Groundworx, Inc.

My wife and I have used Groundworx for several years now both at my home and my mothers estate It has been a pleasure articulating new landscaping and design with Matt, the owner I appreciate his talents for design and his great work ethic I've reitred from the landscAping and have now turned my landscaping needs over to GroundworxN

Upon careful review of the details the homeowner's complaint, we have decided to systematically breakdown each complaintProvided are text message transcripts, bills, and email correspondence to refute many of his claimsPlease let us know if you have any
questions
In regards to the customers chief complaint(s):
"Groundworx was hired to do lawn care and landscaping at our residence."
Undisputed
"While cutting the grass, the workmen damaged irrigation heads and landscape lights."
No lights were damaged, just underground wires (see complaint #4)One pre-existing irrigation head that was incorrectly installed (it was sticking too high out of the ground) was hit by one of our mowersWe replaced the irrigation head free of charge
"In doing landscape work, workmen powerseeded the lawn twice in the fall the past two yearsThe grass never germinated either timeThey had to come back and redo itThe second time there was a charge."
The first time we power seeded the lawn, both years, with a seed the owner asked that we use against our professional recommendationThe first year he asked us to lay Kentucky 31, and this past year he requested Confederate turf-type blend (please refer to text message transcript item #1)He asked that the seed be put down at 101bs/sqftThis is considered a light application for seeding ...our company usually applies 15-20Ibs/sqft., however we did the job as the homeowner requestedThis year, when we were asked to seed the lawn a second time, he told us to go ahead and use the seed we originally recommendedSince it was later in the season and the area had received a significant amount of rainfall, we were concerned that powerseeding would not be the best optionThe owner of the company requested that the areas be top dressed which required extra dirtThe homeowner was charged the company's cost for the second seeding (materials only -no labor)This also happens to be one of the charges he wants dropped from his billHe said "ok" to all of this on several occasions via text message and even said the first seeding from this past year had "started to sprout"His complaint is erroneous (please see item #2)
"While shoveling ground to put in a bell chime poll, they severed underground electrical wires in several places (power to the pond and landscape lights)They spliced the wire back but it soon burned outI had to have an electrician out to run all new wire ($189.00)."
The owner gave us the exact location to place the bell chime poleAs we did not install the electrical wire that powered the pond and landscape lights we had no idea it ran thraugh the exact spot he requested the pole be placedTwo lines were severed while digging the hole for the bell chime pole, and we were able to find and repair oneThe lights still weren't coming on and the homeowner informed us that he had already contacted the company who had originally installed the lighting system to fix a power surge issues (unrelated) and he would have them take a look at the wiring when they got thereThey were able to find and repair the second wireWe have already deducted that amount from the final cost of that specific project
"On other occasions, they have severed underground irrigation hoses."
During construction of a major landscape planting that required extensive excavation, the customer was unable to map out the exact route of pre-existing irrigation lines for usWe went into the project knowing we may accidentally hit the hoses because we could not establish their exact locationExtra parts were bought in advance to anticipate this potential problem and the
hoses were repaired immediately
"They broke our *** sign."
The power of our blowers did indeed finish off an already damaged/cracked signWe glued it
back together the homeowner never indicated he was upset by this incident
"They started a cleanout project in the back of our yard which they never completed."
This clean-out project took place during the same month as the bush trimming complaintWe were told not to come back until his "*** ***" wife could speak to us regarding the matterWe told him we would we would take him off the list until he told us what to do nextThe very next day he texted to say he was hiring another lawn care company so we told him we would send him his final billThis is the bill that the homeowner has requested for a billing adjustment (please see item #in the text message transcript, and item 4a and 4b)
"They trimmed the blooms off the ***, azalea and other flowering bushesWhen confronted, they said we will take you off the list and not be back."
See above (also item #in the text message transcript)
The owner tried to program the irrigation box for the sprinklers to come on every dayHe messed that upI had to call *** to come out and take care of that ($90)
The homeowner was told that our business was unfamiliar with his pre-existing systemWe did not install the irrigation box for the sprinklersThe owner insisted we help him look at the system as he did not want to pay someone to do itOur last correspondence via text message regarding the irrigation box indicated the system was working fine (see item #50, #5b in the text message transcript)
In regards to the customers Desired Outcome:
The homeowner has requested a billing adjustmentHis open refusal to pay his bill is unjustified and unethicalItem 4awas sent to him when he notified us that he would be hiring a new lawn care company (refer to item #in the text message transcript)This bill was later adjusted when we received partial payment in the amount of $An invoice for the remaining balance was mailed to himOn December pt, 2014, Groundworx, Inccontacted the homeowner regarding his delinquent account and told him once his account was days overdue we would begin adding monthly late fees and interest charges as standard procedure on all overdue accountsThe homeowner replied, "You are a major disappointmentI would very careful about throwing around threatsI have the best lawyer in town." Again, we reiterated that the account is overdue for work that was completed
The three items on the bill are for the following services:
*October hour Monthly Maintenance -The homeowner was scheduled to receive hours of monthly maintenanceWe were on-site for one hour on October 3rd, and one hour was performed on October 15th• On October 3rd, regular maintenance was performed with no issuesOn October 15th, we performed the rest of the monthly maintenance which included the bush trimming incident (see complaint #8)The fees for October 15th were waived as stated in the October 17th email (item 4a correspondence)The fee on his past due bill is for the October 3rd, services, which has been paid in full to-date
*Re-seed (cost of seed/dirt) -The homeowner asked us to reseed again (see complaint #3)The homeowner was not charged for labor, only the cost of the seed and dirtIf we had been
allowed to do the job the way it was recommended to him the first time, there would have
been no reason for him to ask us to do it againAs an act of good faith since we had a strong
rapport with this particular client, we did not charge him as we would have other clientsThis charge has since been paid in full to-date
* cut in October -This charge was for work performed without complaint from the homeowner on October 9th,
In summary:
Groundworx, Inccannot refute some these complaintsWe did accidentally break the *** signHowever many of his complaints are half-truths, and others are completely false
Upon careful review of our many correspondences with this client we feel justified in denying the homeowner his desired outcomeWe believe it would be immoral to condone the homeowner's recent actions against our company and are offended by these malicious falsehoodsGroundworx, Incdeclines the homeowner's desired outcome
We had an excellent relationship with this client up until the October 15th incidentWe worked very hard to keep this client satisfied and exchanged messages on a nearly-daily basisWhen we received notice from him that our services were no longer wanted we were surprised considering the infraction (bush trimming) was minor as the buds would have grown back within monthsWe feel the bush trimming was necessary (although in retrospect, unwanted) to ensure symmetry between the newly planted landscaping and the pre-existing, matured landscaping
In hindsight, after hearing about the number of highly-esteemed local lawn care companies he
"fired" before hiring us we should have anticipated the possibility that our relationship would
end like this
We ask the Revdex.com to please review the attached items thoroughlyWe believe publishing the
homeowner's claims against our company would be irresponsible on the part of the Revdex.com as
they do not accurately reflect our company or our client-business relations
Again, please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions or would like any more
President, Groundworx, IncPhone: ###-###-#### document eceipts, bills, etc.} of our

Matt and his crew are very polite and do fantastic work.

We have read the customers response, in regards to complaint 10: [redacted].
We have again attached all relevant correspondence between Groundworx, Inc. and the customer, via text message, email, and invoices. Please take time to read through them, as the customers own words, will contradict many of his statements and complaints. We feel that our first response included all the facts and evidence needed to refute the claims of the customer. In the customers recent response new claims have also been made, so we have again decided to systematically breakdown each of the complaints in the response.
#2
Workmen did damage to irrigation head. It was installed correctly by qualified irrigation professionals. It was not sticking out too high. The only problem was unprofessional mowers. It should have been replaced at no charge. He also broke one of my landscape lights. His claim that he did not is false. We have already admitted to damaging the irrigation head. It was replaced at no charge. The reason it was damaged was because it was sticking too high out of the ground. Our mowers are not unprofessional. Regardless, we fixed it free of charge and this time it was correctly installed, and was not damaged again. This complaint should be considered a non-issue since Groundworx, Inc. covered the cost of the irrigation head. No landscaping lights were reported to us as broken. The customer never reported that the light had been broken, until his complaint with the Revdex.com.
#3
Workmen did power-seed lawn twice in two years, neither time did the grass germinate.[redacted] company recommended Ky 31 and Confederate. I did not suggest the application amount. For the owner to suggest this is not true. Again, this is just incompetence on the part of this company. The second reseeding was not later in the year. It was at the beginning of September.
In reference to the claim that the customer did not suggest the application rate, please refer to the text message transcript on 9/12/14, at 1 :32pm . The customer wrote, "Powerseed the backyard with Confederate plus tall fescue turf blend at 10lbs per 1000 sq. ft. powerseed front bare areas. In [back} corner, kill day lilies and [any other} weeds." The customer did in fact request the application amount of" 10Ibs per 1000 sq ff'. The customer also seems to be confused, about the dates of seeding . However, as the text transcripts show above, he requests the first power seeding application on 9/12114. Please refer to item 4a in the attached documents, which is an invoice, and you can see that the first seeding was billed on 9/21/14. Please note that the charge on the invoice states "Back yard Re-seed". This was the first time we seeded his property, in the fall of 2014. Since we had seeded this area in the past, it was important to label the work performed in the computer as a Re-seed. I want to clarify this, in case the term "Re-seed" is adding to the customers confusion. The second seeding took place in October (not September). Please refer to the text messages from the customer requesting a second seeding on 10/9/14 at 6:22pm, "Thanks for coming out today. Think about this. You already have a lot of the turf type fescue down." Please note, this is the type of seed he originally requested. "IT'S COMING IN SLOWL Y. If it doesn't come in this fall, it will next spring. On your reseed use the tall fescue like you used on the other lawns" (the seed we originally suggested). Also on 10/09/14, at 7:00pm, the customer wrote, "I guess what I was talking about in the first text. No sense to re-powerseed with the same seed that has trouble germinating.
Lets use the tall fescue that we know will germinate before the end of the growing season. That being said, the seed that is down now will continue to grow this fall or next spring. The new tall fescue will more likely germinate nicely this fall or certainly next spring. Either way, with the old and new to be put down, we still have a nice looking backyard. "The second seeding took place on 10/15/14, the same day as the bush trimming incident. You can see on attachment item 4c (the list of all the customers charges in 2014) that the billing date, for the second seeding, was on 10/17/14. You will also note, that even though the client requested the second seeding, we only charged him for the materials and not any labor, as a show of good faith. This is also ironically one of the charges the customer is disputing. Because the second seeding was performed so late in the season, we knew it may not germinate if we had an early cold snap, which we did. The customer was aware the seed may not germinate until the next spring, as indicated in his text message on 10/9/14 "the new tall fescue will more likely germinate nicely this fall or next spring".
As far as the customers complaint that the grass didn't grow either time, as stated above in his 10/9/14 text the customer states "It is coming in slowly'. We will have no way of knowing the result of the second seeding until spring of 2015.
#4
They did in fact sever the electrical line to the pond lights. They had DIG come out and mark all electrical lines. So they should have known there was an electrical wire there. They did splice some of the wires back. They burned out. I had them replaced. The owner deducted that form the bill. There was another spliced area that burned out that I had to have replaced later after they left. That was $189.00.
The utility marking company called UDIG or USIC, was contacted and marked the property for electrical/gas [redacted]), phone, water, cable, and internet prior to all work, in accordance with state law prior to the digging. UDIG does not identify and locate private outdoor lighting or electrical systems; only utility company lines. The customers claims that we should have known that an electrical wire was there, but no site diagram for the outdoor lighting was provided, nor did UDIG identify any electrical lines for the outdoor lighting system. The customer was also unaware that the lines ran through the excavation site, because he and his wife specifically picked the site for his bell chime post, that lead to the damage to the wire. Groundworx, Inc. was never notified about this additional area, that the customer is claiming we are responsible for damaging, that ultimately cost him $189. We also don't have any record of correspondence via email or text. This is a bit ironic, considering we spoke to him on nearly a daily basis. The bell chime installation, occurred in June 2014 (see attachment, item 4c), and we feel like we would have heard about this well before the customer contacted the Revdex.com.
#5 Irrigation lines were identified by turning on the irrigation system. We were able to determine the lines from the sprinkler heads. This information did not matter. They dug away anyway, severing irrigation hoses. Owner said he anticipated that he would damage the hoses so he brought extra parts. He made the repairs immediately which he should have.
First of all, this isn't a complaint or an issue. Irrigation lines are made of PVC and rubber. The main lines are PVC and the lines that connect the sprinkler heads to the PVC are made of rubber. The rubber lines are meant to be easily manipulated around landscaping, rocks and other obstructions. Because we did not install the irrigation system, it was nearly impossible to know where exactly the rubber lines were placed in the ground. We knew that a few of the rubber lines ran through an area that would require excavation, and that we might hit them so we had extra lines on hand. As stated in the previous response, the line was repaired when hit. This is normal procedure for this type of landscape construction. Again, this does not seem to be complaint.
#6
[redacted] sign was broken. More carelessness. I had it replaced. The sign was broken and the customer was notified. We apologized and were told not to worry about it, and he would have it replaced. The issue was never brought up again until his Revdex.com complaint.
#7
My wife was very upset because one of the workmen trimmed all the berries off of her [redacted]. [redacted] had said he was not going to trim the [redacted] until spring. I confronted him about [redacted] trimming it. I know it was [redacted] who did it. [redacted] said I trimmed it OK. A falsehood. [redacted] was not there. With that [redacted] was the one who said I'll take you off the list. Not us. As far as the sprinkler system, [redacted] said he knew how to program the boxes since he use to work for [redacted] irrigation. I asked him to come out and set it so it would come on every day to water the new grass. He didn't know how. So I called [redacted]. At no time did I say that I did not want pay someone.
The customer was on a regular Maintenance and Lawn Care schedule. We were instructed by the customer to do whatever work we felt was necessary to maintain the property. The bushes that were trimmed were overpowering the other landscaping and made the yard aesthetically unappealing, so they were trimmed back. I'm not sure why the customer is claiming that my crew supervisor trimmed the bushes. I was on site that day and also the previous day overseeing the topdressing and maintenance work. Please note, that the previous day's work was never charged to the client due to his dissatisfaction regarding the bush trimming. I trimmed all the bushes that day, however if any of my employees had trimmed them, I would still stand by the decision to do so. We do recognize that the customer was not happy, even though we did what we thought needed done to maintain of our company's standards. We were hired to ensure his yard was maintained and aesthetically appealing. We want to beautify and augment our client's property, and we certainly want them to be happy with the results. We immediately apologized for the customers dissatisfaction. The cost of the bush trimming that day and the previous day were deducted from his bill. We also offered a solution to avoid future issues. Please refer to the text message transcript. On 10/16/14, at 8:07am, the owner wrote, "[redacted] JoAnne was really upset this morning about your guys trimming the blooms off the azaleas in front and berries off the nannies in front. Please make sure your guys check with her before trimming anything else. She wasn't real happy with the gold mops being trimmed either." replied, 10/16/14, 8:11am, "Ok tell her we are very sorry, and tell her we will only trim things she tells us too." A few hours later the customer replied, 10/16/14, 12:11pm, "[redacted] Wife is past the[redacted] off stage because [redacted] trimmed the would be blooms/berries off her bushes. She wants to not have you guys back. I told her to calm down until she can talk to you and [redacted] in person." I replied, 10/16/14, 12: 11 pm, "I trimmed them, ok we'll take you off the list till we hear from you." The customer was scheduled for lawn mowing later in that day, when I said I would take him off the list, I was referring to taking him off the mowing list for that day. I expected him to talk to his wife and then my crew supervisor and myself would sit down and discuss the situation and move forward. The next day the customer texted 10/17/14, 9:06am, "Getting ready to hire another lawn company". I replied, 10/17/14, 9:06am, "Ok I'll email you your current balance." That was the last we corresponded via text. The rest of the correspondence we have had with the customer was by email. Those emails have been attached as well.
Regarding the sprinkler system, the owner told us the system was working fine. Please see the text message transcripts. The owner wrote, 9/26/14, 6:56am, "Irrigation worked fine. Each zone came on for 15 mins. All 6 zones were completed by 5:30." Again, we have no other correspondence indicating otherwise.
In every conversation, text, email or correspondence with the customer, I have been professional and respectful. I acknowledge that the customer was dissatisfied with our bush trimming work. I have apologized, and I have waived the charges for the work he was dissatisfied with. However I feel the customer is not interested in fairly settling this dispute, I feel he is more interested in discrediting myself and Groundworx, Inc. with false complaints. All the charges for the work, that the customer is disputing, is for work that was done without complaint.
S

Groundworx has been our families landscaping company for several years, we've always had GREAT results with this company. I have used them for general maintenance to a major landscaping overhaul and new design. All of the workers are polite, prompt and courteous and available for questions. My neighbors tells me I've the best landscape on the street, I'll take that compliment.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Regards,
[redacted]
 
 
 # 2. workmen did damage irrigation head.It was installed correctly by qualified irrigation professionals.It was not sticking out too high.The only problem was unprofessional mowers.It should have been replaced at no charge.He also broke one of my landscape lights.His claim that he did not is false
# 3.Workmen did powerseed lawn twice in two years,Neither time did the grass germinate.[redacted] Company(reputable company) recommended Ky 31 and Confederate.I DID NOT suggest the application amount.For the owner to suggest this is not true.Again,this is just incompetence on the part of this company.The second reseeding was not later in the year.It was at the beginning of September
# 4 They did in fact sever the electrical line to the pond lights.They had DIG come out and mark all the electrical lines.So,they should have known there was an electrical wire there.They did splice some of the wires back.They burned out.I had them replaced.The owner deducted that from the bill.There was another spliced area that burned out that I had to have replaced later after they left.That was $189.00.
# 5.Irrigation lines were identified by turning on the irrigation system.We were able to determine the lines from the sprinkler heads.This information did not matter.They dug away anyway.severing irrigation hoses.Owner said he anticipated that he would damage the hoses so he brought in extra parts.He made the repairs immediately which he should have.
#6 [redacted] sign was broken.More carelessness.I had it replaced.
#7 My wife was very up set because one of his workmen trimmed all of the berries off of her [redacted].[redacted] had said he was not going to trim the [redacted] until spring.I confronted him about [redacted] trimming It(I know it was [redacted] who did it).[redacted] said I trimmed it OK.(a falsehood.[redacted] was not there.With that [redacted] was the one who  said I'll take you off the list not us.As far as the sprinkler system,[redacted] said he knew how to program the boxes since he use to work for [redacted] irrigation.I asked him to come out and set so it would come on every day to water the new grass.He didn't know how.So,I called [redacted].At no time did I say that I did not want to pay some one.
I do not accept the response made by the business to resolve my complaint.The response is full of falsehoods and malicious statements.His statement about my firing highly esteemed local lawn care companies is baseless.
&

I am enjoying my Zen Garden, designed, orchestrated and built by Groundworx! It has given me great peace during my cancer treatment to sit quietly, review and reflect. OOOOOMMMM!

Competent, prompt, responsive and diligent. Followed up as appropriate with no prompting or inconvenience. A much easier and fun process than I was expecting. Fair and competitive billing. Two neighbors noticed their work and hired Groundworx.

To Whom It May Concern: I have read GroundWorx latest rebuttal to my complaint #[redacted].Before I respond to each item in the company’s rebuttal, I would like to summarize how this company did damage to my property in the past two years. The company had an excuse for every one of these damages. Every time, the reason for the problem was the customer or an outside agency never the company.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.       <!--[endif]-->Severed underground electrical wires.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.       <!--[endif]-->Severed underground irrigation lines
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.       <!--[endif]-->Did a poor job of power seeding lawn twice. Grass never germinated.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.       <!--[endif]-->Broke irrigation head and ADT sign
<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.       <!--[endif]-->Poor job of trimming fall plantings. Trimmed all the berries off nadinas and other flowering bushes.
In response to the company’s rebuttal of February 4, 2015
#2-Irrigation head broken –claim was it was sticking too high out of ground (improperly installed by [redacted]) and that is why workman hit it. Company replaced it. The height of the replacement is the same as the original. Again, this comes down to carelessness on the part of the workman who cut the grass. This is the strategy of the company to place the blame on someone else for the company’s own incompetence
#3-This company power seeded the front and back yards in early September 2013 and 2014.The grass never germinated either time. [redacted] recommended Ky 31 and Confederate grass seed.  . Owner says that the reasons that the grass didn’t germinate in 2013-2014 were: 1.questionable quality/type grass seed, 2.wrong application rate, power seeding started too late.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.       <!--[endif]-->In early September 2013, customer told company owner to put down Ky 31(recommended by [redacted] Co.)  The grass seed did not germinate. Company owner blamed the lack of germination on the type of grass seed put down. Company owner said the seed was bad. He also said the Ky 31 was a low grade commercial grass seed not to be used for lawns. [redacted] said Ky 31 was a high quality grass seed perfect for reseeding lawns. Company owner came back out to top dress the lawn with fescue grass seed and compost. The seed was good not rotten as suggested by owner. Ky 31 was a quality grass seed, suitable for lawns. That fescue grass which had been placed on the lawn’s surface came up fine. Company owner had to use social media to find out why the grass didn’t germinate. This is a sign of ignorance of landscaping best practice on the company owner’s part. incompetence
 
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.       <!--[endif]-->In early September 2014, owner once again power seeded the front and back yards. Owner claims that he never power seeded back yard until September 21, the date of billing. He claims he reseeded on September 21 the date of the billing. How can this be. In actuality, the work was done in early September with a power seeding machine and billed September 21.That is the way he does his business. Actually, he reseeded in early September. There was a $150 charge on September 21 bill for reseed. Call it what you want, but he used a power seeding machine on the backyard in early September. He used Confederate grass seed (recommended by [redacted] Co).It didn’t germinate. I texted him to reseed it. He came back out and top dressed it again with compost and grass seed ($95 charge) probably early October not October 15 as he contends. The new grass was already coming up October 17 when he abruptly cut us off. Company owner contends that the reason that the grass didn’t germinate was twofold. # 1, we did not get the seed in the ground early enough in the growing season. Clearly, that is not the case. The seed was put in the ground in plenty of time to get maximum growth before the end of the growing season.  Both 2013 and 2014, the power seeding was done in early September. The other reason that the grass didn’t germinate was because the application rate was too sparse. In 2013, I told owner that [redacted] recommended an application rate of 10 lbs per 1000sq ft. This rate was validated by Frank Otte and various reputable landscaping websites. The application rate of 10lbs per 1000sq ft was the recommended application rate. Owner said 15-20lbs per 1000 sq ft was the norm. This was clearly WRONG. This is still another sign of the ignorance of this owner in regard to the landscaping best practices. The company continues to blame the customer for its own pitiful shortcomings and poor performance.
#4-When installing the bell chime pole, Owner severed underground electrical wires to landscape lights and fish pond lights. Owner claims that this was not their fault because he was not notified by email, text about the area. The owner claims he was never notified about this additional area by customer. He claims that no site diagram for the outdoor lighting was provided. If the company owner had used common sense before digging away, he would have asked the owner for a site diagram of the electrical wiring diagram and outdoor lighting diagram. [redacted] would have been more than glad to have provided that. But no, the company owner and his crew dug away severing the electrical wiring in at least 3 places. Again, this whole situation could have been avoided had the owner asked for a blueprint of the wiring diagram. Again, this is a sign of inexperience and withitness on the part of the owner
#5-When doing some landscaping work, irrigation lines were severed by company. [redacted] Irrigation would have provided a detailed diagram of the irrigation had the owner asked the customer for it.
#6-ADT sign broken by company. I had it replaced
#7 This response had to do with the trimming or pruning of the fall bushes. Company owner admits to trimming the Nadinas , Laurels, Azaleas, and Gold Mops October 15, 2014. He also states that if any of his employees had trimmed them, he would stand behind their decision. He states the reason the Nandinas were trimmed was because they were overpowering the other landscaping. OK Here is the research on pruning fall bushes that qualified landscapers should have known. Obviously this company owner had no clue.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.       <!--[endif]-->Nandinas are to be trimmed in late winter or early spring after all the berries are gone.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.       <!--[endif]-->Azaleas are to be trimmed in the spring 3 weeks after their last blooms
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.       <!--[endif]-->Laurels are not be trimmed in their first growing season(company owner just planted them summer 2014)
<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.       <!--[endif]-->Gold Mops are rarely pruned.
So, This company owner was completely ignorant of best practice of pruning of fall bushes. Due to his ignorance of proper pruning, we were unable to enjoy the beautiful orange nandina berries this fall. We will not be able to enjoy the flowering azaleas next spring.  He was also going to stand behind the same practice of his employees had they trimmed them which they did. How sad
 
When I confronted him about the pruning of the bushes, he said I’ll take you off the list. In his rebuttal, he says I meant take you off the mowing list. My question is what the mowing list has to do with the pruning confrontation. No connection at all. From the tone of his text, he was very clear. He was taking us off the list as a customer. As far as I was concerned, that fine. I wasn’t going to call him back. 
What do I want the Revdex.com to do with this case. I WANT IT CLOSED UNRESOLVED.
 
 
 
        
 
%2

Upon careful review of the details the homeowner's complaint, we have decided to systematically breakdown each complaint. Provided are text message transcripts, bills, and email correspondence to refute many of his claims. Please let us know if you have any questions.
 
In regards to...

the customers chief complaint(s):
1. "Groundworx was hired to do lawn care and landscaping at our residence."
Undisputed
2. "While cutting the grass, the workmen damaged irrigation heads and landscape lights."
No lights were damaged, just underground wires (see complaint #4). One pre-existing irrigation head that was incorrectly installed (it was sticking too high out of the ground) was hit by one of our mowers. We replaced the irrigation head free of charge.
3. "In doing landscape work, workmen powerseeded the lawn twice in the fall the past two years. The grass never germinated either time. They had to come back and redo it. The second time there was a charge."
The first time we power seeded the lawn, both years, with a seed the owner asked that we use against our professional recommendation. The first year he asked us to lay Kentucky 31, and this past year he requested Confederate turf-type blend (please refer to text message transcript item #1). He asked that the seed be put down at 101bs/1000 sq. ft. This is considered a light application for seeding ...our company usually applies 15-20Ibs/1000 sq. ft., however we did the job as the homeowner requested. This year, when we were asked to seed the lawn a second time, he told us to go ahead and use the seed we originally recommended. Since it was later in the season and the area had received a significant amount of rainfall, we were concerned that powerseeding would not be the best option. The owner of the company requested that the areas be top dressed which required extra dirt. The homeowner was charged the company's cost for the second seeding (materials only -no labor). This also happens to be one of the charges he wants dropped from his bill. He said "ok" to all of this on several occasions via text message and even said the first seeding from this past year had "started to sprout". His complaint is erroneous (please see item #2).
4. "While shoveling ground to put in a bell chime poll, they severed underground electrical wires in several places (power to the pond and landscape lights). They spliced the wire back but it soon burned out. I had to have an electrician out to run all new wire ($189.00)."
The owner gave us the exact location to place the bell chime pole. As we did not install the electrical wire that powered the pond and landscape lights we had no idea it ran thraugh the exact spot he requested the pole be placed. Two lines were severed while digging the hole for the bell chime pole, and we were able to find and repair one. The lights still weren't coming on and the homeowner informed us that he had already contacted the company who had originally installed the lighting system to fix a power surge issues (unrelated) and he would have them take a look at the wiring when they got there. They were able to find and repair the second wire. We have already deducted that amount from the final cost of that specific project.
5. "On other occasions, they have severed underground irrigation hoses."
During construction of a major landscape planting that required extensive excavation, the customer was unable to map out the exact route of pre-existing irrigation lines for us. We went into the project knowing we may accidentally hit the hoses because we could not establish their exact location. Extra parts were bought in advance to anticipate this potential problem and the
hoses were repaired immediately.
6. "They broke our [redacted] sign."
The power of our blowers did indeed finish off an already damaged/cracked sign. We glued it
back together ... the homeowner never indicated he was upset by this incident.
7. "They started a cleanout project in the back of our yard which they never completed."
This clean-out project took place during the same month as the bush trimming complaint. We were told not to come back until his "[redacted]" wife could speak to us regarding the matter. We told him we would we would take him off the list until he told us what to do next. The very next day he texted to say he was hiring another lawn care company so we told him we would send him his final bill. This is the bill that the homeowner has requested for a billing adjustment (please see item #3 in the text message transcript, and item 4a and 4b).
"They trimmed the blooms off the [redacted], azalea and other flowering bushes. When confronted, they said we will take you off the list and not be back."
See above (also item #3 in the text message transcript).
The owner tried to program the irrigation box for the sprinklers to come on every day. He messed that up. I had to call [redacted] to come out and take care of that ($90).
The homeowner was told that our business was unfamiliar with his pre-existing system. We did not install the irrigation box for the sprinklers. The owner insisted we help him look at the system as he did not want to pay someone to do it. Our last correspondence via text message regarding the irrigation box indicated the system was working fine (see item #50, #5b in the text message transcript).
In regards to the customers Desired Outcome:
The homeowner has requested a billing adjustment. His open refusal to pay his bill is unjustified and unethical. Item 4a. was sent to him when he notified us that he would be hiring a new lawn care company (refer to item #3 in the text message transcript). This bill was later adjusted when we received partial payment in the amount of $480. An invoice for the remaining balance was mailed to him. On December pt, 2014, Groundworx, Inc. contacted the homeowner regarding his delinquent account and told him once his account was 60 days overdue we would begin adding monthly late fees and interest charges as standard procedure on all overdue accounts. The homeowner replied, "You are a major disappointment. I would very careful about throwing around threats. I have the best lawyer in town." Again, we reiterated that the account is overdue for work that was completed.
The three items on the bill are for the following services:
*October 1 hour Monthly Maintenance -The homeowner was scheduled to receive 2 hours of monthly maintenance. We were on-site for one hour on October 3rd, 2014 and one hour was performed on October 15th• On October 3rd, regular maintenance was performed with no issues. On October 15th, we performed the rest of the monthly maintenance which included the bush trimming incident (see complaint #8). The fees for October 15th were waived as stated in the October 17th email (item 4a correspondence). The fee on his past due bill is for the October 3rd, services, which has been paid in full to-date.
*Re-seed (cost of seed/dirt) -The homeowner asked us to reseed again (see complaint #3). The homeowner was not charged for labor, only the cost of the seed and dirt. If we had been
allowed to do the job the way it was recommended to him the first time, there would have
been no reason for him to ask us to do it again. As an act of good faith since we had a strong
rapport with this particular client, we did not charge him as we would have other clients. This charge has since been paid in full to-date.
* 1 cut in October -This charge was for work performed without complaint from the homeowner on October 9th, 2014.
In summary:
Groundworx, Inc. cannot refute some these complaints. We did accidentally break the [redacted] sign. However many of his complaints are half-truths, and others are completely false.
Upon careful review of our many correspondences with this client we feel justified in denying the homeowner his desired outcome. We believe it would be immoral to condone the homeowner's recent actions against our company and are offended by these malicious falsehoods. Groundworx, Inc. declines the homeowner's desired outcome.
We had an excellent relationship with this client up until the October 15th incident. We worked very hard to keep this client satisfied and exchanged messages on a nearly-daily basis. When we received notice from him that our services were no longer wanted we were surprised considering the infraction (bush trimming) was minor as the buds would have grown back within months. We feel the bush trimming was necessary (although in retrospect, unwanted) to ensure symmetry between the newly planted landscaping and the pre-existing, matured landscaping.
In hindsight, after hearing about the number of highly-esteemed local lawn care companies he
"fired" before hiring us we should have anticipated the possibility that our relationship would
end like this.
We ask the Revdex.com to please review the attached items thoroughly. We believe publishing the
homeowner's claims against our company would be irresponsible on the part of the Revdex.com as
they do not accurately reflect our company or our client-business relations.
Again, please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions or would like any more
President, Groundworx, Inc. Phone: ###-###-#### document eceipts, bills, etc.} of our

I appreciate Matthew bringing my Ivy back to life and sprucing up my gardens and landscaping! I enjoyed working with him and his staff.