Beaver Bark and Rock,Inc.

Review: In April 2012 I purchased 7 yards of 5-way planting mix soil. Due to my mis-calculations, I ended up only needing 5 yds. They did give me credit for the 2 I didn't need. I picked up 4 yds on my first trip and about a week later I picked up my last yard. The problem is the 4 yards I picked up was not the 5-way planting mix but an inferior mix that has a lot of sand in it. After I picked up the 2nd load of 1 yard I realized the difference. I went to a lot of expense building raised garden beds and putting in a drip system. Two managers came to my home and agreed that I was given the wrong soil on the 1st 4 yds. They did not want to replace it and suggested that I added straight compost to it and mix it into the inferior soil. They did give me 10 bags of compost and I did all the labor. During the growing season it became clear that with the drip system this was not working. The good soil was holding the moisture and the sandy soil had to be watered extra by hand. Or leave the drip system on longer and that would flood the good soil. So in effect adding the compost did not improve the water retention. This spring I met with one of the managers,[redacted], and he said the best he would do is give me 20% off of my purchase of 4 more yds. Also take into consideration that I have to do the labor myself, removing and disposing of the bad and replacing with the good.Desired Settlement: The best result would be: they would replace the bad with the good using their labor and delivery. Acceptable would be: I will dispose of bad and replace with good, my labor, my picking up 4 free yards of the good soil. Although this was their admitted mistake, they should do the labor and delivery or compensate me in refund or credit to the extent of what the labor and delivery would cost them.

Business

Response:

In our 20 year business history, not one time have we had a claim against us from the Revdex.com, That is something we are proud of. The Revdex.com is an outstanding resource to mediate between parties.

Mr. [redacted]'s story on this purchase begins on December 28th of 2010. Some coupons he had were to expire on December 31st, 2010, so he came in to make a purchase for some bulk rock with a future delivery date for the spring. Normally these coupons are intended for present purchases, not future ones, but we accepted them in the spirit of serving the customer.

We did not hear from Mr. [redacted] again until April 23rd of 2012. At that time he decided he didn’t want the bulk rock any more, but now wanted to try vegetable gardening with the “Square Foot Gardening77 method. However, after discovering the cost involved to create these raised beds, he opted for a less expensive option. He compromised and ordered what Beaver Bark calls a 5-way bulk mix. He also decided to pick it up himself to save money instead of having our truck deliver it.

On May 2nd 2012 he let us know that he had ordered too much soil and we did a refund for him for the difference. On May 4th 2012 he called us to tell us he wasn't satisfied with the 5-way mix. We do not take complaints lightly (this was the only complaint we had about the product), so to best serve the customer, the Vice President made a personal visit to Mr. [redacted]’s home.

When Mr. [redacted] got there, he acknowledged that the product, which was the 5-way mix, might have a little more aged bark in the mix than we normally mix. This is not a big deal since it is a bulk product and can vary slightly from one batch to another. In order to satisfy Mr. [redacted], Mr. [redacted] gave him 10 bags of our best garden soil, a $120 value, at no cost to help him with his project. At that time Mr. [redacted] had received effectively $370 worth of merchandise, for only $151.51, tax included, after the two and a half year old coupons and the free product, Mr. [redacted] agreed with Mr. [redacted] that he was satisfied with the end result and his file was closed,

On April 26th 2Q13. nearly a year later, Mr. [redacted] called us to inform us that he was still unsatisfied with the soil in his garden and told us that he was to receive 4 free yards of product from us, an additional $200 value, We never made any such agreement of this nature. In the spirit of still wanting to serve our customer as best as we could, offered a substantial 20% discount on the purchase of soil amendment for his vegetable garden. This solution is more than reasonable.

We understand everyone wants to save money where they can. We believe we have been more than lair and reasonable; to honor coupons that normally would not be usable on future purchases, personal service to react about a complaint so quickly, and $120 worth of premium bagged soil at no cost. We have bent over backwards and Mr, [redacted] is asking us to bend over more. At some point it becomes unreasonable to keep trying to please the unpleasable and a 20% discount at this point is what we are offering to help him get his garden ready for 2013 planting.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 9527048, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.] They told me the 5-way mix was the best they had, I didn't feel like it was a less expensive option since it was the more expensive of the two types of soil they had. I picked up the soil on 2 separate dates. The first one, I unknowingly was given the soil that had a lot of sand mixed with it. I did not realize the difference until I unloaded the second load into the raised beds. It was a richer, more dense soil, with no visible sand content. Upon his visit, Mr. [redacted] agreed that I got the wrong soil. Nothing was said to me that because it was bulk it may have been a poor mix. Understanding that it was the easiest and cheapest way to possibly fix this problem, I agreed to try ten bags of the compost they offered, with reservations; We'll see if it works. After a growing season, I realized it did not fix the problem. (see original complaint re: watering problems, also it was not as rich in nutrients). At one time Mr. [redacted] said that the sandy soil was used a lot for planting shrubs and trees. Bottom line; their yard man loaded the wrong soil and they did not want to pay any labor cost for their man to remove said soil and replace it with the correct soil, which I offered to do with my labor. After having to go through all of this, I feel that the responsibility of correcting the problem is theirs.

Business

Response:

Mr. Nadeau's soluion is unreasonable. If he wishes to accept our 20% discount, we would be happy to still honor that for him.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 9527048, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.] I do not accept the response by the business.

Regards,