Murray's Landscape Maintenance & Horticultural Services

shoddy workmanship[redacted]: I noticed when I made the last payment that there was a section for comments. At the time, I knew that if I wrote anything, it would be full of four letter words. To say that I am unhappy with your work is putting it mildly-I am angry, frustrated and disappointed. I think the last straw was yesterday, when the thunderstorm hit, and the "pop-up valve" did not work. As a result, the water came out from underneath the valve and again, although not as severe or drastic as last time, there is a washout. First of all, the "topsoil": I think that out of the total amount of dirt, there is probably also about a cubic yard of stones mixed in. I understand that some of it came from the driveway and I kind of expected that. But I know the difference between the gravel in the driveway and the stones that I am finding! (along with the twigs and other assorted pieces of "things" that I am discovering in the dirt)Secondly is the quality of the work you did. Perhaps because it was a "small job", you felt that it wasn't worth your effort to do a quality job. I understand about the "mix-up" as to where the yard was to be repaired, but when you came out to do the work yourself, I am not sure what you felt was "adequate". To me, the phrase "slam, bam, thank you mam" comes to mind. The dirt does not appear to have been raked to get out the stones or clumps of dirt, there are highs & lows spots, as well as slopes and valleys. Needless to say, none of the grass seed appears to be sprouting and I seriously doubt that any of it will. When you came the next time to attach the pop up valve that doesn't work, the area that was dug up was not reseeded. Oh yes, at least the walkway isn't a total disaster-but I do believe that you had mentioned putting down weed-blocker? Well, I don't see any of that either. Finally, now that the yard is looking much worse that it did before you came and I have simply thrown money out the window hiring you, I will need to spend MORE MONEY this fall to get someone to fix it and hopefully do it right. Regards,[redacted]Desired SettlementIdeally, I would like 50% of the money I spent in order to find and hire someone else to "fix" the issue in the fall. Business Response /[redacted]/Contact Name and Title: [redacted], OwnerContact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXXContact Email: [redacted]@murrayslandscapeservices.comMy client contracted me to bring in topsoil to fix her erosion problem and cover up tree roots on her front yard area. Initially my crew misunderstood my directions and we did the work on the wrong area and didn't do all of the things she and I had originally discussed. I agreed that we made a mistake and came out with 10 more yards of topsoil and reworked the area as we originally discussed. A few days after the redo of the work we had about 5 1/2 inches of rain in an all day rain event that washed away 40% of the topsoil and most of the seed. Weather is out of a contractors control and is not covered under the repairs. My client contacted me after the storm and told me that my work had been damaged by the storm. She wanted a drain off the downspout on the corner of the working area. We did install the drain and repaired the damaged area with only the cost of materials charged to the customer. Several Days later my client left this complaint on the Revdex.com website as a first means of dealing with her concerns. After I received this complaint, I contacted my client and set up a meeting and agreed to come back out and repair the damage again. This included redo of the grading, reseeding, and installing wood fiber erosion control matting. This was done all at no cost to the customer in order to make sure that this concern was dealt with in the proper manner. The last time I left my clients property she understood that once the seed is established her erosion problems will be solved. I have been more than willing to address any concerns she has had during the process, and am upset that my reputation as a reliable contractor is being called into question. Miscommunications happen all the time,but It would be different if I took her money and never returned her phone calls or emails. I clearly have no intentions leaving a client hanging, and would like it to be noted that I went above and beyond to make sure the client was satisfied. I believe in this case all of this could have been avoided if the client had simply asked to meet with me even before she paid. I always make sure the customer gets exactly what they contract me to do. Consumer Response /[redacted]/Mr. [redacted] has been very patient and understanding with the issues at hand. Matter solved.