Service FAQ
Do you only offer weekly mowing services?
Technically, yes. To ensure the healthiest, best looking lawn, we only want to cut off 1/3 of the grass at a time. Any more than this leads to potential problems. During the hot, dry months, the lawn will probably not need weekly mowing, but we'll let you know.
So you won't consider a bi-weekly schedule?
No is such a harsh word. We will happily mow bi-weekly schedules as our schedule allows. Please be aware that waiting two weeks to mow grass is not recommended for the grass's health and appearance. Also, bi-weekly mowing puts you more at risk of the dreaded high grass surcharge.
What if I only need you to mow once?
We have a deal for you! We call it the Take a Vacation package. If you are going on vacation, your mower is broken down, you want to surprise a loved one with the gift of leisure, or for any reason you can think, we can set you up for a single mowing or a few mowings. Just be honest with the Uncle Onion's True Price. The overgrown lawn price is cheaper than the high grass surcharge, and less of a pain.
Fees and Surcharges FAQ
What is the high grass surcharge?
The dreaded high grass surcharge. We hate this charge as much as anyone, and apply it sparingly. It protects us from unexpected extra labor on our employees, wear and tear on our equipment, and ensures our time is being applied efficiently. See our Terms and Conditions (link at the bottom of every webpage on our site) for details. In short, it will be applied if we thought we were cutting 1/3 of the blade (a normal cut, in other words), but we arrive to find out that we actually have to cut more than half the blade of the grass, or if we have to perform extra labor, such as weed eating the grass before mowing. We have high standards for how your lawn looks when we are finished. The high grass surcharge is $125 an hour on top of the quoted price.
Will you notify me before charging the high grass surcharge?
Absolutely! In every case, you will be notified before we apply the high grass surcharge. We won't be able to provide you with an exact price, but we'll explain the charges and give you our best guess as to how long it will take and how much it will cost. If you decide to cancel, we will try to accomodate you and not charge you. But we do reserve the right to charge the quoted price even if you cancel.
Will I get charged the high grass surcharge if you reschedule due to weather?
NO! The high grass surcharge is usually applied to new clients that have higher grass than they told us about in their Uncle Onion's True Price. It can also be applied to bi-weekly clients even on their normal mowing schedule (this is rare, but it's better to mow weekly). You will not be charged a high grass surcharge for any of the following reasons (see our Terms and Conditions for more details): - We reschedule you for ANY reason, including weather. -We can't get to you within a week of you contacting us. -You tell us during the Uncle Onion's True Price your grass is high (what we would consider an overgrown lawn, which has a separate pricing structure.). -If we get the Uncle Onion's True Price wrong. See the FAQ on this topic. -If we are having a bad day and it takes us longer to mow your lawn than we anticipated. Please keep in mind we try to never charge the high grass surcharge.
My grass is really high, and I told you about it in my Uncle Onion's True Price. Should I worry about being charged the high grass surcharge?
NO! We try to never charge the high grass surcharge, but if you told us your grass is high, we already took that into consideration. Even if we got the quote wrong, we will never charge you a high grass surcharge if you warned us ahead of time. We have a different pricing structure for overgrown lawns than we do for normal lawns. Overgrown lawns are those that have not been mowed in a while and the grass is really tall or thick. These are the types of lawns where we will need to use the string trimmer (weed eater) to cut the lawn down before we can mow it, or we'll need to mow over it twice. Instead of an Uncle Onion's True Price, we give estimates for overgrown lawns. The price is $115 an hour, beginning when we park our truck and ending when we close the job, just before we drive away. It's usually best to call or email us about overgrown lawns so we can go see it to give you an estimate that's as accurate as possible. Just like all of our jobs, overgrown lawns are charged as soon as we are finished. If you get on our scheduled services, you'll get an Uncle Onion's True Price that is much more reasonable than $115 an hour for the remainder of your normal mowings.
If my yard can't be mowed and I forgot to notify you the day before, what happens?
Our Terms and Conditions say we can charge you if we arrive to the yard and aren't able to mow it. We'll try not to do this to you, but be prepared to be charged the full service price if you forgot to cancel. See our Terms and Conditions for our policy on yards that aren't ready or are inaccessible. In summary, if we can't access the yard (e.g., car blocking our entrance into the yard, the guard at your gated community won't let us in, etc.), or any portion of the yard (i.e., locked gate), we reserve the right to still be paid for our time. If a gate is locked, we'll still mow the areas we can access. We will not hop curbs with our zero turn mower (ZTR) to access your yard if there are cars in the driveway. If we have to mow with the push mower, we will, but we'll charge for our extra time. You'll be notified in any situation where we are charging you for not being able to access the yard. You'll have a reasonable amount of time, as our schedule allows, to grant us access. To avoid this headache on yourself, please ensure the following before we arrive: -Most of the pet waste is picked up. We won't mow if our equipment is going to be covered in pet waste. -Have large amounts of garbage and litter removed from the mowing area before we arrive. -Provide safe, clear access to your lawn without us having to cross curbs (if we normally mow with the ZTR). -Ensure there are no safety hazards that could endanger you, our staff, or our equipment. See our Terms and Conditions for more information.
Uncle Onion's True Price FAQ
What is Uncle Onion's True Price?
Uncle Onion's True Price is our system for giving quotes. We don't give estimates, we give true prices. Uncle Onion's True Price is such an accurate system, we guarantee it for the season. The price you get in your Uncle Onion's True Price is the price you pay for the rest of the year. We usually have your Uncle Onion's True Price to you the same day you asked for it. We always get it to you within 24 hours if you filled out the form later in the day.
How can Uncle Onion's True Price be so accurate without seeing my yard?
For regular mowing services, we use a little magic, plus some math and science to measure your yard with satellite imagery. Based on the measurement of your mowing area, we can give a very accurate price.
Most of the other guys I've called need to come see the yard, shouldn't you come look at it?
We have our system dialed in so well, we don't need to visit your yard, in most cases. Only for overgrown estimates or if you have a unique situation, would we need to see the yard. Our process saves you time and is so much more convenient for you. You don't have to set aside time in your day to meet with us, and you get your quote well before the other guys have even had time to come see your yard. Of course, if you prefer we come meet with you, we definitely will!
How do I get my Uncle Onion's True Price?
You have three options for getting your Uncle Onion's True Price. 1. Complete the short Uncle Onion's True Price Form on our website. 2. Call us and we'll give you your Uncle Onion's True Price right over the phone. It only takes a few minutes, then we'll email your Uncle Onion's True Price so you have it in writing. 3. In person. Call us to schedule a visit to your yard, or meet with us at a festival. We'll be at the Fredericksburg Earth Day festival every April. Keep an eye on our website for other festivals and events where you can find us. If you see us out mowing your neighbors or driving around, flag us down!
What will you do with my contact info after I give it to you?
We only use your contact info to contact you for your Uncle Onion's True Price. If we don't hear from you within a week, we'll send you an email reminder. If you've opted into our email list, we'll send you periodic updates about our services and seasonal lawn care tips. We won't call you or come knocking on your door unless we need more information for your Uncle Onion's True Price. When you sign up for our services, we'll need your phone number in case we need to contact you about your service. See our Privacy Policy linked at the bottom of every page of our website for more details.
Schedule FAQ
What if the grass doesn't need to be cut on my scheduled day or it is raining?
Our goal is take lawn care off your mind. There is no need for you to cancel or reschedule your service because the grass hasn't grown much or for weather. We'll take care of it!
If I'm on a weekly schedule, will I be charged every week even if you don't mow?
Great question! NO! This is why the weekly schedule is so great. If your lawn doesn't need to be mowed, we simply skip it and come back next week. You are NOT charged if we don't mow.
Can I cancel or reschedule service?
Yes! If your regurlarly scheduled date isn't good for you for a particular week, just let us know at least the day before. Notifify us at least a few days in advance and we'll try to get to you early. If you are on a weekly schedule, don't cancel to try to save a few bucks. The high grass surcharge could haunt you the following week if you don't reschdule us within a few days.
How do I know when you are coming?
There are a few ways. First, we will always come on the same day of the week, unless you need to reschedule or there is a rain delay. Second, you can see your schedule in your customer portal. Third, we send an email the day before to remind you! You can reply to the reminder email to reschedule, cancel, or ask questions.
Payment and Customer Portal FAQ
How do I pay you?
We keep your credit card on file through Swipe, a secure, payment processing service. Your credit card information is not stored by us. See our Privacy Policy for more details. We use an app to "log into" your job, and "log out" when we are finished. When we log out of your job, your payment method is automatically charged and you are sent a receipt.
Can I leave your payment at my house, such as a check, or pay you in cash?
No. For your convenience, we only accept credit and debit stored in your online customer portal. This keeps you from missing services because you forgot to leave payment, and it prevents you from having to be home while we service your lawn.
Can I prepay for services, such as at the beginning of the month?
We do not accept prepayment. This is to give you confidence that you aren't paying for the work until it's completed, and it prevents mistakes on our end from failing to give you credits when the lawn didn't get mowed. We've found it's much easier for you and for us to just charge you when the work is completed.
What is the online customer portal?
Your online portal is a single place for you to manage your Uncle Onion's account. From your portal, you can manage your payment method, see your service schedule, see previous receipts, see your payment history, and contact us. You can also see photos of your yard that we post before and after every servivce to give you peace of mind that you got what you paid for.
I'm not receiving invoices, what should I do?
You can find all invoices in your portal, but if you prefer to have invoices emailed to you as we finish your services, go to Settings in your portal and select Receive Invoices Via Email.
How do I update my credit card information?
In your customer portal, go to Settings, then click on your payment method. This will take you to a screen where you can update your payment information.