UPDATE (July 2025): It's been over a month since this incident occurred, and only after filing formal complaints with the BBB and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services did I finally receive any form of contact--from Gladiator Sod's insurance agent, John at Commercial Insurance Specialists, LLC. Shockingly, within the first two minutes of the call, John accused me of attempting insurance fraud and claimed that by leaving this review I was "playing dirty." He initially said he had reviewed the surveillance footage, but after I asked questions to clarify, he admitted he hadn't actually seen it--instead relying solely on what his client told him. John also stated that the owner of Gladiator Sod "would have just paid me out of pocket" for the damage of the trailer, which is strange considering no one from Gladiator Sod has ever contacted me directly--not even once--except for a vague BBB response weeks later. This situation has been nothing short of a nightmare: * My property was damaged on their premises. * I received no response until I escalated it to state agencies. * When contact was finally made, I was accused of fraud without any real investigation. If I were trying to commit fraud, would I have posted all of this publicly, pursued formal complaints, or requested insurance contact details from day one? Absolutely not. This company has shown a complete lack of accountability, professionalism, and basic customer respect. I will continue to pursue this matter further--not only because of the damage, but now because of the personal and baseless accusations made against me. UPDATE to business response: Thank you for your response. However, I must clarify several key facts: 1. This is not the first you are hearing about this. I made two separate attempts to contact your business directly prior to posting this review. In addition, I also filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. To imply this is a surprise undermines the efforts already made to resolve this issue privately and professionally. 2. The damage to my trailer was not present before the visit to your facility. I have reviewed surveillance footage from multiple angles on my personal property before departure and upon return, which clearly confirms the condition of the trailer changed immediately after the visit. 3. The assertion that "anything could have happened in the 5 days" is misleading. The damage was observed and documented upon immediate return--not five days later. The timeline and circumstances clearly indicate the damage occurred during loading on your premises. 4. Florida Statute 627.4137 legally requires a business to provide insurance carrier information upon request after an incident of this nature. Your refusal to provide your insurance information is a direct violation of this statute. I am again formally requesting your insurance provider's contact details so this matter can be addressed appropriately. I am still open to resolving this without escalation, but I will not hesitate to take the necessary legal steps if my request continues to be ignored. Your cooperation and compliance with Florida law would be the most professional course of action moving forward. Govern yourself accordingly. ---- On June 28, 2025, I visited your facility and purchased 1.5 pallets of sod. During the loading process, your employee caused damage to my trailer. I have reviewed surveillance footage from multiple cameras at my residence which clearly shows the trailer was free of any damage prior to departure. Upon return from your facility, the damage is evident. Based on the timing and circumstances, it is reasonable to conclude that the damage occurred on your premises and as a result of your employee's handling. As such, I am requesting the contact information for your insurance provider so that this matter can be formally addressed and resolved. Please respond promptly, as failure to do so may require me to pursue further action to recover damages. Shawn Robertson Vehicle: White F150 Trailer: Black 20ft read more

Gladiator Sod - John Lahiff - Lawn Services Near Me - New Port Richey, Florida

I purchased this palm tree, paid to have it dug up, boxed up, delivered, then planted at my home. Two weeks later, multiple excuses, I had to cancel and get a refund. Apparently larger orders push smaller orders like mine back. Gladiator Sod and I actually had exchanges over the phone and trust me when I say, it wasn't nice. Seems a two hour job is way too simple for this company. After reading the negative comments from others I now understand why. They simply don't care. SMH. The worse part, the owner doesn't care what the employees say or do. I was told to never come back. lol. They don't even know trespass laws. Apparently ignorance is bliss. People, don't do business here, I regret it. All you have is excuses. A simple job and the only thing happened was excuses. Just read the negative reviews from others. Gladiator sod isn't a good place to do business. I learned just like the others. I now know it's hard for gladiator sod to tell the truth. Bye bye. People, don't do business here read more

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The sod we bought was extremely dry, over long and each piece fell apart while my husband was putting each piece down. Bad, bad sod. Also, the company was supposed to deliver on one day, but they didn't come and my husband had to call them to find that out. Poor service and awful sod. read more

Had sod installed last November grass did not look right being is was November I let the grass is treated every month now all that grass is dying all my other grass looks go have used them 3 other times for sod they just put sod in last month in other places it's fine grass in front yard looks terrible spent over 2,200 on yard and another 623.00 last month you would think that the business would continue to do business but they will not help with repair read more

I purchased 4 pallets of Bahia sod from this company on the proviso that is was a hardy grass and grows anywhere.. The 2000 square feet area was prepared and sod laid.. It looked good for a few months then started to die.. I visited the company personally and was told , your probably cutting to short and it will come back.. That was not the truth but got me out of the door. I even changed my Lawn service in desperation to save the ailing lawn. We have a sprinkler system and a lawn fertilizer company who have done everything they can to save the lawn. I called and spoke to the owner who fluffed me off with remarks of, probably to much water, too much shade, the way it was laid, she had a stock answer for everything and well versed with her excuses. No offer to come out to look or even replace a couple of pallets to appease a disgruntled customer! I placed odd pieces of the sod in other areas of my lawn and that also died! It was obviously a bad batch of Bahia that was supplied to me, but it looks like I'm stuck with the dead grass and can only say to the public in general, buyer beware!! read more

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Gladiator did a great job replacing my front lawn today. Annette provided a quote over the phone for me based on my measurements. I told her I wasn't sure my calculations were correct and she ensured me I would only get charged for what they install. Final price ended up lower than my quote. James and his crew removed old sod and installed new in 3 hours. I will use them again on my backyard. read more

We would not recommend Gladiator Sod. Annette was unprofessional and took no responsibility for the poor quality of sod in the backyard. From the time it was put down we could tell it was far inferior to the front yard. It was laid on a Friday,we asked her to come Monday. They came multiple times and still took no responsibility. They had a pest control company come, that was a joke. Gladiator left a bag of soil telling us to fill in the cracks.We asked them to replace the back or a partial refund. They refused and stopped all communication. I think it's no coincidence that the good sod that everyone can see is in the front. DO NOT FALL FOR THEIR SALES PITCH read more

I called from an ad in a local newspaper to inquire about installing sod at a home that I purchased. I am new to Florida and was hoping to ask some questions. The woman who answered the phone was superficial and talked over my questions. Her information was superficial and she seemed irritated that I was asking questions. I struggled to keep my cool. I directly explained that I was new to the area and would feel more comfortable if she could help me with some concerns. She hung up on me. That was the best thing she could have done. No thanks. I will go elsewhere. read more

We purchased a pallet of St. Augustine in mid June 2018. The sod was so bad and full of weeds that I called in early Sept. to ask if anyone else had reported bad sod. My goal was to inform them in case they weren't aware. The girl said that no-one had complained and the owner would call me. NO PHONE CALL and we are now digging up the sod we just laid 2mo ago. A lot of extra work and money. DO NOT BUY FROM GLADIATOR SOD read more

Insects, fungus, weeds. Thank god my sons friend has his commercial pesticide license. He was able to diagnose and treat my newly delivered grass. it surly would of died. Why would a company deliver crappy st Augustine like that. If you have issues call manatee services lawn care. Cobi is the best and very knowledgeable. read more

DO NOT BUY SOD FROM THIS COMPANY!!! I have never experienced such horrible customer service in my life! My company ordered sod for a property we are flipping and completely dead crunchy grass was delivered. When we reached out to the company their response was that it's too bad, we already paid in order to ensure delivery and there is nothing they will do since they already have our money. They went so far as to tell us we were stupid for not knowing what we were doing. I literally cannot believe that a company would be such outright crooks! JUST GO TO ANYONE ELSE!!!! read more

Sod was down exactly 5 weeks and was either dead or weed clumps. Called to ask for someone to come out and tell me what to do. Sent out a young gal who said "this is not right." She got on the speaker phone with Annette who kept yelling that the warrantee was 4 weeks, and I did not use "her guy" to maintain it. Five weeks and dead and all weeds?? Never, ever use them. read more

We had them install St Augustine on one side of our front lawn last year. The lawn had so many weeds. Eventually the lawn was more brown than green. Without thinking, he called them again and replaced the same side with Zoysia. I've attached a photo. We haven't needed to mow it yet, but hopefully you can see how polluted this is with nutsedge. For the last few days after work (after getting up at 5:30am), I've been stooping over pulling the stupid things out. Not the thing I expected to do after getting a new lawn. To be fair, they did show up on time. read more

Gladiator Sod - Lawn Services Near Me - New Port Richey, Florida

We just had our side yards sodded and it was a great experience. I called Gladiator and Annette came out the next day, measured and gave me the estimate after explaining the entire sodding process. They were able to come the next week and showed up, i think, on time as we were at the gym and both yards were dug up and loaded on the truck in no time!!!! Three guys worked on each side so the process ran very quickly. They took a bread for lunch and by then the truck arrived with the fresh green sod. One guy went around retreating the entire area for insects before a single piece of sod was laid on the dark loam they spread evenly over the areas. The sod went down quickly, the head guy walked around with me to make sure all the areas were properly irrigated. They had to rotate a couple of heads that got moved slightly during the process. The estimate was based on her measurements and she mentioned the final bill would be based on the amount of sod used. Her estimate was only $25 short!!!!! Would I recommend this company? Yes and that's not considering what the outcome will be. read more

Gladiator Sod installed sod for me April 21. I watered religiously for a full month as evidenced by an astronomical water bill. It became evident that much of the sod was bad as it died creating brown spots all over my front lawn. I contacted Gladiator, and to be fair, they came out several weeks later and replaced squares of sod. This sod too turned brown and started to die within days. On both occasions the crews were rushed and rude. My front lawn looks worse now than it did before the sodding. I would not recommend Gladiator Sod and will never buy anything from them again. read more

We used Gladiator on 2 different occasions. The first time for our backyard, they were on time and the sod was good. The second time was a few months later when we were ready to do our front. They set a delivery date and kept moving it for weeks because "it rained too much at the sod farm". When they finally showed up about half of the sod was very brown. The foreman said "it will green up, don't worry". We have our sprinklers professionally maintained, we water in accordance to Gladiator's instructions, and have a professional lawn treatment service that we follow to the letter. After trying everything, we called Annette at Gladiator and she went into the spiel that you can read in the other bad reviews here; the bad sod is everything EXCEPT their fault. We sent photos of the good and bad parts of the lawn that they installed, yet accepted no responsibility; and was rude to boot. We have to redo part of our lawn and will never use or recommend Gladiator. read more

They must have seem my son coming. Purchased from these folks and after 2 weeks everything is going yellow. Although you may pay a little more elsewhere, it is such a better choice in the long run. read more

We had a fantastic job and also got all of our plants from the location next door. Annette and other staff was super helpful we me designing the layout. Lawn still looks amazing a year later!!! read more

My husband purchased a palatte of sod after being to nearly every local place in the area. They provided him with all the information needed to install a gorgeous lawn. We were very happy with the service they provided him with and we now have an amazing lawn!!..H. Grosse read more

I have nothing but good things to say about Gladiator. They arrived when they said they would to give the estimate and provide the service. My yard was prepped very well and the sod was laid perfectly. I chose Bahia and it greened up in a week just as I was told it would. All associates were courteous, friendly and professional. The final cost came in a little under the estimate. I'm very happy with their service and highly recommend. read more

Very rude and disrespectful owner. This isn't a business, this place is a joke. I feel sorry for his employees and customers. I'm not surprised about so many bad reviews about the owner and this place. I felt very mistreated and disrespected and never ever will go back, good news I'm taking my money elsewhere. Something needs to be done about businesses like this, where customer service really sucks. Please spread the word around. read more

It's no wonder this poor excuse of a business has a two and a half star rating on Yelp. I've done business with them since 2009 on multiple properties I own. If you look at prior reviews you'll see other people have had the displeasure of dealing with the ignorant rude woman behind the counter as well. This place is pure trash. read more

Bought 2 pallets of Bahia for my backyard. The bottom half of one if the pallets was crappy sod. Not a single piece was over 4 inches by 4 inches. Had to throw it out. It was clever for them to put it at the bottom be warned. read more

I was initially told my lawn would take 5 pallets, their crew showed up with 3 1/2. After laying down the 3 1/2 they started using pieces that were piled in the back of one of their trucks, apparently, pieces rejected from an earlier job. Finally, someone showed up with enough sod to finish the job. Those pieces that had been piled in their truck never caught up to the other sod and formed an ugly patch right in the middle of my front yard. When I called the company, I was told to just keep watering. That didn't work. read more

The most UNPROFESSIONAL business that I have ever come across. I purchased15 pieces of sod this morning and my husband went to pick it up this afternoon and they told him - nope we don't have your sod and when my husband asked why he was told to SHUT UP! Can you imagine that!??? An employee was actually yelling at my husband because my husband could not understand why they did not have the sod we paid for. He repeatedly told my husband to shut up. If you want to be abused - this is definitely the place to do business!! read more

Go with any company other than Gladiator sod. I do landscaping work on the side and I needed 2 pallets delivered on a specific date and time (I ordered well in advance). The day the sod was suppose to arrive I got a call from Gladiator saying that they couldn't give me what I had already paid for. I got screwed and had to reschedule topsoil delivery that was already on it's way and I had to tell my customer that I couldn't do it that same day! As I was on the phone with their "manager" I kept my cool but simply asked questions as trying to get at them for doing business so poorly. She was extremely rude and not apologetic throughout the duration of the phone call. They simply do not have any respect for their customers. read more

Great company. Good quality sod. We had a discrepancy with the price and the owner came right out and remeasured. We came up with an amicable solution that I was extremely happy with. When an owner comes to correct a problem and says I'm here to get this right this is the type of company you want to work with. By the way the installers were professional and did a fantastic job. Thanks Annette read more

I Asked for a 1pm delivery and my product wasn't delivered until 5pm. I should of learned the first time when they were also late by two hours . Luckily for me I was able to find another company that offers the same product for a bit more. But it is worth the extra cost to have your purchase delivered on time . read more

I recently purchased 5 pallets of St Augustine sod from them. They had stated the sod was just cut that morning and it was great sod. This is the worst sod I have ever seen. It is more brown than green and looks almost dead ! What green is coming thru is weeds. Payment has to be made in advance so they already have your money. DO NOT BUY SOD FROM THIS BUSINESS !!! read more

Had 1600 sq ft of Bahia delivered and installed. The crew arrived early on the day they stated would be there and worked efficiently to clear the old lawn away and install the new one. I was very satisfied with the condition of the sod, all green and full. The lone mishap was the mainline to my sprinkler system was cut by the sod cutter when removing the old lawn, however the crew was back out first thing the next morning and fixed the wire and made sure the full system worked before leaving. All in all I am happy with the product and work and would recommend to friends and neighbors. read more

My husband carefully measured our back yard to determine how much sod to order and have delivered. It appears this company delivered at least 100 feet less than what we had ordered and paid for. When hubby went back to complain the person he spoke to stated that the right amount was delivered. We disagree and Gladiator refused to make the order right. Do not purchase sod from this company. read more

Originally called Gladiator Sod and left a message. Never received a call back. Called company again and was given name of Annette to call. Called Annette and she said she would try and come by today which was a Friday. Received a call later in day from Annette saying she could not make it but she would come by my home on Monday. Monday came and went and never heard from her or company again. I had been warned to stay away from this company from my neighbors and I should have listened. read more

Great company to order sod from. I called on a Tuesday afternoon around 3pm. I ordered a pallet of sod for the next morning, the receptionist phoned me back and stated if I would like they can deliver that night. The sod arrived around 6pm and was ready to be laid down. I didn't have them lay it for me, I did it all myself but I'm sure if I asked them to do it it would have turned out fabulous. The sod had no dead spots and no bugs. In addition to the sod they also have a HUGE garden center that my wife and I plan to use when the time comes. The owner is helpful and so is the rest of the staff. No games, no gimmicks, great customer service. The only thing I noticed was their prices were a tad more than the other guys. The other guys are rude and not helpful and make you feel like you're bothering them but not Gladiator. In a world where customer service is key to business success, Gladiator does it. read more

I regret not reading reviews prior to purchasing from here. All the negative reviews are absolutely accurate. The only good thing was that we called on a Thursday afternoon and they delivered the next day. Probably being they have all this crappy sod laying around. One pallet was ok. The other one was like a previous review stated, not whole pieces, small pieces thrown on top of each other. And, the FIRE ANTS were horrible. We returned the pallets, which were so dilapidated, and asked to speak to someone about our delivery. Based on the previous reviews I'm assuming it was the owner. A complete and total arrogant jerk. I hope we are able to salvage the 2 pallets we put down. DO NOT GO HERE!!!! read more

I called to just get an estimate and the older lady answering the phone was so rude. She gave me a quote and was more then 1,000 dollars more then any other company. When I asked why she said because our sh#t is better, then hung up. I took my business else where! read more

The negative reviews cannot be legit, as I have never worked with a landscape company that is so accommodating and goes above and beyond like gladiator sod. I would never go anywhere else and was actually referred by friends of mine who own a local lawn and landscape company and do business with gladiator consistently! read more

We ordered and paid for almost $400 in sod to be delivered on 2/27. My husband called on 2/23 to see if their was a chance on getting the sod earlier, he was told no it had rained the day before so they wouldn't be able to deliver it until Sat as originally planned. He called again on 2/26 to confirm the delivery for the next day and was told that they couldn't deliver it until sometime the following week, when he asked why no one had called him he was told "their customer's just know, they don't have to tell them" He told them he was a new customer and did not know this. He asked to speak with a manager because the person who answered was so rude. Annette got on the phone and was also very rude, she then passed the phone to a man who got on the phone and cussed my husband out, he told him "I know where you live, I have your address." It was beyond unprofessional and disgusting that a business owner would allow an employee to THREATEN a customer. Before doing business with this company be sure to do a search on them, you will see the many reviews about their rudeness and disgusting way they treat customers. read more

Would rate 0 stars if it was possible! This business is terrible !!! Paid $1000 for sod and sprinklers. They laid sod and fixed sprinklers ha ha wiring fixed with masking tape and not buried. Leaked for hours called Annette she told me water runs down hill ( i guess thats why its flori duh ) . Would have paid to fix in fact paid $449 for new valve from an expert (always irrigation). Told her adter 1 month grass was dying she asked if I used her spray guy I said no I did not and treated myself. So I called her guy said he wouldnt spray till sprinklers worked that was their job. My water bill for the first month was $175 800 sf. Grass died in 6 weeks their guarantee is 30 days not long enough to root. Got turf hero $1300 including 14 months of lawn care and its great!!! Gladiator and Annette should be out of business!!! Their thieves !!! Paid $2300 for 800 sq ft of sod Im disabled and cant afford that but she made it sound like it was my fault. Next time send someone that speaks english and has american standards!! read more

stay away they do not replace bad sod they deliever they told me we dont replace bad sod stay away i month of rain and half died they said not replacing bad sod too bad,AND NEVER SAID ANYTHING WHEN I PERCHASED IT read more

I had a terrible lawn of 4K sq. ft. Was going to use a Mexican Jobber to move dirt, grade, and lay the sod. He backed out on me and left me hanging. I contacted Gladiator Sod and Annette came right over to give me a quote. Of course it costs more...they're insured, have a professional staff, and are licensed. They also give you a 30 day guarantee! To my pleasant surprise, they came 2 days later with two crews to remove over 13yds of dirt I had, grade, cut the edges, and lay the sod. They also fixed the sprinklers that accidentally got broken and adjusted all the sprinklers before they left. The crew chief (Ruize -sp?) was very accommodating and did everything I asked. His crew was very professional and polite to me and my wife. I highly recommend them for your project and don't understand the bad comments being posted. It's nice to get a professional crew and get what you want. BTW, they say they only charge for the amount of sod they lay...I got a rebate from the estimate...that shows honesty and integrity! read more