UPDAVE #2: A few months after my last update, Eduard contacted me and let me know the person I'd previously been dealing with is no longer with the company and he wanted to do what he could to make this right since he was clearly disappointed with how this all unfolded from the get go. We discussed a couple of different options and I chose which one best suited my priorities and Eduard made good on it immediately. I really appreciated the communication and the fact that he reached out to me directly to rectify a situation that he could have easily just brushed under the rug as many companies surely would. With spring around the corner, I am hopeful that I'll be able to have the garden I was aiming for. I think with Eduard and co. staying on top of things- Avanti is sure to stay on top of their game as well. Thank you again.
UPDATE: I ended up giving them the benefit of the doubt and rescheduled our quote visit. After settling on the work and agreeing to a quote shortly after, we scheduled a start date for the work and were given a timeline of 2-3 days. After securing access from our neighbours (they needed to access both of their backyards) the start date and time came- nothing. Only after I texted did I find out that they were actually starting the following day- a decision made without informing me.
Next day comes and Patrick and two men came to begin the work. Our garden was ripped out and replaced with new perennials, our fence was cut down to half size and finished with new wood along the top and stones were placed down for our garbage bins. What we were told would take 2-3 days legitimately took less than 5 hours. And it looked good! We were happy when the crew left.
The main goal of the front garden I asked for was a group of plants or shrubs that required minimal maintenance. I trusted them to choose the appropriate plant as a landscaping company and I am in no way an expert. I was presented with a few color and plant options to choose from, which I did. Bithin a week, I noticed issues with the plants- specifically the big hydrangea and several astible. They seemed to be suffering. I tried everything I could to keep them well, but they all died almost instantly. And like... fully died. To the point where I eventually had to rip out all of the astible because my garden looked something out of The Addams Family and spend even more money trying to find plants that would survive in their place. The hydrangea is still there, but clearly dead. In fact, the entire back half of my garden is almost entirely bare and doesn't look great. I trusted them to choose plants that would be low maintenance and have no issues in this location and I feel as though they were not as versed in plants as they had presented themselves and now, come spring, I'm going to have to spend several hundred more dollars to try and rebuild the entire back half of my front garden because it looks completely dead and bare. Very disappointed.
The fence was well done, at least. I am very happy with that and the front half of the garden. But I feel like Avanti should reimburse me for all of the plants that I lost or offer to replant the back of my garden free of charge since the plants they chose died immediately.
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I had an appointment for a quote with Avanti. When they didn't show up (without warning), I grew concerned and messaged them several hours later. Only by doing that did the owner respond telling me that the worker's car had been hit (he was fine) and they were dealing with insurance, but that he'd call me the following day. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, although I still believe I should have been contacted or the appointment been cancelled from their end. Next day comes and goes- no one contacts me again, of course.
I'm giving them one last chance. We have a tentative time for a site visit and quote this week, so we'll see what happens. I need someone I can trust. If all goes well, I will edit this review to reflect that, of course!
