Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/22/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  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.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am a resident of the Woodwinds of Canebay HOA community, where Ruppert Landscaping holds the contract for maintaining all common area lawns and lakefronts. Since the beginning of their contract over two years ago, the lake area directly behind my home has been consistently neglected.
  
  Despite submitting multiple complaints to Ruppert Landscaping, including direct phone and text communications with the representative assigned to our community, no meaningful action has been taken. I have also reported the issue to our HOA and property management company, but the situation remains unresolved. The company repeatedly fails to mow the slope leading down to the lake or control the overgrowth of weeds, leaving the area in poor condition.
  
  I have attached photographic evidence of the ongoing neglect. I also left a public review with photos on Google last year, hoping it would prompt improvement, but nothing has changed. The company has shown little concern for addressing these issues. Even when contacted by the HOA or management company, they offer excuses rather than solutions.
  
  I am requesting BBB’s assistance in holding Ruppert Landscaping accountable for their lack of service and in bringing attention to this matter so that other communities are informed of the company’s poor performance.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/02/2025

  We had issues getting the first email.  We are currently investigating the complaint and will have an update by the end of the week.

  Thank You

  Business Response

  Date: 06/06/2025

  After investigating this complaint we have rectified the situation by mowing the area in question.  We have also researched to see if we had any other complaints about this area.  Since this area is a common area in a neighborhood, the complaints would have come through the property management company to us.  We have none about this area.  Mr. ******* stated that he made complaints to the management company.  If this is true, they did not relay them to us.  We did find another complaint from Mr. ******* from August of 2023 where he stated that we were not maintaining the common area next to his house.  Turns out that the area that he was complaining about was actually his yard, he was just not aware of where his property line was.  Another issue with the area that he has complained about is that it is a pond bank and the particular pond that it is on actually divides one property from another, so one side of the pond is maintained by us while the other side is maintained by another company.  There will be many times when our schedules do no align with the other company's so the other side may get mowed before our side gets mowed.  We are not making excuses but it is also spring time and the weeds are growing much faster than the actual grass, and in his pictures that he provided, you can see the difference in height of the weeds versus the grass.  The grass is actually quite short, and the weeds are very tall.  In the early part of spring, we usually only mow pond banks every other week since the grass is not growing fast and we do not want to damage the pond bank and cause erosion issues.  But overall, as I stated, we have mowed the area in questions and will continue to do so on a weekly basis as long as weather conditions permit.

  Thank You

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/08/2025

  I am rejecting Ruppert’s response because it is inaccurate and misleading. Their reply is full of excuses and fails to address the facts of this long-standing issue.
  I have made multiple complaints to Poston Community Management regarding this matter over the past 1.5 years. I’ve contacted Beth McDowell, who currently oversees our community, several times by email and phone. She can verify my ongoing concerns. Her contact info is: [email protected] | 843-853-5340.
  This issue began even before Beth’s involvement. The previous property manager, Kathryn, was also aware of Ruppert's consistent negligence.
  Unlike most of my neighbors, I do not have a backyard fence, so the HOA property behind and beside my home is clearly visible and blends with my yard. When this area is left unmaintained, it appears as though my own property is overgrown.  Having long grass around the lake is a safety concern for the families who fish this lake with little children.  We have seen snakes on numerous occasions, not to mention the breeding environment for other pests and insects. I’ve personally reached out many times to the individual managing our account at Ruppert via phone at 843-202-0052, (his personal cell phone number). Despite my efforts, nothing has been resolved. I’ve shared photos, posted a Google review, and even informed Ruppert that I planned to file a BBB complaint, all to no effect.
  Ruppert is paid roughly $12,000 to $15,000 a month for landscaping services, a portion of which comes from my HOA dues. While other parts of the community, including the ponds, are regularly maintained, the area behind my home is consistently neglected. This unequal service is unacceptable.
  What’s especially frustrating is how simple the solution is. The area in question requires just one person with a string trimmer to cut the angled section of grass down to the lake. Instead, Ruppert only mows the flat portion once a month and ignores the rest. This has been the pattern for over 18 months. I’ve also brought this up with the technician who services the lake water, but he claims it's outside his scope of work.
  Ruppert’s response to this complaint shows a complete lack of responsibility and oversight. This is not a complex issue, it just needs to be addressed properly and consistently. I expect long term action, not more empty responses and one grass trim.  Attached are screenshots of two emails to Beth McDowell and a drone shot of my property showing the large size of my backyard with no fence compared to my neighbors.  

  Sincerely,

  Keith *******

  Business Response

  Date: 06/10/2025

  We have made the following adjustments to deal with the issue.  Both the account manager and the production manager will be checking on this area regularly, and the crew has been instructed to start their routine service for the entire neighborhood at this location every week.  We will do everything in our power to be sure that this does not happen again moving forward.

  Thank You

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/10/2025

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