HIGH COUNTRY HOME & GARDEN

The guy showed up - we walked the back and the front of the house. I explained the constraints to him (both budget and physical/logistics) - for example, we have to have a 'road' that will allow a septic tank trunk to drive through our backyard to our septic field to pump the septic tank. I really wanted a master plan that could be 'staged'. I was willing to invest in putting in the pathways through the yard to define the planting and sitting areas and to install a back border on the property - and to plant some kind of grass just to hold the dirt in place until next Spring/Summer - when we could move to the next 'phase' of implementing a design. I pretty much laid out what I wanted - I just needed a master plan and someone to actually contract to do the work - in a phased manner - realistically thinking that it would probably take 3-4 years to totally finish (budget constraints). The total appointment time to walk the backyard and feed information to this guy took, on the outside, 30 minutes. As he leaves he tells me he has higher priority items - but he'll get back to me with a plan. Well, it's October 1. No plan. Winter around the corner and nothing done, no contact from this company - not even a courtesy phone call. So, I call the company and talk to Woody. He states that he didn't know I was in such a 'hurry' for the promised 'plan' (that I PAID for). I told him I didn't think from July to October was such an all-fired 'hurry' - did her? He said 'no'. I mentioned that I had paid him for the consultation/plan - and he says - oh, no - that was just to walk around the dirt in my backyard and listen to me talk. I say 'for 15 minutes!". He says "it was an hour". He must be in 'High Country Garden' land. I know what it was - because I had to break from work to meet him at my house! I ask him then if the plan is going to cost extra? He kind of hesitates - and I just said 'thank you' and hung up. Live and learn. Can you imagine hiring this company/guy to actually DO landscaping? Don't pay up front - pay as you go is my advice - i.e. establish checkpoints with these people and pay them if they meet goals. I would never recommend this company - but if you do use them - or are committed to use them, watch your own back and do diligence on what they're charging you. Bottom line - my gut feel is these guys are not qualified to do landscaping, so they shouldn't even have accepted my $$ to survey and plan for me.