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I'm happy to see this thread!! I'm faced with a problem right now, which had inspired me to start the thread regarding Blue Spruce availability.
I have 2 jobs where Blues have died. We had an extremely dry hot summer this year and I am certain the trees died from a lack of water. One job had half the trees die, the other reports 3 of 14 have died.
The 14 tree job specifically asked about guarantee and I told them that I could guarantee the trees would be planted properly, the rest would be up to them. I also offered them a full guarantee at double my original estimate which they declined. In speaking with the client, I was able to get him to admit that he hadn't been as diligent with water as perhaps he should have. So I think this one won't be a problem except for finding replacements of the same quality.
The second is more touchy for me. 3 of 6 Spruce have died. This is a regular maintenance account that I've been servicing for about 6 years. It's in a condo project and I've gotten 4 other accounts there from people seeing our work at her place. I've also done casual work for a number of other residents there.
The client did not ask about a guarantee and the work was done during an extremely busy period where I really didn't get a chance to spend some time with her to explain an optional guarantee. I did explain how sensitive the trees would be to receiving water on a regular basis and she seemed to understand.
I returned to this location a few months later for some other work and noticed some of the Blues had changed to a pea soup green so I went over to investigate. The soil was powdery dry, I immediately summoned the client and again explained the water requirements for the trees. She seemed embarrassed and explained that her hose was too heavy to drag clear over there, so I set up her hose for her and we watered the hell out of them, but it was too late. 3 of the 6 ended up dying and no I'm faced with a problem.
The only places around here that offer a guarantee are the "Big Box" stores, but you can't find quality plants there. I haven't discussed replacement terms with the client yet, and here's what I'm faced with: This was not a large job to start with and I had priced it very reasonably since this client had done so much business with me. I expect that trend to continue, but her property is small and the jobs we get there are too. A full guarantee would put a pretty serious burden on me and would take some time to recoup through other work there, yet I don't want to risk losing this account. I had considered doing the replacement at 1/2 cost to split the burden with her, and it seems some here have had similar thoughts.
I'm interested in hearing comments and ideas about my dilemma. Thanks!
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