A Snowy Mess Led To A $600 Deal — But The Real Drama Came After It Was Done

Last week, a Redditor found themselves unexpectedly dealing with a snowy mess after heavy snowfall caused large tree branches to crash onto both their driveway and their neighbor's. Instead of the picturesque winter scene everyone dreams of, it turned into an unplanned DIY obstacle course. The story reveals not just the challenges of snow cleanup, but also the ensuing drama that unfolded after an agreement was reached with the landscaper.

The cleanup was completed, the $600 was paid immediately, and… then nothing.

AI-generated image

The Situation

Here's the original post by Reddit user u/beauchomps.

Background: Last week there was somewhat heavy snowfall where I live. As a result a few large branches snapped off my trees and fell across both my driveway and my neighbor's driveway. My neighbor then called his usual landscaper to come out for emergency cleanup. The initial quote was for $600, however when the landscaper showed up he changed his tune and indicated that it was $600 only for my neighbor's driveway and then $3000 to prune the trees back.After some negotiation we agreed on two phases - $600 to clean up **all** the fallen branches from both driveways (same day) and then once the snow melted another $2000 for additional pruning work. That day he and his gardener completed the cleanup and we paid him the $600 immediately. Then after that, there was no follow up or scheduling for several days despite the snow completely melting away. Since my neighbor wanted it handled quickly, I reached out to a certified arborist who quoted $1k and could start immediately.After some discussion with my neighbor and ensuring he would inform his gardener we decided to move forward. Now the issue - when the original landscaper was informed, he suddenly demanded an additional $400 for the cleanup work which he had already completed, indicating that since he wasn't getting the second job he needed more money.

I told him that it wasn't part of the agre...[truncated]

Let's see how the Reddit community reacted.

moonhrafn

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How the Community Responded

You snooze, you lose.

Arbonara

Report him to the police.

Iron_Avenger2020

It was his choice not to follow through.

ThatTotal2020

u/username123: "NTA."

u/username456: "That's way too much to start with."

u/username789: "Might be time to put some cameras up."

u/username321: "Report him!"

u/username654: "Racist people deserve to be poor."

u/username987: "If anything, he owes you money!"

u/username543: "He threatened you."

As the community weighed in, it became clear that opinions were divided. While many sided with the Redditor, emphasizing the importance of sticking to agreements, others questioned the landscaper's behavior and professionalism.

Be prepared for retaliation.

HeverAfter

u/username1001: "YTA."

The Takeaway

At the end of the day, the Redditor believes they stuck to the agreement-and anything beyond that simply wasn't part of the deal. But with tempers flaring and boundaries being pushed, they are now left wondering: was this just business, or did things cross a line?

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