15 Mar Failed landscape lighting systems-It takes 2 to tango
By Mike Gambino
I speak alot about poor and failed landscape lighting equipment and systems because unfortunately they are easier to find then spectacular, high quality systems that property owners enjoy on a nightly basis. There is an old saying that goes- it takes two to tango. In the case of failed landscape lighting most times both parties to the equation are at fault. .The property owner who sets the tone for the failure and the contractor who fulfills the prophecy by making it a reality. Allow me to explain.
Recently I was called out to consult with a property owner who had just had their front yard lighting completed by some one who they were not happy with. I came highly recommended by a friend as the guy they had to use in the backyard if they wanted satisfaction. The appointment started out in the backyard where I was told that they didn’t want to make the same mistake with hiring the wrong person for the job. Sounded good but unfortunately talk is cheap and actions speak much loader than words if you will indulge me in using another cliche’ which in this case is appropriate.
I was told what was desired in the backyard which was basically half of a job. Now this is not unusual with property owners who have never worked with me before and it doesn’t deter me from making recommendations for the best of the project.
I was also told that my price would have to be absolutely the lowest I could give as they were” interviewing” two others for the job. I found this kind of odd as I was already told how highly recommended I was and how impressed they were with my website and after not getting work completed to their satisfaction in the front you’d think that would carry a lot of weight. Apparently not.
I put together a design on the spot and walked them through the property describing what I had planned. Half of my ideas were rejected before I even presented the price not because they didn’t like them but they claimed they had “no budget” for the backyard since all of their money was spent in the front on a very poor job. I began to wonder what I was doing there if there was no budget.
I was quickly losing interest in this project but I decided to see the consultation through. Just before I presented my price to do the work the owner trots out a box of lighting fixtures and states by the way I picked up a few of these (lighting fixtures of very poor quality) on the internet that I’d like used. That will bring your price down right?
At that point I explained that I didn’t work that way , it was a really small job and it was best that they found someone else. As I am leaving the owner says can you at least take a look at the front and let me know what you would have done different and how I could fix it. Without spending much time in my observation the answer was clear I told them I would pull everything out and recycle it or donate it to Goodwill or such as it was that bad.
Three months had gone by and I had just about forgotten about this bad experience when I received a call on my cellphone. It was the husband who announced we were on a conference call with the wife on another line. At first I didn’t know who they were until they jogged my memory. They were calling to tell me that they were giving me the job providing I could have it all done within three weeks (before their party) and I had to discount 10% off of my quote otherwise they would give it to someone else.
What! I hadn’t heard anything for several months, had already bowed out of the “competition” by telling them I wasn’t interested in the job it just wasn’t for me and now I was being told I had the job under certain conditions.
Even if I wanted to accept there was no way I could because at the time i was booked at least 5 weeks out with clients who were happy to pay my normal rate , who respected my ideas and went with them and did not box me into any short completion dates while demanding a 10% discount on top of this. Hmmn, I wonder why they ended up with such a mess with the front yard landscape lighting and why they had troubles with so many aspects of the home they were living in that looked to be somewhat newly constructed. Was it perhaps that they operated the same way they attempted to operate with me but the only difference is they found contractors who relented and they gave them exactly what they asked for a cheap job?
I wish I could say this was a fictional story but unfortunately its not. In fact of all the years I have been in the service business this is not the first time a similar scenario has been presented to me.
I can only imagine that in the several months between meeting with me and the conference phone call how many prospective contractors they met with. What is also odd is how not only did I make it clear that the project was not one I was interested in getting involved with so you’d think the owners would come back with some sort of concession like allowing me to go with my design which I know they would have loved. But instead I’m told I am to discount an additional 10% and have the job done with three weeks notice or they would give it to someone else who they met with.
This is like making an offer to buy a house which the seller flatly rejects and doesn’t counter because its not taken seriously. Then the buyer comes back with another offer which is even lower with further conditions and a threat that if the offer isn’t accepted they are going to buy another house they saw.
The bottom line is this. The deal has got to be win win for both parties in order for it to result in a successful project. Every action has a reaction its the simple law of physics. Ask for a 10% discount and you will be getting a 10% or more discount in effort (labor) or materials quality there is just no denying that.
Establishing an us versus them adversarial relationship from the start sets the tone for bad experiences for both the property owner and the service provider.
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