Scenic View Landscape

Our stance is that we had originally done everything needed to resolve this situation. Our original estimate written by *** ***ia included a vapor barrier for weeds, which was then taken off because it was too expensive. For the Ms*** to say that a vapor barrier to prevent weeds was not discussed during the initial visit is incorrect.
When Ms*** called to inform us about the plants being dead and weeds growing, we made every effort to rectify the situation by sending out a manager to assess the situation and then sending out two employees to pull weeds, spray weed killer, and replace dead plants. This is something that we did because at the time there was no way to determine why the plants had died. Either from lack of watering, something in the soil, infected/diseased plants from the nursery, just randomly dying because of an act of god, or possibly from many other various reasons. Because of this unknown factor we decided to replace the dead plants at no cost to Ms***. While on site planting the new plants, we also had our employees clean up any new weeds that had emerged and put down weed killer at Ms***’s request.
When the owner visited the site, a timer and vapor barrier were discussed again and the owner told Ms*** that he could not guarantee that weeds would not return, or plants would not die. At that point we felt that business had been concluded and the issues resolved.
We reject Ms***’s claim of needing to pay her for additional dead plants, as all dead plants had been previously replaced. We reject Ms***’s claim that we should pay for her to hire a weed puller to get rid of the weeds, as we had rectified that situation already twice and gave no guarantee they would not returnWe reject Ms***’s claim of paying her $for time and inconvenience as this claim is purely speculative in nature and not directly tied to any specific expense incurred by Ms***
In the end we are sorry that the situation has dissolved to this level. Ms*** has filed a claim with the Contractors State License board, who denied her claim as they could not find any wrongdoing on our part. Ms*** also filed a claim with our bond insurance, which was also denied because they could find no merit to the claim, or wrongdoing on our part. Again we feel that we have gone above and beyond what was needed to rectify this situation.
*** ***
*** *** ***
*** *** *** *** **
*** ** ***

I never received an original estimate from *** *** with the vapor barrier for weedsAll I received was the cost of the plants and barkThis information was included in my first correspondence was included in my first correspondence to you - see attached.
Please note that I paid for ground cover plaints - they only replaced and of those diedI don't believe they went above and beyond what was needed to rectify the situationNo one from scenic view ever bothered to return my phone calls, which would have solved this problemThey showed no respect to meTo them, as long as they got my $for a lousy job done and not following up by callingI was considered "water under the bridge"They are such a "big" company they don't have time to be bothered by the "little" peopleI've learned a valuable lesson from themDon't use "big" people to work for youWhy has it taken *** months to finally respond?
At this point in time I am thru fighting everyoneNo one really cares"The State of California, etc" about my small complaintThey wonHope all is happyThank you, ***, for your time and effortIt's their word against mineSo be itRespectfully,
*** ***

Regarding customer [redacted]
Our company received a call from customer [redacted] to come out and give her an estimate to do some landscaping in her front yard. On July 17, [redacted] our General Manager went to meet with the customer. The...

customer wanted sod removed and several plants and shrubs installed with bark. At this time, customer stated that she was concerned about having weeds. Chuck discussed putting down weed barrier fabric under the bark which would stop weds from coming up. We could not guarantee weed free without putting down the weed barrier fabric. She stated she did not want to do that as it was an added expense she did not want to have. Chuck discussed to maintain the water for the yard and the plans that she would need to install a timer. She stated that was an added expense and she wanted to just water by hand. Our company gave the customer a bid to create a new front yard for her see attached.
Our office received a call from the customer that stating that she had weeds and that some of her plants had died. On 8/1 [redacted], went to the customer's to evaluate the property. At that point he told the customer without putting down the weed barrier fabric there would be some weeds.
We received another call from the customer about the weeds. The owner of the company wanted to make things right with this customer, and sent tow of our employees out to replace the dead plants at no cost, and placed pre-emergent to kill future weeds. They spent over three hours pulling the existing weeds and replacing the plants that were dead.
The owner of the company followed up by visiting the customer on 8/22 to make sure she was happy. At this time he told her the only want to keep the weeds from coming up was to install weed barrier fabric under the bark. The customer stated that she could not afford to do that. The owner followed up by stating to maintain the plants she should install a timer to insure they are being watered correctly. The owner quoted her $250.00 to install the timer. She stated that she was watering the yard 20 minutes a day and he told her she should increase the watering to 40 minutes a day. The owner told her that he could not at this point guarantee the life of the plants or ground cover in the future, without installing the timer to properly maintain the watering.
The owner of the company has replaced plants at no cost and recommended way to maintain the yard which this customer stated she is on a fixed income and did not want to have the expense. The owner has done everything to make things right with this customer and does not feel that she should continue to replace plants and ground cover when the yard is not being maintained properly.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Scenic View Landscape[redacted]
Sacramento, CA 95827
Office: ###-###-####
Fax: ###-###-####
Cell: ###-###-####

First please be advised I didn't get your letter until Friday, Nov. 21st. Post Office delivered it, to wrong address.
When [redacted] initially came out nothing was said about a weed barrier being put down on the cast. When I asked him about possible weeds he said "the way the drip system works it shouldn't cause to many weeds." I said to [redacted] I could handle a "few" weeds - not half a yard full. 
At that time I told [redacted] I didn't feel the need for a timer because I couldn't turn down the water on & off myself.
Work was completed by July 23rd. Watering instructions were 40 minutes a day - which I did. By July 28th or 29th all ground cover plants had died. [redacted] came out Aug. 1 - evaluated dead plants and noted all the weeds that emerged. Said he would take information back to his supervisor and they would contact me.
Christine called about Aug. 8th setting up appointment for Aug. 15th [redacted] called again about Aug. 13th changing appt. to Aug. 22nd. 
The two employees came out - replaced 11 of 12 ground cover plants -  but they only replaced 11, 2 of which also died.
The gentlemen did pull some weeds - but not all of them - I saw them spraying something on the yard, I presumed they were also to spray Round-Up on the weeds.
The owner did come out and we did discuss getting a timer. As stated in my previous complaint, I told him I couldn't afford it and would continue my 40 mins. a day watering. He said "he couldn't guarantee the plants".
So stated in my previous correspondence. I called owner on Aug. 27th to find out how long it took Round-Up to kill weeds & let him know that I had twice as many weeds as before - from that point on I never personally talked to [redacted].
Finally, after several calls - (see my original correspondence) I got a hold of [redacted] - she said "they were not coming out again and I need to put a tarp down".
My own gardeners - sprayed Round-Up on some of the weeds & it worked.
I don't feel the owner has done everything right. He never returned my phone calls, all he maintains is that I'm not maintaining my yard by not spending $250.00 on a timer.
The yard is being maintained, except for all the weeds !! If it wasn't - why are all the other plants alive & growing?
[redacted], the bottom line now is after writing for 2 months for scenic view to respond is
63.00 - replacement ground cover
100.00 - hire a weed puller
500.00 - for my inconvenience & time spent on this company, when a phone call could have taken care of the problem.
______
663.00
Thank you for your time and effort
[redacted]

Review: On July 17, 2014 [redacted], [redacted], now no longer with company, came to my home and we discussed Re-doing a portion of my front yard. I told [redacted] I could spend $2,500.00. [redacted] told me what he could do for that price and I agreed. Sent me an estimate - see attached - on July 18th. Order was confirmed on 7/21 - Work was done 7/22, 7/23.

At initial discussion I asked [redacted] about weeds growing in the area - [redacted] said "due to the way the drip system is installed there should be very minimal weeds." I replied "that I can handle a "few" weeds but not a ton".

I was told to water 40 minutes everyday- which I did. Do to the weather turning extremely hot during the first week and a half, all 12 ground cover plants died. [redacted] came out to see the plants on or about July 30th and told me Scenic View would replace ground cover and take care of the many weeds that had sprouted up.

About Aug. 16th Scenic View sent [redacted] out, he replaced [redacted], to "evaluate" the plants. [redacted] said I needed 12 new ground cover plants - plus they would take of the weed problem.

On August 22nd Scenic View came to replace ground cover - and "sprayed Round-Up on plants - I wasn't watching the workers so I can't say they actually sprayed.

Also on Aug. 22, [redacted], owner, came by and told me "he couldn't guarantee anymore plant replacement unless I put a timer on, which would cost about $300.00." I told him I just couldn't afford that price.

After a week of my watering 40 mins. everyday I noticed I had twice as many weeds than before. 3 ground cover plants had died and 1 missing. Now I have eleven, 3 of which were dead.

I called Scenic View on Aug. 27th to talk to [redacted] - was told by [redacted], office help, he was in a meeting with accountant. Left msg. for him to call me.

Called 8/29, 9/5, 9/8 - left message on answering machine. No one called me back.

I called again on 9/8 and finally a human voice, [redacted] answered. I told her about the plants dying, the still existing weed problem. [redacted] said she would talk to [redacted] and have him call me or she would.

Called 9/10 @ 9:20 am - left another msg.

Called 9/11 @ 9:40 am - [redacted] answered and said "they were not coming out again and I should put a tarp "down". I asked her to leave msg for [redacted] to call me. As of this date no call.

I'm very frustrated with Scenic View over this encounter. I'm going to have to pay someone else to fix their problem and buy 3 new ground cover plants @ 20.75 each. I'm on a fixed income, taking care of an invalid husband.

Any advice or help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your assistance.

[redacted] "[redacted]" [redacted] ###-###-####Desired Settlement: Come out and replace the 2 plants that died and the 1 that wasn't put in. Take the weeds out.

Business

Response:

Regarding customer [redacted]

Our company received a call from customer [redacted] to come out and give her an estimate to do some landscaping in her front yard. On July 17, [redacted] our General Manager went to meet with the customer. The customer wanted sod removed and several plants and shrubs installed with bark. At this time, customer stated that she was concerned about having weeds. Chuck discussed putting down weed barrier fabric under the bark which would stop weds from coming up. We could not guarantee weed free without putting down the weed barrier fabric. She stated she did not want to do that as it was an added expense she did not want to have. Chuck discussed to maintain the water for the yard and the plans that she would need to install a timer. She stated that was an added expense and she wanted to just water by hand. Our company gave the customer a bid to create a new front yard for her see attached.

Our office received a call from the customer that stating that she had weeds and that some of her plants had died. On 8/1 [redacted], went to the customer's to evaluate the property. At that point he told the customer without putting down the weed barrier fabric there would be some weeds.

We received another call from the customer about the weeds. The owner of the company wanted to make things right with this customer, and sent tow of our employees out to replace the dead plants at no cost, and placed pre-emergent to kill future weeds. They spent over three hours pulling the existing weeds and replacing the plants that were dead.

The owner of the company followed up by visiting the customer on 8/22 to make sure she was happy. At this time he told her the only want to keep the weeds from coming up was to install weed barrier fabric under the bark. The customer stated that she could not afford to do that. The owner followed up by stating to maintain the plants she should install a timer to insure they are being watered correctly. The owner quoted her $250.00 to install the timer. She stated that she was watering the yard 20 minutes a day and he told her she should increase the watering to 40 minutes a day. The owner told her that he could not at this point guarantee the life of the plants or ground cover in the future, without installing the timer to properly maintain the watering.

The owner of the company has replaced plants at no cost and recommended way to maintain the yard which this customer stated she is on a fixed income and did not want to have the expense. The owner has done everything to make things right with this customer and does not feel that she should continue to replace plants and ground cover when the yard is not being maintained properly.

Sincerely,

Scenic View Landscape[redacted]

Sacramento, CA 95827

Office: ###-###-####

Fax: ###-###-####

Cell: ###-###-####

Consumer

Response:

First please be advised I didn't get your letter until Friday, Nov. 21st. Post Office delivered it, to wrong address.When [redacted] initially came out nothing was said about a weed barrier being put down on the cast. When I asked him about possible weeds he said "the way the drip system works it shouldn't cause to many weeds." I said to [redacted] I could handle a "few" weeds - not half a yard full. At that time I told [redacted] I didn't feel the need for a timer because I couldn't turn down the water on & off myself.Work was completed by July 23rd. Watering instructions were 40 minutes a day - which I did. By July 28th or 29th all ground cover plants had died. [redacted] came out Aug. 1 - evaluated dead plants and noted all the weeds that emerged. Said he would take information back to his supervisor and they would contact me.Christine called about Aug. 8th setting up appointment for Aug. 15th [redacted] called again about Aug. 13th changing appt. to Aug. 22nd. The two employees came out - replaced 11 of 12 ground cover plants - but they only replaced 11, 2 of which also died.The gentlemen did pull some weeds - but not all of them - I saw them spraying something on the yard, I presumed they were also to spray Round-Up on the weeds.The owner did come out and we did discuss getting a timer. As stated in my previous complaint, I told him I couldn't afford it and would continue my 40 mins. a day watering. He said "he couldn't guarantee the plants".So stated in my previous correspondence. I called owner on Aug. 27th to find out how long it took Round-Up to kill weeds & let him know that I had twice as many weeds as before - from that point on I never personally talked to [redacted].Finally, after several calls - (see my original correspondence) I got a hold of [redacted] - she said "they were not coming out again and I need to put a tarp down".My own gardeners - sprayed Round-Up on some of the weeds & it worked.I don't feel the owner has done everything right. He never returned my phone calls, all he maintains is that I'm not maintaining my yard by not spending $250.00 on a timer.The yard is being maintained, except for all the weeds !! If it wasn't - why are all the other plants alive & growing?[redacted], the bottom line now is after writing for 2 months for scenic view to respond is63.00 - replacement ground cover100.00 - hire a weed puller500.00 - for my inconvenience & time spent on this company, when a phone call could have taken care of the problem.______663.00Thank you for your time and effort[redacted]

Business

Response:

Our stance is that we had originally done everything needed to resolve this situation. Our original estimate written by [redacted]ia included a vapor barrier for weeds, which was then taken off because it was too expensive. For the Ms. [redacted] to say that a vapor barrier to prevent weeds was not discussed during the initial visit is incorrect. When Ms. [redacted] called to inform us about the plants being dead and weeds growing, we made every effort to rectify the situation by sending out a manager to assess the situation and then sending out two employees to pull weeds, spray weed killer, and replace 11 dead plants. This is something that we did because at the time there was no way to determine why the plants had died. Either from lack of watering, something in the soil, infected/diseased plants from the nursery, just randomly dying because of an act of god, or possibly from many other various reasons. Because of this unknown factor we decided to replace the dead plants at no cost to Ms. [redacted]. While on site planting the new plants, we also had our 2 employees clean up any new weeds that had emerged and put down weed killer at Ms. [redacted]’s request. When the owner visited the site, a timer and vapor barrier were discussed again and the owner told Ms. [redacted] that he could not guarantee that weeds would not return, or plants would not die. At that point we felt that business had been concluded and the issues resolved. We reject Ms. [redacted]’s claim of needing to pay her for 2 additional dead plants, as all dead plants had been previously replaced. We reject Ms. [redacted]’s claim that we should pay for her to hire a weed puller to get rid of the weeds, as we had rectified that situation already twice and gave no guarantee they would not return. We reject Ms. [redacted]’s claim of paying her $500 for time and inconvenience as this claim is purely speculative in nature and not directly tied to any specific expense incurred by Ms. [redacted]. In the end we are sorry that the situation has dissolved to this level. Ms. [redacted] has filed a claim with the Contractors State License board, who denied her claim as they could not find any wrongdoing on our part. Ms. [redacted] also filed a claim with our bond insurance, which was also denied because they could find no merit to the claim, or wrongdoing on our part. Again we feel that we have gone above and beyond what was needed to rectify this situation. [redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I never received an original estimate from [redacted] with the vapor barrier for weeds. All I received was the cost of the plants and bark. This information was included in my first correspondence was included in my first correspondence to you - see attached. Please note that I paid for 12 ground cover plaints - they only replaced 11 and 2 of those died.I don't believe they went above and beyond what was needed to rectify the situation. No one from scenic view ever bothered to return my phone calls, which would have solved this problem. They showed no respect to me. To them, as long as they got my $2600.00 for a lousy job done and not following up by calling. I was considered "water under the bridge". They are such a "big" company they don't have time to be bothered by the "little" people. I've learned a valuable lesson from them. Don't use "big" people to work for you.Why has it taken [redacted] 5 months to finally respond?At this point in time I am thru fighting everyone. No one really cares. "The State of California, etc" about my small complaint. They won. Hope all is happy.Thank you, [redacted], for your time and effort.It's their word against mine. So be it.Respectfully,[redacted]