Drake's 7 Dees Landscaping

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because: I tried to respond to the response from Drake's landscaping but the system wouldn't accept it. Then I tried again today and Drake's response was gone. In it he said I had animals with free run of the house. A) That is not true. I have 2 house rabbits and a chicken who live in a room off the deck. The rest of the house is off limits to them. This is just another example of the lies Drake tells and the disrespectful attitude he had toward me. B) How is it even relevant? Drake was hired as a landscaper. His grandiosity prevents him from doing his job professionally. I would respond to more points if the message were still up. Let me know how to get that message back so I can respond properly. Thank you.Sincerely,[redacted]

Recap of services and response to Revdex.com complaint 8/5/15 Drake S[redacted] President, Drake's 7 Dees Initial contact by customer: Week of March 2nd Requested landscape services regarding Replacing pool deck and adjacent related landscape and hardscape features in the back yard pool area Initial customer...

home visit: April 10th Introduction: [redacted] present. Husband [redacted] not present. Drake S[redacted] present. "Toddlers" (chickens and rabbits) were introduced and were freely moving about interior of home. Purpose: relationship building, discussion of scope of services desired, professional guidance for best use of dollars and time as it pertains to client expectations. Explanation of company best practices (organic approaches for the past 25 years as an example) Subsequent meetings with the client and Drake April 7, l0th, 22nd, 27th, May 4th, June 6th, and June 8th for the purpose of material selections, design completion, irrigation system review, and placement of plants owner had purchased during the planning process. Landscape scope centered on swimming pool deck replacement and adjacent landscaping, hardscape and plantings. Customer also desired maintenance work to be done. I suggested that dollars were better spent after the new landscape work was complete. Customer agreed. After initial consultation with [redacted], the client, I recommended the best next step to be a landscape design that would encompass all of the elements [redacted] desired to occur. I gave her a design price and told her that if she would like us to be involved in her project, the design would be the first step. She said she wanted to think about it. I agreed and left. On my way back to my office, [redacted], her husband, called and said that they wanted to proceed and to start the design process as proposed. I assigned the project to one of our lead landscape designers who met with [redacted] as part of the process. The design was completed in a professional manner and ready for presentation to client. During the presentation of the full design, [redacted] expressed reservations and concerns about the plant material choices. We agreed to keep working on variety selection to accommodate and please the customer. Specific plant selections and revisions are quite typical in landscape projects. It was suggested and accepted that the planting portion of the project be secondary to the main priority focus...the swimming pool deck replacement and related hardscape elements being planned for the back yard pool area. We went through several revisions to the pool deck as we investigated materials available and the associated costs to the customer. I personally took the clients to visit several of Drakes' 7 Dees landscape projects involving flagstone, pavers and concrete patios so the customer could see first hand what each product and appearance provided. This was done to help them make the best possible choice for their back yard situation and budget. In the midst of working on the main project, [redacted] requested additional services. She asked that we send our irrigation technician to her property to turn on and adjust the existing irrigation heads. My technician accomplished the task as directed. [redacted] requested an additional visit to readjust the controller setting for start times and station water times. Both of these service visits were accomplished in an hour each. A third visit was completed, at no charge to the customer, to recheck the heads for proper operation as the customer expressed complaints of coverage. It should be noted that at no time were we to upgrade the system for optimal coverages. We were only to turn the existing system on, check that existing heads were operating and to set the timer for watering cycles. Lee C[redacted], the irrigation specialist sent to [redacted] home, is an 8 year veteran with Drake's 7 Dees, has turned on and cared for over 700 systems in the Portland metro area each year of our company. His knowledge of water conservation and irrigation best practices is exemplary. Any decisions he made on site were determined by his knowledge of conservation and the limitations of the existing system. In addition to the irrigation service request, [redacted] also asked for some large boulders she had picked out at one of our suppliers yard be delivered and placed in her yard. A little over a week or so later, she requested another group of boulders she selected to be placed as well. We responded and did the boulder placement. In addition, the second placement visit included lawn fertilizing, edging, weed removal, and some planting of plants [redacted] had purchased. As a footnote, in our 40 years of landscape business, we encourage our clients to take ownership of plant material selection whether purchased through our landscape company or any of the well-established garden centers in the area. Our landscape business model does not hinge on small plantings as was the case with this customer. [redacted] chose to purchase these plants from our garden center on Scholls Ferry. I personally helped place the plants the day before the crew arrived. A third crew visit was requested for garden services. This visit included 3 of my most experienced staff, totaling 27 years of experience with Drake's 7 Dees. On that visit pruning and cleaning of the yard was done per [redacted]'s request. I personally gave instruction to the crew because of some very specific and unusual requests made by the client pertaining to the pruning work. The irrigation service calls, installation of boulders, plantings, and pruning were landscape tasks we were asked to accomplish and were completed by my talented and experienced staff under my personal supervision, a little out of the ordinary during the height of the landscape season. I wanted to make every effort and utilize every opportunity to serve and care for this customer.  The initial and main focus of the landscape request, that being the swimming pool deck area, continued. I hired a 25 year veteran concrete contractor (see exhibit A) to perform the desired work for this 1000 sq. foot area. The hardscape installation process involves removal of existing concrete, gravel placement, and setting of forms before the concrete can be laid. It also involves choice of concrete colors, similar to choosing paint colors. Again in an effort to accommodate the customers desire to make choices, [redacted] selected a color for concrete. The contractor had a sample slab poured and he presented it to the client. She did not like her choice. Another color was selected by the client. The contractor had another sample poured and he presented it to the client. Again the client did not like the color she selected. The sample coloring process does not take place on site. It is done off site at a concrete plant. There is science behind creating the color. There is also a wait time for the color to become the correct tone that the customer will eventually see after the pour on site. This process took multiple visits to the concrete plant as well as then to the client's home. Because [redacted] was particular about the color, we wanted to make sure when she picked a sample we could duplicate it. After [redacted]'s not accepting any of the samples of her choosing, the client requested to change to a new concrete contractor. I agreed to secure a new concrete contractor. However before that could happen they notified me that they wanted to use someone they had found. I agreed to release them from that part of the contract if they agreed to pay for my work to date and my subcontractor's work to date. [redacted] agreed to that arrangement. Having been released from the job, the original concrete contractor returned to the job site and removed his forms from the property. There was no charge to the customer for the installation or the removal of the forms. Because of liability, a new concrete contractor would set his own forms making the removal of the forms necessary for the project to proceed. I received an email from [redacted] stating that she would not be paying their bill. I responded by giving her the logical and standard procedures to settle accounts due: pay in full, payment plan, file a lien until resolution of amount due. The billing amount to date is $17,510.27. There was a $10,000 deposit. Amount due is $7510.27. That is the amount that will be filed on the lien until there is a resolution. While we provided extraordinary care and service to this client, all fees and changes made were ordinary and customary to what we have charged thousands of clients we have served over the past 40 plus years. In conclusion, the husband [redacted] has made efforts through his decisions to continue the working relationship with our company. While he has not been present during all of the visits, as he works in California during the week, he has been available on the phone to continue to work towards a solution not just during the initial process but as recently as this past week during a phone conversation regarding the billing. It is unfortunate that the client has responded as she has and involved the Revdex.com, however it is our intent to tell the truth regarding our well established and respected company and not allow false accusations to tarnish our good name. Attached please find the following Design & plant list and material photos. Client never opted out of design services verbally or in writing. Plant varieties all possess a wide range of suitable conditions. Example: Plant A can be planted in either wetland OR dry hillside. Signed agreement with client Invoice for work to date Irrigation repair invoices for service work completed Invoice from our concrete contractor Email from client refusing to pay bill Email threatening concerning my wife
 
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