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Took me 2 full days to catch a sneaky auto-renewal clause in a vendor contract
I was signing up with a supplier for mulch and soil for my landscaping company, and their contract had this tiny section buried on page 12 about automatic renewal. It said if I didn't cancel in writing 60 days before the end, I'd be locked into another year at a 15% higher rate. I nearly missed it because I was focused on the price and delivery terms up front. After reading it three times and calling them to clarify, I got them to change it to a 30-day notice instead. Has anyone else found hidden auto-renewal stuff in service agreements that almost cost you big?
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kevin_williams4mo ago
Respectfully, I see it a little different. That 60 day notice is pretty standard in the landscaping supply world, especially if they're dealing with bulk delivery and seasonal demand. Your mileage may vary, but in my experience, those clauses are usually there because the supplier has to lock in their raw material orders way ahead of time. Getting them down to 30 days is a solid win for you, but I wouldn't call it sneaky so much as just how the industry works for bigger volume accounts. It's worth keeping an eye on, but I've seen way worse hidden fees buried in equipment lease contracts.
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mason.drew4mo ago
Yeah, exactly. People see 60 days and freak out but they don't realize these suppliers are ordering truckloads of mulch and stone months in advance from their own sources. That raw material doesn't just appear. The real sneaky stuff is usually in the fine print about late fees or auto renewal terms that lock you in for another full year.
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