Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  03/10/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  When we signed the contract with the company, they claimed they would take care of all HOA requirements, we only need to sign the application and don't need to worry about HOA. Now the HOA failed us on the final inspection, the company want us to pay $650 to fix the issue which we have no idea what they had done with HOA.

  Business response

  07/28/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2022/03/14) */ Contact Name and Title: Christine M****** Contact Phone: ************ Contact Email: *************@cox.net We submit ARC forms on our client's behalf for landscape improvements as a courtesy. We are very familiar with most all HOA requirements, but it would be impossible for us to know every single requirement of the hundreds of HOA's we work with. Ultimately, it is the homeowner's responsibility to know the details of their HOA requirements. We submitted Mr. ****'s plans to his HOA and received an approval letter. Coach lighting was on the design in photos, but not "called out". When Mr. **** forwarded us the approval letter we assumed the coach lights had been approved. We installed them as per our contract and design. When we heard that Mr. **** failed HOA inspection, we wanted to charge him to remove the lights. He became very threatening. We really just want to move on and not have to deal with Mr. **** anymore, as he has been a terrible client, so we removed the coach lighting and added a cap to the wall where the lights were installed and removed at no charge. Consumer Response /* (3000, 8, 2022/03/16) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Since the company wants to stir the pot, let me document all the facts here: I bought the new home and have business with following contractors - floor tile, bathrooms, garage door epoxy, clothes closet, elevator and handyman without any problems, this landscaping company is the only one I need to file complaint to BBB to get the services we had paid for. There are the facts: 1. Initially when we mutually agreed to have $80,000 design, the company came up with $180,000 design on purpose?! 2. The company told us the project would be finished around June/July 2021 and it had been dragged until October 2021 which caused us a lot of trouble for the ordered patio sets can't be unpacked even we had paid for the unpacking service. The company took advantage of our absence there since we were not there and the house was vacant. 3. We had paid the BBQ Island to be hooked up gas line and the company did the propane instead of gas-line hookup on purpose or not? Luckily the other contractor reported this to us and we need to ask this company to fix their problem. 4. BBQ island was not installed properly and the company said they have nothing to do with the island, until I told them I would file complaint to BBB, then they fixed the installation. 5. Sink and water feature were leaking until our home watcher pointed them out to me. I am so surprised they can just leave the job like this! 6. My neighbor told me the before and after picture of the front yard looks totally different! The company claimed the picture will always look very different! Then why bother to give us the fake picture! 7. Lights are not allowed on post in the front yard, they claimed they are very familiar with HOA requirement and now they said they don't know the details! And they had charged us the lights and installation. HOA replied they cannot believe this contractor even made this kind of mistake! Originally they want us to pay $550 on top of their mistake, after I made complaints to BBB, they just removed the lights and put two caps on top of the posts! If I don't file complaints to get my consumer's right, I would need to pay them $550 to fix their problem. They said I was threatening them! I am formally asking helps from BBB to get my money back for their mistake installing the lights. If they don't pay back the charge - $2,000, I would continue to seek helps from DCA, Attorney General and possibly small claim court and my cousin attorney at law. Business Response /* (4000, 12, 2022/03/29) */ 1. Client states our design was $180,000. We signed a contract for $93,524.96 We have copies of the signed contract. 2. The client states we told him the job would be completed in June/ July 2021. Client did not even sign his contract until July 9, 2021. We have documentation of this also. Completing a project this size by October is more than reasonable in todays construction market. 3. Client contracted with us for a gas line to be installed for a natural gas BBQ that he would purchase himself. Gas line was installed as per contract. 4. The client purchased a propane gas run BBQ. We did not include converting a propane BBQ to natural gas in our bid. The client threatened us, and in a good faith effort, we hired another contractor to make the BBQ conversion and did this at no charge. 5. Client says sink and water feature were leaking. They were not. The auto fill on the water feature was sitting a bit low in the water feature, and the water feature was not leaking. 6. Client states his neighbor said the design rendering looked nothing like the installation. The plants depicted in the 3D rendering are depicted at about 2 years of growth. Plants at the time of installation are often smaller than depicted in the 3D rendering. A clause in noted in our contract stating the 3D rendering is an artistic conception and the final installed, living product, may not be exact to the 3D rendering. The client signed this clause also. We have documentation of this. Because the client lives in a different state and is not familiar with desert plants, he admitted he was used to living in the "garden state" and didn't understand plants in the desert. We wanted to make client happy, so we installed 2 additional 15 gallon plants at no charge. Also, the plants will grow to look very similar to the size of the plants in the 3D rendering by next spring. We contacted the contractor board to solicit their help with this unreasonable client and they stated if we planted what we contracted with him, we were in the right and could take action to lien his property should he refuse to pay. Thankfully, the client paid and seemed at the time, understanding. 7.Client is irate that we installed lights in the front yard as per the approved plans, that the HOA later denied. We removed the lights at no charge and glued a cap on top of the wall which is what we would have done if the lights had not been originally installed. At no charge. WE offered to leave this lights at his property. The client stated "he has no use for them!". The lights are at our office. WE will be happy to return them to the client. The client has threatened us through out the project to ruin our reputation. All we want to is move on from him. Client states he wants us to pay him $2000. We have done all contracted work. We have given him multiple services above and beyond contracted work at no charge. We will no longer be bullied and threated by this client and will take legal action against defamation, if necessary. I would also like to state, the client does not live at this property and views things from cameras and takes the word non professionals with their own opinions. He has treated us very unfairly and has been the most hateful client we have ever worked with in the past 21 years of business, with out one complaint to the BBB in over 2 decades.

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