Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear belowWe tried to be concise and keep our complaint limited to the items that need addressing IE's response and refusal to take responsibility for all of them, however, makes it clear we need to explain to the Revdex.com and to the public additional context of our complaintsFacts and additional details of our I.Elandscaping experience:
Plants were delivered the day work started Landscape beds weren’t even cut, downspouts not buried etcPlants sat unplanted for about days We took on the task of keeping everything watered (on IE's behalf)Dirt for the beds, which weren’t even cut, and planter boxes, that weren’t even built yet, was delivered and dumped in the road in front of our house without our knowledge or permission at the start of the project It was there at least weeks prompting multiple visits by officials of Waukesha County, including twice by a county sheriff, as well as complaints from the neighbors On one of those sheriff visits IE's business *** was actually on site and told him that the dirt would be gone by that Friday The dirt remained there until the following WednesdayLandscape beds were cut before the downspouts were buried A mini excavator was then used on our property on a rainy day causing a muddy mess of the beds and excessive lawn damageDecorative stone for utility bed near the home was delivered at the beginning of the project and dumped in its intended area before sloping the ground away from the foundation, before installing weed barrier and before its downspout was buried The crew was stopped by us as they began to spread the stone, and it had to be undonePea gravel for the planter bed area was dumped in the yard and workers began to spread it, prior to the bed being leveled, prior to weed barrier installed, prior to planter boxes even being on siteThe gravel had to be gathered up and moved to the driveway, needlessly trashing the lawn again with multiple skidsteer tripsAlong with the previous examples, we were able to stop several missteps midway, if we were lucky, and point out details that needed to be done first There was no project manager on site most of the time While the workers were always pleasant and hard working, it was obvious the crew was not properly instructed on what was on the proposal Much labor time wasted Much anxiety day to day as we felt tied to our house every moment there was work being done (or inexplicably not done) as we realized we had to try to be on top of it allIE's skid steer sat in our driveway for at least three weeks There is still a visible rust line on our new concrete driveway from the skid steer bucketThe project manager on our job was terminated by IE due to incompetence and mistakes made on our job (and other jobs as IE's *** later revealed) Apparently we were not the first negative experience with this guy IE chose to have him represent their company and sent him to our house for our project, therefore IE is ultimately responsible for the mistakes, failures, and disappointments that have been created hereIE finally assigned a new project manager who did his best under the horrible circumstances, to limp us to the finish in the fall, only for us to discover in the spring what still wasn’t done correctlyTo address the specific areas we have asked to be remedied:
Taylor Junipers - IE will not replace the junipers His reasoning is that it was on the proposal and we agreed to it Yes, we agreed to them per their recommendation by IE's project manager who turned out to be incompetent We don’t think it should be up to the client to know that a professionally recommended tree selection will be inappropriately sized in its designated location (directly under the second story windows) in a few years IE is saying the responsibility of this mistake is ours IE's guy should have known the basic specs of a tree he selected We did not discover this impending problem until the spring when looking up its specs in deciding on other plants to add to this bed The mistake is theirs The junipers need to come out and be replaced with a shorter species We propose to do the work in picking up replacements, digging up the Taylors and planting our new trees We would accept to simply be reimbursed from IE what we paid them for the junipersArborvitae - The arborvitae look terrible due to IE’s poor planning At one point they were moved off the driveway and sat in a heap near the planting site, crushing each other for about days No they are not dead, but the damage from their mistreatment is clearly evident We are expected to accept damaged plants We will accept IE's application of root stimulator and pruning the damaged areas, for now If in one year the damage hasn’t recovered, they will need replacingWeed Barrier - All of the present weeds and grass in the barrier areas are coming THROUGH the barrier, not “settling on top of the barrier” There are two types of weed barrier used on our property Where the good, heavy barrier ran out and the thin, perforated plastic barrier was used is exactly where the weeds begin their show This is not just a few weeds, it is excessive The entire area is overrun Typar weed barrier was specified on the proposal This is not what was used Us previously living in Wauwatosa has nothing to do with anything By the way, we never used any weed barrier on our city lot, like IE has stated Our experience with effective and ineffective barriers comes solely from our experience with IE We want the ineffective barrier removed everywhere it was used and correctly replaced with either the same effective weed barrier on the property or Typar weed barrierCedar Planter Beds - The proposal states cedar raised planter beds IE's ***'s comment when he visited us May 22nd was that the wood looks like pine He told us that he would verify the wood species used We haven’t heard the verdict on this If this is true, then IE will need to make new cedar planter beds As for the failed sealant, yes we saw the crew applying sealer, but we were not sitting there watching the entire process Boards were either missed or not enough product applied or the product failed We agreed with IE that over time, the wood will need regular resealing, however they looked faded dried and began cracking by January (months later) not after eight months Yet, even if it has been eight months, we don’t know anybody who thinks it’s expected to reseal a wood deck, for example, twice a year to ensure its longevity We have offered to do the work if IE agrees to pay for the product we specify Alternately, we will buy the product we want and IE guys apply it Either way, the raised beds need to be resealedPlanter Bed Liner - Since IE wants to put the onus on us for the beds needing to be relined, we insist on relaying how that happened The crew began filling the unlined boxes with soil, but we once again stopped them and pointed out that they are still missing the POND liner The new project manager was also unaware despite it being on the proposal The project manager made a run to a nearby hardware store while the crew waited around He returned with roofing tar paper We questioned it, but he assured us that this product substitute will work just the same On the spot and in good faith, in order to keep the project moving, we trusted and accepted the professional advice In spring, we discovered the paper had torn away from every staple holding it down, the paper corners stressed and torn and even holes in places beneath the soil line Our own further research on the use of this product in this way is that it will break down quickly This also lead to the additional knowledge that this product is impregnated with petroleum based products that will leach into the soil and should not be used especially around food growing gardens While IE now agrees to install what should have been installed all along, they suggest that this was our uninformed mistake and not theirs These are raised vegetable garden beds The proposal specified pond linerIt must be plant and food safePlant replacement - We accept the Japanese maple and blueberry bush replacement We will even plant them since we have already re-mulched and prefer to do a careful job of itGrass repair - We accept topdressing and reseeding all areas in needFrench Drains - This is a priority as again we had water pouring next to the foundation today (6/11/15) from multiple downspouts We accept bringing the front garage downspout back above grade and reworking all other drains to include a pemitter or grate
We have indicated what parts of IE's response we accept and what remains unsatisfactoryRegards,
*** ***
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, 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.]
Regards,
*** *** I have only talked to *** *** *** of Innovative Exteriors one timeNumerous other calls have not been returned*** told me that he had no idea why we where not paid and he would have his office investigate and call me back that afternoon I did not receive a return call The date of this conversation was 7/28/ Now he says that we are "willing to come to an agreement", but he also indicated he is "in the process of puting together all the man hours an materials used to correct the damage"?I am beginning to understand the propertied problem, from Innovative Exteriors response to the Revdex.com Two tree locations were not accessible via the home owers association Innovative Exteriors on site supervisor (who hired us to do the work) negotiated an agreement with a neighbor to use their drive way and a portion of their back yard for access The on site supervisor told me that any damagae caused by our truck transversing the site would be Innovative Exteriors responsibility I then agreed to move the remaining two trees.Stoneridge Farms LLC
We have already agreed at our meeting on May 22nd, to replace the blueberry bush and the Japanese Maple per our standard nursery warrantyWe will not be offering to replace the Taylor Juniper as they were noted on the landscape plan and were approved for installation by the customer prior to
installWe have also agreed to bring one of the buried downspouts back above grade and customer had indicated they would get a drain pad so that the water did not wash away the mulchThe other draintile was noted and we had agreed at our meeting to install a pemitter or a grate as the customer has specifiedWe do not feel as though the weed barrier needs replacementThere are weeds that will settle on the surface of the weed barrier and the possibility of a few coming through, but this is a case where they feel that because they had weed barrier at their last residence in the city of Wauwatosa that the weed barrier is ineffective at their new residenceThis is a case where they have moved from a city lot with very little weed infestation out to a rural area where weeds of all kinds are far more prevalentThe photos of the weeds at the sites where weed barrier was installed is not overly excessive and does not need replacing, rather an hour or two of weeding and some roulike most homeowners useThe arborvitae's are very much in good health and I do not see this needing to go any further than some root stimulator and some light pruning.We will replace the tar paper used in the raised planter boxes with pond liner per their request, however it will be at our discretion based on the contract to use what was called out in the original proposal, even though the customer had approved this at the time it was being installedThe wood sealer that was used is in our opinion a quality product and the customer indicated to me that they even witnessed the sealer being applied, they are not happy with the appearance of the wood because it has been exposed to sun for the last eight months and has faded beyond their expectationsThis is a maintenance item that we feel will have to be addressed by them as they continue to own the home.Lastly, we have already indicated to the customer via e-mail and in person that we will top dress and reseed any disturbed areas that were affected by our equipment during the installation of their landscape and is typical of this to be offered.Regards,
Sean P***
*** *** ***
*** *** *** ***
*** ** ***
(O) ###-###-####
(F) ###-###-####
innovativeexteriorslandscape.com
To Whom It May Concern, We are in the process of putting together all the man hours and materials used to fix/correct the damage that was sustained by the company used for the tree plantingWe had several issues with this company creating a lot of damage to private customers lawns,
fire pits, etcWe have told him that we were willing to come to an agreement but nothing ever materializedInnovative Exteriors, LLC
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.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.
In response to [redacted]’s message:
We did indeed enter into a contract with Innovative
Exteriors on 10/17/2013 the entire plan was laid out at that time. I have a design
print dated 10/1/2013 which shows all of
the plantings and work that was to be done. A down payment was made at that
time of $4349, approximately 25% of the total cost. Salesman [redacted] said at
the time the contract was signed that they would try to get the job started and
lay sod in the fall but the weather and their other landscaping jobs prevented
the start. We understood this.
[redacted] did not require me to pay the final balance until July2
after going to his office to discuss the situation with him and get him to come
out and finish the job. At that time he
said he needed the full balance in order to “maintain the warranties” and gave
me a list of things that they would do.
Included in that list was this statement “We will install
(4) [redacted] at the time of over seeding…” though he did the over
seeding those (4) [redacted] are still not in the yard. He also promised the weed
and feed and herbicide this also was not done.
Here is the crux of the problem:
He says that the turf was installed in May. This is totally
incorrect. The work on the north side of the house which included
outcroppings/steppers and mulch was done in May. (Which by the way we think
they did a nice job on.) Also in May the mulch was laid around the entire house
and the topsoil was put on the entire property. Yes, the mulch was put in before any of the plantings were put in!
I’m glad to see that [redacted] says we got the irrigation system
on 6/6/14 because the hydro seeding was put on the topsoil on 6/6/14 three weeks after the top soil was laid on
the property. Had the seed been put in when the topsoil was, we would have had a reason to water the yard.
Before doing the hydro seeding they did nothing to loosen
the soil after three weeks of being rained on and settling. They had no equipment to loosen the soil with
them. [redacted] came to the house on the evening
of the 6th and we told him that the soil had not been loosened and that
the seeding had not gone well. The guys
doing the work told my wife that the hydro-seeder was not mixing well and they
were having problems getting it to go on evenly. It was clumpy, uneven and left
spots completely devoid of seed. We told
[redacted] that we did not think that the results were going to be good. He said that
the hydro seeding would “supersaturate the ground and in 14 days we would have
a lush lawn.” We also reminded [redacted] that we had contracted with them prior to
seeding for their irrigation system, he went back and invoiced it that day as
proven by [redacted]’s invoice. So if the
whole problem is that the lawn wasn’t watered that is on them not us. It was
their system with their hoses and their timers set to what they set them to and
they installed it just days after hydro seeding.
We talked to [redacted] several times between the time the top
soil was laid and 6/6 asking when the hydro-seeding was going to take place but
were told that the equipment was on a big job and they couldn’t get to ours (I
believe the job was in Hartford but I could be wrong.) In all of the other new
lawns we see being put into our subdivision the topsoil is put in and seeded
within 24 hours and all of those lawns have turned out well. Had this been done
we wouldn’t be having these issues now.
I did speak to [redacted] at his office on 7/18/2014 with the hope
that he would complete the work he had promised. After that he sent someone to
slit seed the ground but this did not fully fix the yard. Though it helped
some.
We have not lied to anybody to get product or services that
were not contracted for and paid for. All
we want is what was promised. I don’t
think it wrong for us to wish to have our lawn and yard look at least somewhat
like the yards he shows in the picture gallery on his website.
One other point: We
also talked to our “adjacent neighbor” after getting [redacted]’s response. He
admitted he said we had not watered after the topsoil was laid. When we told
him that there was no seed in the ground until three weeks later he was
flabbergasted. He said he’s never seen a landscaper do that. He also said “that
tree near your house has been dead since they put it in”.
I have attached pictures that [redacted] neglected to take. I have
also attached a scanned copy of the promises he made on July 1.
Desired Outcomes:
This is what I would suggest:
1) [redacted] should go back and check the records of
when our hydro seeding was done. There should be a record that shows where his
equipment was on 6/6/14. He should be able to track where his equipment and
people were on a given day and what job number their time is charged against.
This is how million dollar companies keep track of their costs.
2) Then he should call me and set up an appointment
to walk the yard together with me and my
wife and have an honest discussion about how to resolve the issues.
If indeed we are the only complaint he has
had in 6 years of hydro seeding shouldn’t he want to find out what happened and why?
Mr. & Mrs. ** entered into a contract with Innovative Exteriors, LLC on 10/17/2013. We gave no misrepresentation to the customer regarding our ability to perform these services in the fall season last year, as this is not a conducive time to plant and establish turf. We received their initial...
deposit and processed the payment on 11/12/2013. They initially wanted sod to be installed and we went through with a change order in the early spring to accommodate their needs at that time. We ask all customers for a deposit to secure a spot on our schedule and to procure certain materials to start the job. In no way did we "require" them to make a payment, as she's making it sound like we forced them into this, which is certainly not the case at all! First off, we do thirty to forty hydro-seed jobs per year and have had only one complaint regarding this service (Mr. & Mrs. *). We installed the turf in mid May and were told by their adjacent neighbor that they were not watering. He even told us that he had made several comments to them about the need for water, in addition to the turf and landscape care instructions we provide for every customer. Once we were alerted by the customer that the grass was not growing to their satisfaction, we offered to rent them a temporary irrigation system. This system was invoiced on 6/6/2014 which is after we installed the hydro-seed blend. If the watering was not performed for even a couple days after the hydro-seed, you risk losing a substantial amount of seed for germination. This is something that we simply can not warranty due to the negligence or inability of the customer. If they would have told us they weren't in a position to water the newly seeded lawn, we would have made the recommendation for the irrigation at the time of installation. Also, this lawn was over seeded twice in good faith at our expense to please the customer, again to find out that they were not watering properly. Again, we can not be held liable for this as it is out of our control.
Regarding the planting portion of the job. This is again a situation where we can not be held responsible for the care and maintenance of the plantings post installation without notification from the customer that they may need additional help in sustaining the overall health of the shrubs and trees i.e.. an irrigation system. Fortunately, we do have a warranty in place on every contract that is signed regarding plantings. With the exception of perennials, and annuals we provide a conditional warranty for the shrubs and trees. We also have a license through the Dept. of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection for a nursery resellers permit to protect us and our customers against poorly propagated nursery stock. We have had no problems whatsoever with our vendors and the only reasonable explanation is that the customer was not properly caring for the plantings. We install the plantings before we install mulch, therefore, it would be impossible to have planted in the mulch! It should be noted that we only contracted with them for drain tile, out cropping, flagstone steppers, mulch and lawn installation at first, and then we entered into a second contract to include the plantings in late April, 2014.
The issue with the refund is simple, I did not need to send a check or return Mrs. [redacted] phone call because [redacted] showed up here the day after she called (7/18/2014) and was given a refund in the amount that was owed and was also given two copies of the invoice showing how we itemize our services per the billing. There were eleven line items included in their bill, so I'm not sure how else they would like to see the bill itemized as it was broke down into all the service areas included in the contract including the change order and the line item showing the double charge for mulch which, again was refunded minus the cost for the irrigation system. [redacted] walked out of our office satisfied with the items presented to him, and made no comment to suggest otherwise?
Finally, to address their desired resolution. I have included pictures showing the plantings to be in good health and not planted improperly. I normally do not "supervise" the crews, as I have many other duties in running the company, but will be happy to discuss the desired drain tile cut length and go over the plantings in detail with the designer who drafted the plan. If there are any planting that were not installed, we will provide a refund for those plants, or procure and plant them immediately. We will not assume any additional responsibility for the turf, other than provide a winter fertilizer and herbicide treatment to be applied at our discretion with regards to timing, as we have exhausted all the time and materials we can into helping with the nutrition and vitality of this lawn. As noted above, there is a warranty noted in detail on the contract and we will address any dead plantings that we find next spring to be planted with non industry specific technique, proving to be our fault as to reason for non survival. Our office staff questioned the personnel that was out at this job site, and have no reason to believe we disposed of any rocks in an area that would be navigable terrain.
One last thing. I have dedicated the last six years of my life to building this company from nothing, to a million plus dollar company, and to be called a "con man" by someone whom I've never met is downright disrespectful! I'll be the professional here and refrain from giving my opinion of [redacted] and say that it is not ok to lie to anybody to get products or services that are either not earned or paid for!
Kind Regards,
[redacted]
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In response to Mr. [redacted] rejection, I will call [redacted] by 10/22/2014 and set up a time to walk the property and put together a solution to satisfy all parties involved.
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear belowWe tried to be concise and keep our complaint limited to the items that need addressing IE's response and refusal to take responsibility for all of them, however, makes it clear we need to explain to the Revdex.com and to the public additional context of our complaintsFacts and additional details of our I.Elandscaping experience:
Plants were delivered the day work started Landscape beds weren’t even cut, downspouts not buried etcPlants sat unplanted for about days We took on the task of keeping everything watered (on IE's behalf)Dirt for the beds, which weren’t even cut, and planter boxes, that weren’t even built yet, was delivered and dumped in the road in front of our house without our knowledge or permission at the start of the project It was there at least weeks prompting multiple visits by officials of Waukesha County, including twice by a county sheriff, as well as complaints from the neighbors On one of those sheriff visits IE's business *** was actually on site and told him that the dirt would be gone by that Friday The dirt remained there until the following WednesdayLandscape beds were cut before the downspouts were buried A mini excavator was then used on our property on a rainy day causing a muddy mess of the beds and excessive lawn damageDecorative stone for utility bed near the home was delivered at the beginning of the project and dumped in its intended area before sloping the ground away from the foundation, before installing weed barrier and before its downspout was buried The crew was stopped by us as they began to spread the stone, and it had to be undonePea gravel for the planter bed area was dumped in the yard and workers began to spread it, prior to the bed being leveled, prior to weed barrier installed, prior to planter boxes even being on siteThe gravel had to be gathered up and moved to the driveway, needlessly trashing the lawn again with multiple skidsteer tripsAlong with the previous examples, we were able to stop several missteps midway, if we were lucky, and point out details that needed to be done first There was no project manager on site most of the time While the workers were always pleasant and hard working, it was obvious the crew was not properly instructed on what was on the proposal Much labor time wasted Much anxiety day to day as we felt tied to our house every moment there was work being done (or inexplicably not done) as we realized we had to try to be on top of it allIE's skid steer sat in our driveway for at least three weeks There is still a visible rust line on our new concrete driveway from the skid steer bucketThe project manager on our job was terminated by IE due to incompetence and mistakes made on our job (and other jobs as IE's *** later revealed) Apparently we were not the first negative experience with this guy IE chose to have him represent their company and sent him to our house for our project, therefore IE is ultimately responsible for the mistakes, failures, and disappointments that have been created hereIE finally assigned a new project manager who did his best under the horrible circumstances, to limp us to the finish in the fall, only for us to discover in the spring what still wasn’t done correctlyTo address the specific areas we have asked to be remedied:
Taylor Junipers - IE will not replace the junipers His reasoning is that it was on the proposal and we agreed to it Yes, we agreed to them per their recommendation by IE's project manager who turned out to be incompetent We don’t think it should be up to the client to know that a professionally recommended tree selection will be inappropriately sized in its designated location (directly under the second story windows) in a few years IE is saying the responsibility of this mistake is ours IE's guy should have known the basic specs of a tree he selected We did not discover this impending problem until the spring when looking up its specs in deciding on other plants to add to this bed The mistake is theirs The junipers need to come out and be replaced with a shorter species We propose to do the work in picking up replacements, digging up the Taylors and planting our new trees We would accept to simply be reimbursed from IE what we paid them for the junipersArborvitae - The arborvitae look terrible due to IE’s poor planning At one point they were moved off the driveway and sat in a heap near the planting site, crushing each other for about days No they are not dead, but the damage from their mistreatment is clearly evident We are expected to accept damaged plants We will accept IE's application of root stimulator and pruning the damaged areas, for now If in one year the damage hasn’t recovered, they will need replacingWeed Barrier - All of the present weeds and grass in the barrier areas are coming THROUGH the barrier, not “settling on top of the barrier” There are two types of weed barrier used on our property Where the good, heavy barrier ran out and the thin, perforated plastic barrier was used is exactly where the weeds begin their show This is not just a few weeds, it is excessive The entire area is overrun Typar weed barrier was specified on the proposal This is not what was used Us previously living in Wauwatosa has nothing to do with anything By the way, we never used any weed barrier on our city lot, like IE has stated Our experience with effective and ineffective barriers comes solely from our experience with IE We want the ineffective barrier removed everywhere it was used and correctly replaced with either the same effective weed barrier on the property or Typar weed barrierCedar Planter Beds - The proposal states cedar raised planter beds IE's ***'s comment when he visited us May 22nd was that the wood looks like pine He told us that he would verify the wood species used We haven’t heard the verdict on this If this is true, then IE will need to make new cedar planter beds As for the failed sealant, yes we saw the crew applying sealer, but we were not sitting there watching the entire process Boards were either missed or not enough product applied or the product failed We agreed with IE that over time, the wood will need regular resealing, however they looked faded dried and began cracking by January (months later) not after eight months Yet, even if it has been eight months, we don’t know anybody who thinks it’s expected to reseal a wood deck, for example, twice a year to ensure its longevity We have offered to do the work if IE agrees to pay for the product we specify Alternately, we will buy the product we want and IE guys apply it Either way, the raised beds need to be resealedPlanter Bed Liner - Since IE wants to put the onus on us for the beds needing to be relined, we insist on relaying how that happened The crew began filling the unlined boxes with soil, but we once again stopped them and pointed out that they are still missing the POND liner The new project manager was also unaware despite it being on the proposal The project manager made a run to a nearby hardware store while the crew waited around He returned with roofing tar paper We questioned it, but he assured us that this product substitute will work just the same On the spot and in good faith, in order to keep the project moving, we trusted and accepted the professional advice In spring, we discovered the paper had torn away from every staple holding it down, the paper corners stressed and torn and even holes in places beneath the soil line Our own further research on the use of this product in this way is that it will break down quickly This also lead to the additional knowledge that this product is impregnated with petroleum based products that will leach into the soil and should not be used especially around food growing gardens While IE now agrees to install what should have been installed all along, they suggest that this was our uninformed mistake and not theirs These are raised vegetable garden beds The proposal specified pond linerIt must be plant and food safePlant replacement - We accept the Japanese maple and blueberry bush replacement We will even plant them since we have already re-mulched and prefer to do a careful job of itGrass repair - We accept topdressing and reseeding all areas in needFrench Drains - This is a priority as again we had water pouring next to the foundation today (6/11/15) from multiple downspouts We accept bringing the front garage downspout back above grade and reworking all other drains to include a pemitter or grate
We have indicated what parts of IE's response we accept and what remains unsatisfactoryRegards,
*** ***
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, 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.]
Regards,
*** *** I have only talked to *** *** *** of Innovative Exteriors one timeNumerous other calls have not been returned*** told me that he had no idea why we where not paid and he would have his office investigate and call me back that afternoon I did not receive a return call The date of this conversation was 7/28/ Now he says that we are "willing to come to an agreement", but he also indicated he is "in the process of puting together all the man hours an materials used to correct the damage"?I am beginning to understand the propertied problem, from Innovative Exteriors response to the Revdex.com Two tree locations were not accessible via the home owers association Innovative Exteriors on site supervisor (who hired us to do the work) negotiated an agreement with a neighbor to use their drive way and a portion of their back yard for access The on site supervisor told me that any damagae caused by our truck transversing the site would be Innovative Exteriors responsibility I then agreed to move the remaining two trees.Stoneridge Farms LLC
We have already agreed at our meeting on May 22nd, to replace the blueberry bush and the Japanese Maple per our standard nursery warrantyWe will not be offering to replace the Taylor Juniper as they were noted on the landscape plan and were approved for installation by the customer prior to
installWe have also agreed to bring one of the buried downspouts back above grade and customer had indicated they would get a drain pad so that the water did not wash away the mulchThe other draintile was noted and we had agreed at our meeting to install a pemitter or a grate as the customer has specifiedWe do not feel as though the weed barrier needs replacementThere are weeds that will settle on the surface of the weed barrier and the possibility of a few coming through, but this is a case where they feel that because they had weed barrier at their last residence in the city of Wauwatosa that the weed barrier is ineffective at their new residenceThis is a case where they have moved from a city lot with very little weed infestation out to a rural area where weeds of all kinds are far more prevalentThe photos of the weeds at the sites where weed barrier was installed is not overly excessive and does not need replacing, rather an hour or two of weeding and some roulike most homeowners useThe arborvitae's are very much in good health and I do not see this needing to go any further than some root stimulator and some light pruning.We will replace the tar paper used in the raised planter boxes with pond liner per their request, however it will be at our discretion based on the contract to use what was called out in the original proposal, even though the customer had approved this at the time it was being installedThe wood sealer that was used is in our opinion a quality product and the customer indicated to me that they even witnessed the sealer being applied, they are not happy with the appearance of the wood because it has been exposed to sun for the last eight months and has faded beyond their expectationsThis is a maintenance item that we feel will have to be addressed by them as they continue to own the home.Lastly, we have already indicated to the customer via e-mail and in person that we will top dress and reseed any disturbed areas that were affected by our equipment during the installation of their landscape and is typical of this to be offered.Regards,
Sean P***
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innovativeexteriorslandscape.com
To Whom It May Concern, We are in the process of putting together all the man hours and materials used to fix/correct the damage that was sustained by the company used for the tree plantingWe had several issues with this company creating a lot of damage to private customers lawns,
fire pits, etcWe have told him that we were willing to come to an agreement but nothing ever materializedInnovative Exteriors, LLC
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.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.
In response to [redacted]’s message:
We did indeed enter into a contract with Innovative
Exteriors on 10/17/2013 the entire plan was laid out at that time. I have a design
print dated 10/1/2013 which shows all of
the plantings and work that was to be done. A down payment was made at that
time of $4349, approximately 25% of the total cost. Salesman [redacted] said at
the time the contract was signed that they would try to get the job started and
lay sod in the fall but the weather and their other landscaping jobs prevented
the start. We understood this.
[redacted] did not require me to pay the final balance until July2
after going to his office to discuss the situation with him and get him to come
out and finish the job. At that time he
said he needed the full balance in order to “maintain the warranties” and gave
me a list of things that they would do.
Included in that list was this statement “We will install
(4) [redacted] at the time of over seeding…” though he did the over
seeding those (4) [redacted] are still not in the yard. He also promised the weed
and feed and herbicide this also was not done.
Here is the crux of the problem:
He says that the turf was installed in May. This is totally
incorrect. The work on the north side of the house which included
outcroppings/steppers and mulch was done in May. (Which by the way we think
they did a nice job on.) Also in May the mulch was laid around the entire house
and the topsoil was put on the entire property. Yes, the mulch was put in before any of the plantings were put in!
I’m glad to see that [redacted] says we got the irrigation system
on 6/6/14 because the hydro seeding was put on the topsoil on 6/6/14 three weeks after the top soil was laid on
the property. Had the seed been put in when the topsoil was, we would have had a reason to water the yard.
Before doing the hydro seeding they did nothing to loosen
the soil after three weeks of being rained on and settling. They had no equipment to loosen the soil with
them. [redacted] came to the house on the evening
of the 6th and we told him that the soil had not been loosened and that
the seeding had not gone well. The guys
doing the work told my wife that the hydro-seeder was not mixing well and they
were having problems getting it to go on evenly. It was clumpy, uneven and left
spots completely devoid of seed. We told
[redacted] that we did not think that the results were going to be good. He said that
the hydro seeding would “supersaturate the ground and in 14 days we would have
a lush lawn.” We also reminded [redacted] that we had contracted with them prior to
seeding for their irrigation system, he went back and invoiced it that day as
proven by [redacted]’s invoice. So if the
whole problem is that the lawn wasn’t watered that is on them not us. It was
their system with their hoses and their timers set to what they set them to and
they installed it just days after hydro seeding.
We talked to [redacted] several times between the time the top
soil was laid and 6/6 asking when the hydro-seeding was going to take place but
were told that the equipment was on a big job and they couldn’t get to ours (I
believe the job was in Hartford but I could be wrong.) In all of the other new
lawns we see being put into our subdivision the topsoil is put in and seeded
within 24 hours and all of those lawns have turned out well. Had this been done
we wouldn’t be having these issues now.
I did speak to [redacted] at his office on 7/18/2014 with the hope
that he would complete the work he had promised. After that he sent someone to
slit seed the ground but this did not fully fix the yard. Though it helped
some.
We have not lied to anybody to get product or services that
were not contracted for and paid for. All
we want is what was promised. I don’t
think it wrong for us to wish to have our lawn and yard look at least somewhat
like the yards he shows in the picture gallery on his website.
One other point: We
also talked to our “adjacent neighbor” after getting [redacted]’s response. He
admitted he said we had not watered after the topsoil was laid. When we told
him that there was no seed in the ground until three weeks later he was
flabbergasted. He said he’s never seen a landscaper do that. He also said “that
tree near your house has been dead since they put it in”.
I have attached pictures that [redacted] neglected to take. I have
also attached a scanned copy of the promises he made on July 1.
Desired Outcomes:
This is what I would suggest:
1) [redacted] should go back and check the records of
when our hydro seeding was done. There should be a record that shows where his
equipment was on 6/6/14. He should be able to track where his equipment and
people were on a given day and what job number their time is charged against.
This is how million dollar companies keep track of their costs.
2) Then he should call me and set up an appointment
to walk the yard together with me and my
wife and have an honest discussion about how to resolve the issues.
If indeed we are the only complaint he has
had in 6 years of hydro seeding shouldn’t he want to find out what happened and why?
Mr. & Mrs. ** entered into a contract with Innovative Exteriors, LLC on 10/17/2013. We gave no misrepresentation to the customer regarding our ability to perform these services in the fall season last year, as this is not a conducive time to plant and establish turf. We received their initial...
deposit and processed the payment on 11/12/2013. They initially wanted sod to be installed and we went through with a change order in the early spring to accommodate their needs at that time. We ask all customers for a deposit to secure a spot on our schedule and to procure certain materials to start the job. In no way did we "require" them to make a payment, as she's making it sound like we forced them into this, which is certainly not the case at all! First off, we do thirty to forty hydro-seed jobs per year and have had only one complaint regarding this service (Mr. & Mrs. *). We installed the turf in mid May and were told by their adjacent neighbor that they were not watering. He even told us that he had made several comments to them about the need for water, in addition to the turf and landscape care instructions we provide for every customer. Once we were alerted by the customer that the grass was not growing to their satisfaction, we offered to rent them a temporary irrigation system. This system was invoiced on 6/6/2014 which is after we installed the hydro-seed blend. If the watering was not performed for even a couple days after the hydro-seed, you risk losing a substantial amount of seed for germination. This is something that we simply can not warranty due to the negligence or inability of the customer. If they would have told us they weren't in a position to water the newly seeded lawn, we would have made the recommendation for the irrigation at the time of installation. Also, this lawn was over seeded twice in good faith at our expense to please the customer, again to find out that they were not watering properly. Again, we can not be held liable for this as it is out of our control.
Regarding the planting portion of the job. This is again a situation where we can not be held responsible for the care and maintenance of the plantings post installation without notification from the customer that they may need additional help in sustaining the overall health of the shrubs and trees i.e.. an irrigation system. Fortunately, we do have a warranty in place on every contract that is signed regarding plantings. With the exception of perennials, and annuals we provide a conditional warranty for the shrubs and trees. We also have a license through the Dept. of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection for a nursery resellers permit to protect us and our customers against poorly propagated nursery stock. We have had no problems whatsoever with our vendors and the only reasonable explanation is that the customer was not properly caring for the plantings. We install the plantings before we install mulch, therefore, it would be impossible to have planted in the mulch! It should be noted that we only contracted with them for drain tile, out cropping, flagstone steppers, mulch and lawn installation at first, and then we entered into a second contract to include the plantings in late April, 2014.
The issue with the refund is simple, I did not need to send a check or return Mrs. [redacted] phone call because [redacted] showed up here the day after she called (7/18/2014) and was given a refund in the amount that was owed and was also given two copies of the invoice showing how we itemize our services per the billing. There were eleven line items included in their bill, so I'm not sure how else they would like to see the bill itemized as it was broke down into all the service areas included in the contract including the change order and the line item showing the double charge for mulch which, again was refunded minus the cost for the irrigation system. [redacted] walked out of our office satisfied with the items presented to him, and made no comment to suggest otherwise?
Finally, to address their desired resolution. I have included pictures showing the plantings to be in good health and not planted improperly. I normally do not "supervise" the crews, as I have many other duties in running the company, but will be happy to discuss the desired drain tile cut length and go over the plantings in detail with the designer who drafted the plan. If there are any planting that were not installed, we will provide a refund for those plants, or procure and plant them immediately. We will not assume any additional responsibility for the turf, other than provide a winter fertilizer and herbicide treatment to be applied at our discretion with regards to timing, as we have exhausted all the time and materials we can into helping with the nutrition and vitality of this lawn. As noted above, there is a warranty noted in detail on the contract and we will address any dead plantings that we find next spring to be planted with non industry specific technique, proving to be our fault as to reason for non survival. Our office staff questioned the personnel that was out at this job site, and have no reason to believe we disposed of any rocks in an area that would be navigable terrain.
One last thing. I have dedicated the last six years of my life to building this company from nothing, to a million plus dollar company, and to be called a "con man" by someone whom I've never met is downright disrespectful! I'll be the professional here and refrain from giving my opinion of [redacted] and say that it is not ok to lie to anybody to get products or services that are either not earned or paid for!
Kind Regards,
[redacted]
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In response to Mr. [redacted] rejection, I will call [redacted] by 10/22/2014 and set up a time to walk the property and put together a solution to satisfy all parties involved.
[redacted]