How do you say no?

Wannafish · Sep 15, 2005

I hate to be the meany of the thread, but I have not seen it addressed. If you plow their driveway and damage anything, you can be held responsible. If you charge for plowing and something bad happens - like new neighbors 3 year old neice runs out behind you, you could lose everything.

Don't get me wrong, I help out my neighbors but I also have a million dollar liability policy...which I can only HOPE will be adequate. If you are going to be on others property, make sure your insurance covers you.

pennwalk · Sep 15, 2005

You said "she" wants you to keep clearing the driveway. What does "he" say/think? 

It is a funny situation I noticed in the paper that the house is in her name. Her name is different than his. She seems to be in charge if the yard work. Their lot is big for the suburbs at an acre and a half. They hired a slap dash guy to mow the lawn. Takes him about 15 min. The lawn looked better with the old owner who had a JD with 38' deck. He mowed it slow and and bagged and it looked perfect. Anyway I have never seen the new guy out in the yard. The one time I got to talk to him was when I stopped at his store. Seemed like a nice guy. I guess he isn't into yard work. Maybe he is really a city boy and she wanted to move out here.

Chris

pennwalk · Sep 15, 2005

I seriously doubt that even newbies expect free service. 

I'm not so sure. When they moved they had all friends helping them. It looked like a huge job. I was so glad my wife hired movers the last time we mover. I couldn't believe how fast those guys were and how hard they worked and how much better my back felt. I think they get their friends to help them with all kinds of stuff.

Chris

pennwalk · Sep 15, 2005

Easiest way is to tell them the truth. 

That is so true. Its clear that we need to talk.

Chris

pennwalk · Sep 15, 2005

I think that the new neighbors asked the old neighbors how they cleared the driveway and they said I did it. Before us the people who had our house had the driveways plowed and the neighbors split the cost. I have pretty good equipment and I don't want to pay to have the driveway plowed.

Chris

pennwalk · Sep 15, 2005

Depends on how much snow and how much time I have. 

Thats what I want. I like to help out when there is a lot of snow but I don't want to be a plow service. In the old neighborhood I used to knock down the mound that the town plow left in front of the driveways when the snow was heavy. Then the neighbors could handle cleariing the rest themselves. Thats what I like a little help and a little self reliance.

Chris

pennwalk · Sep 15, 2005

What I would hate to do was help someone out and have their plow service get mad and quit, Then where would they be. They would be better plagueing the plow guy with phone calls.

Chris

pennwalk · Sep 15, 2005

Junk, I'm thinking of one of those worlds funnyest videos. I'm running down my driveway blowing snow over onto your driveway. Then you come down your driveway blowing it back. Do they pay people for those tapes?

Chris

pennwalk · Sep 15, 2005

Yeah I always worried about an accident when I helped out neighbors. One year I was helping out an elderly couple and got their christmas lights all wrapped arounf my auger. Thankfully they didn't fire me /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Chris

crown · Sep 19, 2005

That's always a tough one when dealing with neighbors. We had up until this summer a guy in our neighborhood who plowed the whole sub-division free of charge with his 90 HP John Deere. I always thanked him and offered money he never accepted but always said he appreciated the offer. Many in the subdivision had the nerve to complain, thats the part that really erks me. I have no problem doing things for others and I don't expect them to pay but I do expect them to be appreciative. A new neighbor moved in next to our place and wanted to fence the property line she was out clearing brush with a rake I told her when I had the bush hog attached to the tractor and if I had time I would clear what I could for her, one day I had some spare time and the hog was attached I cleared some of the brush, she has since called and asked when I would finish. This just rubbed me wrong I stated I would help and do some work if I had a chance, which I did and now I am being told to come back and finish, much of the stuff left needs a chain saw and frankly I thought I had did what I offered. I guess it was just the way she assumed I would do more.
Bottom line as long as favors are appreciated and not expected then all is fine.