Bummed to be writing this, as what started as a great job went bad and Roberto from RLC ghosted us. My husband and I hired Roberto from RLC to help create our dream yard in our new home. A contract was made with the goals that included the pavers, turf, future patio cover and landscape. He and his team started the work and we slowly started to knock out things on the list. Things were going great and I raved about him and referred him to neighbors on our street. The pavers and turf he did was great and we were happy how things were going. As the construction continued a bbq island was decided to be added. Unfortunately, the bbq island went wrong in design as Roberto was not there to oversee the project. The grill was placed too close to the wall, the island was made too small to seat the 4 seats we
wanted, there was no placeholder for an umbrella and the door that went under the grill was placed upside down. We made sure to communicate the errors we saw as they were occurring and Roberto would redirect his team. The bbq island became a frustration and maybe we should have just moved on and skipped it. Roberto did accommodate and offered to reimburse a small amount since the bbq island was not up to his standards. He emphasized that as soon as he got the patio cover in and all the
landscape that the bbq island would look great and it would not be the eyesore and focus. My husband and I trusted him and said ok. We chose to keep it and believed that when he would complete the yard, it would be the dream yard that we invested so much money into. We had great communication and even with this challenge we were able to sit down, work it out and move forward. We trusted him to deliver an outcome. So we thought.
On a Friday Roberto came and insisted we pay everything that day. Patio cover deposit, bbq island and additional fees. He was going to do the detail work on the island still, coat it with a shine and touch up
work etc. We went to pay everything trusting he would be back and no challenges. That weekend I noticed he took his business sign off our yard. I text messaged him asking to make sure he finished the bbq island, as we found it odd that he would remove his sign if he is still working here. The following week I received a text message from him that he had a minor stroke in the emergency room and was thinking about not returning to work. My husband and I were saddened but understood his health came first. We
asked when he recovered, and if he did go back to work, can he return? We would wait as we wanted him to complete what was started. No response....
Fast forward today, we hear from a few of his clients that he is working and completely fine. We hear from fellow neighbors that he is dropping off pavers, and scheduling new work. We were confused as we were trying to reach him for several weeks via text message and leaving voicemails. He will not call or write back to us. Apparently, he is fine to call others and say we are the one that had a problem. My husband and I are confused as we have sent only kind messages, and prayed for a healthy recovery for him. We had a great work relationship, so we thought. It is clear that for whatever reason he had us pay for things up front one week, knowing he was not going to return. We just don't understand the why and so we are bummed about it. Why has he ghosted us and not returned, why has he not refunded our
money or said anything? Please be cautious if you decide to work with him. Have him make a contract to complete every single little thing you ask for, even if he says it's not necessary. Make sure not to pay him everything until all the work is complete and up to your approval. His word on returning means absolutely nothing, and left us to have to seek out someone else to finish the rest of our yard. read more