Current Alerts For This Business

Pattern of Complaint:

BBB files indicate Austin Lawn Care Services and LawnStarter has a pattern of complaints and customer reviews concerning delivery of services and customer service issues.
Consumers allege LawnStarter:

• Fails to complete jobs
• Does not honor service dates
• Charges unauthorized fees for "long grass" (even when provider reschedules appointment causing a service delay and hence longer grass)
• Charges for services not started
• Does not resolve property damage complaints.
• Continues charging for services even after consumers cancel services
• Continue charging for services after consumers request to cancel.

In September 2020, BBB submitted a written request to the company encouraging them to address their pattern of complaints. In June 2023, LawnStarter began addressing outstanding customer complaints however, as of July 2023, BBB conducted a follow-up investigation and concluded the pattern of complaints previously noted remains.

As a result, BBB submitted an additional written request to the company seeking information including how they intend to address the pattern identified within consumer complaints and customer review data. As of August 25, 2023 LawnStarter has not responded to BBB requests.
BBB will update this profile with any additional information, including any business responses, when it is available.

For more details regarding disputes received by BBB, please visit the complaints tab of this business's BBB Business Profile.

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Initial Complaint
11/14/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
On 10/3/2024,This company does not take accountability for property damage that is done by their vendors. The negligence and carelessness and lack of willingness to own up and fix what has been damaged is appalling. Not only did one of their vendors cut only half of my grass in the back, but broke a sprinkler head and now will not, fix it due to me not Emailing them a second picture in the timeframe that they wanted. My mother almost died while this incompetent vendor came to our house to do a job that should have helped us not be as stressed in such a trial time but all they did was add more stress to a family that is trying to live through medical changes that alter all of our lives. I will be telling everyone I know to avoid this company and better believe that they will not be recommended to anyone that I come across. This company is practicing now intention practices, and they obviously do not care about their customers and would rather cover up for the vendors that they use, have no regard for property or proficiency in their job. Again this company is unwilling to be held accountable for damage to a sprinkler head that was done by their vendor. The sprinkler was broken and the very next day, I contacted them about the damage and sent a picture of the sprinkler head. But because I fail to submit a second picture while my mother is fighting for her life and a hospital bed is so disheartening. Is disheartening that we have less and less compassion for people who are just trying to get through each day.
Business response
11/25/2024
Hello Mara,

Greetings!

I am reaching out to you regarding your Better Business Bureau (BBB) complaint #********. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Upon review, one of our Experience Specialists *****, already reached out to you regarding your concern/complaint. Rest assured that we are doing best to make things right. We appreciate your patience.
Respectfully,
******, LawnStarter
Initial Complaint
11/06/2024
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Resolved
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
On October 21, 2024, the Lawnstarter Pro serviced the wrong address, and Lawnstarter charged me for that service. Their investigation, completed on October 25, 2024, revealed that the wrong address was serviced, and yet they charged my credit card $392.19, for a job that was not completed.After I requested a reversal of charges, they placed a credit on my account. I do not want a credit on my Lawstarter account, I want the money credited to my credit card.I reached out again, and they said they placed a request for reversal of charges, and that process will take 7-10 business ******* this point, I do not trust them, and I want the reversal to occur immediately, and I want my account deleted (not activated).They fraudulently charged my credit card $392.19.Also, they should be held liable for interest charges, if any are accrued.
Business response
11/18/2024
Hello *****,

Greetings!

I am reaching out to you regarding your Better Business Bureau (BBB) complaint #********. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Upon review, one of our Experience Specialists *****, already reached out to you regarding your concern/complaint. ***** sent you an email as we aim to make things right. We would highly appreciate it if you could respond to Megans email.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Respectfully,
******, LawnStarter
Customer response
11/18/2024
Better Business Bureau:

Resolved.

Regards,

***** *******
Initial Complaint
11/04/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
My acct was hacked. I was not notified by lawnstarter when my acct info changed. They suggested I call green dot bank. I tried but got nowhere as I dont have an acct with that bank. I cannot get anyone on the phone that can handle this.
Business response
11/05/2024
Hello ******,

Warm greetings!

I'm reaching out to address your Better Business Bureau (BBB) complaint #******** and extend our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused.

After a thorough review, we've confirmed that ******* from our Pro Direct Deposits and 1099s team has already reached out to you regarding your concern. She informed you that your funds will be deposited into the correct account this week. As for last week's funds, we are still awaiting further updates.

Additionally, as mentioned, you are a self-employed contractor, not an employee of our company. We dont receive notifications when someone on your end updates your information. Any changes made would have required access to your login details or device, so the update was processed as though it was you.

If you have additional questions about your payout, please respond directly to Jessicas email. For any other concerns, feel free to contact our support team. We're here to help. Thank you!

Best regards,
******, on behalf of LawnStarter
Customer response
11/05/2024
Complaint: 22511871

I am rejecting this response because:
Poor security measures.
Regards,

****** *******
Business response
11/05/2024
Hi ******,
I want to clarify that implementing and managing security measures falls outside the scope of our responsibilities. However, I strongly encourage you to take proactive steps to secure your information.

Here are a few recommendations:
- Use strong, unique passwords and update them regularly.
- Enable two-factor authentication where possible.
- Limit access to sensitive data and monitor who has permission to view or modify it.

Thank you for understanding.

Best,
Customer response
11/05/2024
Complaint: 22511871

I am rejecting this response because:
I should have been notified when my bank acct info changed. Furthermore, lawnstarter is not taking any responsibility for this matter. They suggested I call a bank that I do NOT have an acct with. That got me nowhere. What a nightmare this has become.

Regards,

****** *******
Initial Complaint
11/04/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
It's a lawn service contracting company. Their contractor caused damage to our patio door....broken glass. They wanted to piece out the cost of repair, offering $280 to pay for the glass. Any damage to this type of door can't be pieced out, the whole unit has to be replaced. I sent them two quotes for the replacement (attached) but apparently their process for this kind of thing is to stretch it out as long as possible. The quotes are for approximatel $1,300 and $1,200. and are from Lowes and **********, reputable companies in this field. I'm 85 years old and can't run all over town to get the useless, unimportant details they now say they need. They've offered $580 which is the price of the door but installation by experts at this kind of thing is about$700. It's not a DIY job. Email and phone contact has been futile since it is apparently company policy to drag things out until the customer loses patience. There are hundreds of complaints about them on your site.for this kind of thing. Thank you for your help.
Business response
11/15/2024
Hello *****,

Greetings!

I am reaching out to you regarding your Better Business Bureau (BBB) complaint #********. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Upon review, one of our Experience Specialists *****, already reached out to you regarding your concern/complaint. ***** advised you that our property damage team has its own guidelines and our specialist ***** is currently working on your ticket. Thanks!

Respectfully,
******, LawnStarter
Initial Complaint
10/22/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Scheduled for service that was rescheduled multiple times with reasoning that was false. This caused my grass and weeds to grow resulting in extra lawn care.
Business response
10/29/2024
Hello *********,

Greetings!

I am reaching out to you regarding your Better Business Bureau (BBB) complaint #********. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Upon review, one of our Experience Specialists *****, already reached out to you regarding your concern/complaint. ***** sent you an email as we aim to make things right. We would highly appreciate it if you could respond to Megans email.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Respectfully,
******, LawnStarter
Initial Complaint
10/21/2024
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Signed up for lawn services in 2022. Within a few months cancelled because we bought a lawn mower and have continued to be charged multiple times a month since then for services not provided.
Business response
11/01/2024
Hello ****,

Thank you for reaching out again.

After carefully reviewing your previous communications with our team, it appears that our Manager has already confirmed that this issue is closed in our records. To reiterate the message sent:

"After a thorough review, we have concluded that we are unable to provide further reimbursement at this time.

With that in mind, we will consider this matter closed."

At this point, were unable to offer any additional resolution on this matter. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your cooperation.

Kind regards,
Customer response
11/01/2024
Complaint: 22454730

I am rejecting this response because:
They were unable to verify the services had been provided. I was cutting grass. They said there was an internal investigation but no proof was provided for the two years.

Regards,

**** ******
Business response
11/01/2024
Hi ****,
Thank you for your email, however, there is nothing we can do about this. Rest assured that we will not send our providers to the property moving forward.
Thanks,
Customer response
11/01/2024
Complaint: 22454730

I am rejecting this response because:

if you can not provide proof in opposition to our claim then a refund is necessary as services were not provided and yet weve been charged over $2k.

Regards,

**** ******
Initial Complaint
10/21/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
Resolved
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
After multiple reschedules we decided to cancel services, I have emails from your *** cancelling services to find out I am being reassigned and someone is coming to do my yard! I do not want your service, do not charge me, and please remove my account and credit card from your platform
Business response
10/29/2024
Hello ********,

Warm greetings!
I'm reaching out to address your Better Business Bureau (BBB) complaint #******** and extend our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Upon thorough examination, we've verified that our Experience Specialist, *****, has already been in touch with you regarding your concerns. She has informed us that she informed you that via email that your account is fully canceled and I have also removed your credit card from our system.
She also provided you a link on how to delete your account: **************************************************************************************************************
We'd greatly appreciate it if you could let us know whether ******* assistance and resolution have met your satisfaction. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we're eager to hear if she has successfully resolved the matter to your expectations.

Looking forward to your response.

Best regards,
******, on behalf of LawnStarter

Customer response
10/29/2024
Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Regards,

******** ********
Initial Complaint
10/17/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
We have had a recurring appointment set up for throughout the summer where one of their pros would come and mow our lawn (while my wife was recovering from foot surgery). On September 30th, they had a new crew come out and caused around $1,500 dollars worth of damage to our fence (took a weed ****** and just destroyed the bottom rail in a few sections. I reached out to Lawn Starter they offered me 200 dollars as a resolution (which would not even cover one panel (I have 5 I needed to replace) They have asked to get two separate quotes, (which there is only one installer in the area certified to install/sell but i did find two people to get quotes and they said "its to expensive" Please help me get this resolved, I do not want more damage to my fence when it snows.
Business response
10/28/2024
Hello ******,

Greetings!

Im reaching out regarding your Better Business Bureau (BBB) complaint #********. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

Upon review, one of our Experience Specialists, *****, has already contacted you to address your concerns. We truly appreciate your cooperation as our team works to resolve this for you. Thank you!
Respectfully,
******, LawnStarter
Initial Complaint
10/14/2024
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
I contacted Lawn Starter in July to mow at this property in ****** ** beginning the end of July 2024. I moved into this property on Sept. 2nd 2024 they had mowed it only twice. I began calling them a attempting to cancel their services on their website the first week of Sept. but it would read that the option to cancel was not available. When I got a representative on the phone I was informed that I could not cancel until after 3 mows/charges were completed. I don't remember any discussing that 3 mows were the minimum requirement to cancel service once I was moved and mowing here. So, I asked to see this agreement in writing. I was told they don't have it in writing, that they tell all new customers over the phone. They scheduled themselves to mow here on Oct. 15/16. I called customer ********************** again on Thursday day Oct. 10, 2024 and asked that instead of mowing which is not needed if they would complete weed eating to a much smaller area for the same price so they would stop harassing me!! I was told no, that they would give we an estimate for the weeding and refused to cancel before they charge me for another mow. I don't believe I was informed of a 3 mow minimum requirement. I don't need to have them mow and I don't need to be charged for one just to make them stop contacting me. I hope you can help.Thank you!
Business response
10/25/2024
Hello ******,

Warm greetings!

I'm reaching out to address your Better Business Bureau (BBB) complaint #******** and extend our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Upon thorough examination, we've verified that our Experience Specialist, *****, has already been in touch with you regarding your concerns. She has informed us that she advised you on Oct 18th that your service with us has ended. You have no more scheduled mowing services with us.

We'd greatly appreciate it if you could let us know whether ******* assistance and resolution have met your satisfaction. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we're eager to hear if she has successfully resolved the matter to your expectations.

Looking forward to your response.

Best regards,
******, on behalf of LawnStarter
Initial Complaint
10/11/2024
Complaint Type:
Service or Repair Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
On or around 10-2 24 I hired lawn starter not only did they not show up on the expected date the service that was provided was horrific
Business response
10/18/2024
Hello ******,

Greetings!

I am reaching out to you regarding your Better Business Bureau (BBB) complaint #********. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Upon review, one of our Experience Specialists *****, already reached out to you regarding your concern/complaint. ***** sent you an email as we aim to make things right. We would highly appreciate it if you could respond to Megans email.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Respectfully,
******, LawnStarter

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