First I'll start with the positives - GEM landscaping folks are friendly and are reasonably priced.
The one major issue they have is poor communication. They'll change the date and time they're coming with minimal or no notice, won't discuss important details regarding their recommendations, and will make last minute changes without confirming with you that they're okay.
Some examples:
-GEM mowed my lawn weekly for several months. On multiple occasions, they changed the mow date on me last minute (moving it up a day) with less than 20 minutes notice. That didn't give me enough time to clear the yard of dog toys. On one occasion I had to scramble to reschedule a meeting with a client because of this.
-I hired GEM to build a fence around my HVAC unit and stressed multiple times that it needed a diameter of at least two feet around the HVAC unit. When they told me they'd have to move it "a little" closer because of utility wires, they never said it'd be less than a foot from the unit. I had to spend $360 on modifications to what was originally a $580 fence to get what I needed because of that.
-Speaking of wires, I hired GEM to install new sod around my back door and add an extension to a drainage pipe. They didn't call 811 before they dug and cut my Verizon internet wire. I couldn't mow my front lawn for 3 weeks because I could have cut the temporary wire, and as a remote worker, internet is non negotiable.
-We booked the sod install in March, and Geo waited until it was done, in late April, to mention I needed a sprinkler system to water it daily for 3 weeks or the sod would die. I tried to be understanding and water it by hand, but I'm disabled, so lifting a heavy water jug repeatedly is hard on me. (I couldn't use a hose due to poor water pressure, which I would have had a plumber fix in advance if I'd known it'd be needed)
-When I mentioned I was upset about having to scramble to buy the sprinklers (when if they'd told me, I could have had everything purchased and ready), Geo asked me how much I spent on the system, and sent me a Zelle for that amount. At NO point did he suggest that he would be taking the equipment I purchased, so I assumed that this was a discount for the headaches and frustration they caused me. Nope. They took all of my equipment and I had to call to have it returned. If taking the equipment was the plan, they should have mentioned that - I would have turned down the money. I wasn't upset about the cost, I was upset about the lack of notice. One component of the system was returned missing the back part to protect the batteries, making it useless. Geo said he'll return this piece if he finds it. I bought a replacement, and it's just a little plastic part, but it still shouldn't have happened.
-I asked GEM about installing a sturdy metal extension to a drainage pipe. Instead, Geo suggested putting the pipe unter the sod. Because they broke my wire, we couldn't put the sod there until Verizon fixed the wire. Once that was finished, they came and finished the pipe, and put it under SOIL, not the sod that they proposed. More frustrating calls to get that fixed. For context, this sod was installed because my dog would come in with muddy paw prints after rain due to the bald spots near the back door. Guess which pup immediately dug up that soil and dragged mud inside?
-It took multiple requests across weeks to get a finalized proposal for the work to be done and the cost. Only one change was made this entire time - to remove a suggested change from what was proposed.
-They left food wrappers and other trash in my yard. I have a trash can in the yard that was far from full, but instead they just left crap on my lawn.
Ultimately, the jobs did get done correctly, and they were quick to make fixes when I complained. But these problems should have never occurred, especially not so many of them. I think GEM could be a great company, but unless they fix this fatal flaw, I could never recommend them. read more