Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #16   Report Post  
Old 19-07-2004, 09:03 PM
Don Tveter
 
Posts: n/a
Default Who regulates lawn services? (ChemLawn)

zxcvbob wrote:
I figure they must have a commercial "applicators license" to use
herbicides. Who issues that license?

The *******s treated my neighbor's back yard last week, and they sprayed
2,4-d through the fence and into my vegetable garden. I recognized the
twisted new growth as being herbicide damage before I even found the
little ChemLawn sign in their front yard.

While I was writing down the phone number from the little sign, another
neighbor came by and said he's complained to ChemLawn before about them
leaving Weed-n-Feed granules all over the sidewalk when they were done.

Bob


Chemlawn got me a few years ago, here's what happened:

http://www.dontveter.com/howtogrow/chemlawn.html

Don Tveter

--
************************************************** **********************
The Pattern Recognition Basis of Artificial Intelligence
Backpropagator's Review NN freeware for UNIX and PCs
A Professional BP Version for X and Windows
************************************************** **********************
Don Tveter http://www.dontveter.com
************************************************** **********************
  #17   Report Post  
Old 19-07-2004, 09:03 PM
Warren
 
Posts: n/a
Default Who regulates lawn services? (ChemLawn)

Doug Kanter wrote:

Nonsense. If the suits cared about these things, they'd hire people

who can
tell the difference between dandelions and zucchini. The best thing to

do is
keep the local franchise on edge with as much legal terror and bad

publicity
as possible. There is no other way. You're dealing with an industry

which
has no scruples.


If they have no scruples, then they probably also believe in the old
adage that there is no such thing as *bad* publicity.

"Bad" publicity puts your name in front of people who haven't heard it
before.
"Bad" publicity lets people know that someone does the service that they
do.
"Bad" publicity raises awareness of you in the market place.

The only way this "bad" publicity will hurt them is if existing
customers cancel their contracts (which they probably can't). The *bad*
publicity is likely to get them new customers. Why? Because not everyone
will be sympathetic with the protagonist in our story. There will be
people out there who'll say, "This guy was an idiot to plant his
vegetables so close to the property line. You know, I need help with my
lawn. I think I'll call them."

If you're going to take this into the court of public opinion, before
you give the company _any_ publicity, you need to raise awareness about
the harm their sprays do, and how the alternatives are less expensive,
easier, and more effective. You have to get the court of public opinion
to get on your side before you give the company publicity.

As long as there is a significant number of people out there who still
believe in better lawns through chemicals, the *bad* publicity you give
the company isn't going to hurt them, nor will it help you. It'll do
nothing for you, and help them become better known. Free advertising
thanks to you.

Before taking anything to the court of public opinion, you need to stop
and think about how other people think. There are plenty of people out
there who don't think logically. There are plenty of people who have
opinions other than you. There are plenty of people who'll get the wrong
message unless you know how to spin things right.

You can't just toss a couple of facts out there, and hope people will
come to the right conclusion. You must prep them to come to that
conclusion long before you reveal the facts of the situation. And in
this case, every time people go to the Home and Garden sections of
retailers, they see plenty of chemicals. The court of public opinion is
being swayed to believe that chemicals are normal. You have to change
that nearly completely before your complaint against ChemLawn will gain
enough favor in the court of public opinion to actually hurt ChemLawn. A
majority opinion isn't enough. Those with the minority opinion are still
potential customers for ChemLawn, and your case is not *bad* publicity.
It's advertising for them.

Talk to the neighbors. Talk to the company. Report the company to any
agency that will listen. But don't take it to the court of public
opinion, and don't use that as a threat when talking to the company.

Instead, if you really feel the need to address the court of public
opinion, start by showing the benefits of not using chemicals. In a few
years, public opinion may shift, and ChemLawn will loose customers.
Don't just jump out there and start giving them free advertising now.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Blatant Plug: Get Black and Decker Landscaping Tools He
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/blac...ker/index.html



  #18   Report Post  
Old 19-07-2004, 10:02 PM
Doug Kanter
 
Posts: n/a
Default Who regulates lawn services? (ChemLawn)

"Warren" wrote in message
news:ZNUKc.134227$XM6.118701@attbi_s53...

You have to get the court of public opinion
to get on your side before you give the company publicity.


It only requires one judge to issue an injunction, which stops the current
practice in its tracks on a specific piece of property. The rest is gravy.


  #19   Report Post  
Old 20-07-2004, 05:04 AM
Ray
 
Posts: n/a
Default Who regulates lawn services? (ChemLawn)


"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Ray" wrote in message
...


A company wide memo telling the sprayers to be careful will help

lots of
people. The company suits don't want bad publicity, so they are

very
likely to hand down orders 'from on high'.


Ray Drouillard


Nonsense. If the suits cared about these things, they'd hire people

who can
tell the difference between dandelions and zucchini. The best thing to

do is
keep the local franchise on edge with as much legal terror and bad

publicity
as possible. There is no other way. You're dealing with an industry

which
has no scruples.



The suits care about profit. It would cost more to hire non-idiots, but
handing down a memo is almost free.


Ray



  #20   Report Post  
Old 20-07-2004, 06:02 AM
Doug Kanter
 
Posts: n/a
Default Who regulates lawn services? (ChemLawn)


"Ray" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Ray" wrote in message
...


A company wide memo telling the sprayers to be careful will help

lots of
people. The company suits don't want bad publicity, so they are

very
likely to hand down orders 'from on high'.


Ray Drouillard


Nonsense. If the suits cared about these things, they'd hire people

who can
tell the difference between dandelions and zucchini. The best thing to

do is
keep the local franchise on edge with as much legal terror and bad

publicity
as possible. There is no other way. You're dealing with an industry

which
has no scruples.



The suits care about profit. It would cost more to hire non-idiots, but
handing down a memo is almost free.


Ray


Good for the suits, but not you and I, and our children. The idiots they
hire can't read, so a memo is pointless.




  #21   Report Post  
Old 20-07-2004, 06:02 AM
Hound Dog
 
Posts: n/a
Default Who regulates lawn services? (ChemLawn)


"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...
I figure they must have a commercial "applicators license" to use
herbicides. Who issues that license?

The *******s treated my neighbor's back yard last week, and they sprayed
2,4-d through the fence and into my vegetable garden. I recognized the
twisted new growth as being herbicide damage before I even found the
little ChemLawn sign in their front yard.

While I was writing down the phone number from the little sign, another
neighbor came by and said he's complained to ChemLawn before about them
leaving Weed-n-Feed granules all over the sidewalk when they were done.

Bob


Perhaps your neighbor should have treated his own lawn, then your entire
garden may have been ruined.



  #22   Report Post  
Old 20-07-2004, 09:04 AM
Bob
 
Posts: n/a
Default Who regulates lawn services? (ChemLawn)


"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...

One thing I was unclear of from your post: did you actually

see the
ChemLawn guy spraying or do you just have a strong suspicion?

(I'm not
doubting that it happened as you say it did, but I also know

that in court
you'd need more than strong circumstantial evidence in a

situation like
this.)


I have strong circumstantial evidence, but IMHO physical

evidence is
stronger than the testimony of one eye witness. Ideally, I

would have
videotape, or physical evidence plus a half-dozen eye

witnesses... but
if I'd known ahead of time that this was going to happen I

could have
confronted the guy.

I like the idea of catching him on video next time, but I don't

have the
means to do that. I may try to find out when they are coming

back to
this neighborhood and plan to be home that day.

Meanwhile, I can complain to whoever issued their business

license,
franchise, pesticide license, etc. If any of these are

suspended for a
while, they could lose a lot of customers when they can't

fullfill their
season-long lawn service contracts.


A number of years ago, An old man across the street sprayed a
shrub in his neighbor's yard he didn't like with herbicide. A
tree sprayer hired by the neighbor noticed the damage, and after
questioning the neighbor, reported the action to the state E.P.A.
They came out and gave a stern talking to the old man.

Would you really consider anything grown after being sprayed with
2,4,d to be something you'd feed to your family. I'd consider the
entire area to be contaminated, requiring replacement of the soil
before use for a vegetable garden.

Bob


  #23   Report Post  
Old 20-07-2004, 04:03 PM
Doug Kanter
 
Posts: n/a
Default Who regulates lawn services? (ChemLawn)


"Bob" wrote in message
newsO2Lc.120942$MB3.32604@attbi_s04...

"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...

One thing I was unclear of from your post: did you actually

see the
ChemLawn guy spraying or do you just have a strong suspicion?

(I'm not
doubting that it happened as you say it did, but I also know

that in court
you'd need more than strong circumstantial evidence in a

situation like
this.)


I have strong circumstantial evidence, but IMHO physical

evidence is
stronger than the testimony of one eye witness. Ideally, I

would have
videotape, or physical evidence plus a half-dozen eye

witnesses... but
if I'd known ahead of time that this was going to happen I

could have
confronted the guy.

I like the idea of catching him on video next time, but I don't

have the
means to do that. I may try to find out when they are coming

back to
this neighborhood and plan to be home that day.

Meanwhile, I can complain to whoever issued their business

license,
franchise, pesticide license, etc. If any of these are

suspended for a
while, they could lose a lot of customers when they can't

fullfill their
season-long lawn service contracts.


A number of years ago, An old man across the street sprayed a
shrub in his neighbor's yard he didn't like with herbicide. A
tree sprayer hired by the neighbor noticed the damage, and after
questioning the neighbor, reported the action to the state E.P.A.
They came out and gave a stern talking to the old man.

Would you really consider anything grown after being sprayed with
2,4,d to be something you'd feed to your family. I'd consider the
entire area to be contaminated, requiring replacement of the soil
before use for a vegetable garden.

Bob



I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds this kind of thing outrageous.


  #24   Report Post  
Old 20-07-2004, 08:02 PM
Chelsea Christenson
 
Posts: n/a
Default Who regulates lawn services? (ChemLawn)

zxcvbob wrote:
I figure they must have a commercial "applicators license" to use
herbicides. Who issues that license?


Aside from the licensing issue, you might also complain to the Better
Business Bureau.

  #25   Report Post  
Old 22-07-2004, 02:03 AM
Ray
 
Posts: n/a
Default Who regulates lawn services? (ChemLawn)


"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...
Bill R wrote:
zxcvbob wrote:

I figure they must have a commercial "applicators license" to use
herbicides. Who issues that license?

The *******s treated my neighbor's back yard last week, and they
sprayed 2,4-d through the fence and into my vegetable garden. I
recognized the twisted new growth as being herbicide damage before

I
even found the little ChemLawn sign in their front yard.

While I was writing down the phone number from the little sign,
another neighbor came by and said he's complained to ChemLawn

before
about them leaving Weed-n-Feed granules all over the sidewalk when
they were done.

Bob




Bob,

Sorry to hear about your garden. Most states regulate the lawn care
industry but, in most cases, the "safe use" of herbicides is not

done
very well. You may also check with your county, some have some
regulations that they must follow.

One way to deal with companies like that is to sue them in small

claims
court (sometimes not worth the trouble). If you have a local TV

station
that has a "consumer affairs" person, it may be worth it to call

them
and see if they will do a story on them (especially if the lawn

company
gives you any "lip", which they OFTEN do).



This would not be worth suing, because I can't really prove much
economic damage, and it's not very spectacular. The plants may or may
not grow out of the damage, and it's just a few plants affected -- all
my yellow squash and maybe a few of my tomatoes and peppers, but the
tomatoes and peppers have just about recovered. Only the squash was
actually sprayed, and a little drift or overspray onto some

raspberries.
They must have used an ester formulation rather than amine, and the
tomatoes and peppers just got a whiff of it.

I think I'd get more satisfaction treating this as an EPA thing or a
criminal tresspass issue; I don't think I could get anyone to take the
criminal complaint seriously, but the regulatory issues should fly if

I
can find the right agency to complaint to.

I'm having enough trouble this year with rabbits, squirrels, roaming
cats, and cool nights. I don't need this kind of trouble on top of

it.
At least the beans look good and they are growing faster than the
rabbits can eat them.

Best regards,
Bob



Getting money from them isn't the point. The point is that they have to
pay someone (not a lawyer) to go to small claims court and deal with the
issue. This should result in a company-wide memo warning their sprayers
to avoid gardens.

This will not only keep it from happening to you again, it'll help a
whole lot of other gardeners.



Ray Drouillard







  #26   Report Post  
Old 22-07-2004, 08:04 AM
Don Tveter
 
Posts: n/a
Default Who regulates lawn services? (ChemLawn)

zxcvbob wrote:
I figure they must have a commercial "applicators license" to use
herbicides. Who issues that license?

The *******s treated my neighbor's back yard last week, and they sprayed
2,4-d through the fence and into my vegetable garden. I recognized the
twisted new growth as being herbicide damage before I even found the
little ChemLawn sign in their front yard.

While I was writing down the phone number from the little sign, another
neighbor came by and said he's complained to ChemLawn before about them
leaving Weed-n-Feed granules all over the sidewalk when they were done.

Bob


Chemlawn got me a few years ago, here's what happened:

http://www.dontveter.com/howtogrow/chemlawn.html

Don Tveter

--
************************************************** **********************
The Pattern Recognition Basis of Artificial Intelligence
Backpropagator's Review NN freeware for UNIX and PCs
A Professional BP Version for X and Windows
************************************************** **********************
Don Tveter http://www.dontveter.com
************************************************** **********************
Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Pesticide services in Bangalore | Pest control services in Attibele [email protected] Orchids 0 30-11-2016 01:30 PM
Who regulates lawn services? (ChemLawn) zxcvbob Gardening 32 27-07-2004 06:27 AM
Who regulates lawn services? (ChemLawn) zxcvbob Edible Gardening 6 26-07-2004 09:02 PM
are lawn services worth it? Heidi North Carolina 3 13-07-2004 12:02 AM
apology: are lawn services worth it? Heidi North Carolina 0 12-07-2004 12:03 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 02:32 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 GardenBanter.co.uk.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about Gardening"

 

Copyright © 2017