I guess it depends where you are in the country. We are in the South West and have a gardener in to mow the lawns . It takes about 2.5 hours on a ride on and he strims the banks. He charges about £90. He dumps the cuttings in the hedges here.
36 quid an hour!! I'd buy a sheep! And 2.5 hours on a ride-on is a lot of cuttings!.. I'm surpised you can see the hedge for the pile of grass cuttings.
It’s far too expensive for most parts of the country but now telling us there were two of them puts a different slant on it. And when you say “half an hour” and “just down the road” would it be fair to say that from leaving their front gate to returning to their front gate it was more like 45 minutes? 45 minutes and two people equates to £20 an hour. That’s at the top end of reasonable but I would not say it is exorbitant
Actually no, they live 5 minutes away & they have other jobs they do in the area too! The job still took the same length of time whether there were two of them or not!
It’s far too expensive for most parts of the country but now telling us there were two of them puts a different slant on it. And when you say “half an hour” and “just down the road” would it be fair to say that from leaving their front gate to returning to their front gate it was more like 45 minutes? 45 minutes and two people equates to £20 an hour. That’s at the top end of reasonable but I would not say it is exorbitant
I've also been using them for the past 6 years. I've been a loyal customer & I feel taken advantage of.
It’s far too expensive for most parts of the country but now telling us there were two of them puts a different slant on it. And when you say “half an hour” and “just down the road” would it be fair to say that from leaving their front gate to returning to their front gate it was more like 45 minutes? 45 minutes and two people equates to £20 an hour. That’s at the top end of reasonable but I would not say it is exorbitant
He's put his prices up by an enormous amount. 6 years ago, they'd be 2 of them, & he'd charge me £10. I expect the price to go up but not by the amount he's put up by!!!
Well, if you've been using them for years you are surely aware of their hourly rates. It does only take one to use a strimmer or did they both have one? Are they jobbing gardeners or do they have qualifications and all their own equipment and insurance and so on? That all makes a difference to costs too.
Next time, get at least one more quote beforehand.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Well, if you've been using them for years you are surely aware of their hourly rates. It does only take one to use a strimmer or did they both have one? Are they jobbing gardeners or do they have qualifications and all their own equipment and insurance and so on? That all makes a difference to costs too.
Next time, get at least one more quote beforehand.
Sounds like you're blaming me. I suffer from depression & I trust people. He doesn't say what he's going to charge me until the end.
You can't really compare normal work rates (what would you get in a job) with self-employed rates. Self-employed people need to organize their work (phone calls and bills, time to arrange the work), their admin work, care for the tools etc. Generally, chargeable work is often only 50-70% of a workweek. Tiny jobs are usually charged more because otherwise, they are not worth it. Would you work on someone else's garden for £15 (before taxes) for 30 minutes (45 minutes with preparing the tools and getting there)? I wouldn't.
I think circa £25/£35 an hour is a reasonable rate for a gardener. I would only want someone who has trained as a gardener doing my garden. Maybe someone charging £10 or £15 might not have the background in gardening.
Sounds like you're blaming me. I suffer from depression & I trust people. He doesn't say what he's going to charge me until the end.
As do I, so you have my sympathy. Although I wouldn't describe myself as trusting - more hopeful when it comes to tradesmen. To be honest though, not getting a price before he starts work is folly.
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And 2.5 hours on a ride-on is a lot of cuttings!.. I'm surpised you can see the hedge for the pile of grass cuttings.
Next time, get at least one more quote beforehand.
Tiny jobs are usually charged more because otherwise, they are not worth it.
Would you work on someone else's garden for £15 (before taxes) for 30 minutes (45 minutes with preparing the tools and getting there)? I wouldn't.
To be honest though, not getting a price before he starts work is folly.