# OOPS, wrong account....



## NewEnglandSteelersFan (Nov 26, 2017)

Was creeping at the sister site, LawnSite, and came across a thread that was pretty funny and sucked me into reading the whole 20 pages of content. Goes like this, show up to an address and perform work, oops not yours, got address wrong. Or, show up to your account, oops work already been done by someone else, they got wrong address. Anyone have stories like these on the winter side of things?


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## framer1901 (Dec 18, 2005)

I was really tired one night, plowed 3/4 of the lot next to the lot I was supposed to be doing - was the second year of doing this customer so it wasn't "new". I was a small three man show back then and could probably plow every account we had with my eyes closed....

The lots weren't even close in layout, I have no idea how I got that far thru it before I noticed - small 20 car lots.

I finished it up real nice and went next door..


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## JMHConstruction (Aug 22, 2011)

Not snow related, but my deck crew started tearing down the wrong house. Foreman didn't notice it was DRIVE not STREET. They had the railings off and most of the decking ripped off before I showed up at the correct house wondering where the crew was! The homeowner just laughed when he finally got home, and we replaced all his decking and railings. Now I print pictures of the old decks to give with the plans...


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## iceyman (Mar 1, 2007)

JMHConstruction said:


> Not snow related, but my deck crew started tearing down the wrong house. Foreman didn't notice it was DRIVE not STREET. They had the railings off and most of the decking ripped off before I showed up at the correct house wondering where the crew was! The homeowner just laughed when he finally got home, and we replaced all his decking and railings. Now I print pictures of the old decks to give with the plans...


He probably like it in the end


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

When you're tired they all look the same. I got half way down a resi drive and realized I was at the wrong house fortunately, there was a place to pile snow straight ahead. I cleaned up and went next door to the right house.


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## jonniesmooth (Dec 5, 2008)

Yep, shovel guy went to wrong house, the street is a loop. He went in the first entrance, not the second. He'd been there before, house we do is a blue rambler, house he was at was a white 2 story cape cod. SMH.
This last time out he didn't notice the list was numbered with the route order I wanted him to do.
He called asking " what do I shovel at xxx."
I told him, xxx isn't on your list.
Oh, I didn't see the numbers.


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

I know one H&R block that got there sidewalk done free at least twice, The guys don't read. The instructions were walk in front from XXXX and vacant lot to the corner of H&R building and south walk to side door and lot. Twice they did the H&R block and skipped the one they were supposed to do. Both times I had to send someone else to do the right one.


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## BUFF (Dec 24, 2009)

Over the years I've had property's plowed by other contractors, seems to be more common in the beginning of the season.
In the summer I've had other contractors put there signs on commercial property's I take care. That's pretty ballsy.


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## BossPlow2010 (Sep 29, 2010)

BUFF said:


> Over the years I've had property's plowed by other contractors, seems to be more common in the beginning of the season.
> In the summer I've had other contractors put there signs on commercial property's I take care. That's pretty ballsy.


Those signs make excellent targets for zero in in guns 
I've done one wrong driveway and that is part of the reason I stop taking on residential work after the first snowfall


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## Kevin_NJ (Jul 24, 2003)

I've never plowed a lot that wasn't mine; but I have shoveled an account or three that I wasn't supposed to. Luckily nothing big, also shoveled more of an account then supposed to. The worst was nearly an entire block of 4' wide sidewalk I did my mistake. Plow the lot in the rear and shovel the front. Was told go to the corner.. I thought he meant corner as in intersection... he meant corner of the building. Caught on when someone else showed up to shovel the rest. That was my first year out. 

I have shown up at a lot someone else did. Called up the guy I work for, why'd you send me to xxx, it's done already! I figured he sent one of his other trucks there already and forgot; nope.


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## m_ice (Aug 12, 2012)

Had a guy this season plow the wrong business. Both had similar names on the same street and about a mile apart. He felt bad that he have out a freebie and of course we aren't going to let him forget about it.


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## JustJeff (Sep 9, 2009)

When I subbed for another company they'd send me to plenty of lots that had already been plowed. The way it should be done (to me anyway), and the way I do it with my driver, is we drive each property prior to snow falling so he knows exactly which properties are ours. I also send him satellite pics of each lot, with the plow and shovel areas highlighted.


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## jonniesmooth (Dec 5, 2008)

JustJeff said:


> When I subbed for another company they'd send me to plenty of lots that had already been plowed. The way it should be done (to me anyway), and the way I do it with my driver, is we drive each property prior to snow falling so he knows exactly which properties are ours. I also send him satellite pics of each lot, with the plow and shovel areas highlighted.


He did the route 2x with me prior.
I have a laminated site map of every account in a binder, I have 5 of them, more then enough for both of them.


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## JustJeff (Sep 9, 2009)

Yup, **** happens.


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## On a Call (Jan 14, 2015)

I have a lot that I have charged two years of plowing...there is another company that has salted and plowed it for three years. I even asked them whats up...they told me it is on the list.

I do the two next door and just kept watching....this year they stopped. But then the company that was there moved out.


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

On a Call said:


> I have a lot that I have charged two years of plowing...there is another company that has salted and plowed it for three years. I even asked them whats up...they told me it is on the list.
> 
> I do the two next door and just kept watching....this year they stopped. But then the company that was there moved out.


I've encountered that. The building owner hires a contractor and the tenant also does. 
It has happened when my client buys a building and the tenant was existing. My client wants us to to service them so he's assured he won't be sued because the tenant didn't take care of snow and ice and someone slips and falls .


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

EWSplow said:


> I've encountered that. The building owner hires a contractor and the tenant also does.
> It has happened when my client buys a building and the tenant was existing. My client wants us to to service them so he's assured he won't be sued because the tenant didn't take care of snow and ice and someone slips and falls .


Now... you just need to figure out how to be the guy who gets hired by BOTH parties... #winning payup


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

Philbilly2 said:


> Now... you just need to figure out how to be the guy who gets hired by BOTH parties... #winning payup


I think you're onto something big. lowblue:lowred:
Sounds like a double tap.


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## fireside (Mar 1, 2008)

I have an account the mai driveway is not marked really well. During a blinding snowstorm I missed the driveway by 30’ boy I plowed the lawn very nice. I finally thought something was wrong when I found find the curbs along the edge


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## icudoucme (Dec 3, 2008)

I have a bank inside a large plaza. The company that does the plaza has had it plowed and salted a few times on light events. I tried calling him to let him know he didn't need to plow it and thank him/pay. They had no idea so I let it go. This past storm really heavy 9+" it was plowed. I found the loader operator and he was one of my old employees..

I've plowed one lot that wasn't mine. My wife was stuck in and the only way out was to plow.. I couldn't just leave one path..


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## wishfull (Nov 22, 2017)

We have a contractor in our town who plows other contractors lots (especially ours) and then bills the people. He does this on purpose to try and take jobs away from others. Our customers call us and say "what's up? We aren't paying him. You bill us and we'll just pay you" He done this for 3 winters but finally quit doing it. We have never plowed the wrong lot but we have mowed the wrong lots more than once. One guy watched us the whole time, never said a word except thanks when we were done.


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## duramax plow (Aug 31, 2015)

Back in January 2018 when we were in the single digit., the day after a storm., I unthawed a frozen lot by accident. Wasted/used half of skid of premium calcium/magnesium blend and 2 tons of bulk salt. Snow blowed the store front of a Acme., 2 Plow trucks there., 1 hour later cleared up., finds out., I was suppose to be at a Macy's. :angry::angry::angry: .
It was next door to Acme was what he said....

At that time., A lot of contractors did poor service jobs here at that storm., given the temperature was in the single digits, so I spent the day cleaning up other peoples frozen lots., and unthawing them.., 
I was more pissed I had to now go load back up for a now bigger lot... The Macy's


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## Oxmow (Dec 6, 2006)

You "unthawed" them...so you froze them?...lol


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## duramax plow (Aug 31, 2015)

Oxmow said:


> You "unthawed" them...so you froze them?...lol


Good catch


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## Oxmow (Dec 6, 2006)

I had a rather large lot (movie theater) that I have done for the past 6 or 7 years or so and i showed up to plow and saw that there were a couple of passes made around the front of the building when the snow had just started. The blade roll off was only about 6 inches high when "he" did it. We started and had the lot about 1/2 to 3/4 done and he showed up and stopped me and asked who I was plowing for and why was I on the lot that he started that morning. I told him I'd been doing it for several years and asked him who he was doing it for. He said "well the manager hired me" And I told him that CORPORATE hired me years ago. Funny how guys take advantage of managers that don't know whats going on.


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## Mitragorz (Oct 11, 2013)

Yup, I actually did it twice at the same address. I showed up to 123 Straight Road, Town X and plowed the driveway. It was added to the route at the last minute, I took it over from a landscaper who was getting out of plowing. All I knew was that the driveway was gravel. Well, this one was gravel.

Well, after the second snowfall I get a call from the landscaper saying that he's been getting phone calls from the homeowner asking where I am, that she needs to get out. I tell him I already hit it. "She says you didn't. did you do 123 Straight Road in Town X or Town Y?" 

I looked at my paperwork... "****..."

Same house number, same street... The only difference was that the correct house was about 1-1/2 miles further down.

What I did was punch the house number and street into Google Maps and took the first (closest) hit, without paying attention to the town.


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## iceyman (Mar 1, 2007)

Mitragorz said:


> Yup, I actually did it twice at the same address. I showed up to 123 Straight Road, Town X and plowed the driveway. It was added to the route at the last minute, I took it over from a landscaper who was getting out of plowing. All I knew was that the driveway was gravel. Well, this one was gravel.
> 
> Well, after the second snowfall I get a call from the landscaper saying that he's been getting phone calls from the homeowner asking where I am, that she needs to get out. I tell him I already hit it. "She says you didn't. did you do 123 Straight Road in Town X or Town Y?"
> 
> ...


Was picking up shelving from a guy and copy pasted address from a text but it didnt take the town.. ended up 20 mins away doh


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