Hi, I'm new here, but have never been known for being bashful, so I'm just gonna jump right in. Having given up the business suit and high heels, I started offering my services as a garden designer on Craigslist a couple of years ago. I make a point of telling everyone that I am NOT a landscape architect, I am a master gardener with training in design. I offer a variety of services, but the most demand has been for someone to come in and redesign areas that didn't work for whatever reason. I provide free estimates, and go to their home, take the time to do the walk around, and talk with the client to determine their needs, likes and dislikes, etc. I make sure it is within my skill level, and that their wants and expectations are within reason for the project. (NOT always an easy thing) I don't provide anyone with my "plan". As far as I am concerned, that is my working blueprint. I will give them a description that is designed to create a visual in their mind. As much as possible, I try to do this by email or in person, so there can be pictures of the specific plants I will use. I don't get terribly specific at this point. I.E. "Mary, I'm going to create for you a cottage style garden in the flowerbed to the left of the front door, that will include vibrant scarlet monarda, Crazy Lady Daisy, echinaceas, and more, carefully planned to provide you with maximum color throughout the season." Yes, it sounds like something out of a sales catalog, but I'm in the business of selling my services, not giving away my expertise. I always try and mix in common names with botanical, so they have a teaser, but don't know exactly what I am recommending until they have money on the line. Most of my clientele are NOT gardeners, and don't know a lot of even common names, much less botanical. Somewhere in every design I can utilize a catchy name, i.e. "Crazy Lady Daisy" which always gets the conversation going. I give them a price, with a breakdown of total amount for plants and materials, and total for labor. (I do my own planting, and have hired help for the heavy stuff) Only after I get a deposit, do they get an itemized invoice, listing specific plants, number of plants, and breakdown. At that point, included in the labor costs, is the number of hours I spent doing design/planning. I use the same concept for baskets and pots. Sometimes they are part of a good design, and other than not having aching knees when I'm done, it is basically the same thing. As far as your hourly rate, that comes under the "whatever the market will bear" premise. Myself, I charge a bit less than some, just to stay busy enough that I can pick and choose who I work for. If you are not worth what you charge, the public will get that point across pretty quickly, and if you are underpriced, you will figure that one out too. Good luck! I look at it as the biggest ripoff in the world. Someone is actually PAYING me money not only to dig in the dirt, but to spend their money at a garden center. Absolutely perfect!

Every manufacturer knows what parts will likely fail, and when. Some will fail within the warranty period, some will fail shortly after, and others will last for 10 years. Amana warranted the fridge for one year, no problems occurred during that one year, and the part that failed at 18 months happens to 1 out of 2,500 units while the others last for 5 years. So Amana doesn't really *have* to do anything, but they SHOULD. This is a customer loyalty issue, and they should honor this repair for those 1 out of 2,500 customers who have it. It's just courtesy. Seeing as they refuse to repair it, your only course of action is to make a lot of noise. Write a letter, be very specific about how you will never buy their brand again, will tell your friends to never buy this brand, and also mention that you've outlined your issues on Gardenweb which is routinely visited by thousands of people every day. At the bottom of the letter, copy Consumer Reports, the Better Business Bureau, your local TV station with a consumer reporter, and anyone else you think might be interested in hearing your story. Send this letter to the head of the department involved, as well as the President and/or CEO. Send it in an overnight letter by FedEx (that usually gets attention), or by certified snail mail w/ return receipt -- both of these tell the company that you are serious. My partner's coworker had no end of problems with a new Apple MacBook he just purchased, and had it "repaired" three times at the local Apple Store, to no avail. He wrote a letter directly to Steve Jobs. Well, a couple of weeks later he got a call from the Apple Store saying they would be happy to replace his laptop with a brand new one. Voila! It pays to rattle their cages sometimes, and they DO listen -- especially if they see in your letter any hint that may lose future business over this.

You might want to post the type of appliance, make and model # and what problem you are experiencing with it. Someone here may be able to help you! Also there are appliance parts stores on line, and many times they can be a lot of help in determining the problem and what part/parts are needed. Some of the parts are DIY, not that hard to change, but be sure to disconnect said appliance from power and follow proper safety precautions when changing out the part. Example: An oven was self cleaned, (as I recall), and after cleaning, the user could not open the door, (Thanksgiving just around the corner as I recall). We were able to help the poster open the door and save a service call~~~that more than likely would not have happened before Thanksgiving anyway! Obviously you are looking for a way to minimize the expense of the repair~~~~~well here's one way! Unfortunately, the first call is usually to "Diagnose a problem", the guy doesn't have any parts in his truck to fix the problem, even if He knows what the problem is~~~and He should know!!!!!! Yours is most likely not the first appliance with the same exact problem needing the same exact part/parts! It's just a way for the appliance service company to make more money while delaying your repair! Example, (not Appliance, but applicable). I call a plumbing company, I tell them I need a new flange for one of the toilets, and be sure to bring one. Guy comes out, looks at toilet, says, "U need a new Flange, I will hafta order one~~~~that will be $135.00 Please". I said "Kiss my What", "I told the girl that took the order what the problem was and what part was needed"! I sent him packing without the $135 and called another company, (actually a friend of mine). Problem was taken care of on his first and only service call!! Anyway , I hope I gave you the idea of how they operate, and ways to "Beat them at their own game"!!!! Gary

@gardengal48 I want to be clear that I am not making a statement that all individuals within landscaping fit into the profiles I was giving. The point was that most of the service providers are either simplistic maintenance people or doing large high-end projects. "Most" is not "all". I am going to supply evidence for that, but first let me make a diversion. It is very clear to me that you are not in the categories I described. You are a very special person who has a deep love of gardens. You have a lot of experience in the nursery side of the business, in operations and as a buyer. You obviously enjoy thinking about plants based on the quality and number of responses you give to questions here. But what I would like to suggest is that you are not common at all. It is very hard to find people like you, in most places. Now, as some evidence for my claims, please go to Yelp and search within two categories: "gardener" and "landscape design". For gardeners, you will find low-budget lawn sweepers. If any of these people have deep knowledge of soil and plants, they do a superb job of hiding that fact on their websites. Why would you hide such basic information if it was your core skill? The mix of services that are typically offered are weekly maintenance, hardscape installation, and tree services. My kingdom for a single profile on Yelp that talks about deep love of plants and soils and simple garden design projects done by the principal and not done by his "team" of guys he hired at Home Depot.... I mean I have done that exercise and finding just one person who does not fit the general category I described is very hard. For "landscape design" you find architects, many of whom are superb. But they are not going to support the operation and maintenance of your garden. So pass on that. You also find implementers. But call up these firms and what you quickly realize is they want large projects over $10K. They are never going to supply you with one knowledgeable person who can come over to your house twice a month and supply your plants and garden with some simple love. I am not making this up. I have called up every single one of the top 20 rated firms on Yelp in both of these categories and most of them simply do not provide the services of what you call a "fine gardener". If it is different in your area, then maybe I should think about buying a vacation home there. Seriously.