Blossoming Beginnings

After meeting with Lisa & her husband Arthur, I thought I made a great choice to completely redo my front and back landscapes. This was back in the end of March 2018. On April 15th 2018, I gave them a $500 deposit in cash (stupid me). Like my back yard, it was all downhill from there. Well 45 days later no work has been done. I got plenty of time wasted, insane amounts of miscommunication, sporadic emails and a handful of photo-shopped images of what she wanted to do. I could write a book but I’ll just offer a small bouquet of what I was dealing with. When they came to get the deposit (one of the few times I actually saw them in person), I let her husband know the 1st estimate was too much and we needed to dial it back. He said ok no problem. So of course over 3 weeks later when I finally got the 2nd estimate it was $1000 more than the 1st! Makes sense no? Lisa angrily asked why I did not tell her I had a budget? I would think after we spoke in my back yard, the 1st thing her husband would do when he got back in the car where she was waiting was to discuss what just happened with the client and re-budget the project. Think again. After & only after I gave the deposit, they also tried to convince me that I was supposed to hire a plumber to deal with the rain water drainage run off because they do not do that type of work. Funny how none of that was mentioned until after I gave the deposit and I explicitly said that this was a main item I needed addressed by the landscaper I was hiring. They then conceded to do the work as they had originally promised. May 23rd 2018 all the miscommunication was resolved and they knew what work was to be done or so I thought. All they had to do was send me an updated invoice to sign and pay for so work could finally begin the following week. Well, 6 days later still no new invoice. On May 30th I gave up. One would think after 2 months of nonsense Lisa would take an hour to be a professional and create a new invoice. Apparently 6 days was not enough. I wonder if and when they were going to get around to creating one? Mentally exhausted and looking to end this revolving charade quickly and as amiable as possible, all I asked for was 50% of my deposit back. $250. Well true to unprofessional form, Lisa has ignored my request. She thinks she gave me 7 hours of consultation. I never met someone who "consults" with you but will not meet with you in person to actually discuss your project. Maybe that would eliminate some confusion. 7 hours of consultation was in reality 2 phone calls & 4 emailed images of my back yard with a few photo-shopped bushes and flowers thrown in. None of which I liked or followed my basic needs. Knowing this was a complete loss, all I wanted was half the money back. I did not want to share my awful experience but rather focus on now choosing the right person to get the job done. Her actions are making me share this as a warning to others. June 1st 2018, Arthur (her husband) gave me his word he would refund me $250 and I will get it within a week. As expected its 9 days later (6/9/18) and I have not heard from him nor has he or his wife responded. txt messages w time and date stamp If you are thinking of hiring them, do yourself a favor. Go in your back yard, dig a hole, hit yourself in the head with a shovel and then go sit in it. I wanted a new back and front yard. All I got from Blossoming Beginnings was 5 gallons of terrible communication, a bed of delays & a ground covering of endless excuses. For me, the only seeds they planted was misery and aggravation.