ComplaintsforEcolawn, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  07/27/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I hired Ecolawn for lawn care services at my home in 2020. They were to provide annual lawn care treatment services. In September 2021 we listed our home for sale. There was a for sale sign present and in obvious display when lawn treatments were provided. Our home sold and closed in January 2022. In early April, I received a lawn care summary report via email to which I immediately contacted Ecolawn and notified them that they should not have provided service as it was unauthorized and it was not our property. There were no concessions offered by the business, only a firm stance that they were authorized to perform the service (although they were not) by way of a supposed recurring service, which I did not agree to. I told them that I did not agree with that and would not be paying the bill. Today I received a letter from a collection agency in the mail, as it seems the business is choosing to die on their hill rather than recognize the fault with their protocol. The business needs to write off their balance and pull the file from the collection agency.

  Business response

  07/28/2022

  ******, thank you so much for bringing your concern to our attention.

  
  Our renewal policy states, “Each year, you’ll receive a renewal letter listing your scheduled services. You’ll have the opportunity to prepay your program with a discount. Your service agreement remains in effect for 1 year and renews automatically for successive 1-year terms thereafter. You may cancel your service anytime by written or oral notice. If your account has an outstanding balance, it will need to be paid with your cancellation notice.”
  

  Our payment policy states, “You may prepay your services at a discount, or if you prefer at each visit with a check or credit card. Unless you prepaid, your payment is due on receipt of invoice. Accounts over 30 days will be charged a minimum $3.00 statement fee or the maximum allowable interest rate, whichever is greater. Each service visit must be fully paid before your next visit can be made. If your account becomes 90 days past due, it will be forwarded for collection.”
  

  This information was printed on the back of the quote form that was initially left with you when you received your estimate in April 2020, and was agreed to on April 16th, 2020 when you approved services.
  

  On December 11th, 2020, a payment was made online with the following terms and conditions accepted: “I agree to pay in full for service performed within 30 days of service. For my convenience some services renew each year and I may cancel them anytime with a note or call to the office at 440-953-9100. I understand I’m responsible for services received prior to cancelling.”
  

  On June 17th, 2021, a payment for services completed, as well as a prepayment for the remaining services for the 2021 season was made and the same terms and conditions as outlined above were accepted.
  

  On November 11th, 2021, an email was sent to you with your renewal letter for the 2022 season. The email states, “Here’s your program for this coming season. Your service renews each year automatically, so you don’t have to think about it. You’re welcome to make any changes by calling 440-953-9100 or emailing [email protected].” Attached to that email was the renewal letter that states “These are the services you’re scheduled to receive. Your lawn service renews automatically each year.”
  

  On January 18th, 2022, the same renewal letter that states, “These are the services you’re scheduled to receive. Your lawn service renews automatically each year,” was physically mailed to you.
  

  There have been 13 visits to your property since April 21st, 2020. At each visit, an invoice was left for you that states, “Your service continues automatically from year to year. To make changes or additions call 440-953-9100.”
  

  An After Service Summary email is also sent after a service is performed, outlining what services were performed at the visit. That After Service Summary also states, “Your service continues automatically from year to year. To make changes or additions call 440-953-9100.”
  

  On April 8th, 2022, we performed the Early Spring Feeding treatment at the property. After the service, an After Service Summary email was sent to you regarding the services performed. That email also states, “Your services continues automatically from year to year. To make changes or additions call 440-953-9100.”
  

  As mentioned above, our policy very clearly states, in many locations, that to make changes or cancellations to service, you must call or email us. A ‘For Sale’ sign posted in the lawn of the property does not fulfill these requirements or constitute a service cancellation. We have had many clients that continue service on properties they are selling. We have had clients continue services on properties that they have already sold. The assumption that a ‘For Sale’ sign equates to a cancellation would be irresponsible on our part, and we’ve found that many of our clients agree, not to mention most other service providers, such as the gas company and electric company.
  

  After having received the After Service Summary email, you did reach out to us to notify us that you had moved and that you wanted to have your services cancelled. On April 11th, 2022, we cancelled any remaining services scheduled, and the balance for the service that was performed was due.
  

  As stated above, you were responsible for not only notifying us of your cancellation, but making payment on the service that was performed, as you had not notified us in writing or orally of cancellation prior to it being performed. As our payment policy also states, “If your account becomes 90 days past due, it will be forwarded for collection.”
  

  We are concerned and confused that you would call the Better Business Bureau, blaming us for something that was clearly communicated. We try our best to communicate clearly and effectively. Can you help me understand where the miscommunication took place? We are baffled about how there was a misunderstanding on how services are renewed and what payments were due.

  Customer response

  07/28/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]

  Unacceptable response from business. I searched my email box for messages from the business and found them in junk/spam. We prepaid our services for 2021 and never acknowledged/accepted that services would renew. You cannot simply state that a service renews and force the customer to accept it without their written consent as there is no proof that the customer saw/read the disclaimer. You will not receive any sort of payment for a service that was not approved/authorized nor can you proceed with collecion efforts. 

  
  Regards,
  
  *** *****
  
  
  
  
   

  Business response

  07/29/2022

  The balance due has been written off.

  Best of luck to Mr. *****.

  Customer response

  07/29/2022

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  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 as long as the bill has also been removed from collections.
  
  Regards,
  *** *****
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/10/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Ecolawn was enlisted to provide chemical treatment and fertilizer for our lawn. We recently had a patio installed in backyard and complete landscape remodeling done including new grass put down. The Ecolawn company was terrible at communicating - wife repeatedly asked them to contact prior to coming as a notice as we have a dog, they never did. Right after our landscaping was done and new dirt as well as grass put down, these guys showed up when we were not home (no notice) and the workers drove what looked to be a small ATV through the new dirt/grass all through the backyard - not sure how it was not noticed as the machine must have sank 6 inches when first hitting the hay. Additionally, they sprayed the new grass seed and today we have entire swaths of dead grass and dirt. Our landscaper confirmed this when looking at it and advised we would need to rework most of the area. When we approached Ecolawn, they did accept responsibility and said they would cover the cost of rework. However, when confronted on it again, backed off with a very small offering of coverage and excuses on why it was not their fault. They blamed our landscaper for charging too much, us for not watering the new grass, the weather, and us for being "difficult".

  Business response

  11/17/2021

  I appreciate you taking the time to express your concerns on the way your issue was handled. We are committed to providing excellent service as our other customers would agree with. I can list some factual reasons why your experience with us did not turn out as expected.
  We know that communication can be one of the most frustrating areas in this industry for our clients, so we use a software system that tracks all our communication so that any point of contact is documented. From the point of sale, we had to hand mail the proposal information since the voicemail on the number we were given was full. We started with your first application in late spring and when we came out to do your early summer application, where you received a call the night before, our technician was turned away due to you having another company do your lawn application. When I called you on the phone you seemed unsure of who was doing what to the lawn and when. This is something that would usually cause us to separate from a client, but we did not do that in this case. I made a note of this on 7-16 in our system. We returned for the late summer application on 8-11. You received a call for that the night before on 8-10. We returned for the early fall application on 10-4. You received the call for that the night before but in your email to us, said it was on a Sunday and after 5:00 so you were unable to inform the technician not to do the backyard either Sunday night or Monday before he came out. These are all tracked in our software and even have your email for verification. I’m not sure what we could have changed but we are always looking to improve.
  As far as the damage to the lawn, we did take responsibility for the grass being damaged even after multiple companies were doing work to your lawn throughout the year. We used a small lawn machine that we use on some of your neighbors’ lawns as well as other clients who have had seeding done but it seems there was only an issue on your lawn. With it being such a small area, I offered to come out the very next day to repair it. You turned down that offer and said you wanted to have another company do the repair. I agreed that we would pay a reasonable amount for the reseeding of these small areas. You then tried to send us a bill for thousands of dollars for more soil brought in as well as grading and leveling that was not part of the agreement. You have now made a complaint here that could cost tens of thousands of dollars in new cliental within 30 minutes of our last conversation. I am sorry you were displeased with the options that we gave you to resolve this matter. Your program has been cancelled so you will not receive any additional services from Ecolawn.

  Customer response

  11/21/2021

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  Thanks for the response, which doesn’t seem congruent with your values of respect and honesty. Photos referenced are included in attached PDF and numbered. 
  
  1.     You claimed that 10/4/21 was the date of service but in fact it was 10/2/21. The attached photo (01) clearly shows this and we do recall it was a Saturday as we returned home and found the service tech had been at the house and the damage was done. 
  2.     You also claimed your software system tracks all these calls you were asked to make but in fact some discrepancies are clear. For the above service where the yard damage occurred, a call was placed on 10/3/21 by a Don from Eco-Lawn after the service was performed on 10/2/21. This show in photo (02) which shows the actual voice mail call on 10/3.
  3.     On 10/4/21 was when we first reached out with the reports of damage and several photos were provided to the office manager. These photos are also attached for reference (03 and 04). You can also clearly note in these photos, how green and full the new grass was coming in when it was implied that we were not doing our part in taking care of the grass and why it may have died.
  4.     It was stated a small lawn machine used in your response. You can see in the photos it was the size of a small ATV and clearly it sunk at least 6 inches when on top of the grass, which is concerning as the tech should have known something was wrong right away but they proceeded to drive it through the entire yard and then also spray chemicals. 
  5.     On 10/18/21, some additional info and pictures was provided to the office manager. Between 10/2/21 (date of damage) and 10/18/21, the new grass began dying and the yard deteriorating. Our landscaper advised it was likely due to the damage and chemicals applied during the 10/2/21 visit, as we had all been avoiding the new grass area and watering daily. The grass as seen in photos 03 and 04 clearly show the grass beginning to fill in nicely on 10/2/21 when the damage was done.
  6.     You implied it is only us that has an issue which is not appreciated at all. We have an issue and you guys are at the source so of course we are going to take issue with it after we paid nearly $3,000 for landscaping work in the yard, of which new grass was a major piece. To imply your customer is the problem is not a good solution to make it go it away. 
  7.     As far as you acknowledging the damage and then offering for you guys to come out and “throw grass seed down”, we rejected this solution as it means ridiculous and is our right to do so. You damaged the lawn, you want us to then have you repair it, with not removing any dead grass or debris, and just throwing down more seed which is what was proposed? We have a landscaper who has been doing amazing work and had our yard looking great until your 10/2/21 visit.
  8.     Your implication that we tried to bill you for “thousands of dollars” is inaccurate. We had the landscaper quote us for the repairs and provided you with the actual estimate of around $1800. This is not just “a small section of grass” as was implied but was large swathes of all the new grass areas killed by the chemicals as shown in the photos. If not from the 10/2/21 visit, then what killed the grass? Why is the rest of our yard looking okay? Why was the new grass coming in very well before 10/2/21? You have no answers and only deflection. You offered a mere $200 for all this damage which was unacceptable.
  
  Clearly, your response was insufficient which is why we took the time on this rebuttal. You seemed like an upstanding business which is why we had originally engaged with you but you have proven otherwise when a problem was encountered.  

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