Universal Yard Maintenance Inc

I was fired by my landscaper! How did this happen? At first, Louie and I were very happy with each other. I wanted weekly to biweekly mowing and weeding. I also indicated that I wasn't crazy about the leaf blower, having asthma and an indoor patio that I have to clean each time a landscaper uses a blower that blows crap underneath the doors. So we agreed that the leaf blower should be used just in the driveway. Fair enough. Over the past two months, I noticed that, yes, the lawn had been mowed and certain areas weren't "blown," which was fine, but then I realized that the entire property had lots of weeds. Second, though Louie told me that there would be a fuel surcharge, I was never completely happy with that charge and probably I should have canceled the entire arrangement. The way I figured it -- and I could be wrong -- was that I could make my case with him that since I had such a tiny property, wasn't asking for a "blow-out" (the hated leaf-blowing that seems to last for HOURS), and didn't mind a weed or two, I could bargain with him. I also wanted to bargain with him about the fuel surcharge: my position was that his men were at my property for approximately 20 minutes a week, mowing my .13 acre, edged, blowing the driveway, and going on their way. Plus, my address is all of maybe 2 miles away from his home base. So I was hoping to negotiate the fuel charge. On the phone tonight -- 7/11/11 --he also reminded me that he would not charge a surcharge once the diesel price went below 4.00 a gallon. (As we spoke, it was 4.19 a gallon. So be it.) My perspective was: I have a tiny property; your men spend 20-25 minutes there; they don't have to "blow" my entire property; you and I live in the same town. How much diesel can they use by the time they get to me?) In a phone call, I managed to voice some of these points. When I told Louie that the back of my property had lots of twigs that I assumed his men would clean up, he countered that he told them "not to bother" with the back (since I didn't want them to use the leaf-blower, I guess.) Next, when I brought up the weeding, he first said "They aren't weeding?" and later said "I have to look at your contract -- weeding is extra." When I told him that I have spoken to other people -- neighbors and friends -- whose landscapers include weeding, he said "Oh, I can't include weeding [at the price he quoted]." Then he told me to send a check for the last bill. I assured him that I would send every penny, including the fuel surcharge, which many landscapers do not charge. We hung up. I guess I was fired. I would have been happy if we could have worked out something -- if he came out and looked over the property and he and I talked about what I needed and what he would charge, I would have been happy to work with him. It's possible I asked too much. Customers do that. Good companies handle it and sometimes are flexible. Universal Yard Work isn't, apparently.