EXOTIC LANDSCAPES by Dave Johnston

Dave Johnson/Exotic Landscapes did not deliver what he promised and in the end fired ME in a snit for his incompetency. He claims to specialize in "high end" lawns and landscaping, but his attention to detail, slow response and lack of familiarity with plants were a constant problem. When I hired him, I told him I was looking for him to be responsible for keeping things looking nice and to bill me appropriately, that I do not like to supervise closely. He said that's just what he would deliver. Yet, we regularly had dead plants in the beds, completely empty beds, and dying plants. All he seemed to want to do is "mow, blow and go," which frankly I can buy for about half the price. I had to research plants myself, point out the problems each week and constantly point out areas he'd missed and allowed to be overgrown. He kept promising better service, and he seems like a nice guy, so I kept giving him more chances. But the real drama began a month ago--and who needs drama when it comes to servicing your lawn? My lawn and shrubs continued to have problems after a year of service. I asked Dave why certain things were growing well and others weren't--for example, he planted two cypress trees that keep falling over and are not thriving. Did we need more fertilizer, irrigation, staking, better choice of plants? Dave called my irrigation/fertilizer contractor, since they were working together, and asked him to come out to explain it all to me. My irrigation/fertilizer contractor came out and blamed everything on Dave/Exotic Landscapes. Then he called Dave/Exotic Landscapes and told him I wasn't a good customer. Dave got so angry he rudely fired ME, leaving me in the lurch. I tried to explain that I didn't do anything but listen to SCL, but Dave rudely fired me again. Then a few weeks later, SCL called me and FIRED ME with no valid reason except that he didn't like the whole situation they created (I assume he was being "loyal" to Dave). The two were in cahoots, obviously, and because they were unwilling to take responsiblity for their actions, the result was very unprofessional behavior. This is way to much drama for me, it's only my lawn! By the way, there's a happy ending to the story. I found another landscape contractor/gardener, Manuel Salazar, here on Angie's list and I couldn't be happier with his service. Now, he knows how to treat a customer and do a seriously professional job.