Sierra Landscapes

Upon hearing this complaint, I was very surprisedThe last conversation that we had with the homeowner, she expressed she was going to do some research about concrete, and walked offI was under the empression that she was going to get back to meThe homeowner's did not call us back concerning this matterFirst of all I would like to say that what they are calling cracks, are actually hairline fractures, and we DO take every precaution, so this doesn't happenThe concrete was a sack mix, it was 4"deep, it was water cured, and the rebar was pulled up as the concrete was pouredThe homeowner watched the whole process, so I don't understand why he is making these accusations [redacted] , is the business owner, and has been pouring concrete for over yearsWe pour concrete the way it's supposed to be doneWe replaced part of the band with pavers, and replaced a section of concrete at no costThe reason I'm mentioning this, is because we do want our customers to be happy, and that is what we were trying to accomplishThere isn't anyone who can percent guarantee that they're concrete will not fractureWe have been in business since 1989, so stating that we don't take the correct precautions for our concrete is false

[redacted] , Hi my name is [redacted] , and I work for Sierra LandscapesI do the sales, landscape design, and most of the office workThe reason I am sending this email is to hopefully clear up a misunderstandingWe recently had a complaint in which we responded to (ID# [redacted] )Following that, the homeowner then responded to my response, with another email to Revdex.comNext, before we were even aware of that second response, I went over to they're house and we talked about a solutionAs a result, we have came to an agreement with the homeowners to add a strip of paver's to where the fracture is on the concrete, and on the other side of the patio to match, so it looks like it was done on purposeThey agreed to drop the complaint if we do thatSo basically everything is worked out with us and the homeowners, but there was a misunderstanding between us and the Revdex.com

I am rejecting this response because: during the conversation mentioned in the response from Sierra Landscapes (Contractor or SL) it became apparent that Contractor was not going to repair the cracks in the concrete We brought up the possibility of us filing a complain Weeks went by and SL gave us no indication that it would change its mind on this matter We filed our complaint with the Revdex.com While at one time, the cracks may have been hairline fractures, they are not hairline fractures now I invite SL to take another look to confirm this The earlier cracks that Contractor opted to repair under its warranty were actually less severe than the cracks in question Contrary to Contractor's stated contention, water curing was not performed Water cure is a 3-day process, seven days being the ideal Contractor did not return to perform water curing I do not want to argue about whether or not proper precautions were taken The product was not satisfactory regardless That said, SL did not refute my contention that the ground was not compacted adequately, subbase and base material was inadequate, and control joints were too far apart, so I think the reader may assume I am correct on those points The bottom line is we signed a contract that included a 12-month warranty The only exception was for the plants (days) that were provided There is no exception for cracks in the concrete Warranties and the protections they afford are important considerations when choosing a contractor We expect Sierra Landscapes to honor the contract and the warranty

Upon hearing this complaint, I was very surprised. The last conversation that we had with the homeowner, she expressed she was going to do some research about concrete, and walked off. I was under the empression that she was going to get back to me. The homeowner's did not call us back concerning...

this matter. First of all I would like to say that what they are calling cracks, are actually hairline fractures, and we DO take every precaution, so this doesn't happen. The concrete was a 6 sack mix, it was 4"deep, it was water cured, and the rebar was pulled up as the concrete was poured. The homeowner watched the whole process, so I don't understand why he is making these accusations. [redacted], is the business owner, and has been pouring concrete for over 35 years. We pour concrete the way it's supposed to be done. We replaced part of the band with pavers, and replaced a section of concrete at no cost. The reason I'm mentioning this, is because we do want our customers to be happy, and that is what we were trying to accomplish. There isn't anyone who can 100 percent guarantee that they're concrete will not fracture. We have been in business since 1989, so stating that we don't take the correct precautions for our concrete is false.

[redacted],    Hi my name is [redacted], and I work for Sierra Landscapes. I do the sales, landscape design, and most of the office work. The reason I am sending this email is to hopefully clear up a misunderstanding. We recently had a complaint in which we responded to (ID# [redacted]). Following that, the homeowner then responded to my response, with another email to Revdex.com. Next, before we were even aware of that second response, I went over to they're house and we talked about a solution. As a result, we have came to an agreement with the homeowners to add a strip of paver's to where the fracture is on the concrete, and on the other side of the patio to match, so it looks like it was done on purpose. They agreed to drop the complaint if we do that. So basically everything is worked out with us and the homeowners, but there was a misunderstanding between us and the Revdex.com....

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
I will contact Revdex.com after the business completes the work as proposed to hopefully report that the work was done and completed in a satisfactory manner.  [redacted]

Review: Two cracks appeared in our concrete patio almost immediately after it was poured by the Contractor in April. The Contractor repaired those cracks. Two more cracks appeared in the last week of June. The first extends almost 13 feet, the width of the patio at that point. The second is just over five feet long, presumably heading for 13 feet like the aforementioned crack on the other side of the patio.The Contractor warrants all work for a period of twelve months. There is an exception for plants which the Contractor warrantees for ninety days. The Contractor repaired the first two cracks, but refuses to make good on his warranty and repair the two recent cracks and, in all probability, will not fix other cracks that occur within the warranty period. When we expressed our concerns/complaints to the Contractor, his response is, "All concrete cracks." I am not in the business of pouring concrete patios, but the limited experience I do have has taught me that the Contractor's statement is false. I have poured concrete that has never cracked. Indeed, so has the Contractor, just not in my backyard. Research I have undertaken in the last few weeks indicates that taking certain precautions and steps before, during, and after the pour can significantly reduce the chance of cracking. I my opinion the Contractor did not compact the soil properly, especially where he trenched for drainpipe. There was inadequate base material. Nowhere was it four inches deep. Control joints were too far apart (13' 9" and 12' 4") where the cracks occurred. No water curing was performed. Rebar was sparse and laid on the ground rather than raised into the top half of the concrete. My wife and I paid a lot of money and we are not happy with the results. We are not particularly difficult to please, but these unsightly cracks are unacceptable, especially when the Contractor failed to take proper steps to prevent them.Desired Settlement: The preferred resolution is a refund of the money we paid sufficient to have someone else repair the Contractors work based on two or three estimates from other contractors, which we would obtain if the Contractor agrees to this solution. The Contractor may insist on making the repair. While less desirable than the preferred resolution, we would find it acceptable (though marginally) if the Contractor guarantees satisfactory results.

Business

Response:

Upon hearing this complaint, I was very surprised. The last conversation that we had with the homeowner, she expressed she was going to do some research about concrete, and walked off. I was under the empression that she was going to get back to me. The homeowner's did not call us back concerning this matter. First of all I would like to say that what they are calling cracks, are actually hairline fractures, and we DO take every precaution, so this doesn't happen. The concrete was a 6 sack mix, it was 4"deep, it was water cured, and the rebar was pulled up as the concrete was poured. The homeowner watched the whole process, so I don't understand why he is making these accusations. [redacted], is the business owner, and has been pouring concrete for over 35 years. We pour concrete the way it's supposed to be done. We replaced part of the band with pavers, and replaced a section of concrete at no cost. The reason I'm mentioning this, is because we do want our customers to be happy, and that is what we were trying to accomplish. There isn't anyone who can 100 percent guarantee that they're concrete will not fracture. We have been in business since 1989, so stating that we don't take the correct precautions for our concrete is false.

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because: during the conversation mentioned in the response from Sierra Landscapes (Contractor or SL) it became apparent that Contractor was not going to repair the cracks in the concrete. We brought up the possibility of us filing a complain. Weeks went by and SL gave us no indication that it would change its mind on this matter. We filed our complaint with the Revdex.com. While at one time, the cracks may have been hairline fractures, they are not hairline fractures now. I invite SL to take another look to confirm this. The earlier cracks that Contractor opted to repair under its warranty were actually less severe than the cracks in question. Contrary to Contractor's stated contention, water curing was not performed. Water cure is a 3-7 day process, seven days being the ideal. Contractor did not return to perform water curing. I do not want to argue about whether or not proper precautions were taken. The product was not satisfactory regardless. That said, SL did not refute my contention that the ground was not compacted adequately, subbase and base material was inadequate, and control joints were too far apart, so I think the reader may assume I am correct on those points. The bottom line is we signed a contract that included a 12-month warranty. The only exception was for the plants (90 days) that were provided. There is no exception for cracks in the concrete. Warranties and the protections they afford are important considerations when choosing a contractor. We expect Sierra Landscapes to honor the contract and the warranty.

Business

Response:

[redacted],

Review: Company does not return calls or honor their guarantee and warranties as I was told. Do not use or trust them.

Sierra Landscape is a company that do not return calls or honor their guarantee and warranties as I was told. When speaking to their sales person [redacted] the sister of the owner, she will specifically tell you that they guarantee their work for a year and if there are any issues to call them and they will take care of it. Once they begin the work they do a great job, but they do place their customers that pay more first; so even though you hire them to do the work first they will select the customer who pays more first to serve. The work is done by the owner [redacted] and the brother [redacted], so they are a family owned business. When the work was done it looked great, but after about a month I was having issues with the plants and I contacted [redacted] but she never called me back. After about a week and a half I was finally able to get a hold of her. I explained to her one of my trees was not flowering like the others, she told me that she come out when she can because she has to work at her other job; she never came back to the house. I also noticed that one of the sprinkler heads was bent and the grass surrounding it was dying, so I contacted [redacted] the owner to ask if can come out to the house to fix the sprinkler head and look at the dying grass. [redacted] told me that he would come out the next morning; he never showed up, so I tried to call him again but he did not answer his phone. I pretty much gave up on them. It has been a over a year now so of course the guarantee and warrantee of the work has expired, that is how long it took me to calm down from the lies I received from Sierra Landscapes. They can not be trusted and they do not honor their contract/word. I would not recommend them to anyone.Desired Settlement: The settlement I would like to see from Sierra Landscapes is honoring their guarantee and warrantee by making the repairs. I would also accept reimbursement for the work I would have to pay for if I was to hire someone else to fix the problem. But, I highly doubt them willing to resolve this issue. I have no confidence within Sierra Landscapes.

Business

Response:

Business' Initial Response

Case Id: XXXXXXXX

Our first priority is to excellent work, and make sure our customers are happy. When we finished the [redacted] job, it looked great, and everyone was happy. When we received this complaint we were shocked by it. The job was finished exactly one year ago, and we had no idea that there were any problems. We respond to all of are calls, and we believe this was some sort of misunderstanding. In response to this complaint we went over to the [redacted]'s residence on Sept. 6, 2013. Nobody answered the door, so we left a note asking them to call. Later that day, [redacted] did call, and [redacted] did go over there. The only problem he had only mentioned, was a bent sprinkler. Yes, it was bent, but that's actually a good thing. We use flex tubing which is bendable. We do this on purpose so if a lawn mower, or something else, runs it over, it will bend rather than snapping and causing a real problem. [redacted] had to bend it back straight, then it was fixed. Also while [redacted] was there, [redacted] had asked him how much it would cost to have us come out and do some more concrete work done in their back yard. [redacted] gave him a verbal estimate. He did not mention anything else, and everything looked good. In response to the tree that was not flowering like the other, the two flowering trees in his backyard, are two completely different trees, so that is normal. In conclusion we have been in business since 1991, and we do are jobs in the order that they come in, the dollar amount does not change that order. We wish the [redacted]'s would realize how much extra work, and extra materials, like plants, that were added at no extra cost to them. We did try to make them happy.

Sierra Landscapes

Consumer's Final Response

I have read their response to my complaint and they have returned to my home to make the required repairs. I am satisfied with the repairs, but I do believe this could have been done sooner to avoid this complaint.