I hate to be the first to write a negative review about this company, (out of the six other reviews on this forum) , but I feel compelled to do so after my own personal experience and after speaking with others who have had similar experiences but just happen to not be tech-savvy enough to provide an online review.
So let me first start by disclosing that this review is NOT based on the actual landscaping services or workmanship provided by Shane Dawson and his crew. I've heard that they are very professional and do wonderful work in our community. I've personally spoken with Shane on the phone about our small lawn project and I found him to be both professional and knowledgeable.
With that said, we didn't even have the opportunity for Shane to complete the project due to the nasty and disrespectful behavior of his wife "Jolene".
Oh Jolene, Jolene..This seems to be a classic case of the daughter-in-law marrying into an established family business and running it into the ground due to her inflated sense of entitlement and superiority. Jolene answers the calls for Dawson's Landscaping but seems to lack the ability to provide decent customer service and has a complete disregard for maintaining a level of professionalism.
Jolene also lacks common knowledge about basic landscaping principles, but I'll admit, so do I. But hey, she's running a landscaping business (I'm not) and she will clearly tell you that she is THE owner, not an owner or co-owner but THE owner. As such, one would expect THE owner to practice customer service skills by either obtaining the information for the customer or, at the very least, have someone else with a general landscaping aptitude to answer the questions (ie, how to shut off automatic sprinklers, how to remedy tire ruts in a lawn).
Instead of being helpful or at least courteous, the prospective customer is met with teenage-like insolence and downright shrill screaming! Frankly, I'm still shocked over her unprofessional and rude telephone behavior coming from a small business owner in this small area. This was the second time I was met with this type of behavior/attitude, so I can't chalk it up to thinking that maybe she was just having a bad day.
Word of mouth is everything. I question how this company even STAYS in business with the way customers are treated, now that I know I am not the only one who has experienced this same, exact issue. My guess is that Shane must compensate for his wife's behavior and will overcompensate in other areas to maintain their customer base. Or maybe, many of Dawson's customers are elderly (like the customers who have complained) and at are the company's mercy to do their yard work, therefore willing to put up with such outrageous behavior.
It's a shame that THE owner treats prospective customers in this manner and I will personally not solicit nor recommend ANY business that treats people like dirt, regardless of how experienced and talented the work crew is. I will also not hesitate to share my negative experience with family, friends, coworkers, and associates.
*****Jolene, if you are reading this, perhaps you should invest in a class such as Customer Service 101 before you continue to run this father-son business into the ground.
Here's a little tidbit of general information about customer service:
Customer service is simply helping customers solve problems and answering questions. The definition is in the name of the concept -- customer service is about *****serving the needs of customers*****
In most customer service interactions, a customer reaches out to a company to make a request, ask a question, or note a complaint, and a customer service representative (or their team) works quickly to provide support, expertise, and assistance.
The quality of a company's customer service -- good or bad -- can play a huge role in a company's success. (Are you reading Jolene?)
90% of Americans use customer service as a factor in deciding whether or not to do business with a company at all.
On the flip side, unhappy customers with bad experiences can cost you valuable business. 78% of customers have backed out of a purchase or service due to a poor customer experience. Happy customers bring better results to your business, so it's worth creating a team culture of dedication and extreme helpfulness.
If you have gotten this far, thank you for reading my review. I'll end this very applicable quote:
"Customer service shouldn't just be a department, it should be the entire company." Tony Hsieh read more