Any landscapers here?

[evan9381]

My yard looks like garbage. I need to get it looking good again. I'm thinking it probably needs to be aerated and overseeded and start getting some good grass growing and block out all of the other bullshit that is in there. Neighbor wants to get his yard done too, so I figured I'd look for someone who can do both yards at once and we can split the cost. They're not large areas. Maybe 1/8 acre lots, and the houses take up a good chunk.

[ODoyle]

Capitol City Landscape.

 

https://www.facebook.com/Landscape.Ohio/

[Red Beard]

I work at TruGreen, We could get you going. Shoot me a pm with your info and I can get you a quote. Of course you would get the CR hook up.

[TimTaylor751647545500]

evan, you know my thoughts on TruGreen. I worked for Buckeye Landscape back in the day, they've always done really good work.

[Red Beard]

evan, you know my thoughts on TruGreen. I worked for Buckeye Landscape back in the day, they've always done really good work.

 

Not trying to start an argument, nor discredit your opinion on TG, but I am curious as to what your thoughts are on them?

[RCode04]

Not trying to start an argument, nor discredit your opinion on TG, but I am curious as to what your thoughts are on them?

 

I worked for TruGreen back in the day. They made it a point to tell us that TruGreen was not a lawncare company. They were a telemarketing company that sells lawncare. Straight from management.

[Red Beard]

I worked for TruGreen back in the day. They made it a point to tell us that TruGreen was not a lawncare company. They were a telemarketing company that sells lawncare. Straight from management.

 

I can understand that when TruGreen was ran by Service Master. They separated and sold TG back in 2011 (they were the main issue with the whole "we are a telemarketing company" bit). Both companies have now been purchased by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and are two independent companies. This has changed the mind set of it being a marketing company completely, and has since been focused on customer service and retention. Here is a link for more info on that http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/article/ll0514-top-100-trugreen-comeback/

 

On top of that, as of last year, TG merged with Scotts lawn service. This merger not only improved the overall functionality of the company, but also shows, that we are not just a marketing company any more. As TG and Scotts are the two largest, competing companies in the industry. It says a lot about the future of the industry there as well.

 

Now I am not just tooting TG's horn because I work for the company. I was originally with Scotts, and have had the opportunity to listen and speak with Jim Hagedorn (CEO of Scotts) and that man is smart, sincere, and would not be willing to put his name in association with just a marketing company. He takes a lot of time to ensure his reputation is upheld.

[TimTaylor751647545500]

Not trying to start an argument, nor discredit your opinion on TG, but I am curious as to what your thoughts are on them?

 

 

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?share_fid=42687&share_tid=35251&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecolumbusracing%2Ecom%2Fforums%2Fshowthread%2Ephp%3Ft%3D35251&share_type=t

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RCode04]

That is good info. My time there was well before that. Sounds much better than when I was there.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Red Beard]

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?share_fid=42687&share_tid=35251&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecolumbusracing%2Ecom%2Fforums%2Fshowthread%2Ephp%3Ft%3D35251&share_type=t

 

Tim I'm sorry to hear you had such a rough go at it. Unfortunately that was rather common back then when It was under Service Master. I have came across some horror stories like yours in the past. I hate seeing people being treated like that. It sounds like whomever set you up did not provide proper expectations on the following year. Same with the run around on the call list removal. That is usually just a matter of pulling up the account info, and labeling it "do not telemarket" so the random calls would stop. The sad thing is if you called corporate (with the current telecommunication laws) the account is required to be listed as DNT at your request, but a lot of the Chemlawn/Service Master managers back then would tell you to call it regardless of what it says on the account. Then use that excuse of "sorry, it was never updated" bs. They were also part of the reason the company ended up with such a bad reputation.

 

Keep in mind that was also 10 years ago, with the way the contact laws are, as well as our current system, It is much easier to fix this sort of thing. I know that doesn't make up for what happened back then, but moving forward it would not be the nightmare you dealt with.

 

 

That is good info. My time there was well before that. Sounds much better than when I was there.

 

It is night and day comparatively. Between the new ownership, and the merger with Scotts, the company is much more satisfaction oriented. Back in the Service master/Chemlawn days, it was a turn and burn oriented operation. Didn't matter what the issue was, what the needs of the lawn were, it was a dump and pump service. Nowadays it is completely different. We focus on the satisfaction guarantee to ensure that the customer is happy with the service and the result. As that is what keeps us coming back. They just didn't get that back in the day.

[Dammit Charlie]

I hate to pile on, but I used Trugreen for the last two years. Never again. There wasn't a week that would go by where I wasn't being hammered with phone calls on upsells.

 

I finally cut ties with them when my brother in-law started his own company. It took no less than 6 weeks of phone calls for Trugreen to get the point that I was no longer a customer to them.

 

Joe- I'm sure you're a nice guy and do great work. Nothing personal, I just had a terrible experience with TG.

[clone]

I've been with TrueGreen for a long time and have been pretty happy with them. They have done a good job communicating with me and responding to any issues I had had.

[LJ]

I fired TruGreen about 2 years ago due to poor results and local companies doing a better job for literally half price

[Red Beard]

I hate to pile on, but I used Trugreen for the last two years. Never again. There wasn't a week that would go by where I wasn't being hammered with phone calls on upsells.

 

I finally cut ties with them when my brother in-law started his own company. It took no less than 6 weeks of phone calls for Trugreen to get the point that I was no longer a customer to them.

 

Joe- I'm sure you're a nice guy and do great work. Nothing personal, I just had a terrible experience with TG.

 

That is understandable Jake, like I was saying before, we try to communicate when we are running promotions for the other services, and when it is getting to be that time of year for said service. The old system was horrible at updating, and back then the calls were on an automated spin dialer that to be frank sucked. It would not disposition calls the way they were supposed to. So if you answered and said no, and the system didn't update properly it would put you back in the spin.

 

With the new system (started about 6 months ago after the merger) everything is manually dialed. That way we aren't hammering customers like it use to. Now with that said, for various reasons, sometimes there are multiple accounts made for the same property. When that is the case, each individual account would be put in the system to be called for said item. That can attribute to multiple calls in a short time too. We are working on trying to tidy that sort of thing up, and has gotten better but still needs more help.

 

I fired TruGreen about 2 years ago due to poor results and local companies doing a better job for literally half price

 

Once again, that is usually not the case, if there is a lack of result on the service, we offer free service calls to come back to the property at any time additional inspection/touch up is needed. It is simply a matter of calling in and asking us to come out.

 

Now results are relative to what services are being done, the current condition of the lawn, cultural practices such as mowing and watering (or lack there of) and A LOT to do with mother nature.

 

A perfect example of this was the summer we had 2 years ago. We had in the month of June 30 days straight of rain. Then for the rest of the summer we had hardly any rain at all. So not only did this put the lawn under stress being water logged, but immediately after that we went into a drought. On top of that, we had a heat wave that hit record highs that we hadn't seen since the 70's. We had a similar situation 2 years before that as well.

 

Needless to say this created a perfect storm of stress for the lawns. Not only where the conditions prime for fungus issues, but also it put the lawns into the summer dormancy much earlier than it usually does. Once the lawn is stressed to the point of dormancy, there really isn't much that can be done to pull it back until the temperatures come back down. What makes matters worse, if the soil is compacted, or if you have a cooler season grass, this only compounds the issue.

 

With that said, I am not saying this was/wasn't the issue. Regardless of what the issue was, proper expectations were not met or kept in your case. It is no excuse for not getting the service you asked for, but 99% of the time, if a customer is dissatisfied with result, it is because improper expectations were not set.

 

As far as the billing is concerned, it could have been a measurement, but a lot of the local branches are willing to undercut us to gain the business. Not bashing them by any means, some companies do use good products, but several of them are buying product in bulk as wholesale. TG (as well as Scotts when they were separate) uses Lesco as our proprietary professional grade. They are the industry leader when it comes to professional grade products. And just like comparing McDonald's to Red Robin, the quality and consistency does make a difference.

 

I am glad that the company you switched to is doing a good job, and was able to cut you a good deal. I just wish I could have been the one to speak with you before you left, to make sure it was done right the first time.

[TTQ B4U]

I've been with TrueGreen for a long time and have been pretty happy with them. They have done a good job communicating with me and responding to any issues I had had.

 

 

^^ this. If ever I have a need they have covered it. This year started off a bit odd when I called in early March to confirm the first per-emergence application and they didn't have it until mid April. I wanted it done mid-March and didn't care what the weather was like. My lawn care has always involved an early spring feeding and pre-emergence and it has thrived. Took a supervisor to change the application date but they did it.

 

I was with Scotts for years and had great success. No problems with TG overall.

[LJ]

It was the customer service and not meeting agreed upon expectations that made me look around, and then the fact that ever local competitor was half price sealed it. I overseeded with expensive seed and called to tell then to NOT apply any application. They said no problem, noted my account, and said that my first application would be skipped. A week later they came out and applied pre-emergent and killed all the seed. I called in amd complained and they offered to overseed for another $100 but would get me on the schedule right away. Unacceptable.

[carl1647545492]

You will get consumer level care if you go with a service imo and is only worth it if you have zero time,after dealing with a few we jumped in with no experience and our lawn is awesome now.

 

If you have little time why not go buy the pro products and do it yourself?

 

The benefits are you will save money and have the best looking lawn on the block.

 

Be prepared for comments like "your lawn looks so good who do you use?"

[evan9381]

You will get consumer level care if you go with a service imo and is only worth it if you have zero time,after dealing with a few we jumped in with no experience and our lawn is awesome now.

 

If you have little time why not go buy the pro products and do it yourself?

 

The benefits are you will save money and have the best looking lawn on the block.

 

Be prepared for comments like "your lawn looks so good who do you use?"

 

I've tried to do stuff in the past, looked up what to use, it just never seems to make a difference. Maybe it's just that the soil around my house sucks. i don't know. the back yard grows pretty well but the front, which everyone sees, is terrible. I really just don't want to deal with it much more than mowing/trimming/watering. I've gotten lazy.

[Red Beard]

I've tried to do stuff in the past, looked up what to use, it just never seems to make a difference. Maybe it's just that the soil around my house sucks. i don't know. the back yard grows pretty well but the front, which everyone sees, is terrible. I really just don't want to deal with it much more than mowing/trimming/watering. I've gotten lazy.

 

That is understandable. You have to keep in mind, store bought products while good in their own right are limited strength wise. Professional grade products help to get you past the limitations of the diy treatments. Also frequency and consistency do play a lot into it as well.

 

Most store bought treatments are designed to be reapplied after the previous application has been run out completely. This can cause surge growth and is not good for the root system. With professional service, you are having treatments done a bit more frequently to ensure the lawn has a constant supply of fertilizer.

 

I highly doubt you have bad soil. Ohio is rather forgiving in that aspect as the soil is typically of a neutral quality. Now with that said, we do have a decent amount of clay in the soil so compaction is an issue. That is where aeration comes into play to decompact the soil, and maintain your thatch (dead grass that builds up on top of the lawn). This allows the roots to stretch out and breath. 80% of the grass plant's mass is in the root system. The stronger the roots, the more moisture and nutrients it can pull, and the better the lawn will look.

 

Other factors you have to consider are the type of grass that is in the lawn. If its a shady spot, and you have a type of grass that needs a lot of sun to grow, it is not going to do so well. Tree's also effect the lawn especially the pH level. Trees are naturally acidic, and drive the acid level up in the soil. That can influence how well the grass processes the nutrients being provided as well.

 

I could go on and on about this stuff lol. But I do know you would be pleasantly surprised with what kind of result can be achieved with the proper plan, and a little patience on your part. Like I said before, you want to talk about it, shoot me your info in a pm. We can discuss it further, and I can provide you pricing for what we charge. I am not going to "telemarket sales pitch ya lol", just get you pointed in the right direction.

[Radio Flyer1647545514]

Berta, land fare and yard barbers are some other companies

[evan9381]

It was the customer service and not meeting agreed upon expectations that made me look around, and then the fact that ever local competitor was half price sealed it. I overseeded with expensive seed and called to tell then to NOT apply any application. They said no problem, noted my account, and said that my first application would be skipped. A week later they came out and applied pre-emergent and killed all the seed. I called in amd complained and they offered to overseed for another $100 but would get me on the schedule right away. Unacceptable.

 

 

I should've listened to you.

 

Tried Trugreen. They've been out I think 6, maybe 7 times since early May paid services and a couple "touch ups" that I didn't track and they don't charge for, so I don't see them on my CC statement.

 

3+ months later, lawn looks about the same as it did in the spring. MAYBE a little better, but not enough to justify continuing to pay for these treatments.

 

And it seems like as time has gone on, they've gotten worse. Last week, Friday I think, I get an email that they did my service. I get home, no flag in the yard, no receipt on the door. Ask my girlfriend if she did anything to them, said no. Next morning she gets a text from our neighbor saying basically "hey, do you guys use Trugreen? We got something on our door that says they serviced our yard". Yep...they've been out half dozen times and sprayed the wrong fucking yard. That's annoying, but I called Saturday morning and they agree to come back out, so whatever.

 

4 days later (this Tuesday) I'm scheduled to have aeration done. I get a frantic phone call from my girlfriend around 5:30 and right away she says "Trugreen left the fucking gate open and Bella is gone!". Yes, they left the fucking gate open, and our already stupid beagle mix that is a runner has gotten out. And it wasn't like my girlfriend saw her get out and could chase after her. She got home, opened the back door to let the dogs out like always, and went to go change out of work clothes and start a load of laundry, etc. Usually the dogs will bark when they want to come in, 10 min later and nothing so she goes to let them in and only 1 is there. She has to go running through the neighborhood trying to find the dog. LUCKILY someone driving by saw her running with a leash and no dog and pointed her to where they saw the dog, and my girlfriend was able to get her, unharmed.

 

As if this isn't enough, I go to look at the yard after they aerated. There are big sections of yard that don't have a single aeration hole in them. So there is a ~$200 service and they didn't even do the whole area. Probably 80%, but I didn't pay for an 80% service.

 

I call to cancel and this woman thinks that giving me 50% off my next two services (a whole $50?!) is just going to make me forget all this. GTFO.

 

 

pics below show entire areas where there is not a single aeration hole/plug. I can see them through the rest of the yard too, so it's not like they're hiding in these areas. they just never got touched.

 

https://imgur.com/gallery/UMPmFdJ

[carl1647545492]

I should've listened to you.

 

Tried Trugreen. They've been out I think 6, maybe 7 times since early May paid services and a couple "touch ups" that I didn't track and they don't charge for, so I don't see them on my CC statement.

 

 

https://imgur.com/gallery/UMPmFdJ

 

They are a sales company that happens to sell landscaping,churning 30% of their customers should tell you everything.

 

Go check these guys out and DIY https://www.siteone.com/home/locations.aspx

 

I wish I could show you the excuse for soil was when we built with Rockford,we got 50% rocks lots of clay and some clean dirt as a afterthought,miracle anything could grow in it let alone look good.

Aeration to get air into the clay helped seeding and getting the root system deep with Fescue was the winning formula for us,still learning this stuff but we got a good grip on it.

[evan9381]

They are a sales company that happens to sell landscaping,churning 30% of their customers should tell you everything.

 

Go check these guys out and DIY https://www.siteone.com/home/locations.aspx

 

I wish I could show you the excuse for soil was when we built with Rockford,we got 50% rocks lots of clay and some clean dirt as a afterthought,miracle anything could grow in it let alone look good.

Aeration to get air into the clay helped seeding and getting the root system deep with Fescue was the winning formula for us,still learning this stuff but we got a good grip on it.

 

I might have to do this...I remember your yard looked really good when I stopped over with booze.

[carl1647545492]

I looked forward to our little booze runs : )

 

Looking at your pics have you ever added some fresh organic matter/dirt?

[evan9381]

I looked forward to our little booze runs : )

 

Looking at your pics have you ever added some fresh organic matter/dirt?

 

Nada. before this year I mowed and bagged the clippings. this year aside from the treatments I've been cutting it higher and mulching it, and watering (which hasn't been needed often with the rain this year).

 

I'm planning on a trip to Louisville early October. I'll try to shoot you a text before I go and I'll stop at a couple places