About two years ago, I hired Antonio Esteban to maintain my yard. He always showed up and did a fine job, with much attention to detail. The yard always looked like professionals were taking care of it.
This year, I contracted with Antonio Esteban to do a Spring refurb and cleanup. The crew showed up on April 18th as scheduled, and went to work. They were unsupervised, and none of them spoke any English.
In the afternoon they finished and I took my camera did a walk-around. What a disappointment! Twigs and leaves were scattered over the lawn, and new bark was drifting out of the beds onto the grass. They did not rake. They left equipment and materials behind. For the $3400 I paid them, they did not even blow the Fir cones and other debris off the driveway.
After I sent photos to Antonio, he had a couple of his crew come out and pick up their equipment. They did a cursory cleanup, but not nearly what I have come to expect from Esteban. They left the driveway looking a mess.
Nevertheless, I asked him when he would be out to mow again. He said, "Next week."
Well, that week came and went. It rained a lot, so I figured they would be out once the weather settled. He did not show.
This morning (29 April) I texted Antonio to see if they were planning to mow. Here is the content of that exchange:
iMessage
Today 06:34
(me) "Antonio...are you not coming out to mow
anymore?"
(Antonio) "You don't whan service eny mor"
Today 07:46
(me) "Please explain...you told me you would be
out last week!
I was depending on you."
Read 08:33
Over and out, I guess. He did not reply.
Antonio Esteban, with no indication of a problem, and with no warning, left me high and dry at a time of year when it is nearly impossible to find a replacement. My lawn has not stopped growing!
So, here are the reasons I will NOT recommend Antonio Esteban or Esteban Landscaping to anyone:
1. Unreliable
2. Sloppy, careless workmanship
3. Unprofessional behavior
Too bad. It all started out so well. read more