Looks are not enough! We treated Dave and team with respect throughout the entire project and as seniors, expected the same in return. They were hired by us; it is a fair and reasonable expectation to have our comments and input welcomed, given serious consideration and worked through to our satisfaction. Instead: a) quality was sacrificed because of estimating and time inadequacies; b) we were charged full price for work that was incomplete or simply substandard; c) have unnecessary shortcomings with a job that was done by an inexperienced crew, who did not have an ongoing, suitably experienced person present to oversee and prevent costly mistakes.
Dave insists our dissatisfaction is based on minor issues that have little or no effect on overall results. Really? On our boulevard, new sod was laid over top of old; unhealthy and weed infested grass. This method was not covered by the contract and we had no prior knowledge nor had we given our consent, before this method was initiated. And by the way, the majority of sod and landscape experts consider this a "shortcut" and "cheaper method"... their words not mine. End result, we have spoken to more than one professional who has said the grass will die and need to be redone. Will that happen before or after the guarantee runs out? Then there are other issues like the grading and water sprinkling system. These examples are just the tip of our iceberg of problems and disappointments..
We have had significant emotional turmoil throughout this entire project and our feelings are Grieve Home Maintenance has taken advantage of us through quick fixes and shortcut. We are seniors who understand the demands of a business and also the difference between legitimate reasons and self-serving excuses.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $25,000.00
- Company Response
Dear Mrs Beale,
Thank you for the feedback.
The project was completed during the time frame promised for the amount contracted. There were no estimating or time concerns.
We are aware that removing the turf is the preferred method of sod installation. That is why we did this for the entire front lawn. As explained previously, we did not strip the boulevard (city property) due to the presence of the city's ash tree. Most of a trees root system is near the surface and ash trees are notoriously shallow rooted. We have had many very successful projects where, to preserve root systems or avoid a shallow infrastructure, we killed the top layer of turf, removed the organic material from the surface, added sufficient topsoil for rooting and installed the sod.
We have honoured our warranty on the perennials and shrubs for those that struggled during the driest summer in the last 25 years, without comment or complaint. As explained before, there is no warranty on turf past the original installation as we have no control over things like insects, disease, weather, watering, cultural practices and use. Even though new sod is not warrantied we did replace sod that was damaged by chinch bugs at no cost.
We regret you are not satisfied with your experience. We feel that the job's quality speaks for itself, the yard looks great and the stone work will stand the test of time.