Logical Landscapes

In response to complaint reference number [redacted] : I cannot be held responsible for items left lying in my customer's yardsThe water hose was pulled downward when my mower tire went over it, causing the hose big to be pulled downThis customer does not have a hose reel and leaves the hose lying in the yardWhile I endeavor to not run over things left in the yard, when it happens I cannot take responsibility for itAlso, as I explained to the homeowner, my mower isn't tall enough to hit the hose bib — so this alleged noise heard by her husband was not caused by any collision of mineI texted the customer as soon as I saw the leak — but she had changed her contact number and had not informed meWhen an accident is my fault I always take responsibility for itWhen it is not, I do notAlso - my prices are comparable to any in the area and cheaper than mostI hire employees, pay taxes, maintain business registration, licensing and insuranceYes, you might find a cheaper maintenance person if you look hard enough — but find out if they do any of those thingsAnd, while I do attempt to maintain a hard-set schedule, weather and mechanical issues do sometimes upset my availabilityI always attempt to communicate these delays to my customersIn this case, the customer changed their contact number without informing me of the change and missed my updates

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:To address the various points:1) The hose was not in the yard, it was in my driveway at the time.  2) I have no evidence that the mower could not have hit the spigot.  It is completely Mr. [redacted] supposition, which is self-interested and suspect.  My husband absolutely heard the wrenching sound as Mr. [redacted] drove past, and my only regret is that my husband did not run downstairs immediately to investigate, instead relying on Mr. [redacted] integrity to notify us if there was a problem.  My husband was in the office, which is above where the water spigot is located, and he heard not only the damage as it occurred, but Mr. [redacted] mower below him at that time.3)In the nine years we have lived in this home, no landscaper or gardener has had issue or question about the hose attached to the spigot, nor any issues avoiding it.  For Mr. [redacted] to suggest that simply "having it" is the issue indicates that he feels he has NO responsibility for any plants, furniture, play equipment, or any of the myriad of other things that might be a fixture of any yard, and takes zero responsibility for avoiding said stationary permanent obstacles.  One reason that one hires a professional landscaper is that, in theory, they have enough judgement and experience to avoid damaging permanent fixtures or plants on the client's property.4)I received no text message from Mr. [redacted] that day.  My cell phone number, which he has (since we've corresponded using that number in the past), has been the same number for well over 20 years now (it still has my Orange County, California "714" prefix from before we moved to Austin).  The fact that he blatantly has lied in this correspondence regarding my supposed, non-existent, change of contact information undermines his credibility in any all aspects of this correspondence.  Mr. [redacted] is a liar, plain and simple.  He has provided no evidence in his favor, simply his assertion that he doesn't "think" it was possible for him to have hit the spigot, despite all evidence on our end to the contrary (including the plumber doing the repairs saying that it looked like the spigot had been "hit pretty hard")   He damaged our property and fled the scene.  He did not send me any text message that day, even in response to the one that I sent him.  Not only that, but claiming (as he has) that he "was too busy" to ring our doorbell after the damaged occurred--knowing full well that we were both home at the time, indicates that he was simply too cowardly to face the consequences of his actions at the time.  NO RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS OWNER SHOULD EVER BE EVEN PARTIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR DAMAGE TO A CLIENT'S HOME AND FLEE THE SCENE.  Frankly, the idea that rushing off to mow another lawn somewhere rather than at least notifying us so that we could turn our water off (and we're under drought restrictions here currently) is preposterous.   He's so quick to absolve himself of responsibility without investigation, after behaving in a childish manner when the incident occurred and following up with blatant and provable lies.  The irony is that if he had come to us at the time instead of running away, we would have at least been more positively disposed towards him.  As it is, the bad word of mouth I've been circulating about him has cost him much more in future business than if he'd simply done right by us and paid off or worked off the costs of the damages.  I have threatened small claims court and would gladly see him there, but apparently the state of Texas has no ability to enforce judgements and so I feel fairly certain that a dishonorable person like Mr. [redacted] would refuse to pay for our damages, even after a judgement in our favor.  If he continues to refuse to reimburse us, I will spread the word to all my fairly extensive social media outlets in the area.
Regards,
[redacted]

In response to complaint reference number [redacted]: I cannot be held responsible for items left lying in my customer's...

yards. The water hose was pulled downward when my mower tire went over it, causing the hose big to be pulled down. This customer does not have a hose reel and leaves the hose lying in the yard. While I endeavor to not run over things left in the yard, when it happens I cannot take responsibility for it. Also, as I explained to the homeowner, my mower isn't tall enough to hit the hose bib — so this alleged noise heard by her husband was not caused by any collision of mine. I texted the customer as soon as I saw the leak — but she had changed her contact number and had not informed me. When an accident is my fault I always take responsibility for it. When it is not, I do not. Also - my prices are comparable to any in the area and cheaper than most. I hire employees, pay taxes, maintain business registration, licensing and insurance. Yes, you might find a cheaper maintenance person if you look hard enough — but find out if they do any of those things. And, while I do attempt to maintain a hard-set schedule, weather and mechanical issues do sometimes upset my availability. I always attempt to communicate these delays to my customers. In this case, the customer changed their contact number without informing me of the change and missed my updates.

In response to complaint reference number [redacted]: I cannot be held responsible for items left lying in my customer's yards. The water hose was pulled downward when my mower tire went over it, causing the hose big to be pulled down. This customer does not have a hose reel and leaves the hose lying...

in the yard. While I endeavor to not run over things left in the yard, when it happens I cannot take responsibility for it. Also, as I explained to the homeowner, my mower isn't tall enough to hit the hose bib — so this alleged noise heard by her husband was not caused by any collision of mine. I texted the customer as soon as I saw the leak — but she had changed her contact number and had not informed me. When an accident is my fault I always take responsibility for it. When it is not, I do not. Also - my prices are comparable to any in the area and cheaper than most. I hire employees, pay taxes, maintain business registration, licensing and insurance. Yes, you might find a cheaper maintenance person if you look hard enough — but find out if they do any of those things. And, while I do attempt to maintain a hard-set schedule, weather and mechanical issues do sometimes upset my availability. I always attempt to communicate these delays to my customers. In this case, the customer changed their contact number without informing me of the change and missed my updates.