they can do better.
What else should you look for when hiring a commercial landscaper?
Good Communication
When you call with questions, you should get a prompt reply.
Ask how they plan to keep in touch with you, and ensure there’s a designated point person you can contact if you have questions or concerns. Will you have a dedicated account manager as your primary point of contact?
Top-Notch Training
Do they know what they’re doing out there? You want an Idaho Falls commercial landscaping maintenance company that commits time and resources to training their employees.
A Crystal Clear Contract
The longer your commercial landscaping maintenance contract, the better. You want it packed with details. More on this in a bit.
Year-Round Full Service
Your landscaping has needs year-round. You want one commercial landscaping and landscape maintenance company in Idaho Falls that can meet all of your property’s needs — spring, summer, fall, and winter.
When one full-service commercial landscaping maintenance company takes care of your landscaping, it means you have just one vendor to call when you need something. That’s less stress for you.
They Should Want to Walk Your Property with You
An initial walk-through is an important first step when hiring a landscaper. It’s how they determine the current condition of your property, how they can improve it, and what your expectations are for their services.
They’ll evaluate your lawn health, take a look at any hardscape, and inspect the condition of trees and shrubs.
They’ll pinpoint areas that need attention and gather the information they need to develop a custom plan for your commercial property.
They’ll take notes, photos, and measurements. They should ask you about your insight, priorities, goals, and budget constraints.
This up-close evaluation also helps them give you an accurate bid for their services. A lot of good stuff happens out there.
What Should Be Included in a Landscaping Contract?
As we said earlier, the longer the contact, the better. Commercial landscaping contracts protect both you and the vendor, spelling out a slew of details so there are no surprises and everybody knows what to expect.
Make sure yours contains these important elements:
Scope Of Services
This describes in detail what services the contractor will perform, where and when. The more detail, the better. You want to know exactly what to expect.
How many mowings and trimmings are included? When will they visit for irrigation system inspections? This should give you a clear sense of how extensively they’ll take care of your property.
Payment Terms
What are the rates for services? When are payments due? Are there late fees? Is there an extra fee if you pay with a credit card? No surprises, please.
Insurance Coverage
Your commercial landscaping contract should specify that the company carries general liability, auto liability, property, and workers' compensation insurance, and will provide a certificate of insurance if you request one.
If they don’t have the proper coverage and one of their employees is injured on your property, you’ll be responsible.
Can You Make Changes To The Commercial Landscaping Contract Later?
Is there a provision for this? It’s nice to have. Things change. Projects evolve. Maybe you’ll realize you want to add another service after all. Can you add it to your contract?
A Policy For Disputes
This goes to exactly what we’ve been talking about here.
No one enters a commercial landscaping contract expecting problems, but they can still arise.
What’s the plan if you’re unhappy and feel like the company isn’t providing what they promised? It should be outlined in your contract.
When and how can the contract be terminated?
What Happens If You Fire Your Landscaping Company Mid-Season?
If you’re unhappy and the company isn’t interested in making things right, you may want to consider ending things. No matter what time of year it is or how much more time is left on your contract.
But you might worry about switching companies in the middle of summer. Will your landscaping suffer?
If you switch to a reputable, dependable, and quality commercial landscaping and landscape maintenance company in Idaho Falls, they can pick up where your old company left off.
Get confirmation in writing that you’ve canceled your services with your Idaho Falls commercial landscaping company to avoid any misunderstandings or continued charges.
What Does a Commercial Landscaper Do?
It depends. Some companies only offer lawn care. Others focus on landscape design and installation.
Hiring a commercial landscaper? Look for a company that can meet all your needs.
Outback Landscape is a full-service landscaping company offering maintenance, design, and landscape installation throughout Southeast Idaho and Wyoming.
That means we have commercial properties covered, including weekly lawn maintenance, pond maintenance, seasonal cleanups, and irrigation services.
We don’t just maintain beautiful, functional landscapes — we design and install them, too, from seasonal flowers to patios to water features and all the other landscape enhancements that make commercial properties stand out above the rest.
Once snowflakes start to fall, we’ll be there to de-ice your walks, keep your commercial property clear of snow and offer the safety and security you expect from commercial snow removal services.
And when the holidays approach, we’re happy to stop over with thousands of sparkling lights.
When one company handles all your commercial landscaping maintenance needs, from turf care to fall clean-up to snow and ice removal to landscape design and installation, it’s easier on you.
There’s one place to call when you have questions or concerns about your property, no matter the need or time of year.
Once a commercial landscape service works with you for a while on all your property’s needs, they’ll get to know your expectations, for everything from turf care to snow removal.
Crews familiar with your property will notice changes over time that could signal a problem and can act quickly to address it.
Trust Your Commercial Landscape Maintenance to Outback
Breakups can be messy. But a new relationship is always exciting—partner with an Idaho Falls commercial landscaping and landscape maintenance company that won’t let you down.
You deserve a landscaping partner you can trust to skillfully and dependably deliver the services you paid for, and be available to communicate with you when you need them.
At Outback Landscape, we’re confident about our services. Ask us anything. We’ll be happy to provide references and show you stunning photos of our work. Reach us by phone at (208) 656-3220 or contact us to schedule an on-site consultation. We’d love to hear from you.
