Is zero stars an option?
Boy, did I learn some lessons from this experience, the most important being: NEVER pay until the job is done!
We hired Greg to install new sprinklers and sod in our small front yard. We explained to him that the existing sprinklers had poor pressure and never reached the center of the lawn. We wanted everything overhauled and made new. Greg said that all he needed to do was replace the valve and fix a few heads, which were broken. His estimate was high, but we hired him based on our past history with him - he worked on our back yard years earlier and did a good job.
The crew ripped out our old lawn and prepped for the new sod, which took less than 20 man hours total. The morning that the sod was delivered, i gave Greg a check for the full amount. A couple of hours later the sod was installed (it looked great) and then the problems started! First, there was an enormous amount of sod left over- i counted 60 rolls. I asked why they ordered so much, and they explained that the sod company routinely delivers extra. I checked Greg's estimate and it said 1200 square feet, which matched up with the amount that was delivered. My husband immediately went out and measured the lawn and came up with 570 square feet! While very annoyed at the thought that we had been overcharged- by double - for materials and labor, that was nothing compared to what happened next...
So, the sod is now installed, and they turn on the sprinklers to give it it's first watering and nothing had changed! Still not enough pressure to reach the center of the lawn! The same, crappy sprinkler system as before, only now with a beautiful (and very expensive) lawn on top. Jessi, who had done most of the work, started troubleshooting and determined that some tree roots were choking the pipes, and went about telling my husband what he (my husband) needed to do to fix the problem. Then they all left. They knew that the sprinklers weren't working and they left. So, i have just paid thousands of dollars for a lawn that can't be watered-- oh, and for my husband to go and finish the job!
I should've put a stop payment on the check right then and there.
To sum up a very long story, when Greg finally came back, he had no interest in making things right. He got very huffy about the tree roots, and what a pain it was going to be to fix the problem, and kept repeating that he couldn't have foreseen this. He wanted more money -- said he would give me a deal and "only charge $300 more, when it would normally be $600 more." He was very concerned about losing money. I asked him to show me his receipts to prove his loss, and he had several excuses as to why he couldn't.
More than a week went by, in which time i had a heated exchange with Greg and told him to finish the job that i paid him to do or else i would take him to court. I also told him that he had a lot of nerve asking for more money when he still had not paid me back one cent of the money that he overcharged me!
Jessi ended up troubleshooting -- maybe 3 or 4 more hours, fully admitting that it would've been much easier to troubleshoot the sprinklers BEFORE laying the sod! He finally decided to add another valve, since there were 12 heads running off one valve. He removed some of the sod, re-routed some pipes, put the sod back, and the problem was solved. It took about 1.5 hours, and we paid him an additional $250. By that time, Greg had made it clear that he didn't want to work with us anymore, and informed us he had spoken to his sister, a lawyer, who suggested he sue us!
All that fighting, when really it was a simple fix... And nothing to do with the tree roots! And, think of how much more simple it would have been if they had done things in the right order!! Their mistake, not mine! Yet, Greg took NO responsibility for the mistake, nor did he care one bit about redeeming himself for overcharging us by double. His only concern was losing money and all the extra work he was going to have to do. In reality, he only did about one extra hour of work-- dug at the tree roots and hacked at some bushes, then left. All the while, i was stuck hand watering the lawn twice a day for over a week.
Greg did end up refunding us $460 for all the extra sod he ordered, but gave us nothing back for labor costs.
Bottom line is we were ripped off. I have learned some big lessons here. read more