The emails to confirm this will be part of this response and should be displayed to the public so they have the full understanding of this issue. I will also provide before and after photos to prove that we did the job exactly as we were suppose to. The customers name will be left out for his...
privacy. We should probably start at the beginning, because that is where things headed in the wrong direction. Customer had reviewed the estimate gave the go ahead for all the work to be performed as weather permitted. Unfortunately this was one of the wettest springs on record and continues to be a very wet year. Because it rained almost every day the job was delayed. Customer was started to get mad that the job was delayed because of the weather. We stayed in contact with him through out the delays so he was never left hanging. As a company, we obviously have more then one job on the schedule or we would go out of business so when we finally had two nice days we finished the remaining job, and the customers job was next. When we got home the evening after the two nice days, I received an email from the customer saying he was unhappy because things were delayed and that he wanted to cancel! I emailed and called the customer and informed him that we had his mulch loaded up and ready to work the next day, but because of the weather there was nothing we could have done about the past delays. The customer was pleasant but very obviously was not happy and he could not grasp the fact that the massive amounts of rain cause a reasonable delay and he could not grasp that he was not our only customer.
Once we arrived on the job that morning, we had a three man crew. The job was quoted for 5 man hours of cleaning up. We had three guys cleaning for 2.5 hours each for a TOTAL of 7.5 man hours. We did not charge him more even though it took longer then expected. During the clean up process I spoke with the customers wife and walked her through everything we were going to do. When she saw the mulch, she was a little upset because she said that the mulch was the wrong color. I informed her that her husband had emailed us asking for this color. She was irritated and called her husband and confirmed that he did in fact email us and the color we had was what he asked for. She was still not happy so I told her that I could probably use this color on a job in the future but if she wanted to swap colors I would have to charge her a very reasonable fee of $35 to cover my time running back and getting different mulch. She did not seam happy about having to pay that small fee even though her husband had asked for a different color and this was not our mistake, but a miscommunication with the husband and wife. She decided against switching colors and had us use what we had. During the day I had asked her about 4-6 times questions pertaining to the job to make sure things were done according to how they liked. We removed some older plants they did not want and trimmed some plants back as well as cleaned up before. Once we started putting the mulch down, we put an average of two inches of mulch down. The customer later complained that the mulch was very thin, but that is not true. Because mulch is very easily moved it is possible that with the may storms we got since it was installed, some of it blew or was moved by squirrels or their dog (I think they have a dog but I could be wrong). Either way I know for 100% certainty we did a very good job. Once the job was complete I walked the wife around to make sure things were good. She said yes it was good! As we were finishing cleaning up the husband came home and I then walked him around the job. He said it looked good and he thanked us!
So that answers the question about the mulch, and now for the lawn...
They hired us to fertilize and weed control their lawn. Now keep in mind they just moved to this house in December and had only lived there for a couple of months before we started to work on it for them. I informed them right from the start that because it was very obvious the previous homeowners did not take care of their lawn it was going to take at least a couple treatments or possible longer to get the "lawn that the neighbors envied". The first application we applied was a fertilizer with a crab grass deterrent. That is the normal first application for spring. No more then a couple weeks later I got a call from the wife who was very unhappy with their lawn and said she wanted to cancel! I informed her, as I had told her husband, that we had only done one treatment and it was going to take more then that. I also informed her that the treatment we had put down had nothing to do with weeds and that treatment was scheduled for two weeks from the time she called. No matter how many times I explained, she did not care that we had not even put any weed control down yet! She would not let me get a word in because every time I tried to answer her questions she cut me off and accused me of trying to talk over her...but I couldn't even answer her questions. At that point she told me she wanted to cancel any further services and she wanted to have a credit to the bill for work that was not done. I told her I thought it was very unfair that they had not even given us a chance, but I would call her back with the amount to be credited. Later that day I called her back and gave her the amount to be credited and also apologized to her that the previous conversation was a little heated, even though we did not do anything other then try and answer her questions. The customer also accused us of "watering down" our chemicals even though he knew we only used granular applications so there is no way to "water it down". All of this was known before hand and was on the estimate that the customer gave the go ahead to!
At this point I am realize that I have dealt with these type of folks before. They are complaining because they decided they wanted money off the bill...
The customer also wanted us to remove a pile of debris in the corner of his yard that was about 2 feet high. We removed all of it flush to the ground and realized that there must have been something planted there because there was a hole there! We only removed enough debris so it was flush with the ground. If we removed any more debris the homeowner would have had to fill it in later. We compacted some dirt and what was left there into the hole and as I walked around with the husband before we left I informed him of that so he know about it before we left even though he didn't complain until a month later. After he complained I offered to come back and get rid of the remaining items but he wanted nothing to do with it.
As for payment on the remaining bill, after they were unhappy I completely removed the fertilization part even though we had already done one application. This was not good enough for them. He continued to insult me and my business repeatedly, as the emails will show. He told me he would pay 80% of the bill but only after we admitted fault (in writing) for something that was not done! I told him that we did nothing wrong so I would not admit fault, but that I would take 90% just so that I can get payment. He again insulted my business and said that was pitiful. All of this will be documented in the emails. If he is willing to pay only 90% of the bill, I will take that. Otherwise, as I told him before, I will be filing a small claims suite to get payment.
Here is the email string that I would like to have shown so the public will have first hand knowledge of the conversation.
[redacted],
After missing two rain-free days this week and
rain now forecast for the end of the week, I don't think you will be able to
handle my yard clean up and flower bed maintenance and mulching. Please send me
a bill for the work completed and I will find another company that has the
capacity to perform the remainder of the work within a reasonable
timeframe.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
(Customer), please be patient. Every lawn care
company and landscaping company in the area is struggling to catch up with all
the rain we have had. You are not my only customer, however you are next on the
list. I have the mulch sitting in the trailer waiting to go. We will be there
tomorrow as long as its not a down poor. There is no possible way to fit two
weeks of work into the two days that we have had rain free. I understand that
you are in a hurry to get your lawn and yard looking nice, but we can only do
so much with the weather we have been given. However, I have our crews working
rain or shine now (As long as it is not a down poor) to catch up. So again, as
long as it is not down poring or when ever the rain does stop tomorrow, we will
be there to start. I am sorry that the weather has set things back.
Please be advised that I am opening a complaint
with the Revdex.com regarding your charges, service and products.
Additionally I have forwarded your bill to an attorney for review. Once I've
gained the legal advice necessary, I will respond in kind. As you are fully
aware, Lea and I are entirely displeased with the services that you rendered
and the products (lawn spray and mulch) that you supposedly used on our lawn.
The inferior quality of your work was a disgrace.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
(Customer), I am not sure how to respond to
that other then to say I did everything possible to make you and your wife
happy. I Stayed in communication with you in regards to when we would be doing
your yard work. I know you wanted it done sooner but weather did not allow
that. As we discussed the day before doing the mulch, I do have more then one
customer and I bumped your home up on the list to make you happy. Once on the
job, my crew worked diligently and did exactly as we had talked about prior to
starting. I actually spent more man hours then we estimated cleaning up before
putting the mulch down and did not charge you. When we arrived and first
started working I went and talked to your wife and walked her through what we
were going to do and showed her the mulch. At this point she told me that she
wanted a different color, but I informed her that you had requested this color
in one of our email exchanges. She then called you to discus (as I am sure you
remember) and then she said you did pick that color out and that it was fine.
She still did not seam happy so I told her that for a small fee I could go dump
this mulch and try and find another customer to use it for later and pick up
new mulch. She said no she did not want to pay for it and that this color was
fine. I also made sure your wife was ok with everything as we performed the
work through out the day and asked her a couple of times what her preference
was on what plants she would like to keep and what ones she would like removed.
At the end of the day I walked you around the project and made sure everything
was exactly as you wanted. YOU told me that everything looked great and then
YOU thanked me. I do not know what changed since that point. You are more then
welcome to forward anything you wish to an attorney and open a complaint with
whomever you would like. My company performed its duties with out fail and went
out of its way to try and make you happy. If you feel that you must waste your
time and money speaking with an attorney, please do so, and then pay your past
due bill. I would have expected better out of someone running a company that
does so much good for people. Once again, please pay your bill. We performed
our services and even discounted the bill for what your wife no longer wanted
and now its your turn to pay my company what you owe us. If I do not receive
payment within the next two weeks I will file a small claims suite with the
Outagamie County court house.
(Customer), I am sorry, I just realized I
forgot to address the "mulch and lawn fertilizer" that was not good
enough. I purchase the same products that many, many lawn care companies use.
You are welcome to contact my supplier: Reinders of Appleton ###-###-####.
Anyone at the front desk can help you. Ask them about their products as well as
how many other local lawn care companies use them for their products. I purchase
my mulch from Skid & Pallet Mulch in Menasha. Their phone number
is ###-###-####. Ask for [redacted] and ask talk to her. As you can see, I am
an open book. I am not here to try and swindle anyone out of their money or
give poor service. I have done everything you have asked for and more. I would
not still be in business and growing as fast as I am if I am doing what you
claim. I am happy to address any other issues; however you still need to pay
your bill like everyone else.
The next 6 emails from
him were sent in a 30 minute time span.
[redacted],
I welcome the filing.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
[redacted],
You are a poor business person and I believe
others do not know how bad you are stealing from them. Should I take your email
barrage as a challenge? I can certainly make sure that I share my poor
experience with as many people as possible so that they understand the true
nature of your business dealings.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
[redacted],
How exactly do you explain the fact that you
used weed killer and weeds came up. I had to hire another service and they were
immediately remedied. I suspect that you buy the appropriate chemicals and then
dilute them. Again, you and your business are a disgrace. This has nothing to
do with paying a bill and everything to do with your unethical business
practices. You are argumentative and treated my wife poorly in your dealings
with her.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
[redacted],
As far as your mulch. You charged $65 per yard
and them proceeded to spread it so thin that there are already bare spots down
to the barrier. Unfortunately I did not have anyone at the time to tell us not
to use your service. I will make sure that others do not have the same problems
because they were not informed of how truly bad your service and products
are.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
[redacted],
Finally. You did not discount your bill as you
indicated. All that was taken off was work you were not given the opportunity
not to perform as poorly as what you had already done. You should be ashamed of
yourself.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
[redacted],
Please provide me one final bill with the
appropriate reduction in charges for work not performed AND adjustments for
taxes .I will then arrange to pay you in person.
Customer
After receiving the 6
emails in a row, I sent him an adjusted invoice, and that was not good enough.
More emails followed.
[redacted],
Thank you for the revision. I am still not
satisfied. Please expect to be contacted by the Revdex.com in the
next few days. I have filed a complaint which they will attempt to resolve. I
will forward your revised invoice to be included as part of the record.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
(Customer), I am not sure what you are looking
for then. I completely wiped out the charge for lawn care because you were not
happy. If you are looking for a freebie, thats not going to happen. If you have
another issue that you haven't told me about, please let me know so it can be
resolved. I do what to make you happy but I don't know what else to do. Have a
nice weekend. If the Revdex.com does contact me I will let them know everything, as
well as provide them the before and after photos of your property. The revised
bill does still need to be paid so please submit your payment within two weeks.
[redacted],
They will be contacting you. What is still left
unresolved is the thin layer of mulch you put down, the substandard job you did
removing the debris from the corner of the property (decaying leaves were left
behind) and the estimated 5 plus hours to clean the yard. With the rain delay
you and your crew were not here five hours including laying the mulch much less
just to do the yard clean up. I'm not looking for a "freebie", at
this point the money means nothing to me but on principle I don't like getting
ripped off. By going through the Revdex.com I hope to have the poor work you do
documented so others do not make the same mistake that I did. Namely, hiring
you to perform any type of yard work. Your poor work was only surpassed by your
lack of business professionalism.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
(Customer), I have been nothing but
professional with you and your wife. I promptly explained and answered every
question you have had. As for the mulch, I did exactly as we talked about. We
put down about 2 inches of mulch. You do not want to put much more then that
because it suffocates plants. We went as far as putting putting mulch where
previous companies or the previous homeowner had not (In between and behind the
bushes by your deck as much as we could). The estimate stated that there would
be 5 hours of clean up. We had three guys (including myself) doing cleanup for
a total of 7.5 man hours (3 x 2.5 = 7). I have photos to show how poor
everything looked before and during clean out and then how nice everything
looked afterwords. I did not skimp or cheat you out of anything. As I
said before, if there was an issue, it should have been brought up the 3 or 4
times I talked to your wife and when she walked around the property, or when
you walked around the property before we left. I am sorry but it seams that
nothing is going to make you happy. Your complaint with the Revdex.com will not get
you what you are looking for because I am not going to do anything further. If
you have a legitimate complaint feel free to let me know, otherwise pay your
bill.
(Customer),
Sorry I sent the last email too soon again and
forgot to respond to the debris in the back of the yard. We removed the pile
that was there but the previous homeowners had a hole there. We removed the
debris flush to the ground and actually tried to pack some dirt into the hole.
Had we removed anymore, you would have had to fill in the hole before doing
anything further. I am happy to come back and completely removed the remaining
debris but you would have to fill it in with something then. I did not know
that was an issue.
[redacted],
A little advice... when a customer is
attempting to tell you that they are displeased with your work, don't talk over
them and tell them why they are wrong and you are right.
At most you and your crew we here a combined 4
hours for yard clean-up. I will never have you touch anything on my property
again... you have lost the ability to fix what you did not perform adequately.
There was not a consistent 2 inches of mulch that was applied.. in many places
the barrier was nearly exposed.
If you want the bill issue resolved, this is
what I think is appropriate:
De-Thatching... $80 (and the only thing that
was done correctly)
Spring Clean-Up... $200 (for the work performed
of no more than 4 total hours)
Mulch Installed... $546 (for approximately 80%
of the correct level of mulch installed)
Debris Removal... $60 (for the approximately
80% of the work that was completed which is evidenced by the decaying leaves
that were left behind)
Subtotal... $886
Tax @ 5%... 44.30
Total... $930.30 (invoiced from you as stated
above)
Plus admission in writing that you did not
adequately perform the work that was originally requested. This is also what I
will be supplying to the Revdex.com as a resolution to my complaint.
Customer
Good morning (Customer). I am sorry that you
thought I was trying to talk over you or tell you that you were wrong, that was
not my intention. I was only explaining why and how things were done because I
know that you were at work that day and could not see how things were actually
done. As for your proposal, that will not work. I would take 90% if that would
settle this outside of court, but I will not be admitting that we were wrong or
that work was performed inadequately, because I do not believe it was. So
again, if you would like to settle this before small claims court I will take
90%. Otherwise when I file in about two weeks it will be for the full amount
plus court costs.
[redacted], You do realize that your invoice states
(despite the typos) that I do not have to make a final payment until I am
"happy". It was your choice not to collect the first half up front.
My offer to you is very reasonable considering the awful work that you perform
and I am attempting to resolve this through the Revdex.com. You are free to file
whatever you wish but I am attempting now to settle this through a recognized
government mediation service and have your poor business performance publicly
documented.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
Customer, The phrase in my estimate also
pertains to people who are able to be made happy, you clearly are not one of
those people. Next time I will know that I should change that phrase to
accommodate people like you. You should also know that the Revdex.com has nothing to
do with the government and is not regulated or run by them. It is a private
organization. I hope you have a nice day and as I have said in the past emails;
pay your invoice (at least 90% of it) or I will have to file a small claims
suite. I have been nothing but direct and professional, I am growing tired of
you "cheap shots" and name calling. This will be the last email you
will receive from me before the filing unless it is paid.
Good evening [redacted]. I am the owner of Appleton Lawn & Snow Patrol. I was going to respond to the photos that [redacted] had submitted but I could not find a way to do that so I am emailing you. The photos show that the mulch is actually more then 2". The photos also show the old landscaping liner that was wrinkled and obviously some of the mulch moved (mulch is very light so it would not take much more then a breeze, dog, or squirrel to move much)! As I said in my original response, we walked around the property with [redacted] and his wife before we left and they were very happy with everything. I still do not know when or why their attitude changed. The photo of the mulch next to the pine bush you can clearly see the line where we had left the mulch and you can see that someone had moved the mulch, so it was not like that when we left! As for the complaint about the leaves and debris in the back yard, I told him more then once BEFORE we left that we packed dirt into the whole that the previous homeowner left. If we would have removed everything he would have had a large hole that…and again [redacted] knew this before we left. Lastly, we did NOT spray anything for weeds. In fact we were not able to do any kind of weed prevention on his lawn. We only do granular applications so his accusations are off base. [redacted] knows that it was a granular application because we discussed it and it is right on the invoice and the estimate. They called and cancelled any further lawn services before we could apply the weed control so of course there were weeds. I can only hope that when all of this information is posted that the public can see what actually transpired. Please contact me directly if you have any questions.[redacted]Owner###-###-####Appleton Snow & Lawn PatrolFacebook.com/AppletonSnowLawn
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
The answer from Mr. [redacted] is not satisfactory. By his own invoice he admits that he supposedly cleaned out all of the old mulch beds and prepared them for new mulch. The fact that the lining is exposed further solidifies my contention of poor work. I uploaded pictures of a small sample of the bare areas. Once again, Mr. [redacted] and Appleton Snow and Lawn Patrol refuses to acknowledge the poor workmanship and instead chooses to blame other issues (small animals or the weather). This is the same service issue that we had when we attempted to resolve in June. He shouted over my wife, explaining why he was right and she was wrong.
As for the the review the day of service... the debris was not even removed at the time of walk through. Mr. [redacted] is deceitful and seems to freely change the facts. I did not measure the depth of the mulch during the walk through but it is obvious to me that he skimped on the product. Either he didn't estimate the quantity needed correctly or he purposely over charges for the work performed. There are multiple bare spots after a meager 45 days.
I have paid 80% of the invoiced items in contention. This is an overpayment. If Mr. [redacted] had any integrity he would return a portion of my payment in recognition of the poor quality of the work and products.
Regards,
[redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
I have offered and paid via US Mail on July 7th, 80% of the charges for the disputed items. I feel this is overpayment based on the work provided.
I have attached more detailed pictures of the mulch issues that we are experiencing less than 45 days after the company supposedly fulfilled their obligation. As the photos will show, the supposed two inches of mulch is now bare to the soil barrier in many areas. A quality job should have at least lasted the season and maybe even two. The work performed by Appleton Snow and Lawn Patrol did not last for even two months. I also believe that in the response the owner provided photos in order to misrepresent the quality of the work done in that the pictures were taken from a distance and do not address my issue which is the amount and quality of the job performed. I have additional photos which document and accurately reflect the poor quality of work.
In my attached letter I also agree to pay for 80% of the amount charged to remove the debris from the corner of the property. By his own admission, the company did not remove the decaying leaves and instead covered them over with other dirt and tried to tamp it down. I believe this was an effort to hide the inferior work and the corners that were cut and by leaving a portion of the debris behind did not fulfill their end of the agreement for work.
The last item, which again I have paid 80% of the charges is for the labor based on an estimate of 5 hours to clean the yard. The entire time Mr. [redacted] and his crew was on site did not total 5 hours in combination. They rushed the job to get done around a rain shower that occurred on the day they were here. I believe Mr. [redacted] knowingly is billing for hours that he and his crew did not work.
In summary, I have agreed and have sent a check that represents payment of 80% of what was billed for the items in dispute. I still believe at 80% payment that I am overpaying for the work that was completed. I will spend more that the 20% withheld to have the work redone by a reputable and ethical business. I found one that could re-spray my lawn with almost immediate positive results after Appleton Snow and Lawn Patrol supposedly sprayed to no result.
I offered the payment as outlined and sent to Mr. [redacted] on July 6th along with the request that he admit the job was not completed in a satisfactory manner. He refused to admit it was not done correctly and countered with only a 10% reduction in price. After dealing with this company, I knew not to expect much from them in the form of admitting to the poor work and quality of the products and services but the offer of 80% was appropriate and still leaves me believing that that price I have paid is more that the value that I received.
This company is not ethical and has cut corners in the quality of the products and services. This company did not deliver as promised and was repeatedly more interested in telling me and my wife why we are wrong then attempting to remedy the situation at a point in June when it could have been fixed. I believe his response is furthering this level of deceit by showing images of my property from a distance that does not reflect the quality of the work that was done.
The remedy I seek is the acceptance of the payment made for 80% of the amount billed. I guess I will not get Mr. [redacted] to admit where his products and services failed to meet minimum acceptable standards but I also now understand how unethically this owner operates his business.
If possible, I would like to speak to someone from Revdex.com to understand how I can prevent this type of poor quality and service from happening to others. It has truly been the worst experience I have ever had with a business and a business owner and thoroughly believe it represents his poor business practices.
Regards,
[redacted]
The emails to confirm this will be part of this response and should be displayed to the public so they have the full understanding of this issue. I will also provide before and after photos to prove that we did the job exactly as we were suppose to. The customers name will be left out for his...
privacy. We should probably start at the beginning, because that is where things headed in the wrong direction. Customer had reviewed the estimate gave the go ahead for all the work to be performed as weather permitted. Unfortunately this was one of the wettest springs on record and continues to be a very wet year. Because it rained almost every day the job was delayed. Customer was started to get mad that the job was delayed because of the weather. We stayed in contact with him through out the delays so he was never left hanging. As a company, we obviously have more then one job on the schedule or we would go out of business so when we finally had two nice days we finished the remaining job, and the customers job was next. When we got home the evening after the two nice days, I received an email from the customer saying he was unhappy because things were delayed and that he wanted to cancel! I emailed and called the customer and informed him that we had his mulch loaded up and ready to work the next day, but because of the weather there was nothing we could have done about the past delays. The customer was pleasant but very obviously was not happy and he could not grasp the fact that the massive amounts of rain cause a reasonable delay and he could not grasp that he was not our only customer.
Once we arrived on the job that morning, we had a three man crew. The job was quoted for 5 man hours of cleaning up. We had three guys cleaning for 2.5 hours each for a TOTAL of 7.5 man hours. We did not charge him more even though it took longer then expected. During the clean up process I spoke with the customers wife and walked her through everything we were going to do. When she saw the mulch, she was a little upset because she said that the mulch was the wrong color. I informed her that her husband had emailed us asking for this color. She was irritated and called her husband and confirmed that he did in fact email us and the color we had was what he asked for. She was still not happy so I told her that I could probably use this color on a job in the future but if she wanted to swap colors I would have to charge her a very reasonable fee of $35 to cover my time running back and getting different mulch. She did not seam happy about having to pay that small fee even though her husband had asked for a different color and this was not our mistake, but a miscommunication with the husband and wife. She decided against switching colors and had us use what we had. During the day I had asked her about 4-6 times questions pertaining to the job to make sure things were done according to how they liked. We removed some older plants they did not want and trimmed some plants back as well as cleaned up before. Once we started putting the mulch down, we put an average of two inches of mulch down. The customer later complained that the mulch was very thin, but that is not true. Because mulch is very easily moved it is possible that with the may storms we got since it was installed, some of it blew or was moved by squirrels or their dog (I think they have a dog but I could be wrong). Either way I know for 100% certainty we did a very good job. Once the job was complete I walked the wife around to make sure things were good. She said yes it was good! As we were finishing cleaning up the husband came home and I then walked him around the job. He said it looked good and he thanked us!
So that answers the question about the mulch, and now for the lawn...
They hired us to fertilize and weed control their lawn. Now keep in mind they just moved to this house in December and had only lived there for a couple of months before we started to work on it for them. I informed them right from the start that because it was very obvious the previous homeowners did not take care of their lawn it was going to take at least a couple treatments or possible longer to get the "lawn that the neighbors envied". The first application we applied was a fertilizer with a crab grass deterrent. That is the normal first application for spring. No more then a couple weeks later I got a call from the wife who was very unhappy with their lawn and said she wanted to cancel! I informed her, as I had told her husband, that we had only done one treatment and it was going to take more then that. I also informed her that the treatment we had put down had nothing to do with weeds and that treatment was scheduled for two weeks from the time she called. No matter how many times I explained, she did not care that we had not even put any weed control down yet! She would not let me get a word in because every time I tried to answer her questions she cut me off and accused me of trying to talk over her...but I couldn't even answer her questions. At that point she told me she wanted to cancel any further services and she wanted to have a credit to the bill for work that was not done. I told her I thought it was very unfair that they had not even given us a chance, but I would call her back with the amount to be credited. Later that day I called her back and gave her the amount to be credited and also apologized to her that the previous conversation was a little heated, even though we did not do anything other then try and answer her questions. The customer also accused us of "watering down" our chemicals even though he knew we only used granular applications so there is no way to "water it down". All of this was known before hand and was on the estimate that the customer gave the go ahead to!
At this point I am realize that I have dealt with these type of folks before. They are complaining because they decided they wanted money off the bill...
The customer also wanted us to remove a pile of debris in the corner of his yard that was about 2 feet high. We removed all of it flush to the ground and realized that there must have been something planted there because there was a hole there! We only removed enough debris so it was flush with the ground. If we removed any more debris the homeowner would have had to fill it in later. We compacted some dirt and what was left there into the hole and as I walked around with the husband before we left I informed him of that so he know about it before we left even though he didn't complain until a month later. After he complained I offered to come back and get rid of the remaining items but he wanted nothing to do with it.
As for payment on the remaining bill, after they were unhappy I completely removed the fertilization part even though we had already done one application. This was not good enough for them. He continued to insult me and my business repeatedly, as the emails will show. He told me he would pay 80% of the bill but only after we admitted fault (in writing) for something that was not done! I told him that we did nothing wrong so I would not admit fault, but that I would take 90% just so that I can get payment. He again insulted my business and said that was pitiful. All of this will be documented in the emails. If he is willing to pay only 90% of the bill, I will take that. Otherwise, as I told him before, I will be filing a small claims suite to get payment.
Here is the email string that I would like to have shown so the public will have first hand knowledge of the conversation.
[redacted],
After missing two rain-free days this week and
rain now forecast for the end of the week, I don't think you will be able to
handle my yard clean up and flower bed maintenance and mulching. Please send me
a bill for the work completed and I will find another company that has the
capacity to perform the remainder of the work within a reasonable
timeframe.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
(Customer), please be patient. Every lawn care
company and landscaping company in the area is struggling to catch up with all
the rain we have had. You are not my only customer, however you are next on the
list. I have the mulch sitting in the trailer waiting to go. We will be there
tomorrow as long as its not a down poor. There is no possible way to fit two
weeks of work into the two days that we have had rain free. I understand that
you are in a hurry to get your lawn and yard looking nice, but we can only do
so much with the weather we have been given. However, I have our crews working
rain or shine now (As long as it is not a down poor) to catch up. So again, as
long as it is not down poring or when ever the rain does stop tomorrow, we will
be there to start. I am sorry that the weather has set things back.
[redacted]
Owner
###-###-####
Appleton Snow & Lawn Patrol
[redacted],
Please be advised that I am opening a complaint
with the Revdex.com regarding your charges, service and products.
Additionally I have forwarded your bill to an attorney for review. Once I've
gained the legal advice necessary, I will respond in kind. As you are fully
aware, Lea and I are entirely displeased with the services that you rendered
and the products (lawn spray and mulch) that you supposedly used on our lawn.
The inferior quality of your work was a disgrace.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
(Customer), I am not sure how to respond to
that other then to say I did everything possible to make you and your wife
happy. I Stayed in communication with you in regards to when we would be doing
your yard work. I know you wanted it done sooner but weather did not allow
that. As we discussed the day before doing the mulch, I do have more then one
customer and I bumped your home up on the list to make you happy. Once on the
job, my crew worked diligently and did exactly as we had talked about prior to
starting. I actually spent more man hours then we estimated cleaning up before
putting the mulch down and did not charge you. When we arrived and first
started working I went and talked to your wife and walked her through what we
were going to do and showed her the mulch. At this point she told me that she
wanted a different color, but I informed her that you had requested this color
in one of our email exchanges. She then called you to discus (as I am sure you
remember) and then she said you did pick that color out and that it was fine.
She still did not seam happy so I told her that for a small fee I could go dump
this mulch and try and find another customer to use it for later and pick up
new mulch. She said no she did not want to pay for it and that this color was
fine. I also made sure your wife was ok with everything as we performed the
work through out the day and asked her a couple of times what her preference
was on what plants she would like to keep and what ones she would like removed.
At the end of the day I walked you around the project and made sure everything
was exactly as you wanted. YOU told me that everything looked great and then
YOU thanked me. I do not know what changed since that point. You are more then
welcome to forward anything you wish to an attorney and open a complaint with
whomever you would like. My company performed its duties with out fail and went
out of its way to try and make you happy. If you feel that you must waste your
time and money speaking with an attorney, please do so, and then pay your past
due bill. I would have expected better out of someone running a company that
does so much good for people. Once again, please pay your bill. We performed
our services and even discounted the bill for what your wife no longer wanted
and now its your turn to pay my company what you owe us. If I do not receive
payment within the next two weeks I will file a small claims suite with the
Outagamie County court house.
[redacted]
Owner
###-###-####
Appleton Snow & Lawn Patrol
Facebook.com/AppletonSnowLawn
(Customer), I am sorry, I just realized I
forgot to address the "mulch and lawn fertilizer" that was not good
enough. I purchase the same products that many, many lawn care companies use.
You are welcome to contact my supplier: Reinders of Appleton ###-###-####.
Anyone at the front desk can help you. Ask them about their products as well as
how many other local lawn care companies use them for their products. I purchase
my mulch from Skid & Pallet Mulch in Menasha. Their phone number
is ###-###-####. Ask for [redacted] and ask talk to her. As you can see, I am
an open book. I am not here to try and swindle anyone out of their money or
give poor service. I have done everything you have asked for and more. I would
not still be in business and growing as fast as I am if I am doing what you
claim. I am happy to address any other issues; however you still need to pay
your bill like everyone else.
[redacted]
Owner
###-###-####
Appleton Snow & Lawn Patrol
The next 6 emails from
him were sent in a 30 minute time span.
[redacted],
I welcome the filing.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
[redacted],
You are a poor business person and I believe
others do not know how bad you are stealing from them. Should I take your email
barrage as a challenge? I can certainly make sure that I share my poor
experience with as many people as possible so that they understand the true
nature of your business dealings.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
[redacted],
How exactly do you explain the fact that you
used weed killer and weeds came up. I had to hire another service and they were
immediately remedied. I suspect that you buy the appropriate chemicals and then
dilute them. Again, you and your business are a disgrace. This has nothing to
do with paying a bill and everything to do with your unethical business
practices. You are argumentative and treated my wife poorly in your dealings
with her.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
[redacted],
As far as your mulch. You charged $65 per yard
and them proceeded to spread it so thin that there are already bare spots down
to the barrier. Unfortunately I did not have anyone at the time to tell us not
to use your service. I will make sure that others do not have the same problems
because they were not informed of how truly bad your service and products
are.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
[redacted],
Finally. You did not discount your bill as you
indicated. All that was taken off was work you were not given the opportunity
not to perform as poorly as what you had already done. You should be ashamed of
yourself.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
[redacted],
Please provide me one final bill with the
appropriate reduction in charges for work not performed AND adjustments for
taxes .I will then arrange to pay you in person.
Customer
After receiving the 6
emails in a row, I sent him an adjusted invoice, and that was not good enough.
More emails followed.
[redacted],
Thank you for the revision. I am still not
satisfied. Please expect to be contacted by the Revdex.com in the
next few days. I have filed a complaint which they will attempt to resolve. I
will forward your revised invoice to be included as part of the record.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
(Customer), I am not sure what you are looking
for then. I completely wiped out the charge for lawn care because you were not
happy. If you are looking for a freebie, thats not going to happen. If you have
another issue that you haven't told me about, please let me know so it can be
resolved. I do what to make you happy but I don't know what else to do. Have a
nice weekend. If the Revdex.com does contact me I will let them know everything, as
well as provide them the before and after photos of your property. The revised
bill does still need to be paid so please submit your payment within two weeks.
Thanks.
[redacted]
Owner
###-###-####
Appleton Snow & Lawn Patrol
[redacted],
They will be contacting you. What is still left
unresolved is the thin layer of mulch you put down, the substandard job you did
removing the debris from the corner of the property (decaying leaves were left
behind) and the estimated 5 plus hours to clean the yard. With the rain delay
you and your crew were not here five hours including laying the mulch much less
just to do the yard clean up. I'm not looking for a "freebie", at
this point the money means nothing to me but on principle I don't like getting
ripped off. By going through the Revdex.com I hope to have the poor work you do
documented so others do not make the same mistake that I did. Namely, hiring
you to perform any type of yard work. Your poor work was only surpassed by your
lack of business professionalism.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
(Customer), I have been nothing but
professional with you and your wife. I promptly explained and answered every
question you have had. As for the mulch, I did exactly as we talked about. We
put down about 2 inches of mulch. You do not want to put much more then that
because it suffocates plants. We went as far as putting putting mulch where
previous companies or the previous homeowner had not (In between and behind the
bushes by your deck as much as we could). The estimate stated that there would
be 5 hours of clean up. We had three guys (including myself) doing cleanup for
a total of 7.5 man hours (3 x 2.5 = 7). I have photos to show how poor
everything looked before and during clean out and then how nice everything
looked afterwords. I did not skimp or cheat you out of anything. As I
said before, if there was an issue, it should have been brought up the 3 or 4
times I talked to your wife and when she walked around the property, or when
you walked around the property before we left. I am sorry but it seams that
nothing is going to make you happy. Your complaint with the Revdex.com will not get
you what you are looking for because I am not going to do anything further. If
you have a legitimate complaint feel free to let me know, otherwise pay your
bill.
[redacted]
Owner
###-###-####
Appleton Snow & Lawn Patrol
(Customer),
Sorry I sent the last email too soon again and
forgot to respond to the debris in the back of the yard. We removed the pile
that was there but the previous homeowners had a hole there. We removed the
debris flush to the ground and actually tried to pack some dirt into the hole.
Had we removed anymore, you would have had to fill in the hole before doing
anything further. I am happy to come back and completely removed the remaining
debris but you would have to fill it in with something then. I did not know
that was an issue.
[redacted]
Owner
###-###-####
Appleton Snow & Lawn Patrol
[redacted],
A little advice... when a customer is
attempting to tell you that they are displeased with your work, don't talk over
them and tell them why they are wrong and you are right.
At most you and your crew we here a combined 4
hours for yard clean-up. I will never have you touch anything on my property
again... you have lost the ability to fix what you did not perform adequately.
There was not a consistent 2 inches of mulch that was applied.. in many places
the barrier was nearly exposed.
If you want the bill issue resolved, this is
what I think is appropriate:
De-Thatching... $80 (and the only thing that
was done correctly)
Spring Clean-Up... $200 (for the work performed
of no more than 4 total hours)
Mulch Installed... $546 (for approximately 80%
of the correct level of mulch installed)
Debris Removal... $60 (for the approximately
80% of the work that was completed which is evidenced by the decaying leaves
that were left behind)
Subtotal... $886
Tax @ 5%... 44.30
Total... $930.30 (invoiced from you as stated
above)
Plus admission in writing that you did not
adequately perform the work that was originally requested. This is also what I
will be supplying to the Revdex.com as a resolution to my complaint.
Customer
Good morning (Customer). I am sorry that you
thought I was trying to talk over you or tell you that you were wrong, that was
not my intention. I was only explaining why and how things were done because I
know that you were at work that day and could not see how things were actually
done. As for your proposal, that will not work. I would take 90% if that would
settle this outside of court, but I will not be admitting that we were wrong or
that work was performed inadequately, because I do not believe it was. So
again, if you would like to settle this before small claims court I will take
90%. Otherwise when I file in about two weeks it will be for the full amount
plus court costs.
[redacted]
Owner
###-###-####
Appleton Snow & Lawn Patrol
[redacted], That's pitiful.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
[redacted], You do realize that your invoice states
(despite the typos) that I do not have to make a final payment until I am
"happy". It was your choice not to collect the first half up front.
My offer to you is very reasonable considering the awful work that you perform
and I am attempting to resolve this through the Revdex.com. You are free to file
whatever you wish but I am attempting now to settle this through a recognized
government mediation service and have your poor business performance publicly
documented.
Customer
Sent from my iPhone
Customer, The phrase in my estimate also
pertains to people who are able to be made happy, you clearly are not one of
those people. Next time I will know that I should change that phrase to
accommodate people like you. You should also know that the Revdex.com has nothing to
do with the government and is not regulated or run by them. It is a private
organization. I hope you have a nice day and as I have said in the past emails;
pay your invoice (at least 90% of it) or I will have to file a small claims
suite. I have been nothing but direct and professional, I am growing tired of
you "cheap shots" and name calling. This will be the last email you
will receive from me before the filing unless it is paid.
[redacted]
Owner
###-###-####
Appleton Snow & Lawn Patrol
Good evening [redacted]. I am the owner of Appleton Lawn & Snow Patrol. I was going to respond to the photos that [redacted] had submitted but I could not find a way to do that so I am emailing you. The photos show that the mulch is actually more then 2". The photos also show the old landscaping liner that was wrinkled and obviously some of the mulch moved (mulch is very light so it would not take much more then a breeze, dog, or squirrel to move much)! As I said in my original response, we walked around the property with [redacted] and his wife before we left and they were very happy with everything. I still do not know when or why their attitude changed. The photo of the mulch next to the pine bush you can clearly see the line where we had left the mulch and you can see that someone had moved the mulch, so it was not like that when we left! As for the complaint about the leaves and debris in the back yard, I told him more then once BEFORE we left that we packed dirt into the whole that the previous homeowner left. If we would have removed everything he would have had a large hole that…and again [redacted] knew this before we left. Lastly, we did NOT spray anything for weeds. In fact we were not able to do any kind of weed prevention on his lawn. We only do granular applications so his accusations are off base. [redacted] knows that it was a granular application because we discussed it and it is right on the invoice and the estimate. They called and cancelled any further lawn services before we could apply the weed control so of course there were weeds. I can only hope that when all of this information is posted that the public can see what actually transpired. Please contact me directly if you have any questions.[redacted]Owner###-###-####Appleton Snow & Lawn PatrolFacebook.com/AppletonSnowLawn
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
The answer from Mr. [redacted] is not satisfactory. By his own invoice he admits that he supposedly cleaned out all of the old mulch beds and prepared them for new mulch. The fact that the lining is exposed further solidifies my contention of poor work. I uploaded pictures of a small sample of the bare areas. Once again, Mr. [redacted] and Appleton Snow and Lawn Patrol refuses to acknowledge the poor workmanship and instead chooses to blame other issues (small animals or the weather). This is the same service issue that we had when we attempted to resolve in June. He shouted over my wife, explaining why he was right and she was wrong.
As for the the review the day of service... the debris was not even removed at the time of walk through. Mr. [redacted] is deceitful and seems to freely change the facts. I did not measure the depth of the mulch during the walk through but it is obvious to me that he skimped on the product. Either he didn't estimate the quantity needed correctly or he purposely over charges for the work performed. There are multiple bare spots after a meager 45 days.
I have paid 80% of the invoiced items in contention. This is an overpayment. If Mr. [redacted] had any integrity he would return a portion of my payment in recognition of the poor quality of the work and products.
Regards,
[redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
I have offered and paid via US Mail on July 7th, 80% of the charges for the disputed items. I feel this is overpayment based on the work provided.
I have attached more detailed pictures of the mulch issues that we are experiencing less than 45 days after the company supposedly fulfilled their obligation. As the photos will show, the supposed two inches of mulch is now bare to the soil barrier in many areas. A quality job should have at least lasted the season and maybe even two. The work performed by Appleton Snow and Lawn Patrol did not last for even two months. I also believe that in the response the owner provided photos in order to misrepresent the quality of the work done in that the pictures were taken from a distance and do not address my issue which is the amount and quality of the job performed. I have additional photos which document and accurately reflect the poor quality of work.
In my attached letter I also agree to pay for 80% of the amount charged to remove the debris from the corner of the property. By his own admission, the company did not remove the decaying leaves and instead covered them over with other dirt and tried to tamp it down. I believe this was an effort to hide the inferior work and the corners that were cut and by leaving a portion of the debris behind did not fulfill their end of the agreement for work.
The last item, which again I have paid 80% of the charges is for the labor based on an estimate of 5 hours to clean the yard. The entire time Mr. [redacted] and his crew was on site did not total 5 hours in combination. They rushed the job to get done around a rain shower that occurred on the day they were here. I believe Mr. [redacted] knowingly is billing for hours that he and his crew did not work.
In summary, I have agreed and have sent a check that represents payment of 80% of what was billed for the items in dispute. I still believe at 80% payment that I am overpaying for the work that was completed. I will spend more that the 20% withheld to have the work redone by a reputable and ethical business. I found one that could re-spray my lawn with almost immediate positive results after Appleton Snow and Lawn Patrol supposedly sprayed to no result.
I offered the payment as outlined and sent to Mr. [redacted] on July 6th along with the request that he admit the job was not completed in a satisfactory manner. He refused to admit it was not done correctly and countered with only a 10% reduction in price. After dealing with this company, I knew not to expect much from them in the form of admitting to the poor work and quality of the products and services but the offer of 80% was appropriate and still leaves me believing that that price I have paid is more that the value that I received.
This company is not ethical and has cut corners in the quality of the products and services. This company did not deliver as promised and was repeatedly more interested in telling me and my wife why we are wrong then attempting to remedy the situation at a point in June when it could have been fixed. I believe his response is furthering this level of deceit by showing images of my property from a distance that does not reflect the quality of the work that was done.
The remedy I seek is the acceptance of the payment made for 80% of the amount billed. I guess I will not get Mr. [redacted] to admit where his products and services failed to meet minimum acceptable standards but I also now understand how unethically this owner operates his business.
If possible, I would like to speak to someone from Revdex.com to understand how I can prevent this type of poor quality and service from happening to others. It has truly been the worst experience I have ever had with a business and a business owner and thoroughly believe it represents his poor business practices.
Regards,
[redacted]