Is it ethical to make a decision for someone based on what you think

[Horse with no Name]

about the situation?
This is really strange.
I have a very large yard. The guy who has been mowing it for the last several years got a new job--and is working too much overtime and doesn't have time to do it anymore.
There are two guys who want to do it.
One is a middle-aged guy who has a lawn service. He has riding mowers, blowers, weedeaters, etc.
But there is an elderly man who has asked to do it with a push mower. He said he would do all the trimming and sweeping, etc.
My guess is that it will take 4-6 hours to do it this way.
I can't afford to pay what would be fair compensation for that much work under those conditions, even though he is asking a little less than the lawn service.
I'm torn with thinking that this guy REALLY must need the money to want to do it. But on the other hand, with the Texas heat, the man's age, and the size of the yard--I am feeling like it is way too much to expect from this man for not enough money.

[NNadir]

1. I would give the old man the job.

[fooj]

3. Me, too.

No question.

[MadMaddie]

2. Sometimes business owners have to make decisons...

like cutting prices to get good customers....short term it may hurt him but long term if you stay with him it will even itself out...

I say give him a try....maybe tell him you want the most basic of service....

Just my two cents...

[MissWaverly]

4. get the lawn service

Okay, I did this myself, I hired a guy, the problem was that I felt sorry for him, he started
coming around more often because I gave him a big tip and then the quality went down. With a
service, you are not commited. The guy rides around and you don't have to worry about someone
having a heart attack while cutting your yard. I am thinking of getting a service for my
backyard to do the major cutting and pruning and cleaning the beds.

[Horse with no Name]

5. That is seriously what I am worried about

My yard is close to an acre.
The mildest times of day are around 6 in the am and 6 in the evening. My neighbors would stroke if someone started mowing at 6am.
No matter what he does, he would have to be mowing when it was realllly hot outside.
The guy is in his 70's.
I just don't feel good about it.

[MissWaverly]

9. Please, listen it does not work

If you feel sorry for him, ask him if he can prune, maybe you can have him do that and let
the service do the big stuff. I know what everyone says but already you are thinking of his
needs not your own. You are the homeowner, it's your needs that should be met as effortlessly
as possible. If you think you feel bad now telling him no, think how you would feel next year when he has come to rely on the income.

[Horse with no Name]

14. I know

tough decision, but if I don't make a decision tomorrow--chances are my neighbors are going to show up at my door with torches and pitchforks,lol.
I've been waiting for the other guy.
Regardless of what I do--it is going to cost me at least $30-40 more a month than I was already paying. Who knows?
I may just go buy a lawnmower and do it myself.:shrug:
Thanks for the input.

[fed-up]

11. He can prune, trim, rake in the early am, then mow at 7am, push mowers are

quiet....

[cherokeeprogressive]

16. Wow. Your yard is close to an acre?

That's a lot of land. I can't afford even 1/16 of an acre here in So. Cal. I need to move to Anarchy, wherever that is. I bet it takes a lot of water to keep your grass green, no? Sounds like you're doing pretty good for yourself. Just how much water does it take to keep an acre of grass green? In a place where it's advisable not to work strenuously between the morning and evening hours, it must get hot hot hot. I bet you use a lot of drinkable water keeping that nice lawn green... I'm betting it prolly takes a lot of gas to operate a mower long enough to mow that much grass as well. And hey, aren't lawnmowers a major source of hydrocarbon pollution? Not to mention the gas-powered weed-eater needed to make the edges of such a large lot look good...

I'm just sayin'.

[Horse with no Name]

17. I don't put an ounce of water that doesn't fall from the sky on it

:)When we have a lot of rain, my lawn is gorgeous, when we don't--not so much.
And actually, the usable part of my lawn is close to an acre.
I have another acre of land that I don't use.
We have city ordinances.
If I don't mow my lawn--I get fined heavily and the city sends in someone to mow it anyway.
We have a 4 animal ordinance--I already have 3 cats and a dog.
I can't put sheep or goats out there.
We all just do the best we can, eh?
I live in a small farming community of less than 3,000 people.
You can buy a nice 3,000 sq ft house on 2 acres for less than $75k.
It's all a tradeoff for the lifestyle.

[cherokeeprogressive]

20. It's a lifestyle I'd like to live and I don't begrudge you for living it

I do however, envy you. If I had an acre of my own, I could feed a town methinks. Maybe I could put three people to work growing/tending/harvesting veggies rather than the one it takes to make it pretty by keeping it mowed.

Three K sq ft in a house, and two acres... we can save the world with enough plots like that.

Just where is Anarchy, anyway? I'm looking to spend the retirement I earned as a teacher... and I'd like to spend it by living nicely, and feeding the community as well as putting a few folks to work.

[MissWaverly]

25. don't let people snark you

I live in a city row house, and I bought the house from a guy who had vegetable garden
planted in the back which brought a ton of rats and mice who saw it as their own personal buffet, who wants to deal with that. If you want a lawn, fine, that's what I have, the grass
holds the soil down and keeps it from running into the Chesapeake which they tell us is very
bad for the bay. PS don't tell anyone here where you live, bad idea.

[TomInTib]

6. Give him a chance, Horse..

This could prove to be a point of pride for the older guy.

Let him know that it's OK to lay back if he becomes overtaxed by the heat.

The lawn service has plenty of work.

I am from Texas and all the old guys I know (and I am quickly approaching their number) know how to handle the heat and how to take care of themselves.

Sounds like he needs the work (or the productive time).

Make some lemonade and learn from the old guy.

That's my take, anyway.

on edt: If you are absolutely anal about your lawn or just want them in and out, get the lawn service.

[Toucano]

7. Hire the old man.

He may REALLY need the money, or he just wants to be useful and is giving you a discount because he either doesn't know the market value of his labor or he thinks YOU really need the money.

You can always give him a tip when you pay for the service. Tips have the added bonus of improving a persons self-esteem.

[MuseRider]

8. I would hire the old guy

and make certain I had plenty of cool drinks for him and a place to sit in the shade.

[fed-up]

10. Out here in CA we do outside work in the AM to beat the heat-

Try out the older man, you won't be disturbed by the sound of gas/electric mowers and blowers. It will use less fossil fuels.

If it doesn't work out with the older guy, you can always sign up with a service, there always around!

Good luck.

[sandnsea]

12. Split it up

I like that other person's idea. Let the old man do some of the lighter trimming and hire the service for the rest. If the old man works out, you can switch up more of the work later. Just tell him the truth, you're worried about his health and you couldn't live with yourself if he had a heart attack in your yard. If he needs the money, maybe you'll find out a bit more of his story and be able to direct him to some social services. It isn't your obligation, but going an extra step is what civilization is all about.

[Horse with no Name]

13. Definitely one I am going to have to sleep on

I feel incredibly torn over a situation that should be an easy one to make.
Thanks for the input.

[niyad]

15. why not look at the ecological view of this, which nobody has really

mentioned. riding mowers, and all those other tools, are GAS hogs, not to mention noxious and obnoxious. a push mower is the ecological way to deal with things.

also, just because the guy is 70 does not necessarily mean he is incapacitated or decrepit in any way. are you making an ageist assumption here?

I say, give the older man, the one who isn't going to foul the air with noise and noxious fumes, a chance. he just may surprise you.

[Horse with no Name]

18. Not making ageist assumptions at all

I'm a Nurse.
I am pretty informed on these types of things.
I know that ANYONE who overexerts themselves and exposes themselves in the heat is going to have problems.
Now if the elderly man had a riding lawnmower, I wouldn't think anything about it--because it would limit his exposure and exertion.
When I say push mower--you do realize it runs on gas, right?

[niyad]

19. no, I assumed you actually meant a PUSH mower--one that requires no

gas.

[mikelewis]

24. You want to shackle a 70 year old man to a push mower?

You know that's insane, don't you? You might as well put a bullet in him right now. Why torture him first?

Can't we just adjust Social Security to reflect the rise of inflation? This way the 70 year old man can stay home and watch the Price is Right and the younger people can work to bring home food for their families? Oh wait, sorry, wrong country... America doesn't give a fuck about old people.

[MissWaverly]

26. I assume you meant a gas mower

But an acre is a big lot that's what my sister had 1 acre for yard and 1 acre where she kept
their horse which was more of a meadow, it's a big job and it would need done every week.

[phylny]

21. Have you discussed this with him?

Explain to him how and why you're conflicted, and if you want to give him the job, tell him that you'd like to do it on a trial basis. That way, you get to see how he does his work, if you think it taxes him too much, and you have an easier out should you decide it's not working the way you want it to.

[mtnsnake]

22. Don't underestimate the old guy

He's probably proud of his work, enjoys working, and he might pleasantly surprise you and do as good or better a job than the lawn service.

[mikelewis]

23. Hire both...

Hire the lawn service to do a bare bones quick cut then bring in the old man to do the finishing and landscaping. Pulling weeds, laying down mulch, watering flowers, planting small shrubs, weed-eatering (all hail, a new word is born), and various other yard duties should be light enough for him and cheap enough for you. Also, this way if one of them fails you, the other will be able to take up the slack without any undue stress on your part.