POLICIES & PROCEDURES
At Fiske Brothers Yardworks we strive to make your lawn look the very best that it can throughout the season. This page explains our methods and procedures related to your lawn.
Satisfaction Guaranteed. First and foremost, we want you to be favorably impressed with the way we take care of your lawn. The bottom line is this: if you’re not happy with our work, you don’t pay. We’re proud to say that the Better Business Bureau has never received a complaint about Fiske Brothers Yardworks. That doesn’t mean that we don’t make mistakes, but if something does go wrong, we’ll make every effort to deal with it to your satisfaction.
Recycling Mowers. Fiske Brothers Yardworks uses advanced recycling mowers that cut grass blades multiple times, leaving very small clippings that disappear into the turf and decompose within a few days. You won’t see grass clippings on the surface of your lawn, nor will they in any way contribute to excess thatch. “Recycling” the grass clippings helps your lawn retain moisture, nitrogen, and other micronutrients that would otherwise be hauled off to a landfill. Moreover, the decomposing clippings provide mulch that holds water, which might otherwise run off or evaporate before it could be absorbed.
Catching the Grass. Despite the advantages of recycling mowers, there are times when our crew leaders may determine that it is necessary to catch and bag your grass. Mowing excessively long or wet grass without a catcher will sometimes result in unsightly and unhealthy clippings remaining on the surface. In those instances, we’ll catch the grass and leave the bags for your trash collector.
Cutting Height. We’ll use our best judgment about how short to cut your lawn, basing our decision on appearance, type of grass, and the health of the turf. We typically raise the mowers during the hottest parts of the summer, to help your lawn retain moisture. Feel free to let us know if you want it cut shorter or left longer at any time.
Trimming & Edging. “Trimming” means to cut the grass in areas inaccessible to the mowers, at the same height. “Edging” means to cut grass that would otherwise grow horizontally over the top of driveways and sidewalks. We perform both of these tasks every time we mow.
Start and End of Mowing Season. We typically start mowing around the middle of April. Of course, if your lawn doesn’t need to be mowed, we will wait until it does. The mowing season for your lawn will end when one of two things happens: (1) you tell us to stop, or (2) we determine that it’s done for the year. Due to slower growth and possible snow in October, we may skip two or more weeks before your final mowing, which means the last one could occur in November.
Your Day for Mowing. For most of the growing season, we will mow your lawn the same day every week. If you should need to make an exception (for example, if you’re having a wedding reception in your yard), please let us know as early as possible so that we can accommodate your schedule.
Weather Delays. Occasional afternoon thundershowers can sometimes mean that we will mow your lawn a day later than normal. Extended periods of rain or snow can create delays of several days, especially in the spring. Please be aware that even if the sun is shining on your day, we may be significantly behind schedule due to weather delays from preceding days. Under those circumstances, we ask for your patience as we work hard to get caught up; but don’t hesitate to contact us if you have an urgent need.
Skipped Weeks. During the hottest and/or driest parts of the season, grass grows slower than it does in the spring, which means that your lawn may not need to be mowed every week. If we observe that it hasn’t grown much since the previous cutting, we will skip a week and not charge you. Similarly, we may mow parts of the lawn (e.g., front yard only), and charge you a reduced price. If you determine that your lawn doesn’t need to be mowed, or if you definitely do not want us to skip your lawn, please contact us the day before we arrive.
Fertilizer, Revive, and Your Sidewalks & Driveways. Both Richlawn fertilizers and Revive Soil Treatment contain iron, which is essential to a healthy lawn in Colorado. Unfortunately, when iron gets wet, it rusts, creating the possibility of stains on your concrete. We try very hard to blow all fertilizer and soil treatment granules off of those surfaces to avoid stains, but it is sometimes impossible to be 100% successful in that effort. We cannot guarantee that there will not be any stains.
Special Requests/Problems. We’re always happy to talk with you about changes in the way we’re mowing or trimming, and to respond to your requests. Should you have serious concerns regarding any aspect of our work, please contact our office so that we can ensure that your issues are being dealt with appropriately.
Our employees try hard to do their work carefully, but unfortunately, accidents do happen occasionally. It is our firm policy to repair or replace any of your property that we damage, and we carry insurance for such events. If any damage occurs and we cannot repair it immediately, we will let you know our plans to take care of the problem. In the unlikely event that we cause damage without realizing it (e.g., breaking a sprinkler head), please contact our office as soon as possible and we will address the issue immediately.
Billing. We bill monthly, and invoices will be emailed to you soon after the end of each month. We accept checks, credit card and ACH (bank account) payments. A link to pay your bill online will be included with your monthly invoice. A 3% processing fee will be applied to all credit card payments and a 1% fee will be applied to all ACH payments. If mailing a check, please note the invoice number on your check to make sure your payment is credited correctly. Invoices are due upon receipt. If your payment has not been received by the last day of the month, your account will be charged interest (22% APR), and a late fee of $25.