Ledden-Palimeno Landscape Co

I had a very bad experience with this company, and I would seriously caution other homeowners about contracting with them to do any substantial work on your property. I was interested in having a pergola built on my property, and I had been using Ledden Palimeno to service my irrigation system or 1 year (I just bought my home and hired them to do the winterizing of the system) so I looked on their web site and noticed that they had built one. So, I contacted them to see if they could build one with me. I worked directly with one of the principals, who I believe is the owner: Joe Palimeno. Mr. Palimeno turned out to be extremely unprofessional. The problems started at the outset. First, Mr. Palimeno scheduled a time to visit my property after some back and forth on email. Because I work in management, I went to considerable effort to clear a schedule - weeks in advance - to be at home during the time he was available. I was thus shocked to learn from Mr. Palimeno himself, shortly before our meeting, that he was attending a ball game in Philadelphia with another client and thus could not meet with me on the day we had scheduled for several weeks. I was shocked, but didn't say anything. I tried to be flexible, and we found another time (again involving me clearing my schedule to be there during the work day hours when he preferred to meet). After this meeting, Mr. Palimeno delivered an estimate of approximately $12,000 to build the pergola, and he indicated that "once" he received a deposit in the amount of almost $4,000 (or 1/3 rd of the project cost) he would send me a design of the pergola. I mailed him the deposit check on April 12, and it posted to my account on April 17. I heard nothing from Mr. Palimeno, and after 5 weeks I contacted him to inquire about the design sketch. He did respond and said he was busy, but would get something to me but didn't say when. I pushed for a specific date, and asked if it was possible to have it by June 1 (almost 6 weeks after the deposit was cashed). He didn't agree to that, but did say he would have it to me at the end of the following week (which would have been the 7th week from when he cashed the just under $4,000 deposit). He never sent the design sketch after the specific date he said he would. At this point I sent an admittedly pointed, but professional email to Mr. Palimeno stating that he was giving the impression the job was not important to him. I explained my concern that he was consistently stating he was going to do something but then failed to do it. I was shocked again when he canceled the job with a terse and bizarre email stating things "just won't work out between us." Not a single time throughout this interaction did he offer an apology, or any semblance of a recognition of the lapses on his end. What was particularly frustrating for me is that I had worked with several contractors to get quotes for this project, but chose Ledden Palimeno and was stuck on their schedule for almost 3 months while they held the deposit. I had expressed to Mr. Palimeno that I had several important family events over the summer and wanted to enjoy the pergola in the yard for these events, but now I am off the schedule with the other contractors and won't have a pergola built this summer. Again, not once did Mr. Palimeno find the ability to pull up inside of himself the ability to say he was sorry. Let me summarize my experience with Ledden Palimeno: The owner sets the tone for the company: he says he will do something, then doesn't, gives the impression a $12,000 job is not important, and refuses to even acknowledge an apology or do anything to smooth over an upset customer. Be wary of working with people and companies like this.

No response a week after Angie's List messaging.

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