what to do about messy competitor?

[flatyre]

For the past three years a neighbour has brought the same cowboys in to cut her hedge, and every year they butcher it and leave half the cuttings strewn all over the road. When I have the trailer on loaded with my own cuttings I can't get up my lane so leave it down on the main road right where these cowboys have left their cuttings. So people will probably thing I made the mess, should I report them to the local council, not because they're competition, but because they're doing a crap job and leaving other people to clean up the mess?

[Tree Top Challenge]

You 100% should report them. Why let the sloppy work of a bunch of cowboys potentially affect the reputation of your business? I'd be speaking to my neighbour too. It's because of people like them keeping these clowns in work (because they are probably very cheap; no insurance, paye, NI to think about) that makes it so hard to make a living for the guys who do things properly. Just aint fair.

[IVECOKID]

You will be wasting your own time and Breath trying to report them , the council like most wont have the resources to follow this up unfortunately.

 

Ste

[drinksloe]

Do u not get on with ur neighbour?

 

if i needed work done and a nieghbour had just started up i'd probably give them a shot.

Can't sdee the council be bothered

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

It's an understandable predicament. If it is causing an obstruction of the highway that might be the line to take.

 

Our LA used to have a specific line in the road hedge cutting contract / guidance which specified that the contractor must clear away all arisings. I can no longer find that detail and it's plain to see every year that flail cutting of road hedges by LA contractors leaves the roads strewn with debris which then blocks the drainage culverts exacerbating Winter flooding. And this is LA contractors so, in reality, little chance they'll act against independent operators.

 

If it troubles you enough, report it and try and get it fixed but there's always the potential that the outfit being reported could react adversely.

[flatyre]

Never spoke to the neighbour, they're quite elderly and I have never seen them leave the house. Two years in a row when the hedge started to look rough, I dropped a business card and note through the letterbox offering my services as a neighbour, only to see the cowboys in a few days later, must have prompted her to give them a call. Problem here in the North Down area of Northern Ireland is this, back when the old RUC were disbanded and replaced by the PSNI as part of the Good Friday Agreement, thousands of police officers found themselves out of work but with big redundancy packages. So half of them set themselves up as gardeners or more accurately grass & hedge cutters as most prefer not to get their hands dirty. I know a few and they're easy to spot, flashy big 4x4, new ifor Williams trailer and a top spec ride on, clean shaven and polished boots etc, some are good guys that do a good job to be honest, but some are gangsters, this guy looked like the latter. Unfortunately the public think they must be honest and by the book as they used to be a police officer, would be hard to convince the hedge owner or the local council to have a word.

[eggsarascal]

Never spoke to the neighbour, they're quite elderly and I have never seen them leave the house. Two years in a row when the hedge started to look rough, I dropped a business card and note through the letterbox offering my services as a neighbour, only to see the cowboys in a few days later, must have prompted her to give them a call. Problem here in the North Down area of Northern Ireland is this, back when the old RUC were disbanded and replaced by the PSNI as part of the Good Friday Agreement, thousands of police officers found themselves out of work but with big redundancy packages. So half of them set themselves up as gardeners or more accurately grass & hedge cutters as most prefer not to get their hands dirty. I know a few and they're easy to spot, flashy big 4x4, new ifor Williams trailer and a top spec ride on, clean shaven and polished boots etc, some are good guys that do a good job to be honest, but some are gangsters, this guy looked like the latter. Unfortunately the public think they must be honest and by the book as they used to be a police officer, would be hard to convince the hedge owner or the local council to have a word.

 

What does a gangster look like?

 

Does he go around in a double breasted pinstriped suit wearing a Fedora?

[Goaty]

I'd try the neighbour in person. Failing that a gentle letter with the thoughts of your original post and they can ring or come round whatever suits them.

 

And be prepared to do it on the cheap. It cuts a whole lot of hassle out and you haven't got the time or cost of travelling to the site.

 

If it's a 2 hr job or less I'd even do it for nowt, currently your doing a large contribution for nowt. Could be good P.R exercise.

 

But I'm daft and avoid aggro.

[drinksloe]

I'd go with goaty's idea, althou if the boy is dodgy do u really want to be upsetting him?

Will take a few hedges to pay for new tyres/trailer etc esp if it sits away from ur house

Just incase trailer disappears or tyres mysteriously go flat throu nite

[Joel77]

Have you not thought it could be there son or some family member who's helping them ?