When deciding on a lawn care program for your lawn, one of the toughest battles can be choosing the company to hire. With the right amount of research, selecting the best company for your needs will be worth the time, money, and will greatly benefit the lawn.
Start Shopping Early
One of the most important steps when choosing a lawn care company is to start choosing early. The winter months are a great time to start your research, ask friends and family, as well as contact lawn care companies to ask any questions you may have. While estimates may not be able to be conducted right away in the winter months, it will at least get your name onto the schedule for when they are able to be done; and some companies will even have the technology to provide you with an estimate the same day or shortly after.
The sooner you have selected a lawn care company, the less likely you are to miss any services or fall late within the scheduling. A good rule of thumb is to have your selection made prior to mid-March as many companies will begin the new season in early-March.
Estimates
The first step to choosing a lawn care company is to have many estimates conducted. An estimate should always be performed at no cost to you. The more estimates that you can have performed, the more knowledgeable you will be about services offered and the better you can compare pricing. When comparing prices, it is important to consider all pieces and services involved:
1. The price per application & the overall annual cost. Most companies in the area will offer between 5-7 applications per year, so while the company offering $35.00 per application may look the cheapest, they may also charge that price 7 times throughout the year; so the company offering only 6 applications at $40.00 per application is actually the cheaper alternative.
2. Ask about discounts on the pricing. Every company will, most likely, offer different types of discounts, but most in the area will offer their customers a prepay discount for paying for the entire season upfront.
3. Get pricing for all services that you may consider scheduling in the future. It is always best to get more pricing than may be needed at that given moment. In the spring, most customers do not think about aeration and seed pricing, however it never hurts to get this pricing early to assist in the comparison of lawn care companies.
Ask Around
Asking around can be the best method to choosing a lawn care company. Ask friends, family and neighbors who takes care of their lawn, if they are happy with the services, and if there are any companies they have tried in the past that did not meet their expectations. After all, you trust your friends and family more than anyone else, so who better to ask for advice before hiring a company.
Better Business Bureau
The better business bureau (BBB) is a great place to research companies. Whether the company is accredited by the BBB or not, they should still have a listing to be able see if there have been any complaints filed against the company recently. A company that is accredited by the BBB will have a letter grade rating for service based on many factors with A+ being the highest and F being the lowest. This is a good way to determine a company’s character without having the company involved.
Ask Questions
You call a company to ask a few questions and you deserve to have those questions answered. A reputable company will always answer any questions you may have, and if the answer is not currently available, they will find out and return your phone call. If a company refuses to answer any general questions, they may be trying to hide something. It is also a good idea to call several companies, ask the same questions to each and compare the responses. This is a good way to determine any differences between companies, as well as try to see if any companies might be giving false information just to make a sale.
Be Patient
It may take a little while, but patience pays off and you will end up with a company that will do the work you expect from them. It is also very important to be patient with the lawn care service as well. It typically takes at least one full season to see the total results expected. It is also important to remember that while many homeowners wish to have the golf course look to their lawn; it takes much work and much patience to achieve that appearance.
Sum it up
It is always a good idea to consult with a lawn care professional and ask any questions you may have. Look around, ask friends or family, and research companies on the Better Business Bureau to find a company that you can trust.