I agree WR, a worthwhile discussion could ensue. Personally I am never compelled in the first place and this is how I deal with the problem, although somebody shorter in the tooth might do it differently. If you have the knowledge and you are engaged on that basis you must make decisions and stand by them. If a client wants something that you know to be wrong then you tell them so. If they insist then there is the end of the relationship, they will find someone else who will do it and call you to fix it later so nothing is lost.

i remember spending an hour on the phone with a lady. she contracted me to do the work then forgot that i was to do it. i show up at the house only to find some other contractor had already done work to the area. this was before i started to send a 'retainer' bill to customers now just in case of such emegency.

moral of the story is to get stuff in writting the best you can.

froggy

I always have the customer sign a bid proposal, and put a nonrefundable deposit down. The deposit is the "retail" cost of the material in cases of large jobs, or at minimum the cost of my time to meet and bid the job for small jobs.

Always have in writing what work will be done ... signed by both you and the client.

If it is unsafe .. unethical ... illegal ..or just stupid I would not do it ...

HOWEVER ... it's your clients project not yours so don't confuse your likes with what the client wants for their project ... If you love palm trees and your client hates them plant them in your yard with the profits you earn and let them plant the Roses they always wanted in their yard ... Right ?? ...

Good Day ...

If you love palm trees and your client hates them plant them in your yard with the profits you earn and let them plant the Roses they always wanted in their yard ... Right ?? ...

Well, not if they want roses in the desert but don't want to pay for proper irrigation and humidifier installation. ;)

I have a print out of trees and shrubs suitable for particular exposures in our environment. It's quite extensive to provide lots of choice for the client. I give them a copy and a list of gardens (usually front yard drive bys) where they can see the particular tree.

If they want the wrong tree in the wrong place anyways, I make a little note on their handout. No ambiguity. Some clients know the tree will grow 50 feet tall and is planted too close to another, but want quicker satisfaction or privacy and doubt if they'll be in the home in 10 years when tree size or another issue will matter. Wealthier clients often want privacy so where 3 trees might be the right spacing, 6 trees are planted. 3 'in between' can be removed in future if necessary. The key is always making a written note of why there might be, on the surface, a bad horticultural decision but the client is aware of the consequences.

"Well, not if they want roses in the desert but don't want to pay for proper irrigation and humidifier installation. ;) "

LOL ... in fact they do quite well here in the Mohave with little but standard Rose care ...

Good Day ...

I normaly will not carry out bad decisions by the client and can tell them why,they almost always will heed my advice.If they still insist,I tell them they will have to have someone else do it because I have a reputation to uphold and in our biz reputation is everything.I don't want somebody to see that bad decision and assume I made it.That kind of thing if done a few times can damage the rep you have worked hard to build .