DO NOT HIRE SHRUBGATOR!
I had a leak in my main irrigation line that meant it had to be replaced. At the same time we decided to have a new domestic water line run to the house so we could modernize the system (old house) all at the same time. We brought some irrigation contractors out and got a few quotes. We needed 110 feet of main irrigation line buried one foot deep, and connection to one valve near the first 40 feet of that run from the street.
Andrew said he would be here to give a quote in the morning of a certain day. That morning came and went, and I had to ask him when I was to expect him. He said he was "caught up on another job" and would have to come another morning. That's fine, every other irrigation contractor I spoke to was really busy, so I wasn't that bothered. His next appointment came and went and I had to text him again. He was still "finishing up another job", and said he would come at 12pm.
He finally showed up at 12pm, but he and his worker didn't have masks. I wore one myself, and walked them through the job. Andrew wasn't the cheapest quote I had received, but he said he could finish the job at the same time the plumbers were working so that it could be completed before my wife and I left for Fourth of July weekend. This was middle of summer and my plants were going to be dying soon if they didn't get water, so schedule was important. We were leaving on Friday, he was scheduled to do the work before on Wednesday and Thursday.
And of course, Wednesday morning comes and goes and he texts me to tell me that he won't be able to start until Thursday. I told him it has to be done before Friday, because we're leaving town and I need to inspect the work before paying him. He says he can't guarantee it will get done by Thursday, but that he can work Friday while we're out of town and he'll text me pictures, and if everything looks good, I can pay via electronic invoice. Okay, that sounds good.
They do a bit of digging on Thursday, but only work between 8am and 3pm. They dig a shallow trench, maybe 4-6" about three quarters of the total run they need to dig. We leave early Friday morning before they come to start work. I wait for their pictures.
Andrew sends pictures and it's difficult to tell, but it looks like they didn't dig the trench any deeper than they had the previous day, but the pipe was laid in and connected? I take a closer look, and I also see that they missed the connection to the valve serving the front yard. I asked him about this and he said "that valve wasn't connected to the main line there". Where else would it be connected?? I also tell him that the trench doesn't look deep enough. They were supposed to bury it one foot down. He said "the dirt was really hard, the trench is 8-10 inches the entire way, and the line will still have a few inches of dirt over the top which is enough." THIS IS A MAIN IRRIGATION LINE... serving my entire property. I don't want it to become exposed over time because it was only buried just below the top soil, or have it be hit with a shovel sometime when I or my wife are working there in the future. He had agreed to bury it 1 foot below the ground!
He proceeded to send me an invoice for the full remainder of the payment, around $700. I told him I wasn't paying until I could confirm the work was done per our agreement, because his explanations and pictures weren't adding up. I was out of town so that wouldn't happen until Wednesday of the next week. He then went on a really rude rant accusing me of stiffing him, and told me he wouldn't turn on the water til I paid. I had to explain to him that I wasn't going to pay for work that wasn't performed in the manner we agreed to. They charged $700 to bury the one 1 foot deep, why would I accept a 5" deep trench?
He then called, and we agreed that I would pay a progress payment of $500, with $200 remaining until the job was finished to my satisfaction. We agreed that he would fix any work required per the contract.
I return home on Wednesday in the afternoon, and this guy seriously dug a 5" trench the entire way, completely missed the valve connection, and on top of that, when digging the trench he cut the wire to the valve in question with a shovel, which means they knew it wasn't working. I text him pictures of exactly what is wrong, and why he needs to come fix it and he won't respond respond to my texts or multiple phone calls for over a week. I tell him that if he doesn't return my call, I will be disputing the charge with my credit card company, because he didn't deliver what I paid for. He still ignores me. In the meantime I had to hire another contractor to come in and fix the work they did. I am still dealing with the CC company, it's been months.
They take short cuts, and take no responsibility for their mistakes when you call them out, or live up to their agreements. THEY ARE NOT LICENSED or bonded. Meaning you will pay out of pocket for someone else to fix their mistakes. read more