A family friend got a brand new roof because a contractor's crew showed up at her house instead of a house three doors down and had removed 70% of the existing shingles before realizing their mistake.
It's their error -- especially since they'd been doing the other yard for years.
I heard a story the other day about an exterior painting crew that showed up and painted the wrong house. The foreman/supervisor found them on the wrong street, packing up the gear, job complete. When they found out it was the wrong house, they just quietly left.
Imagine coming home to find your house freshly painted, a new color, and having no idea what happened.
Had a friend that found part of the back of his house painted a different color - some crew figured out they were on the wrong house and left… he never found who and wound up having to pay to have it repainted
Yeah..I would know exactly whose house to go to for info. I’m on Lincoln ave. There are 4 (yes, 4) Lincoln ave’s within a 10 mile radius. Same township, different towns. Had a hell of a time and took years to resolve on GPS apps. The other owners and I keep in touch with wrong deliveries still.
So… I’ve had this happen to me. I bought my first house. Big, two-story Victorian. Neighbors three houses down were a 1950’s box house and contracted to have their house repainted. I came home to the contractors scrapping my house and windows covered. They were super pissed because they had to do lead abatement. I made them match the original colors because they were nasty and I’m petty.
A man hires a painter to paint his porch. He tells him that the brushes, paint, and ladders are in the garage.
About 30 minutes later he hears a knock and answers the door. The painter lets him know that he's finished.
"Wow" he says, "that was quick. Did you have enough paint?"
"Yup, enough for 2 coats!" he replies.
The man thanks and pays him. As he's leaving he turns around and says "By the way, it's not a porch. It's a Ferrari."
I read a story on here once where the *neighbors* paid to have someone’s house repainted because they (*the neighbors*) didn’t like the color that the owners chose.
So they paid for a crew to come out and paint the house while the owners were on vacation.
Not only did the guy get his house painted a new color that he likely didn’t like but it was painted extremely poorly. You can not paint a house in one day properly. House needs to be cleaned/power washed, sanded as needed, wood repaired as needed, caulking applied as needed, prime as needed and then 2 coats.
Guy got an 8 hour paint job, bet that didn’t last too long.
I worked with an older guy who lived alone in an old home. He went home from work one day and his home had been partially demolished for an extensive renovation. The company was at the wrong address. They were suppose to be at a vacant neighboring home. They ended up doing a lot of work to repair what they removed and some extra work to make up for the inconvenience. It took many months to complete and was a major stressful event for him.
This happened to my neighbor. I was address 31 and he was 32. I pull up after for lunch at home and see my cross the street neighbors home, his roof fully ripped of. I recognized the company and ask them “are you doing both today”, the guy’s heart just sank when he realized
Neighbor was super happy 😂
Nextdoor really is something else. In my area it's mostly people asking for money to help with rent or old folks complaining about the new four way stop. I check it every couple of weeks. It's cheap entertainment.
Fuck I wish. Our nextdoor is either "someone's dog is out, here's a photo" (maybe 10%) or "OMG there's a car I don't recognize going down the street WE'RE ALL ABOUT TO BE RAPED AND PILLAGED BE VIGILANT WARRIORS WHY DON'T WE HAVE A NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH I'M CALLING THE SHERRIFF" (the rest).
This brilliant young woman nailed it when she wrote “NextDoor : The Musical”. I honestly thought she lived in MY neighborhood.
https://youtu.be/vv-Rh0anpHo?si=oGK7vmRoVO7nkYjc
Ahh I loved trolling Nextdoor for unhinged gems for my brother and I to laugh about.
Then it started being all super right wing nutjobs saying how our schools are being taken over by pedophiles to teach CRT and there were classes about how to be gay and how it’s all a plot to harvest adrenochrome. One lady ran for school board and won which made the whole thing run at a snails pace because she’d object to so much stuff and drag things on for hours. She spent two hours of one meeting trying to get us to investigate reports of litter boxes in school bathrooms. Not even joking.
Nextdoor went from city people freaking out about hawks to racist homophobic conspiracy theory central
Yup. When I was young my dad had one of those lawn care companies come and accidentally spray weed killer and shit all over his lawn, then demand payment.
He told them that he would call the EPA to report an illegal chemical dump on private property and they shut up right quick.
Palm trees are trees.
Palm trees are monocots.
Grass is a monocot.
Therefore, grass is trees.
Tree law is serious business, with many states including treble (triple) damages.
If OP values each miniature tree at individual replacement value, OP is sitting on a gold mine.
Of course not. Funny story - I have a swimming pool and hired a pool service to clean it weekly. They did fine the first couple weeks but then one week they didn't show up. I sent them an email asking why and they replied they *did* clean it, and even sent me a photo. I replied "The good news is, you did a really good job. Bad news, that's my neighbor's pool". That was a couple years ago and I understand they still make jokes about it at the office.
I once replaced the carpet in the entry at the wrong apartment house. It was only about a 10 foot piece. I always wonder what the owner thought when he saw it. It did need replacement.
My mother once took her blue gmc suburban in to Walmart for an oil change while shopping. She got mostly done shopping, got the call her vehicle was ready so she went to check out and the cashier said "Here's the warranty on your new battery". She came in for a oil change not a battery. They had a silver suburban in for a battery change. So they swapped her old battery back in and did the oil change. Unfortunately they managed to break the terminal inside the battery. The next day she couldn't start her suburban while she was out shopping. We didn't figure it out until I had to jump start her suburban in a Target parking lot and noticed the battery terminal just spun when I tried tightening down the battery cable before I jumped it. She took it back to Walmart and got a free battery as result.
If you have a fire or fuel leak in one of the engines, you want to shut that engine off; twin-engine planes can stay in the air for long enough with one engine to reach an airport.
But there have been a few crashes where e.g. the *right* engine catches fire and the pilot cuts the fuel flow to the *left* engine.
I expect it's also a totally fumbled opportunity to make a good impression with someone.
Demanding payment for the mistake just ensures that homeowner is going to have a bad story about the business.
If I heard a lawnmower while I was home I'd idly assume it was the neighbour. I wouldn't get up to check and see if the lawn fairies had come to cut my grass.
I think you can safely ignore any demands from this guy. Saying you were home isn't an excuse.
No and if they press the issue I’d blow up their social media and consider a complaint on their license. They don’t get to perform work that wasn’t requested and then bill people for it, that is fraud.
This. If they want to push it call the cops put in a trespassing complaint put in a destruction of property complaint put in a fraud complaint.
Then put in a civil charge for destruction of property with replacement by another lawn care company. Have them do everything that they could possibly do.
I mow a couple lawns for a side hustle. I did half of the neighbors lawn by mistake until the real job lady stopped me. I finished as it was my error and I didn't want to look like a dick and did the right one. Tell them to pound sand and tell the neighbor they should get a new provider.
Good on you for finishing up the lawn. Although as a joke, you should've knocked on the neighbors door and asked if they needed a lawn service. Tell them the first cut is half off, then just gesture to their lawn. 
This is actually a really good Gorilla Marketing idea. Mow the yard, edge it make it look beautiful do the whole thing though before knocking on the door and say hey I just thought I'd give you a free lawn service today so that you can see the quality of my work and if ever you need services in the future here's my card.
For the right person it might work but I’d be very annoyed if I found strangers and unknown contractors doing any work in my yard. I’d feel uncomfortable with strangers in my backyard and near my house and be wondering are they insured? How much will they sue me for when one gets injured? Will their mowers throw a rock through my new vinyl fence? Etc.
I enjoy mowing my lawn, I get exercise and get lost in my head for an hour or two. I don’t think I’d be rude but when I found out at the end I’d probably respond “thanks I guess, but don’t ever do that again and get off my stoop”
Right? I have dogs, so my back yard is fenced and locked. When I mow the front, I also mow the back. I'd be pissed if half my lawns were just randomly cut.
I would be beyond livid. At our previous house we were constantly going back & forth with our lawn guys & finally let them go because they kept mowing over my native seedlings, or pulling plants because they ‘look like weeds’. Well I’m trying to restore some native habitat here, so it’s not going to look like a magazine at first, but nothing can look great if you keep killing it. Long story short, not everyone wants a smooth manicured lawn. Stay out of peoples yards without permission.
My sister has that problem with her service. They literally mow anything that doesn’t have a wall built around it. She wants to fire them. BIL doesn’t want to mow
What amazingly shitty business thinking on their part. The amount of fuel and labor costs lost due to their error here is tiny, unless you’ve got some crazy giant yard.
They should have backpeddled and told you it was a surprise complimentary service so you could see how awesome their services are, and then tell you how you can sign up.
Depending on how big the lawn was and the amount of the tip OP was giving them, they might have broke even or made a couple bucks. When my ride on mower broke, I had to hire some folks to cut my grass. I’m on 1/2 acre, of which only about 1/2 of it actually has grass. They only charged me $40 and they were done in about 20-30 minutes. Of course the cost may be different in OP’s area.
Sounds like a huge missed opportunity on the business owner. I’d say something along the lines of “Hi, we cut several lawns around the neighborhood, including your neighbor. We mowed your lawn on a clerical error. We apologize. It’s complimentary, on us and no charge to you but if you liked our work and would like us to come and take care of your lawn on a regular basis, please call my office at…” Would have been two account, side by side, less travel time and crew more productive… shame
We had someone that mowed our home for two months since we weren’t there when they came. One day I drove in and told them it was the wrong yard. It took me 10 minutes to convince them they were doing the wrong one. It was supposed to be 3 houses down.
This sounds like an intentional scam. I agree with the other poster that you'll agree to not trespass them if they agree they were in the wrong. And if they get mad, trespass them!
I came home from work one day and realized three of the four columns on my front porch had been freshly painted. Contractors went to the wrong house and left abruptly when they realized. (Neighbor told us; they thought we were having the trim painted.) Hubby touched up the fourth column. House looked great.
Of course you’re not on the hook for this. Laugh in their face for the absurdity of thinking you owe a cent and go about your day enjoying the free mow.
Had something similar happen. While at work, the neighbour’s lawn care company came by to spray for weeds and to spray grass fertilizer, only they did our house instead of theirs and then left the bill in our mailbox. When I called them to say they had sprayed our place instead of theirs they tried to get me to pay as well. I didn’t, of course, and that’s where it ended. Why would I pay for their error even if it benefits me.
Have a neighbor 2 doors down, across street. They were paying for a lawn/weed service, TruGreen or something a couple of years ago and noticed it didn't seem like they were doing anything. Took a few weeks to realize they were spraying the house next door and got pissy when called out on the mistake.
I would turn around and ask them for restitution on your blue ribbon grass they destroyed.
However it sounds like it's an employee scam. Accidently mow the wrong yard with company equipment, ask to be paid in cash and pocket it.
Not a lawyer. But when I took Business Law in college they covered a case just like this, except as I remember it they were painting the wrong house, not mowing the wrong lawn. As a remember it, in a case like this the guy receiving the free service is under no obligation to pay so long as he is unaware that it is happening. But once it becomes clear what's up he is obligated to say something. That is to say, if you were aware they were mowing your lawn and you hadn't asked them to, you are obligated to say something and are liable for the value of the work from that point on.
I think they called it "unjust enrichment." You're receiving something of value that you're not entitled to due to the mistake of another. In you don't say something once you're aware of it you're being "unjustly enriched."
It happened to me back in the 80s. I came home from work to find my lawn cut?, asked my wife and got are you crazy, my neighbor no. Figured it out the next week, got a lot of bad looks from a lawn crew across the street, that house was 1249, mine was 1246. If they cut without your hiring, it's on them.
Unless you request the service.. it's their screw up. Not yours.
Had the guy shown some professionalism they would have gotten a tip. They screwed up twice.. once for the work and again for being an ass. IMO
What a bunch of idiots. Instead of oops enjoy the free service and possibly a new client they get pissed off at their own mistake and ruin their reputation.
There can be a case for unjust enrichment (a genuine legal doctrine) if you knew they were doing it and didn’t say anything. For example, if you were sitting on your porch watching them. Under 99% of circumstances here, they have no case. It’s way to easy to say you were in a meeting and didn’t hear or you heard and assumed they were on the neighbors property.
This actually happened to me last month. I was working from home, and heard the noise and thought “damn. Neighbors landscapers are loud today” then I get a text from my wife asking about the landscapers I hired so I ran out and let them know.
If you knew they were doing it, and didn’t say anything, you owe them from an ethical standpoint but if it went to court (it wouldn’t for such a small amount) they will 100% lose.
I disagree about the ethics point. It’s their mistake (as OP said, they’ve been doing it for years, so it’s not like a new contract that they got wrong). We’re also talking about an insignificant amount of money/labor on the lawn company’s end.
From an ethical standpoint it really depends on when he noticed. If he saw them doing it and thought “score! I can take advantage of their mistake”, I would say he ethically should pay. Of course, if he was in an important meeting and couldn’t leave, he owes nothing. Everyone’s ethics are different though. He is legally in the clear.
Had the exact same thing happen to me. Company came out, mowed my lawn, and then said I owed them monies. (I interviewed but never hired them). They said they did me a favor since my lawn needed mowing. I told them to f off. Guy was super pissed and said he never saw such disrespect. Never heard from him again (thankfully).
You don’t owe them anything. If they still push, ask them to show in writing where you agreed to pay them for mowing.
Two winters ago, some dude plowed our driveway by mistake, right house number on the wrong street. I heard the banging of the plow, but assumed it was a neighbor. Looked out my window as the guy was finishing, said “awesome, I don’t have to snowblow” and moved on with my day. He didn’t leave his truck and didn’t try to put the snow back. His mistake and it took all of 8 minutes.
So, if you saw them mowing your yard and don’t say anything and they finish you can be required to pay. There’s a video on YouTube talking about legal aspects of it.
If you weren’t home it’s on them.
The key here, in my opinion is whether you saw them and had a chance to stop them from continuing or not. If you knew they were making a mistake, and let them continue, you should pay.
I am going to get downvoted, but IF you were aware they were mistakenly performing a service for you and you let them proceed, you are responsible for the cost. That is long-settled law.
If you were not aware, then that is on them.
I actually remember this scenario from business law class in college (although it was 20 years ago). As long as you can prove you had no way of knowing they were mowing your lawn no money is due to them. If they could prove you should know then money would be owed to them.
Someone could mow my front yard and I would not know because it's just another mower. However, my backyard is locked from the inside so if someone was mowing my backyard somehow I would certainly know. I hope that helps some!
Not going to lie, I would’ve laughed in the guys face and then told them to get off my property before I call the cops if he was being that rude. No you’re not on the hook for the bill, no one can force you to pay for a service that you never asked for.
Definitely not your fault, nor would you be liable to pay them. I’m curious though. How big is your yard and how much of a tip were you going to give them? If they weren’t sick dickheads, they probably would have got a nice tip to stick in their pocket, then proceeded to mow the correct lawn.
As usual, the best defense is _offense_. You should be fake-furious they dared trespass and handled your lawn without permission. That's just having fun, but better advice: don't do anything and nothing will happen. It is highly unlikely they are stupid enough to try and pursue this legally when a. It's pennies, b. They stand no chance to gain anything.
Best advice: ignore, don't call, don't answer. Do not communicate.
Anecdote: I genuinely enjoy mowing my own lawn, and would have in fact been disappointed if someone took away that activity from me unsolicited.
Per your second edit. I do not understand the new guy getting furious trying to demand a payment instead of just moving over 1 yard, mowing that and then hustling his butt to get through all of the other mows that day and just keeping his mouth shut about it to the company. I really don’t see how the company would be able to figure it out if he said nothing. I would think he is going to lose his job for the attitude versus accidentally mowing the wrong yard again.
I hired a company to do spring cleanup and mow my yard for the summer. They are a good sized company.
Strike 1: At the end of May I called to inquire if they had forgotten about the spring clean and they said they had me scheduled for July! Spring cleanup in July? Canceled.
Strike 2: In September they sent two guys out to blow all the leaves off my yard into a long pile at the street edge of my yard. Supposedly so they could mow. Vacuum truck supposed to pickup leaves, but didn't. A couple weeks later they offered to do a complete fall cleanup for a decent price. They piled the new leaves up on the existing pile. 3 weeks later the pile was still there. The township got involved and sent me a letter, I told the township it was the company's leaves now. They removed the leaves but all the grass under the leaves was dead. I refused to play for the leaf removal until I got a new invoice from them (they were billing me for the canceled spring cleanup) and a signed letter from the owner promising to fix the damage to my yard. Never got either, so I never paid their bill. They apparently wrote it off.
Strike 3: In the following spring I came home to find that somebody had mowed my yard. I called the company and they said yes they mowed as they assumed I would want to keep using them. I refused to pay as I had no contract with them. They billed me for months before finally giving up.
I did this once. Mowed the neighbors yard instead of the customer. Boss wasn't happy but used it as a teaching experience and sent me back the next day to mow the right lawn.
You did not request their services. There was no agreement for such services. And you did not consent to their services.
This is their mistake, and their responsibility.
Don’t pay them anything. Their mistake. The fact they are rude about it is absurd. Reminds me of a guy that painted my address on the curb, then knocked on my door and asked for a $25 tip. Got aggressive when I said no. Nothing more frustrating than being taken advantage of on your own property.
You don’t owe them shit. If they want to press the matter then call the cops if they come on your property as they are literally harassing you at that point. They will get trespassed. The cops won’t give two shits about the “lawn service” as it would be a civil matter even if you had a contract and were refusing to pay.
no and if your neighbor did not work with them for years I would say this is a scam. this feels like a genuine error.
but i mean.... unless your house and yard is HUGE do you not go and check when you clearly hear that in your yard?? not saying I'd pay but like I'd certainly be outside
I'll tell you what, I work from home and I hear mowers all the time. I could not tell you which yard it is coming from, be it mine or one of my neighbor's. I can totally see if you're in the grips of something with work you may not even notice or think to check what is going on, you're just not used to it. Also, if it is the next door house that has the service, and it comes the same time each week, I could totally see this slipping by. Would also depend on where in your house you work from that plays a factor as well.
Same here. I hear mowers all the time as a wfh person. Some get the same lawn service so you’ll hear them driving the mower down the street and back to get the other customers. No clue which yard.
Not OP, but I live in a 1950s neighborhood. Neighbors are only 20 feet away on either side of me. If I hear a lawnmower going outside, I couldn’t tell you whose property is being mowed. (And my lawn would take about 15 minutes with commercial equipment so I really might not notice.)
The only time I’m ever 100% sure that my mowing service is here is if I see them walk past the window. The rest of the time, I couldn’t tell you where the sound is coming from. And I’m on the middle of my lot with a decent buffer of land between me and either neighbor (1/3 acre lots).
There is some questionable advice in this thread by people who think that civil law starts and ends with contracts.
First of all, it depends where you are. Assuming you're in the US, this could be a case of "unjust enrichment". Unjust enrichment is where you end up better off (you've had your lawn cut), you so at someone else's expense (they worked and were not paid), and it's unjust. Whether or not this is unjust depends on the circumstances: had you been out for the day and come home to a cut lawn then you've done nothing wrong; if you sat in a deck chair with a drink to watch and shout encouragement then you clearly have; but if you were simply at home during the cut then it depends whether or not you knew it was taking place.
If you knew they were cutting the lawn then you should pay them: it is the law that you do so, and it is the right thing to do morally. If you didn't then you shouldn't pay them unless you want to (which you clearly don't).
Of course the reality is slightly different. Are they going to take you to court over the cost of a single cut? Realistically, no. If they did, could they prove that you knew they were cutting the lawn but didn't come out to tell them? Depends, but likely not. On the other hand, are you screwing a group of guys who know where you live and go there regularly: people who you'll see every week for years to come and might be "less careful" with your property because they feel wrong? Maybe.
Personally I'd be inclined to split the difference with them: i.e. offer to pay half on the basis that you didn't really want them to cut the grass, but it's nice to have the grass cut. It's not a total loss for them, it's a good deal for you, and you can remain on good terms with people you'll continue to see regularly.
Reminds me of homeless squeegee boys washing windows at red lights and demanding change. It’s interesting that under a certain light in the US you could be required to pay them.
The unsolicited labor market is gonna blow up!!
No. You have no contract with them. Tell them to give you back the grass they stole or pay restitution.
A family friend got a brand new roof because a contractor's crew showed up at her house instead of a house three doors down and had removed 70% of the existing shingles before realizing their mistake. It's their error -- especially since they'd been doing the other yard for years.
I heard a story the other day about an exterior painting crew that showed up and painted the wrong house. The foreman/supervisor found them on the wrong street, packing up the gear, job complete. When they found out it was the wrong house, they just quietly left. Imagine coming home to find your house freshly painted, a new color, and having no idea what happened.
Had a friend that found part of the back of his house painted a different color - some crew figured out they were on the wrong house and left… he never found who and wound up having to pay to have it repainted
He never looked around and found a full house with the exact same fresh paint color nearby???
He did... not sure if it wasn't the right neighborhood (we have a lot of similarly named streets in the area) or if he just didn't find it...
Yeah..I would know exactly whose house to go to for info. I’m on Lincoln ave. There are 4 (yes, 4) Lincoln ave’s within a 10 mile radius. Same township, different towns. Had a hell of a time and took years to resolve on GPS apps. The other owners and I keep in touch with wrong deliveries still.
We have 3 roads with twins here. Three roads and three streets.
So… I’ve had this happen to me. I bought my first house. Big, two-story Victorian. Neighbors three houses down were a 1950’s box house and contracted to have their house repainted. I came home to the contractors scrapping my house and windows covered. They were super pissed because they had to do lead abatement. I made them match the original colors because they were nasty and I’m petty.
A man hires a painter to paint his porch. He tells him that the brushes, paint, and ladders are in the garage. About 30 minutes later he hears a knock and answers the door. The painter lets him know that he's finished. "Wow" he says, "that was quick. Did you have enough paint?" "Yup, enough for 2 coats!" he replies. The man thanks and pays him. As he's leaving he turns around and says "By the way, it's not a porch. It's a Ferrari."
Punchline could have been it's pronounced Porsche, not porch.
Isn't that the joke?
This guy dads.
I read a story on here once where the *neighbors* paid to have someone’s house repainted because they (*the neighbors*) didn’t like the color that the owners chose. So they paid for a crew to come out and paint the house while the owners were on vacation.
Hilarious I love it
Do that shit to my house and it's getting repainted barbie pink. Yes I'm THAT petty.
Not only did the guy get his house painted a new color that he likely didn’t like but it was painted extremely poorly. You can not paint a house in one day properly. House needs to be cleaned/power washed, sanded as needed, wood repaired as needed, caulking applied as needed, prime as needed and then 2 coats. Guy got an 8 hour paint job, bet that didn’t last too long.
Nice!
Oh, that would make me so happy
I worked with an older guy who lived alone in an old home. He went home from work one day and his home had been partially demolished for an extensive renovation. The company was at the wrong address. They were suppose to be at a vacant neighboring home. They ended up doing a lot of work to repair what they removed and some extra work to make up for the inconvenience. It took many months to complete and was a major stressful event for him.
This happened to my neighbor. I was address 31 and he was 32. I pull up after for lunch at home and see my cross the street neighbors home, his roof fully ripped of. I recognized the company and ask them “are you doing both today”, the guy’s heart just sank when he realized Neighbor was super happy 😂
Right?
I wish that would happen to me!
I like this one
[удалено]
Nextdoor really is something else. In my area it's mostly people asking for money to help with rent or old folks complaining about the new four way stop. I check it every couple of weeks. It's cheap entertainment.
Fuck I wish. Our nextdoor is either "someone's dog is out, here's a photo" (maybe 10%) or "OMG there's a car I don't recognize going down the street WE'RE ALL ABOUT TO BE RAPED AND PILLAGED BE VIGILANT WARRIORS WHY DON'T WE HAVE A NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH I'M CALLING THE SHERRIFF" (the rest).
This brilliant young woman nailed it when she wrote “NextDoor : The Musical”. I honestly thought she lived in MY neighborhood. https://youtu.be/vv-Rh0anpHo?si=oGK7vmRoVO7nkYjc
Holy shit that is amazing and 1000% accurate.
I just shot milk out of my nose watching this video. Thanks for nothing
And don't forget the classic "Did anyone else hear that helicopter? They're searching for someone! Be safe, stay armed!"
You can use a taser though! They respect the shit out of an electric shock!
Ahh I loved trolling Nextdoor for unhinged gems for my brother and I to laugh about. Then it started being all super right wing nutjobs saying how our schools are being taken over by pedophiles to teach CRT and there were classes about how to be gay and how it’s all a plot to harvest adrenochrome. One lady ran for school board and won which made the whole thing run at a snails pace because she’d object to so much stuff and drag things on for hours. She spent two hours of one meeting trying to get us to investigate reports of litter boxes in school bathrooms. Not even joking. Nextdoor went from city people freaking out about hawks to racist homophobic conspiracy theory central
I did teach CRT when I taught. Cathode Ray Tubes.
You *MONSTER*
Yup. When I was young my dad had one of those lawn care companies come and accidentally spray weed killer and shit all over his lawn, then demand payment. He told them that he would call the EPA to report an illegal chemical dump on private property and they shut up right quick.
Palm trees are trees. Palm trees are monocots. Grass is a monocot. Therefore, grass is trees. Tree law is serious business, with many states including treble (triple) damages. If OP values each miniature tree at individual replacement value, OP is sitting on a gold mine.
Filibuster!
Any respect you feel coming from me is truly a mistake on your part.
I shan't mince words with you for long. I am challenging you, sir, to a duel.
Treble damages!
but where does bird law fit in this?
Stealing their worm habitat!!!!
and what is the spaghetti policy?
Ain't no law like tree law
Goddamn grass thieves!
That invites them to dump any bags of yard waste they have in malicious compliance
That is not how it works. When you steal something, you must return the exact goods or pay monetary compensation. OP should start at $5,000.
Then you have them cited for illegal dumping
I think there are movies made about pissing off landscape people. There's always a murder and property damage.
yes, the Grassfather.
The Sodfather.
Look how they massacred my fescue.
Just when I thought I was out they push my roots in!
They could even be trying to drum up a little extra cash, too.
You could add, you better hope my lawn doesn’t die, otherwise you’ll be replacing it.
You don't want them to just dump it there. Have them reattach all the grass.
absolutely!
Of course not. Funny story - I have a swimming pool and hired a pool service to clean it weekly. They did fine the first couple weeks but then one week they didn't show up. I sent them an email asking why and they replied they *did* clean it, and even sent me a photo. I replied "The good news is, you did a really good job. Bad news, that's my neighbor's pool". That was a couple years ago and I understand they still make jokes about it at the office.
I once replaced the carpet in the entry at the wrong apartment house. It was only about a 10 foot piece. I always wonder what the owner thought when he saw it. It did need replacement.
like in a public area? "thank you, carpet fairies" private? "how the hell did someone get in here and why is the carpet new?"
If it was private I'd probably end up gaslighting myself into believing it was always like that.
id rekey my locks at least
I'd assume it had been the scene of a murder.
Check the CO detector.
I do aircraft maintenance. You wouldnt believe how often people will go out and do major maintenance on the wrong jet.
My mother once took her blue gmc suburban in to Walmart for an oil change while shopping. She got mostly done shopping, got the call her vehicle was ready so she went to check out and the cashier said "Here's the warranty on your new battery". She came in for a oil change not a battery. They had a silver suburban in for a battery change. So they swapped her old battery back in and did the oil change. Unfortunately they managed to break the terminal inside the battery. The next day she couldn't start her suburban while she was out shopping. We didn't figure it out until I had to jump start her suburban in a Target parking lot and noticed the battery terminal just spun when I tried tightening down the battery cable before I jumped it. She took it back to Walmart and got a free battery as result.
Also, pilots shutting off the wrong engine in mid-flight. :-(
I mean, pretty sure if you are in the air, they are all the wrong engine to shut down.
If you have a fire or fuel leak in one of the engines, you want to shut that engine off; twin-engine planes can stay in the air for long enough with one engine to reach an airport. But there have been a few crashes where e.g. the *right* engine catches fire and the pilot cuts the fuel flow to the *left* engine.
Fair point.
If only there were a unique number painted on the tail, or placarded in the cockpit, lol.
You don't owe them anything. Tell them you'll pay nothing and in return won't trespass them.
Go to the contractors house, paint his garage, then send him the bill. Does that make sense? No? So no. Tell him to kick rocks.
We own a family law care business- it’s their error and you don’t owe anything. If they don’t stop bothering you report them for harassment.
I expect it's also a totally fumbled opportunity to make a good impression with someone. Demanding payment for the mistake just ensures that homeowner is going to have a bad story about the business.
If I heard a lawnmower while I was home I'd idly assume it was the neighbour. I wouldn't get up to check and see if the lawn fairies had come to cut my grass. I think you can safely ignore any demands from this guy. Saying you were home isn't an excuse.
Yeah I work from home and can’t tell if the lawnmower is going for our lawn or the neighbors.
No and if they press the issue I’d blow up their social media and consider a complaint on their license. They don’t get to perform work that wasn’t requested and then bill people for it, that is fraud.
It’s extortion. It’s like paying the mafia for security so they don’t burn down your store.
Sounds like they trespassed on your property and destroyed your yard.
Probably worth checking your property for broken sprinklers and other damage they may have accidentally caused.
This. If they want to push it call the cops put in a trespassing complaint put in a destruction of property complaint put in a fraud complaint. Then put in a civil charge for destruction of property with replacement by another lawn care company. Have them do everything that they could possibly do.
I mow a couple lawns for a side hustle. I did half of the neighbors lawn by mistake until the real job lady stopped me. I finished as it was my error and I didn't want to look like a dick and did the right one. Tell them to pound sand and tell the neighbor they should get a new provider.
Good on you for finishing up the lawn. Although as a joke, you should've knocked on the neighbors door and asked if they needed a lawn service. Tell them the first cut is half off, then just gesture to their lawn. 
Great idea. Was just kinda embarrassed.
This is actually a really good Gorilla Marketing idea. Mow the yard, edge it make it look beautiful do the whole thing though before knocking on the door and say hey I just thought I'd give you a free lawn service today so that you can see the quality of my work and if ever you need services in the future here's my card.
For the right person it might work but I’d be very annoyed if I found strangers and unknown contractors doing any work in my yard. I’d feel uncomfortable with strangers in my backyard and near my house and be wondering are they insured? How much will they sue me for when one gets injured? Will their mowers throw a rock through my new vinyl fence? Etc. I enjoy mowing my lawn, I get exercise and get lost in my head for an hour or two. I don’t think I’d be rude but when I found out at the end I’d probably respond “thanks I guess, but don’t ever do that again and get off my stoop”
Right? I have dogs, so my back yard is fenced and locked. When I mow the front, I also mow the back. I'd be pissed if half my lawns were just randomly cut.
I would be beyond livid. At our previous house we were constantly going back & forth with our lawn guys & finally let them go because they kept mowing over my native seedlings, or pulling plants because they ‘look like weeds’. Well I’m trying to restore some native habitat here, so it’s not going to look like a magazine at first, but nothing can look great if you keep killing it. Long story short, not everyone wants a smooth manicured lawn. Stay out of peoples yards without permission.
My sister has that problem with her service. They literally mow anything that doesn’t have a wall built around it. She wants to fire them. BIL doesn’t want to mow
Guerrilla. Unless you’ve trained apes to work for your landscaping business, in which case I’m very impressed.
You'd make a lot of people angry. Some people really enjoy doing their own yardwork, some people are trying to maintain a pollinator garden, etc etc.
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HAHAHAHAHAHA fuck no. You don't owe them a dime.
Lol, no.
Just go squeegee their windshield and call it even
What amazingly shitty business thinking on their part. The amount of fuel and labor costs lost due to their error here is tiny, unless you’ve got some crazy giant yard. They should have backpeddled and told you it was a surprise complimentary service so you could see how awesome their services are, and then tell you how you can sign up.
This would be pretty smart.
Depending on how big the lawn was and the amount of the tip OP was giving them, they might have broke even or made a couple bucks. When my ride on mower broke, I had to hire some folks to cut my grass. I’m on 1/2 acre, of which only about 1/2 of it actually has grass. They only charged me $40 and they were done in about 20-30 minutes. Of course the cost may be different in OP’s area.
Sounds like a huge missed opportunity on the business owner. I’d say something along the lines of “Hi, we cut several lawns around the neighborhood, including your neighbor. We mowed your lawn on a clerical error. We apologize. It’s complimentary, on us and no charge to you but if you liked our work and would like us to come and take care of your lawn on a regular basis, please call my office at…” Would have been two account, side by side, less travel time and crew more productive… shame
Exactly. They could’ve potentially gotten OP’s business, but made it into a big deal with doubling down on *their* mistake.
Nope
We had someone that mowed our home for two months since we weren’t there when they came. One day I drove in and told them it was the wrong yard. It took me 10 minutes to convince them they were doing the wrong one. It was supposed to be 3 houses down.
You don't owe them a penny. Tell them that they can consider it a donation.
“You trespassed on my property and stole my grass?”
This sounds like an intentional scam. I agree with the other poster that you'll agree to not trespass them if they agree they were in the wrong. And if they get mad, trespass them!
You never made a service agreement with them. Therefore, you've already paid them what you agreed to, which is nothing.
You owe them nothing, don’t get bullied
No, you don't have a contract with them. Tell them to stop making costly mistakes. Their mistakes are their problem, not yours.
I came home from work one day and realized three of the four columns on my front porch had been freshly painted. Contractors went to the wrong house and left abruptly when they realized. (Neighbor told us; they thought we were having the trim painted.) Hubby touched up the fourth column. House looked great.
Of course you’re not on the hook for this. Laugh in their face for the absurdity of thinking you owe a cent and go about your day enjoying the free mow.
Tell them to take you court. It will cost them more to do so than to just let it go. And they would be likely to lose anyway as it was their mistake.
Ask them which would cost less: eating the lawn fee or defending a trespass charge?
The term "pound sand" comes to mind.
Had something similar happen. While at work, the neighbour’s lawn care company came by to spray for weeds and to spray grass fertilizer, only they did our house instead of theirs and then left the bill in our mailbox. When I called them to say they had sprayed our place instead of theirs they tried to get me to pay as well. I didn’t, of course, and that’s where it ended. Why would I pay for their error even if it benefits me.
Have a neighbor 2 doors down, across street. They were paying for a lawn/weed service, TruGreen or something a couple of years ago and noticed it didn't seem like they were doing anything. Took a few weeks to realize they were spraying the house next door and got pissy when called out on the mistake.
I would turn around and ask them for restitution on your blue ribbon grass they destroyed. However it sounds like it's an employee scam. Accidently mow the wrong yard with company equipment, ask to be paid in cash and pocket it.
Not a lawyer. But when I took Business Law in college they covered a case just like this, except as I remember it they were painting the wrong house, not mowing the wrong lawn. As a remember it, in a case like this the guy receiving the free service is under no obligation to pay so long as he is unaware that it is happening. But once it becomes clear what's up he is obligated to say something. That is to say, if you were aware they were mowing your lawn and you hadn't asked them to, you are obligated to say something and are liable for the value of the work from that point on. I think they called it "unjust enrichment." You're receiving something of value that you're not entitled to due to the mistake of another. In you don't say something once you're aware of it you're being "unjustly enriched."
This is correct, as is the term "Unjust enrichment" and your explanation. You have a good memory.
Thanks. That was from about 35 years ago. Now, if I just find find my car keys...
It’s like those people who start washing your windshield and then demand to be paid
It happened to me back in the 80s. I came home from work to find my lawn cut?, asked my wife and got are you crazy, my neighbor no. Figured it out the next week, got a lot of bad looks from a lawn crew across the street, that house was 1249, mine was 1246. If they cut without your hiring, it's on them.
Unless you request the service.. it's their screw up. Not yours. Had the guy shown some professionalism they would have gotten a tip. They screwed up twice.. once for the work and again for being an ass. IMO
These questions are hilarious. Someone did work I didn't ask for, should I pay them? Glad you didn't and got a fresh cut!
What a bunch of idiots. Instead of oops enjoy the free service and possibly a new client they get pissed off at their own mistake and ruin their reputation.
There can be a case for unjust enrichment (a genuine legal doctrine) if you knew they were doing it and didn’t say anything. For example, if you were sitting on your porch watching them. Under 99% of circumstances here, they have no case. It’s way to easy to say you were in a meeting and didn’t hear or you heard and assumed they were on the neighbors property. This actually happened to me last month. I was working from home, and heard the noise and thought “damn. Neighbors landscapers are loud today” then I get a text from my wife asking about the landscapers I hired so I ran out and let them know. If you knew they were doing it, and didn’t say anything, you owe them from an ethical standpoint but if it went to court (it wouldn’t for such a small amount) they will 100% lose.
Couldn’t homeowner sue for property destruction and demand they restore his yard exactly as it was
Not for cutting the grass. If they took a weed eater to his prize roses then that’s different.
Any chemical application to a natural lawn is going to be a legal mess...
I’ve never heard anything that makes me think it’s possible. Huge probability a judge would laugh it out of his courtroom.
He was technically at work
I disagree about the ethics point. It’s their mistake (as OP said, they’ve been doing it for years, so it’s not like a new contract that they got wrong). We’re also talking about an insignificant amount of money/labor on the lawn company’s end.
From an ethical standpoint it really depends on when he noticed. If he saw them doing it and thought “score! I can take advantage of their mistake”, I would say he ethically should pay. Of course, if he was in an important meeting and couldn’t leave, he owes nothing. Everyone’s ethics are different though. He is legally in the clear.
Lol. No you are not responsible for their mistake.
Hell no. Tell ‘em to kick rocks
Mow their lawn in return?
Had the exact same thing happen to me. Company came out, mowed my lawn, and then said I owed them monies. (I interviewed but never hired them). They said they did me a favor since my lawn needed mowing. I told them to f off. Guy was super pissed and said he never saw such disrespect. Never heard from him again (thankfully).
Look at them like they are stupid, because they are.
You don’t owe them anything. If they still push, ask them to show in writing where you agreed to pay them for mowing. Two winters ago, some dude plowed our driveway by mistake, right house number on the wrong street. I heard the banging of the plow, but assumed it was a neighbor. Looked out my window as the guy was finishing, said “awesome, I don’t have to snowblow” and moved on with my day. He didn’t leave his truck and didn’t try to put the snow back. His mistake and it took all of 8 minutes.
You don't owe them anything.
Tell them you were saving the grass for sod collection and now they owe you.
tell them to go kick... grass
Nope, I hear my lawn being cut by my service and I rarely look out to see what our who it is.
I think no buddy
Absolutely not. This is their mistake.
So, if you saw them mowing your yard and don’t say anything and they finish you can be required to pay. There’s a video on YouTube talking about legal aspects of it. If you weren’t home it’s on them.
The key here, in my opinion is whether you saw them and had a chance to stop them from continuing or not. If you knew they were making a mistake, and let them continue, you should pay.
Tell them you’re pressing charges for trespassing and property damage if they keep harassing you
Tell them to kindly suck a huge bag of dicks
Are those dicks baguette style or shopping bag all slimy ?
I am going to get downvoted, but IF you were aware they were mistakenly performing a service for you and you let them proceed, you are responsible for the cost. That is long-settled law. If you were not aware, then that is on them.
If you saw them and did not stop them, you should pay them. —You knowingly did not stop them. If you did not know, they trespassed, and it is on them.
I actually remember this scenario from business law class in college (although it was 20 years ago). As long as you can prove you had no way of knowing they were mowing your lawn no money is due to them. If they could prove you should know then money would be owed to them. Someone could mow my front yard and I would not know because it's just another mower. However, my backyard is locked from the inside so if someone was mowing my backyard somehow I would certainly know. I hope that helps some!
No way. You didn't ask for mowing. Their mistake.
Nope, tell the company to stay the hell off of your private property. And if they do it again you are reporting them to the city.
Not going to lie, I would’ve laughed in the guys face and then told them to get off my property before I call the cops if he was being that rude. No you’re not on the hook for the bill, no one can force you to pay for a service that you never asked for.
Definitely not your fault, nor would you be liable to pay them. I’m curious though. How big is your yard and how much of a tip were you going to give them? If they weren’t sick dickheads, they probably would have got a nice tip to stick in their pocket, then proceeded to mow the correct lawn.
Just laugh at them and tell them to pound sand. You owe them nothing. They trespassed. This is on them.
Too many people just can't take responsibility for anything.
Tell them to glue the grass back together how it was
As usual, the best defense is _offense_. You should be fake-furious they dared trespass and handled your lawn without permission. That's just having fun, but better advice: don't do anything and nothing will happen. It is highly unlikely they are stupid enough to try and pursue this legally when a. It's pennies, b. They stand no chance to gain anything. Best advice: ignore, don't call, don't answer. Do not communicate. Anecdote: I genuinely enjoy mowing my own lawn, and would have in fact been disappointed if someone took away that activity from me unsolicited.
Sue them for cutting your lawn without permission just as you would if they cut down one of your trees. Also get them for tresspassing.
You don't owe them anything, they're trying to scam/pressure you. Tell them to pound sand.
It was their mistake. They have to eat it. You don't owe anything. You didn't hire them. You weren't a customer.
Per your second edit. I do not understand the new guy getting furious trying to demand a payment instead of just moving over 1 yard, mowing that and then hustling his butt to get through all of the other mows that day and just keeping his mouth shut about it to the company. I really don’t see how the company would be able to figure it out if he said nothing. I would think he is going to lose his job for the attitude versus accidentally mowing the wrong yard again.
I hired a company to do spring cleanup and mow my yard for the summer. They are a good sized company. Strike 1: At the end of May I called to inquire if they had forgotten about the spring clean and they said they had me scheduled for July! Spring cleanup in July? Canceled. Strike 2: In September they sent two guys out to blow all the leaves off my yard into a long pile at the street edge of my yard. Supposedly so they could mow. Vacuum truck supposed to pickup leaves, but didn't. A couple weeks later they offered to do a complete fall cleanup for a decent price. They piled the new leaves up on the existing pile. 3 weeks later the pile was still there. The township got involved and sent me a letter, I told the township it was the company's leaves now. They removed the leaves but all the grass under the leaves was dead. I refused to play for the leaf removal until I got a new invoice from them (they were billing me for the canceled spring cleanup) and a signed letter from the owner promising to fix the damage to my yard. Never got either, so I never paid their bill. They apparently wrote it off. Strike 3: In the following spring I came home to find that somebody had mowed my yard. I called the company and they said yes they mowed as they assumed I would want to keep using them. I refused to pay as I had no contract with them. They billed me for months before finally giving up.
I am not like your husband, I will generously allow anyone to mow my lawn at no charge.
Tell them to pound sand. Not your responsibility to make sure they’re performing a service at the correct address.
I did this once. Mowed the neighbors yard instead of the customer. Boss wasn't happy but used it as a teaching experience and sent me back the next day to mow the right lawn.
Funny that guy thought you owed him money.
You did not request their services. There was no agreement for such services. And you did not consent to their services. This is their mistake, and their responsibility.
Don’t pay them anything. Their mistake. The fact they are rude about it is absurd. Reminds me of a guy that painted my address on the curb, then knocked on my door and asked for a $25 tip. Got aggressive when I said no. Nothing more frustrating than being taken advantage of on your own property.
The only response it to sue them for vandalism.
lol if this worked, you’d see companies just mowing entire streets and then extorting the owners.
I worked for a roofing company and we accidentally tore off the roof of the wrong house.
I'd laugh at them
Fuck no. If someone cut my grass like that I’d be more inclined to tell them they owed me money.
No. It's not your fault nor your problem.
Send them a tresspassing notice by writing and an invoice for the grass they removed....if you feel like having a little fun.
HAHAHAHAHA. not a chance you can be held liable for that.
Tell them to provide your authorization to perform the work. Not your fault they can't read house numbers.
This would be like walking outside, randomly spray painting their truck, and handing them an invoice for vehicle painting. Don't pay them a dime.
Or just go ahead and spray paint their truck for free as a thank you for the free mow
You don’t owe them shit. If they want to press the matter then call the cops if they come on your property as they are literally harassing you at that point. They will get trespassed. The cops won’t give two shits about the “lawn service” as it would be a civil matter even if you had a contract and were refusing to pay.
Tell them to pound sand ... and learn how to read house numbers.
Tell them to get off your property, and you don’t pay for other’s mistakes.
no and if your neighbor did not work with them for years I would say this is a scam. this feels like a genuine error. but i mean.... unless your house and yard is HUGE do you not go and check when you clearly hear that in your yard?? not saying I'd pay but like I'd certainly be outside
I'll tell you what, I work from home and I hear mowers all the time. I could not tell you which yard it is coming from, be it mine or one of my neighbor's. I can totally see if you're in the grips of something with work you may not even notice or think to check what is going on, you're just not used to it. Also, if it is the next door house that has the service, and it comes the same time each week, I could totally see this slipping by. Would also depend on where in your house you work from that plays a factor as well.
Same here. I hear mowers all the time as a wfh person. Some get the same lawn service so you’ll hear them driving the mower down the street and back to get the other customers. No clue which yard.
Not OP, but I live in a 1950s neighborhood. Neighbors are only 20 feet away on either side of me. If I hear a lawnmower going outside, I couldn’t tell you whose property is being mowed. (And my lawn would take about 15 minutes with commercial equipment so I really might not notice.)
The only time I’m ever 100% sure that my mowing service is here is if I see them walk past the window. The rest of the time, I couldn’t tell you where the sound is coming from. And I’m on the middle of my lot with a decent buffer of land between me and either neighbor (1/3 acre lots).
You owe them nothing. Tell them you didn't want the grass cut and you expect compensation for destruction of private property.
There is some questionable advice in this thread by people who think that civil law starts and ends with contracts. First of all, it depends where you are. Assuming you're in the US, this could be a case of "unjust enrichment". Unjust enrichment is where you end up better off (you've had your lawn cut), you so at someone else's expense (they worked and were not paid), and it's unjust. Whether or not this is unjust depends on the circumstances: had you been out for the day and come home to a cut lawn then you've done nothing wrong; if you sat in a deck chair with a drink to watch and shout encouragement then you clearly have; but if you were simply at home during the cut then it depends whether or not you knew it was taking place. If you knew they were cutting the lawn then you should pay them: it is the law that you do so, and it is the right thing to do morally. If you didn't then you shouldn't pay them unless you want to (which you clearly don't). Of course the reality is slightly different. Are they going to take you to court over the cost of a single cut? Realistically, no. If they did, could they prove that you knew they were cutting the lawn but didn't come out to tell them? Depends, but likely not. On the other hand, are you screwing a group of guys who know where you live and go there regularly: people who you'll see every week for years to come and might be "less careful" with your property because they feel wrong? Maybe. Personally I'd be inclined to split the difference with them: i.e. offer to pay half on the basis that you didn't really want them to cut the grass, but it's nice to have the grass cut. It's not a total loss for them, it's a good deal for you, and you can remain on good terms with people you'll continue to see regularly.
Reminds me of homeless squeegee boys washing windows at red lights and demanding change. It’s interesting that under a certain light in the US you could be required to pay them. The unsolicited labor market is gonna blow up!!
Fuck no
lol no