KERN LAWN SERVICE INC

They use leaf blowers for light snow removal at 4:00 a.m.! Woke up the neighborhood. For heavier snow they blow it into the alley and leave it right there in the middle. Kern is the worst you could imagine. Owners were called, but seemed powerless over their workforce and actually suggested I call the police with noise complaints (on their own company!). Go elsewhere for snow removal at all costs.

It got off to a poor start and went downhill from there. Snow removal at our association involves removal of snow on city streets, private sidewalks in the back, front and back steps, decks and approaches, and the private driveway around our garages. Snow removal in one or more of these areas was not performed after almost every snowfall. The snow removal crews frequently changed so they were not familiar with our requirements and had no checklist. Someone in the association would tell them what needed to be done but then a different crew would show up the next time, again with no checklist or orientation regarding what was required. Plus, the quality of the work was poor. They often removed snow over grassy areas, sometimes next to the sidewalks and sometimes in areas where there was no sidewalk. In one instance, on a warmer winter day, the snow blower discharge of mud and turf was blown against the side of one of our garages where it froze. By spring the grass in these areas was dead. But the biggest problem was damage. The fence by our garages was knocked over by one of the bobcat operators and then further damaged later on by piling heavy snow against it. Kern stated that they would fix the problem but only replaced one of the support poles. John Kern told us to fix the remaining damage to the panels and send him the bill. We did so and invoiced him three times. Kern never paid. In the discussion about the fence damage Kern insinuated that the damage was our fault because the fence had been improperly installed resulting in rot. There was no rot in any of the broken boards. And to make matters even worse, the bottom step on every entry in our association, sixteen in all, were damaged by the snow blowers ramming into the lower steps resulting in deep gouges, not just little nicks here and there. The pictures below were taken immediately after the snow removal crew left.

Services were rendered on a timely manner each snow fall

It didn't. Wrote to Kerns on their website in the Contact Us explaining what I would like done. Waited over 24 hours, never heard anything. Called the business phone number and was told to call John Kerns cell phone. Left message with contact information just as I did on their website and still have not heard a word. Now I understand that this is a very busy time for them but at least have the common courtesy to call or email me to let me know. I am also on a tight deadline to get this project completed and now I have to start all over after wasting 3 days on this.

Kern's guys do an excellent job!

The workmen did a terrific job. Their workmanship in fitting stone and building retaining wall was superb. They cleaned up every day during a 4 day project. Kern was also responsive to a couple of adjustment we made along the way. We had on site Kasota Stone of our own and they mixed and matched with additional stone to create a very pleasing wall. They disposed of railroad ties in a safe and environmentally manner at a hazardous waste site.

Kern is very professional and easy to work with. I haven't had a single issue with their services.

He never called for the work quote. Completely unprofessional and rude to be honest! People wonder why I end up going to a large company! I tried to find a local crew to support our area. Big mistake!

all sod took perfectly, and still looks great 1yr later. In and out quickly really made my home look great !

Kern LS has consistently done an excellent job in every task I hired them for. This included the installation of a new sod lawn in our front yard in 2014, winter snow removal, lawn fertilization/weed control, and mulch installation. The lawn they planted was high quality sod that was professionally installed very quickly. They had a large crew of guys that were very attentive to details. When they missed something, John had them back to fix it the same day. The sod has done very well despite being planted in a challenging yard with large mature trees that cast a lot of shade. Kern also handled our winter snow removal. We paid for priority removal, and the snow was consistent shoveled within a few hours of the end of the store. They usually used snow blowers and shovels, but used the truck for our driveway a couple times when it was deep. Their snow removal contract really favors the contractor (overages for deep snow and >5 trips to the home per month) but the quality of their work was worth the cost. Their office was always responsive to billing inquiries and John was very reponsive via text and email. They can autobill your credit card, which was a plus.

Very nice experience with Kern's. Great staff and honest. They offer a blended soils specially for raised garden beds. It's a blend of topsoil, compost, and sheep manure. I ordered 3 cubic yards for delivery. My request was last minute but they were able to deliver the next day with no additional charge. I live 5 miles away from Kern's and delivery cost was $70. Other local garden centers (Gertens) charge $90 for delivery. They delivered it exactly where we requested and in a nice neat pile. The soil was nice but I have a few concerns. Their compost is made with yard waste that customers drop off, so I knew that this was a bit of a crap shoot. There was lots of clay so I had to add more manure to lighten it up a bit. Also, it was full of seeds that promptly began to sprout. My understanding is that that happens when the compost pile isn't turned completely. A bummer....because spent the money for the convenience of not having to amend yet had to do it anyway. Overall, my plants are doing great and the folks at Kern's are very nice and knowledgeable. Would probably seek a source with cleaner compost next time, but would use these guys for other landscaping materials.

Promptly plowed snow.. Handled special needs and details professionally, for our child care facility.

Great job. Would recommend. A bit expensive, I thought.

The truck arrived as scheduled and did a very accurate job of dumping the dirt where I asked. Sometimes such simple requests can go very wrong, but Kern came through. I'll call them again!

A little spendy, but they do great work, with a lot of guys and they do it quick.

There is nothing to dislike. They're very responsible and they do the job.

They were reffered to us by a trustworthy peer that is also in the industry. We contacted them in late fall for some work we wanted done this spring. The owner came out and was friendly and knowledgeable. We had quite a large amount of work we wanted done; including grading, plantings a retaining wall and possibly a patio. We were eager to receive a bid on the work we wanted done but, even after calling and emailing him, we never received a bid. He kept saying he was busy and would eventually send me a bid but we never did.

Service has been great. They do a quality job without fail.

Asked them to call us regarding snow removal services. They never responded to my message.

They did a fantastic job! The yard had gotten completely out of control, so it was quite the undertaking to clear everything out. They were prompt and courteous, and cleaned everything up each day. They were able to repurpose some of our existing plants, and hauled away all the other debris.

When we have a rare problem, John personally comes and makes sure things are and quot;rightand quot;.

Kern Lawn Service is responsive and does excellent work. They removed our asphalt driveway five years ago and installed a beautiful paver drive. Other projects included stone retaining walls and fireplace. I think their pricing is competitive based on the quality work performed.

I have been quite happy with Kern's services and responsiveness.

They are reliable and do very good work for a good price. A real value compared to other yard service companies we have hired.

I had regular weekly lawn service through this company last spring and summer and had many problems:-Took out a 3 foot by 3 inch piece of my fence, left it in the alley and said nothing. -Ran into my fence again and loosened the base plate for a four foot section.-Ran into the dryer vent on the side of the house and then ran it over destroying it. -First cut the lawn too long, then too short causing areas of grass to die. -Cut the lawn using a dull blade leaving tufts of grass uncut, looked terrible. I called and complained about all of the above and eventually told them to send a new crew. Not sure if they did or not as I'm not home during the day. The biggest problem I have is the way they handled these problems. They never offered to repair my fence or my dryer vent and in their own words had a stack of complaints on their desk that they still needed to address. I cancelled my service and won't use them again. Pros: -Always showed up on the scheduled date, except for the fall cleanup. -Price was ok, I think I was paying about $100/month or something in that area.