I don't know where to start... Birds Beware has a GREAT online reputation, whether it be on Angie's List or Facebook, reviews are unanimously positive. My experience is VASTLY different, however.
Last year, I attempted to have Birds Beware come out to my house for fall gutter cleaning. (I live in the woods, so my gutters get filled twice yearly.) Although I had this scheduled for one day in mid-November, cold weather caused this to be rescheduled. Because Birds Beware is so busy, the crew couldn't come out for a few weeks, and of course, that meant the weather only got worse. By early December, when they finally had time on their schedule, the weather was sour, and the gutters were unable to be cleaned. It found it frustrating that, although I had an appointment in mid-Nov, they were unable to complete the services at all due to their busy schedule.
In May this year, I tried Birds Beware again. This time, I only asked that my 2nd floor gutter get cleaned, since I took care of the 1st floor gutters in the Spring. This took at least two attempts to get scheduled because the crew didn't bring a ladder long enough for the job on the day of their original appointment. When they finally did the job, I found a mess. Leaf detritus was left in my yard, and was also all over the house siding/windows and also on the roof and gutters. After a few rain showers, the mess washed away.
Seeing all the positive reviews for Birds Beware, I thought my two previous experiences were out of the ordinary, so I scheduled them for a fall gutter cleaning again. For this, I scheduled them about a month in advance, and they were able to honor the time and date we agreed. When the crew showed up (2 younger men), they indicated they left some equipment at the last job and would be right back. Two hours later, they showed up, ready to work.
Little did I know that their "work" consisted of putting a ladder up to the house and using a leaf blower to rid the gutters of gunk. Needless to say, this approach created a HUGE mess. Dry leaves are not a concern, but the wet, decomposing leaves were flung all over my house AGAIN. On the siding. On the windows. On the roof. On the deck (which I just had soft washed the month prior). I thought, "I'll just pay these guys and move on, but NEVER use them again."
After I spent an hour cleaning the mess the crew left, I noticed that a section of gutter wasn't cleaned and one of my gutters was damaged. Apparently their ladder fell against the house, bending a section of gutter. A poor quality job is one thing, but damage to my house is another. The crew NEVER mentioned the damage. Apparently, they assumed I wouldn't notice.
So, a call to Birds Beware that same afternoon, I spoke with Cuffy. He ensured me that I would have an immediate follow up by Rob, their Operations manager. After three emails, and almost two weeks, I have yet to receive that follow up phone call. I'm expecting the company to address the damage they did to my house.
I accept some responsibility in this: I allowed Birds Beware to perform services for me with NO CONTRACT. There is no paperwork that outlines what to expect from them. Lesson learned for me: never trust, even a small business owner in my community. They claim a "You pay NOTHING if you're not completely satisfied" but yet they cashed my check and have yet to address the problems they created. read more
