Lawn Care Alert

Lawn Care Alert was hired to sod a small area at the front, approximately (2 1/2’ x 4’) and two other much smaller areas because of work completed by utility companies who left the area in a dishevelled state. They were also supposed to prune a hibiscus hedge and clean the area below. I was told that the company would begin the job in 1 ½ weeks time after our June 9, 2021 meeting.

A company's social responsibility to a customer should be to improve their image and attract and retain customers.

Here is my experience with this company:
(INFORMATION FROM E-MAIL CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE COMPANY)

Thursday, June 17: I received an invoice that a 50% deposit was required for the job. Since it would have been a one-time job, I decided to pay. My present landscaper was unable to complete the job at that time and eventually completed it on August 4. It only took 1 week for him to assess what had to be done, obtain the sod and re-sod the area.

Monday, June 28: I sent an e-mail to the company because it was 3 weeks since meeting with Christopher and no job had been scheduled, although at the time of the down payment, scheduling was supposed to have been arranged. The company responded that the job should be completed on July 6. This is almost 4 weeks after the meeting.

Tuesday, July 6: The crew did not show to complete the job.

Friday, July 9: I e-mailed the company because no one contacted me about the missed job. They asked for my last name again to pull up my file and I re-sent the information the following day, because they did not respond.

Monday, July 12: The company rescheduled again, this time for July 20. On July 14, I received a schedule reminder that the job will be completed on Thursday, July 15. Apparently, this date was changed from July 20. I responded that it would be great as I would be home that day. The crew did not show and this was the second missed appointment.

Monday, July 19: At this point, I requested a refund of the 50% deposit that was made. The company responded that the crew would be out today, July 19. The crew arrived with a sod machine, and we reviewed the location of the cables. I then left the crew to begin their work and shortly after they informed me that the sod machine broke down. They informed me that another crew would return the next day, Tuesday, to complete the sodding and another crew on Wednesday to prune the hedge and clean the area below. NO ONE RETURNED ON TUESDAY OR WEDNESDAY, AND THERE WAS NO FOLLOW UP FROM THE COMPANY.

Monday, July 26: I contacted the company about the missed dates and again requested a refund of the deposit. Again, a deflection from the refund request as they wanted to assign a new date for July 30. They were offering a 10% discount, but I asked them not to schedule any more dates.

Tuesday, July 27: I reminded the company to provide a refund and not to schedule any more dates. Again, they were trying to schedule another job for the first week of August.

Thursday, August 4: I wrote to the company about the refund, and they informed me that refunds are issued at the end of the month on one occasion, and on another occasion stated that refunds can take up to 45 days or 6 weeks. The company wanted to scheduled another job for August 20 to which I declined. The responses to the refund were always vague.

Tuesday, September 7: I e-mailed the company to inform them that the money was not deposited. The company did not respond until September 10 and said that they will follow up with the accounting department. I asked if I will be issued a refund. Their response was, “Yes we will be issuing your refund back.”

Tuesday, September 21: I again asked about the refund and was told that they will ask the accounting department when it will be issued. I responded that the answer is not specific, and they do not provide any feedback from the accounting department. The company’s response was: “As soon the accounting manager responds, I will let you know when to expect your refund.”

AS OF TODAY, I HAVE NOT HEARD FROM THE COMPANY, RECEIVED ANY RESPONSE FROM THE ACCOUNTING MANAGER OR REFUNDED THE DEPOSIT.

Patricia A.