Our first meeting with the owner was refreshing. He was confident, personable, and promised the…read moreworld. That good first impression was short-lived. Once the work began, we started seeing the condition our yard was being left in, and how little was actually getting fixed.
He was paid about $2,000 for a irrigation system refresh. Afterward, the sprinklers were left off for one week (the hottest week of the year). We noticed only when the bushes started turning brown and dying. We called, and the system was turned back on. Then sprinkler heads started popping up and spraying unpredictably all over the yard, as if we had paid for a Bellagio fountain show.
We repeatedly raised concerns with the gardeners on site about ants in the plants, broken sprinklers, and dying bushes and hedges. They were good people, and we have nothing against them. They told us the issues would be handled, but they weren't. The owner came across as a control freak, and the gardeners seemed unable to resolve even basic problems. When we finally raised our concerns with him, he was angry that we hadn't contacted him directly, even though no one had explained that we were supposed to bypass the crew on site and go straight to him.
The gardeners showed up without a reliable schedule. When we asked for a consistent arrival time, we were told they no longer worked for us. They broke the key in our gate, and we weren't reimbursed for the cost of removing it. After their work ended, they kept our property key for about a week.
The gardeners who replaced them told us they understood why the previous crew had left as in their view, so much had gone wrong with the yard that the crew was looking for a way out, and they blamed us, saying we treated them "like no other customer does." If that means bringing them cold drinks in scorching heat, communicating professionally, and raising concerns with the owner respectfully, then yes, we did. That is basic courtesy. It is not mistreatment to expect paid work to be done properly and problems to be addressed.
Our current gardeners were shocked by the condition of the yard. I have attached photos and videos of the work, I also have screenshots of our messages and requests and the owner's response. I'm giving the owner an opportunity to respond honestly and take responsibility. If he dismisses or misrepresents what happened, I'll post the relevant text message records here so readers can judge for themselves.
If you're considering hiring this company, take our experience seriously. Get the work, schedule, watering plan, and key arrangements in writing, and look closely at the yard while they're responsible for it. We strongly recommend looking elsewhere.