It takes a true issue with service in order to discover how a business really handles problems, and in order to be able to accurately rate their service and integrity. Lesson learned with Mow-it-All.
Thought about removing the previous review, but figured I would let it stand so the reader would appreciate how much my opinion of this place has changed. After knowing how highly I regarded this business, my Mom decided to surprise me with a yard clean up and mulch. She contacted Mow it All, and they agreed to pull the weeds, trim the shrubs and mulch and edge the planters. A few days later, they evidently came (I was not home) to service the yard. Mom called and asked how the yard looked, and let me know about my "surprise". I think the surprise was on us. When I first looked out my front door, it looked like the weeds had been scraped off the ground surface, and the shrubs had been hit with a chainsaw. Further scrutiny made me feel physically ill - They had completely destroyed a weeping white pine (12 years old) that was started from a small sapling. Destroyed as in they completely removed the upper six-seven feet of the tree (the entire top of the arch to where the tree touched the ground) as well as all of the runners - I now have a sad straight stick growing out of the ground. Replacement will cost me about $1500 (I thought originally about $500-750, but failed to factor in removal and planting, as well as the trunk size). The also hacked a paper-bark maple and white birch (which is now showing signs of disease), and for some reason decided to hack a bunch of branches off a mature Elm tree - some of them only half-way up the branch length. Every tree they touched was left with two inch knobs where the branches were removed. We were shocked, as we did not give them permission to touch the trees (shrubs yes, trees, no - I think gardeners should know the difference). When I called to complain, the receptionist (office manager?) informed me that they "always" cut trees as part of the "service" and never had complaints. They also tried to blame US for their mistake for "not telling" them we did not want the trees done. Several further conversations with the OWNER by both my Mother and Myself led to further frustration, ending with his failure to follow through on a promised visit to my home to survey (which he denied could have been his fault). They never returned to complete the work they were contracted to do, never fully finished actually clearing all the planters on even the most basic fashion, and the weeds quickly came back, as they were only scraped off and not actually removed, nor was any spraying done. Mom did receive a bill though for the services "performed", which included a rather hefty charge for plant material removed. I suspect most of that material was from the trees they mangled, instead of from weeds and shrub material. Oh - did I mention the hydrangeas, weigela, honeysuckle and liliac bushes all had branches that had been torn/broken off, rather than trimmed or cut? An additional battle (including two attempts at sending a certified letter), resulted in the owner dropping the bill, but offering no solution to the damage done to my trees.
I have completed changed my opinion of their business. I no longer trust their honesty and business integrity. The charges related to removal costs, the failure to acknowledge responsibility for their crews actions, their failure to follow through with customer service resolution, their insistence it was somehow "our" fault we did not tell them to leave the trees alone when they do not even advertise they perform arborist services (they do not have any arborists on staff and informed me during phone conversation that arborists were fakes and did not know what they were doing). I can go on and on. You can still use them for mowing the lawn, but either be home when they come so you can track exactly what they remove from your yard, and what they do while they are there. Otherwise you are likely to end up with a screwed up yard, poor service and a padded bill. read more