[cutntrim]

I replaced 16 out of 40 cedars at my expense for a regular maintenance customer this summer. It had been a year since they were planted. Although the warrantee I gave had technically expired, I honored it anyway. They're a good customer, and I felt the goodwill by doing so outweighed the negatives if I refused.

I think you go ahead and replace them. You probably factored-in having to replace a % of them in your original install pricing anyhow, right? Sounds like the bad pub from not doing it would be worse than the cost to do it.

[Hamons]

I offer a one year garunatee -- upped to five years if I do the maintenance. My warranty work has run about 2 or 3% of my plant slaes each year.

Customers expect it -- and for many it is an acid test of whether they will accept your offer.

Most nurseries do not offer the warranty on their plants if bought at Green Industry price -- which is basically the retail price with the replacement cost taken out.

My favorite nursery however will warranty all their plants (minus a few finicky ones) for 1 year. Guess which pllace I shop at the most>?

[cutntrim]

The nursery I have an account with offers no guarantees, but gives wholesale pricing to contractors on account.

[Hamons]

I always cringe alittle when a nursery says they sell to me at wholesale prices. To me the nursery buys at wholesale (unless they are also the grower) -- so I obviously pay more thna wholesale.

[VoodooChile]

I have gone through similar woes this year replacing trees clients killed from under-or over-watering.

One thought I have is this: a plant guarantee is what you make of it...

If a plant guarantee is gonna be a PITA thats costs you money and business, it will.

If a plant guarantee is gonna be an OPPORTUNITY to honor your word, get back on the property and sell more profitable work, it will.

This year, Spiderlilly and I were in over our heads on many fronts, and honoring guaranteed plants was a PITA.

In previous years, it was an OPPORTUNITY to generate more work, back when we needed it.

Next year, well, we'll see.

[smittybros]

at my nursery guarantees can get confusing. if your A wholesale customer there is no guarantee, if its in a landscape we did its 1 yr 100%,if its retail and u paid full price its 50-50 they pay half.........unless they got a discount or sale price. in that case no guarantee. then again if you pay retail and we plant its 100%,but if you get a discount and we plant its 50-50. CONFUSING.....YES BUT THE NUMBERS WORK IN OUR FAVOR .

[HardDaysKnight]

Pelican wrote:

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.

There should Never be a guarantee
without an irrigation system. Also the coloring on "Blue Spruce"
in our area is always a problem. Look up 'hoopsi' blue spruce
and sell only that if you can.
We plant 10 or so more perennials than specified and always
make the customer aware of that. We always add a grass or
2. As far as tree and shrub stock, we sell it at slightly above
wholesale and make our money on labor but only if there is a
hardgoods project along with it. If any tree or shrub dies the
customer pays for the replacement and we deliver and install at no charge.

[NCSULandscaper]

Originally posted by HardDaysKnight
There should Never be a guarantee
without an irrigation system.

That wont cut it here, no guarantee, no job period.

[HardDaysKnight]

Originally posted by NCSULandscaper
That wont cut it here, no guarantee, no job period.

But how can you be responsible for peoples watering habits?
What if they go out of town for a few days or a week?

[NCSULandscaper]

written in the contract warranty is void if damage is caused by non watering, too much watering, damage by animals, acts of God

[HardDaysKnight]

That said NCS , we have to hold our customers responsible.
We can easily send soil samples nowadays to test for what
conditions were present. You and others here have covered
youselves in your guarantee clauses. Sometimes we just
replace these materials if it's not a big cost and it's a valued
client. In some cases we all have to stick to our policies.
Great discussion btw!

[VoodooChile]

I can't imagine getting in a argument with a client over why a plant died anymore. Our screening is very good, and it would never be worth arguing nickels and dimes with the folks we work for.

That said, I would still explain why I thought the plant died, especially if the client was clearly at fault and the replacement was expensive.

Our problem is finding time to sling half a flat here, one shrub there, while more profitable work sits. Benign neglect of a client, is still neglect...

[FungusMudGrub]

I offer a 45 day warrantee on plants, for the same reasons as holdenoversoul. I also provide written plant care instruction to the client. However, the list of exceptions is almost as long as the warrantee itself, so sometime I wonder if it's worth the trouble.
It has never been a significant cost, as I am somewhat fanatical about soil preparation.

[RHPL]

An idea that was suggested to me in a seminar (and that I've started using this year with some success) was to have a price for the plant installation (plant material and labour) and then a price for an optional 1 or 2 year warrenty the cost of which was between 5% and 15% of the installation cost. For a property with a sprinkler system maybe closer to the 5% but for a property without a srinkler system and with customers that you have less faith in you go 15% or more if the plants installed are more finicky.

I've put out 4 quotes like this so far and have had some people take the waarenty and others not. One lady who is having a sprinkler system installed at the same time turned down the warrenty even at 5% because she said the sprinkles will take care of everything... I thought for sure she would pay 5% for the warrenty. Oh well, I just try to inform the customers as well as possible.

[Greensmith]

That is interesting to offload that overhead expense to the customer. Do they expect less of a markup on the plants when you do that?