All-State Pest & Lawn

All-State did not follow the contract for our lawn service, then charged us $259 that we did not authorize.We have used All-State for over a year for pest control and added lawn service in the spring. The pest control service has worked, but the company does not call to notify us that they will be in our area spraying, thereby forcing us to call and schedule an additional spraying for the inside of our house or pay the full amount for only the outside to be sprayed, which we have done numerous times.The lawn service does a good job, however we have had the same issue with them not calling about when they will be mowing our yard. We have a gate that must be unlocked, so for 4 weeks in May-June, our backyard went uncut because despite our requests, calls were not made from All-State saying they would be cutting. Additionally, our contract states our yard was to be cut every other week and we were being cut every week. It took us calling 3 times before our requests for the yard to be cut every other week AND for us to be notified of when our yard would be cut so the gate could be unlocked before it was done correctly, bringing the timeline to mid-June. Due to our issues, we told them we would not be paying for all the weekly cuts, as our contract specifically stated our cuts were to be done every other week, not to mention our backyard had not been cut for weeks. Imagine my surprise when I just discovered they automatically deducted $259 from our bank account, presumably to cover the costs of the yard, plus our pest control. We did not authorize these charges, nor have we received a bill for the pest control. Desired SettlementWe had already told All-State that we would not be paying for the extra yard cuts, as they were the ones at fault. Additionally, we went weeks without our backyard being cut, despite calling to complain and request we be called so our back gate could be opened. We were charged $259 that we did not authorize for services we had already said we were not paying for. I also presume part of the charges are for pest control, which we have not received a bill for. At the absolute bare minimum, I expect:*To be refunded $90 to cover 2 weeks worth of yard cuts, as our yard was cut weekly instead of every other week as our contract states;*An additional refund of $45 to cover our back yard not being cut several weeks in a row, despite calls requesting notification of when they would be cutting our grass;*To be called every time our yard will be cut, as well as setting up our pest control sprayings to be done inside and outside the home at a time convenient for us, not the company.Business Response We have tried numerous times to make Mrs. [redacted] happy to no avail. We have already refunded what the customer has ask for, $45 twice and $22.50 twice. She filed her claim after we refunded her account. Mrs. claims she was unaware of what was owed on the account however we have documentation that emails were sent as to what was owed and Mrs. verified the email address. The complaint as to billing their account without authorization is not accurate as she would have had to have put the card on file! We tried every time to call her for service and numerous times the voicemail was full. we have documentation on phone calls made and not returned. Trying to make sure we were doing what we could we would cut the front but could not access the back. all that the customer had to do was call and we would have gladly returned to cut the back! I would like to add that in her complaint she even admits that is the way she has handled the pest control for years! She would not schedule and we would have to return for the interior portion of her service. Just so it is clear we make 2 phone calls a month for pest control to try and schedule it as well. Currently Mrs. [redacted] owes us $244.00 for services already rendered this is after the credits that she has requested and we credit prior to her complaint with the Revdex.com.Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)First and foremost, this complaint was filed in August, after the owner did not get back with us regarding the lawn service not being done and accusing us of not making a payment on our account since May. However, All-State cashed a check from us in July and any balance remaining on the account at that time was the result of All-State not following through on their end of the contract. This was from a voicemail left for me on August 5th, which was supposed to be followed up once she spoke with the lawn manager when he returned from vacation August 6th. A return phone call was never made. I spoke with someone on September 4th, who did credit our account $45, but to my knowledge, it has not been credited four times for various amounts. If it has, it was definitely earned, as services have not been done according to our contract. Additionally, we have only been sent two bills recently- one for $45 and one for $34- which were mailed back to All-State September 13th, verified as received in the system by [redacted], which according to her, left us with a balance of $120. If our current balance is $244, subtracting $45 and $34 leaves a balance of $165, not $120. Again, All-State claims we owe them more money when their own employee verified we did not.During the September 4th phone call, my concerns were not addressed or remedied until I mentioned how I had posted reviews and complaints on [redacted] and with the Revdex.com. Before then, all I got was a "Sorry you're unhappy." The email and phone number on file are my husband's work accounts, which are checked constantly. The fact of the matter is: calls were not made as requested and emails are not being sent out. Since we began the lawn service in the spring, we have had nothing but problems with service between the lawn being cut weekly when our contract states every other week and reminder calls not being made so we could leave the gate open. Ultimately yes, our account may have been credited and steps to have our backyard cut and house interior sprayed were made, but that only came AFTER the announcement of complaints being filed. Our credit card number may have been on file, but that does not give anyone- owner or otherwise- to run it whenever she chooses. Reputable companies call their customers to let them know this is being done, which again, was not done for us. During my phone conversation on September 4th, the person I spoke with even agreed that we should have never been charged without our consent. Keep in mind that services done correctly had been paid, despite All-State claiming they had not received a payment since May, but cashing a check from us in July. The balance on the account was from services that were not done as the contract states and All-State was aware of the issues. At this point, our account is current according to [redacted] with a $45 check, $34 check, and credit card payment for $120. We have cancelled our account with All-State and will make sure not to recommend them in the future. We certainly do not mind paying for services, but those services must be done according to the contract and our satisfaction in order to be paid. It is a shame that a lack of honesty just cost this company a client.Final Business Response [redacted] spoke with Mrs. [redacted] on the Sept 15th. On Sept. 15th we received 2 checks one for $34.00 ck#[redacted] and the other for $45.00 ck#[redacted] Mrs. [redacted] then paid by credit card the remaining balance of $120.00. This is the $199 that we stated was owed. The account is settled and closed. At this point there is nothing else that needs to be done or discussed. I am sorry that Mrs. [redacted] had a bad experience. This is not common practice of All-State Pest and Lawn. We have many customers that are similar with locked gates etc. that we are able to get serviced without incident.