We hired M&R Services for a landscaping project that ultimately totaled $2,850. The agreed work…read moreincluded front-yard sod and preparation, backyard grass removal/preparation and seeding, sprinkler work, mulch, trimming three trees, and bush trimming.
Unfortunately, our experience was very disappointing from beginning to end.
Before the work even started, the price changed significantly from the initial quote. The scheduled start date was also changed. During the project there were multiple issues with scheduling and communication, including late arrival times and eventually a no-show without any advance notice. There were several occasions when I had to repeatedly contact them just to find out what was happening.
The actual work was also left substantially unfinished. Of the three trees we agreed to have trimmed, only two were completed. The bush trimming was not completed. The mulch work was only partially completed. The front yard was machine-dug, but the soil preparation, leveling, sprinkler work, sod delivery, and sod installation were never finished.
The backyard was also machine-dug and seeded, but a noticeable amount of the existing grass/Bermuda remained intact. This was especially concerning because the purpose of the preparation was to remove the existing grass before establishing the new lawn. Large areas of the newly seeded grass also did not establish properly.
We initially paid $1,850 toward the $2,850 project. After discussing the unfinished work, I requested a refund. At that time, I believed the backyard work could remain as-is and would not need to be redone, so about three days after requesting the refund I agreed to still pay for the backyard portion as part of the work that had been completed.
M&R ultimately agreed to a partial refund of $1,130, leaving us effectively paying about $720 for the work they had completed. The refund itself took about a week to be fully paid.
The bigger problem came afterward. Once another landscaper inspected the backyard more closely, we learned that the backyard preparation and grass removal also needed to be redone. We ended up having to hire another company to hand-dig and remove the remaining grass and redo the backyard work. At that point, the amount we had agreed to pay M&R no longer felt reasonable because work I had originally accepted as completed now had to be paid for again and redone.
When I raised that issue, M&R's response was that if we wanted them to return and redo the backyard, we would need to pay them again. I found that especially frustrating because this was not new work we were requesting; it was work related to the original backyard preparation that had not held up as expected.
We also had concerns with some of the trimming. Our tree, small palm, and roses were trimmed more aggressively than we wanted. This reinforced for us how important it is to clearly discuss exactly what you want done before the work begins and to check the work throughout the project instead of waiting until everything is finished.
Communication was one of the biggest challenges throughout the project. There were several schedule changes, late arrivals, a missed appointment without notice, and multiple occasions when I had to repeatedly follow up for updates. One of our shovels was also taken from the backyard during the work. It was eventually returned, but getting it back required additional follow-up even after we explained that we needed it for the backyard work.
My advice to anyone considering hiring this company would be to put the exact scope of work in writing, discuss specifically how you want trees, palms, roses, and other plants trimmed before anyone begins cutting, inspect the work frequently while it is being performed, keep communication very clear, and make sure you are satisfied with each part of the job before making substantial payments.
To their credit, M&R did ultimately honor the partial refund amount we negotiated for the unfinished portion of the project, and I appreciate that they followed through on that agreement. However, after later discovering that the backyard work also needed to be redone, I do not feel the amount we ultimately paid represented good value for the work we actually received.
Because of the changing price and schedule, communication problems, missed appointment, unfinished work, and the additional expense and effort required to have another company redo portions of the yard, I would not hire M&R Services again for a landscaping project.
