Terms of Service and FAQ’s
Service & Scheduling FAQ
The following questions and answers cover details regarding our lawn services and scheduling service.
What do your mowing services include?
We offer weekly and biweekly mowing services. During each visit, our crews will mow, trim around obstacles and corners, the edge where concrete meets grass and blow off all hard surfaces like driveway, sidewalks, patios, decks and patio furniture.
Do you bag grass clippings?
Yes and No. We mulch grass clippings as much as we can. But during heavy growth or when the grass is too wet, we will bag your clippings. This decision will be made by our crew lead at the time of arrival at your property.
How will I know when you are coming out for service?
We provide email and/or texting service notices prior to every visit for every service. We plan our routes each week on Sunday. By Sunday night, routes are confirmed and dispatched to our operating system. Once dispatched your service notice will be sent.
Because many of our applied chemicals are dependent on weather, there will be times where a planned service is dispatched, but cannot be completed. Some examples of situations that would prevent completion of service include:
- Excessive Rainfall
- High Wind (10+mph)
- High Temps (90+ actual temp, for treatments only)
It is important to remember that in our industry the product label is the law. Atmospheric variances impact certain products differently than others, so what is OK for one service, may not be OK for the next. But hey, this is why you are hiring pros for this job, right?!
When a dispatch cannot be completed, we will send you a notice letting you know the service was missed, if possible, why the service was missed, and what the next step is for rescheduling.
Can I call to skip mowing?
Our crew leaders are trained professionals. When they arrive on the job site, they analyze the status of your lawn. If it appears that it does not need to be mowed and would benefit from skipping a week of service, the crew leader will make a note of the skipped service. This may happen during drier periods or toward the beginning/end of the season. Otherwise, your lawn will be mowed weekly.
You are allowed two(2) requested skips per year at no charge if requested at least 24 hours before your service is scheduled to be performed. If you request to skip service with less than 24 hours notice, or request more than two skips per season, your account will be charged $25 per event.
Can you mow my lawn shorter?
Please be advised that we mow at a 3 1/4 inch blade length during the spring/fall and 3.5 to 4 inches during the summer. This guarantees optimal health, quality, and aesthetic of your lawn. Mowing shorter than 3 1/4 inches encourages diseases, can damage grassroots, promote weed growth, and destroys the overall look of your lawn. We take pride in the lawns we mow. We want you to take pride in the health and beauty of your lawn as well.
Can I Skip treatments?
Yes.
It is important to note that cancelling or skipping services risks putting our scientifically designed and continually proven program’s performance in jeopardy. Failing to call or email with at least 24 hour notice off for reasons other than atmospheric may be subject to an additional service charge to offset the additional expenses incurred by Spokane’s Finest Lawns in this situation.
Please note- skipping or cancelling a treatment will void our weed-free guarantee.
Will you call me before you come out?
We do offer Call Ahead service. Call Ahead service will be made when the service technician is en route to your property. Depending on your proximity to the previous stop on their route that day, this call ahead could occur as little as 5 minutes ahead of arrival and as much as 45 minutes ahead of arrival. As a result, this option is great for clients who are at home most days and need to unlock gates or bring pets inside prior to service.
At this time, we are not able to provide notices of service by calling clients the morning of, the day before, nor any other interval prior to service.
How long until I see results from your lawn treatments?
In ideal conditions, results from lawn treatments will be seen after 14 days. Atmospheric conditions will impact plants uptake of nutrients and herbicides alike, so you may see results in as little as 7 days or at the 14-day mark only see indicators of action.
If a treatment doesn’t work do you treat again for free?
We stand behind our services, products, and applications. However, not all services from Spokane’s Finest Lawns include a guarantee of effectiveness due to a large number of variables present in many applications. Please review your specific proposal for guarantees. If no guarantee is included in the service description, then no guarantee applies. If your program or treatment includes a weed-free guarantee, then follow-up applications are a part of your package and are included at no charge. We do reserve the right to change the treatment to remain in compliance with local and state law and to change the mode of action to achieve the desired treatment result. We also reserve the right to refuse to make follow-up applications or “re-treatments” where herbicide action on target weeds is present.
Why did my weeds grow more after you treated?
Commonly referred to as bolting, this is a direct reaction to the application made. Like all living organisms, weeds exist to procreate and when survival is threatened, they will expend any existing energy stores into seed establishment. Many undesirable types of grass grow taller than the surrounding turf grasses in order to provide a reproductive advantage to the weed.
While this growth is not ideal, it is a sure indicator the plant is stressed and dying. Simply mow or trim the weed to a shorter height and say a eulogy over the poor thing!
Will you use products I supply?
In short, No.
We must refuse to put down a product supplied by clients due to the unknowns associated with not directly sourcing products. Licensed Applicators are ultimately personally responsible for the legal implications of any application made under their license. As a result, and due to the unknowns in products sourced by others, Spokane’s Finest Lawns cannot apply products you supply under any circumstances.
Do you offer sprinkler system installation or repair?
Yes. We offer full sprinkler service: repair, installation and maintenance.
Property Access FAQ
The following questions and answers cover details regarding accessing gated communities and gated backyards.
I have a locked gate(s) on my property. How do you handle that?
Access issues including locked gates will result in inconsistent applications with poor results when not handled properly. It will be necessary to have one of the following solutions in place:
- Provide Us A Key
- Provide Us A Code
- Request Call Ahead to Unlock
Other options may be identified as well, but these are the most common solutions.
My property is inside a limited or restricted access community. How do you handle that?
We work within a number of neighborhoods with limited or restricted access and have serviced restricted access to commercial sites. For those with gate codes, we will ask for a gate code that will be stored within your account and provided to the service technician at the time of service. For more information on this process, see the Locked Gates section of this FAQ. For restricted access sites, we are happy to check-in and out with security. To inquire about security checks or security clearances, please contact us.
Before & After Lawn Treatments FAQ
The following questions and answers cover what you need to know about working or playing in your lawn before or after a lawn treatment.
Should I mow before treatment?
Generally speaking, mowing immediately prior to service is not recommended. Mowing is always a stressor to plants and a subsequent application of herbicides only compounds the stress. Mowing just before a treatment is likely to produce unintended and unexpected results. We recommend mowing no fewer than 36 hours prior to application.
Should I mow after treatment?
Generally speaking, mowing 24 hours after treatment is acceptable for all applications. Waiting 48 hours would is recommended for best herbicide efficacy.
How long after a lawn treatment until my pets can be let back on my lawn?
Once dry, our products are safe for entry by pets, children, and adults. Drying time can vary wildly depending on atmospheric conditions. As a rule of thumb, a 3-hour non-entry window after the application has been made should be observed by property owners.
It is our policy never to spray herbicides, insecticides, nor to apply granular products when pets, children, or unqualified adults are present in the application area. Pets should be kept safely and securely away from application areas during application for the safety of our service technician and your pet.
Invoicing and Account Management FAQ
The following questions and answers cover what you need to know our invoicing and your payment options.
How secure is my credit card information?
We utilize processing from Clearent credit card payment processing which is fully integrated into our operating system. Our processes are PCI compliant. This means your information submitted to us electronically is always handled in the most secure method available to date.
How do I put my cc on file?
A link requesting your cc on file will be sent to you after approving your estimate. You can enter your information on the form provided in the link.
Can I pay for my year’s worth of service upfront?
We allow clients to pre-pay for services.
For fertilization and weed control clients we offer annual incentives for pre-payment. Please contact our office for all of the details and savings available.
How will I be billed?
All customers will be sent an invoice on Saturday for all the services rendered that week.
The card that you have previously put on file will be charged the very next Monday. If a payment is unable to be processed, service will be put on hold until payment is made, and a $25 fee will be charged to your account. Repeated unsuccessful payments may result in termination of service.