We hired Rolling Hills Lawn Care after a previous company caused damage to one portion of our…read moreproperty. I was very clear that I didn't want the large riding lawnmower on our side hill, and Matt, the owner, was very accommodating and agreed that a trimmer or push mower would be used there.
Each grass cutting was done very well, and I relayed to Matt what a good job they were doing. I also hired them to do the work for a small garden, and again, expressed my thanks and paid promptly.
The last 3-4 weeks, I noticed big tire tracks on the side, and grass dug up as a result. I tried verifying with Matt that nothing had changed, and he said he would again put it in the notes for our house. This last week I outright saw the employee whizzing by in both directions on that side. I had warned Matt I had markers up because I had to reseed. To avoid the markers, his employee went down into our neighbors' yard on that equipment, causing damage to both of our yards. I never thought trying to get a simple lawn cutting would turn into this constant back and forth, repeatedly trying to find out what had caused this change in service. Matt told me twice, in emails, that his mow crew were "ignoring his notes" about our property. This was a definite red flag, and I decided against having them do additional projects. After much back and forth, with Matt questioning me if they could have actually caused that damage (the tire tracks are clearly visible), they did seed the damage. It was quite large, and I asked for some reimbursement for watering (I offered to provide a bill to show usage, I was not asking for some astronomical amount). He told me no. Keep in mind, this was completely caused by their willfully using equipment on our yard, and neighbor's yard, that was not to be used.
The contract I had with them stated either party may cancel with a 30 day notice, and I was fast reaching my breaking point. Matt beat me to it by canceling effective immediately (apparently he doesn't need to abide by his own contract, in essence committing breach of contract), saying it was too much work, and that once the grass comes up this would just happen again. He didn't seem to have confidence in his company's ability to cut the grass. I don't actually quite understand the thinking behind the final resolution, but he did make certain to bill me immediately for the cutting that caused the damage and did provide some money for water, after stating my request was unreasonable and excessive.
It's a shame it was handled so poorly, and I was made to feel like this was my fault, or that I was asking for too much. I don't understand a business treating a customer like this. Thankfully I have never encountered anything like this before, and hope this was just poor communication between an owner and his employees. Grass cutting should not be this difficult.
Update: Matt says I continued to submit reimbursement requests. Sadly he is not being honest. The damage was extensive to our yard, and to our neighbor. I have to water both. I have posted more pictures. The one and only request for reimbursement was for water, and I offered to show a bill for a month of usage, or stated he could adjust the bill with a credited cutting. That was it. Obviously he reseeded, wouldn't any company? He broke his own contract, breaching the terms, by canceling on the spot. We were such honest customers, that when he made an error in the estimate for our garden and didn't bill me for the dirt, I let him know and had it included. It's too bad he hasn't learned to treat his customers with respect, and feels the need to be dishonest.
