The Greenskeeper

My yard is amazing. I have referred this company to others in my neighborhood and so far about 4 or 5 neighbors use them due to examination of my yard. I have the best yard thanks to these guys. They even help me determine how much I should water and when. I remember about 3 yrs ago, he adjusted ALL my sprinkler heads to be more efficient. That helped tremendously. I can tell that Jeff really cares about what he does. This is the nicest part because frankly I have too busy of a life to worry about lawn care. They take care of it for me.

I didn't really see him. He just came and did the spraying but I didn't interact with them. He just sprays around the edge of the house and then leaves their invoice. They are very nice to deal with and they are very responsive. We have used them for lawn care in the past but we missed last year because of the early snow. We have a huge property and they only do one treatment for us in the fall when it's most important according to them. That's the one we do but this year because of the way the lawn had to be mowed with the leaves and it was like winter so unfortunately I missed them doing that last treatment. Normally I have never had a problem with The Greenskeeper and they’ve been very responsive. If there is ever a situation they immediately come back and do the job.

Lawn Fertilization - Have used them for more than two years on the front yard. Overall grass has been kept in a reasonable shape during that period. Went a bit brown last year, but clearly that was from the heat wave with no rain that we had last summer. Treat the lawn 5 or 6 times per year and seems to go fine. Irrigation services - usually on-time. Would not rate A as a couple of times I have had to adjust the sprinkler head after they've been, so I'm not sure that they are careful enough in making sure everything lines up or that all the heads are are working as they should. They replaced the valve unit last year and that worked fine after the work.

We have used The Greenskeeper since 2009 in both our homes. After going through 3 or 4 "big name" yard care services who left our yard with brown spots all over, Jeff from the Greenskeeper came in and was THE first person who really had the expertise and knowledge to care for our lawn and remedy the issues. He immediately made adjustments to the irrigation system and was SO professional. He obviously takes pride in his work and treated our lawn as his own. We cannot say enough about the quality and care they took to turn our lawn into a beautiful green work of art. We sold our previous home in 3 weeks that year, so we took the Greenskeeper with us to our new home in Carmel. We trust our entire irrigation, fertilization, tree and shrub and outdoor pest control to the experts at Greenskeeper. If he sees even one or two dandelions he brings his crew on Saturday to remedy it -as it is unacceptable to him. Irrigation: Greenskeeper fine tunes the system and eagerly explains all aspects. A favorite phrase is "do you have any more questions?". They didn't just come and go leaving a sticker on our door- they involved us -the homeowner- as much as we liked in every aspect of the process. They repair any broken heads immediately if necessary and ensure the system is working well. Fertilization: Regular treatments that are specialized to the needs of our lawn and any issues that we have- and -if we're home) will talk us through what is being done. (not just a slip of paper) Jeff will walk the lawn and analyze the needs. Perimeter Pest Control and Tree and Shrub Care: All done and included in our package. We spend approximately 1000/year with the Greenskeeper overall.

So far, so good. I have to say I really wish people would do a little research before writing these reports. I feel like all of them judged them based on the idea that the lawn would immediately turn around. I'm no green thumb, but I at least have an idea that every lawn is different. Bob and his business were kind enough to send explanations of all their work and why certain things need to be used during certain times. They also explained I need to do MY part...which I feel like a lot of people don't do. So I'll keep using them until I feel like I have a handle on my lawn. But I have nothing but good things to say.

I am very impressed with this company. With regard to aeration, they sent letters to their customers indicating the the dry weather precludes doing a good aeration as the machine could really go no further than one inch into the hard soil. It would have been very easy for a company to not consider the dry weather and do aeration anyway. The Greenskeeper stated that it would be a waste of money to do aeration with the earth as dry as it was. Finally, after a good deal of rain, they called and stated that it would now be productive to do the aeration. I was impressed! As far as the annual work on my lawn mower, they made it look like the day I bought it. Impressive!!! I have had a couple other places work on other mowers, in the past, and they charged an arm and a leg to pick up and return, as well as making it ready for the next season. None of them can hold a candle to The Greenskeeper. Plus, they gave me a 30-day warranty on parts and work performed. I never expected that. After a very hard and dry Summer, they sent a letter indicating that they were recommending a desiccant for the arborvitae. I have quite a few. I had them come out and spray the desiccant and the trees look absolutely healthy and green. I cannot say the same for others I've seen in the area. I am thankful they contacted me about this. I didn't know such a treatment existed. Last year, the company that was treating my trees (another company I won't mention) did not notice the tent worms that invaded my arborvitae. I fired that company. The Greenskeeper was able to salvage my arborvitae and they look like they were never infected. I expect high quality service and admit that I am a picky customer. I give excellent ratings ONLY when a comany earns it. The Greenskeeper rates an A+++++! I will definitely continue to do business with this company.

My lawn is by far the weediest in the neighborhood. I've contacted the company 3 times looking for assistance, twice they just offered excuses, and once they tried to sell more services, which I approved (but they haven't bothered to perform). Not only have they non been able to kill the weeds in my lawn, they have actually spread to areas of my lawn that were previously weed-free. I won't be using them next year, because their service is simply not effective, and they don't address my concerns. Not only do I feel ripped off, but I feel embarrassed by my horrible looking lawn. The last time my dad was at my house and saw my lawn, he apologized for his recommendation, and told me that he would never recommend them again.

We were very pleased with Greenskeeper until they almost killed our dog. They have a habit of not closing the gates on backyard fences after treatment. We complained, it still happened. We have a blind, diabetic dog that has an electronic doggie door opener on her collar so she can go in and out freely so it is imperative that the gate be returned to the closed position. Knowing we would be at risk to this gate problem with other providers we decided to combat the issue by installing a tension spring on the gate so it could not be left open and would close automatically. Should have been dummy proof because the gate would have to be intentionally propped open with an object. I received a call from the vet one day because they had our dog - she had gotten out and was in bad shape. Luckily someone in the neighborhood found her and called the vet listed on her collar. Once I got her home I saw the flag in the yard and the gate propped wide open. I called the Greenskeeper and at first they offerred no explanation or apology - just that it happens and all they could do was remind the staff not to prop open the gate. I fired them on the spot. Later I received a message that they were sorry and would not charge us for the last treatment and that I should submit my vet bills for reimbursement using their PO Box. The lady stated she was sorry and that they understood why we quit thier services. That was fair and I thought we were done. A month later I received a bill in the mail from the Greenskeeper for this particular date of service with a late fee. I came home today and found that they had again serviced my yard and left another bill. This is lovely because the yard was just treated 2 days ago and now our grass will likely not survive. I am not quite sure how to effectively fire this company. Our lawn looked great but if you have pets or expect any level of customer service this company is not for you. I suspect that I will have to make a sign and put it in the front yard that reads something to the effect of "Greenskeeper should not service this yard anymore - go away."

We have used the greenskeeper for the last several years. Our yard has always looked the worst in neighborhood. Every year I ask for solutions for some irrigation problems, every year the problems do not get soved. This year our grass is mostly dead and there are so many weeds in the yard, I'm embarrassed. The only reason I remained a client is because the people are very nice. Nice is only taking my money and not doing the job they were hired to do.

Overall, we believe our money has been wasted. While I will say that our front lawn does look a bit better, the lawn between the sidewalk and curb appears to have never been treated. It's full of weeds, crab grass, and other stuff that we've never seen before. It's ugly. The neighbors who treat their own lawns...or have other companies treat their lawns...don't have this problem. It really does no justice at all to have a nice looking front lawn only to have a small strip of weeds in front of it. Consequently, I'm convinced that they treated our front lawn from the house to the sidewalk, and left the lawn from the sidewalk to the curb untreated. In addition, our back yard looks horrible. It looks like, if treated at all, they didn't treat the entire lawn...from property line to property line. Weeds grow within a few feet of the house and patio, as well as the edges of the lawn. Now...to the REALLY bad part. I called The Greenskeeprs on Tuesday, August 24th to see if I could have someone come out and discuss my lawn condition with me. (I've NEVER actually met a rep from Greenskeepers. An estimate for front and rear lawn services was left at our door, and I called to set up service.) What I was met with was, perhaps, the most unpleasant customer service experience that I've had in a long while. When I asked if someone could come out after work, I was told that the Greenkeepers "work normal business hours JUST LIKE YOU". Wow! Did I mention that I get off work at 4:00, and home by 4:30? Then, just like the customer claims in her comment prior to mine, I was told that it would be the following Monday OR Tuesday...she wasn't sure what "Jeff's" schedule looked like...before someone (I'm assuming Jeff) could come out. I asked if I could meet with someone sooner, she responded with an emphatic NO. After I hung up, I decided to look at Angie's List to see what others had reported. I was a little surprised by the very latest entry (see July 2010 entry) So, I immediately emailed the Greenkeepers the following email, which...by the way...I NEVER received a response. Here is the email copied and pasted EXACTLY as it was sent: (start) I called within the last hour to speak to someone about the condition of my lawn. I was told that Jeff would be out next Monday or Tuesday to look at it. I was also told that Greenskeepers work ?normal business hours?. I just looked at Angie?s List, which is where we found you two years ago, just to see what others were saying. I noticed the most recent report is an F; the customer was told that it would take 5-6 days before someone could come out and look at the lawn. In your response?well, I?ll just copy and paste it here: """The Member contacted us on a Thursday afternoon. Unfortunately our schedule was booked solid for the rest of the day and on Friday. Our policy is to respond to our customers within 48 business hours. Scheduling her for Monday was a reasonable response.""" Well, why was my appointment set up for next Monday OR Tuesday?she wasn?t even sure. That?s a week from now! Additionally, I think its horrible business for the lady that answers the phone to tell a customer that ?we work normal business hours like you.? I?ve been in business for myself for many years, and grew up in a family owned business. I?ve been at a customers home at 8:00 pm, I?ve worked Saturdays, and even an occasional service call on Sunday. I do what I need to do to take care of my customers. I don?t think it?s unreasonable at all to ask someone to meet me at my house to look at the lawn that I?ve paid you to treat for two years now AFTER 4:00 pm. I think if you want to keep bankers hours, you should open a bank. (end) So, AND THIS IS IMPORTANT!... I'm certain that someone from the Greenskeeprs will respond to this complaint, and say that they are wonderful and did everything they could to appease us. The fact is that we have NEVER been contacted by them. The lady that answers the phone is rude, and should not serve in a customer service capacity; it's obvious to us that they couldn't care any less about our satisfaction. If they respond here and say that they do...then they are liars as well as horrible business owners. ***UPDATE 9/4/10*** Evidently, Bob did come out and look at A yard. My wife was talking to our neighbor last night about our yard, mentioned that we've bee having the Greenskeepers treat it, and that we were not happy. Our neighbor went into her house and brought out paperwork that was left at her door earlier in the week. YOU WENT TO THE WRONG HOUSE, BOB!!! YOU INSPECTED MY NEIGHBORS LAWN!!! You're fired.

I have used Greenskeeper for years and don't know why I have stayed with them. My lawn always has problems. It is now thin and browned out, with bare spots, weeds and crabgrass. They rarely answer their phone and it sometimes takes 2 or more calls to get someone to call back. After my lawn was mowed today, I saw that I have a critical problem, having lost 1/2 my lawn, and was told by the woman that answered that it would take them 5 or 6 days before someone could come out just to look at it. When I have called about problems before they always have reasons why my lawn looks bad even if all my neighbors lawns look great. Sometime they don't even show up. I have used them now at 2 homes and have the same issues. She tried to blame me this time (without even looking at it) for not signing up for the "ring spot" treatments. I did that the last two years and it didn't help at all. I told them that the ring spot is only a small part of it. Even though I told them that I would change lawn services if they couldn't get out to look at it sooner they just said they were sorry, they would like a chance to make it right etc. but couldn't get anyone out sooner. Why didn't their own employees catch this before it went this far? I have had two of their "experts" disagree on when the ring spot treatment(s) should be done, once they scolded me for having it done too early. They scheduled it! I have done everything they have suggested in the past from aerating and overseeding to special treatments. None of my neighbors use Greenskeeper and their lawns look great. I am now done.

Bob comes to the house and prepares a written report with his recommendations. In my case, he addressed my question about whether to rip out a weed infested lawn grown from seed and put in sod. He recommended we not do so. Instead, he recommended an aggressive weeding program with reseeding this fall. We've had two applications so far, and the weeds are under control. The price per application is more costly than other lawn companies I've used before, but at least we are getting results now.

have used company for 4 years - excellent work - stand behind their work - workers are well trained - I was using Terminex for insect control and paying a lot more for equal results - grub control has basically eliminated June Bug problem

I was not expecting miracels as I had A LOT of weeds. However within a few days they started dying off. After only one treatment the lawn looks great. I had a few questions and concerns and they were handled quickly, fully, and professionally.

It is going great. The lawn looks better than it ever has after 4 treatments (last fall and early spring). They killed all the "creeping charlie" that was in my lawn in one treatment -- I had tried to kill it for years with no success. I would fully recommend their services.

The first treatment was 4/12. By chance, I was there when the Greenskeeper guys came to put down the weed & feed. My husband had some questions he wanted me to ask about the lawn. (he wanted to know if we should have the lawn rolled to remove some of the lumps & bumps. [ I was told that wasn't such a good idea - it would compact the soil too much.] I also wanted to know about the chemicals they used & how long I would have to keep my dog off the lawn after the treatment. [about an hour - and that the chemicals they used were not harmful to pets]. I was impressed with their professional manner & how my questions were answered. I have a good feeling about working with The Greenskeeper.

I do the mowing but they do everything else like fertilizing the yard. We called 3 people and he was the best as far as communicating with us was concerned. This was a brand new house with a brand new yard. Everyone likes to get a good start. He does golf courses so he is as good as one can be as far as taking care of the yard is concerned. He is cheaper than others. He has done a great job; much better than the company who did the yard work before him. We spend about $40 a month for the service. They are punctual. However, it depends on the weather. If it is raining, they will come the next day. They cannot put the fertilizer when it is raining.

They fertilize the shrubs and the trees twice a year. It is a brand new home and our trees are very young. The only reason we are using the tree service is because we want them to fertilize the trees and give them a decent start. There is no trimming involved. They only fertilize the trees and upkeep them. We pay about $100 a year for the service. They have done a good job. Young as they are, the trees are looking good.

They are pretty good. We had problems with moles around and they took care of it. They come every month and they are always on time. They are pretty prompt and do a very good job. They come and talk to us if they find any problem in the yard. They spread the right amount of fertilizers.

We're certainly happy with the work. They don't do mowing, they do fertilizing, pest control, etc. I think we pre-pay them in the Spring, I am not sure of the amount but I would say it's excellent. They always let me know when they are coming because I have to open the gate for them to get in my backyard. They set their own time to come and give me a time frame, but if it's a time that I won't be here then we can always rearrange the schedule. I wouldn't continue to use them if they didnt give me good service.

They provided all services in a timely manner and were easy to contact when questions arose concerning either their work or about other aspects of lawn maintenance. A previous provider of lawn and tree maintenance went out of business, so this was our first year with The Greenskeeper. We are looking forward to continuing with their services.

They do real good job. They are cheaper than the one I was using before and I feel that I get much better service from them. They are pretty responsive too.

They come 4 times a year for yard fertilization. Depending upon the schedule, they spray the fertilizer on time and weed control at another time. Something nice about them is that, they call you the day before they come. They seem to do a good job. I am not always at home when they come to get the work done. I am satisfied with the results of what they do.

We've noticed a great improvement in the shape of our lawn in general. One thing that I really like about their service is that there's a great receptionist. She always gets back to us with answers right away. They are great with follow-ups. They leave a flyer on our door giving us the information on what they did and what we could do to help our lawn. I really appreciate that. They are very conscientious and thorough. We had a little difficulty with one spot on the lawn and they gave us a diagnosis. They gave us a full-page letter with a number of recommendations.

We had 3 treatments done by them in this summer. They have been wonderful, as they do exactly what you contract with them. They follow through and they don?t push you to buy other services that you don?t want. We also got really good results. I will use their services again in the future.