Wanted my back lot cleaned up - removal of fallen tree limbs, miscellaneous chunks of tree debris, any clumps of concrete left from construction 3 years ago, and bushes and growth cut back. Also needed plastic netting removed from lawn all around my house (left from installation of drainage system), and asked that a few saplings be cut down. Stump grinding was NOT included in the quote. (Size of my lot isn't huge). Scott quoted $1300. I didn't get other quotes as I wanted the job done as soon as possible, so I accepted Scott's quote which was provided early Feb. or late Jan. Didn't hear anything from Scott until Feb. 25th when he said he'd be at my house in about an hour. So, no 24-hour, 12-hour, or even 3-hour notice which was personally inconvenient and disrespectful. After he "finished" the job, here's what I observed:
1) At least 30% of the plastic netting remained. Some of which I was able to pull up but most of the 30% remained stuck to the soil. And I had to do this only a few days after foot surgery, so NOT HAPPY about that.
2) Not all of the brush/growth had been chopped back to my satisfaction, but I let that go because I find Scott exhausting and stressful to deal with and no doubt in my mind he'd have argued about this.
3) Saplings removed but I was never told how many. And of course, no stump grinding included in the $1300 price.
4) Unacceptable amount of tree limbs/debris never removed, including a small log.
5) Called Scott more than once to tell him he hadn't finished the job, but no answer. Also texted but no response.
6) Then I texted him that he needed to get back with me before I did online rating, and whadda ya know - instant response. Said his girlfriend had his phone and he'd been sick so he hadn't been able to respond. Seriously?
7) Informed him via text and voicemail on Feb. 27th and again on March 5th about items 1, 2, and 3 listed above and told him he needed to come out after a rain when the ground is moist to pull up remaining netting.
8) He argued with me about the netting, saying he'd pulled up everything that he could. Told him that I was able to pull up more myself. Said he'd come back out with a torch to burn the netting off but wouldn't commit to a specific day or time, let alone any day after which rain was forecast.
9) Six days after last communication, Scott gave me less than 10 minutes notice he was coming back out. Again, no advance notice, and in fact I think he was already outside my house when he called.
10) Watched Scott pick up the tree limbs/debris I had collected MYSELF and throw it over my back fence onto HOA land. Totally unacceptable. And lazy. Being confined to my house after surgery, I yelled at him from my back door not to do that as I had paid him to haul that stuff away. He exhibited irritation after I told him that. Watched him pick up a few more items of tree debris, and then he was done with that task. NOT a thorough job of lot cleaning and I am extremely dissatisfied with that work.
11) Heard him use a torch on the netting on one side of my house but haven't been able to inspect that job, so if either melted or un-melted netting remains, my lawn mower guy will have to finish Scott's job for him, and I will be charged extra for that.
12) Scott knocked on my door to tell me he was done, and then a contentious discussion ensued about how he thinks it's perfectly ok to throw tree debris from my lot on HOA land. This guy is some piece of work.
Very long story short: I found Scott's work to be much less than thorough, if not haphazard and lazy, I found him to be personally disrespectful and dismissive, and I definitely didn't get what I paid for. read more
