BRUMLEY GARDENS

Description of Work: Landscape Design & installation of Front double tiered flower beds

Description of Work: Landscape work

Description of Work: Front bed landscaping.

Description of Work: Excavation of plants and 2-3 inches of soil in the front yard, plant bed prep, and installation of decomposed granite.

Description of Work: They installed front landscaping for us.

Description of Work: Weekly lawn care and annual color.

Description of Work: Weekly maintenance

Description of Work: I have shopped at Brumley Gardens off and on for years. It's a charming place with great merchandise, and, I thought, a great staff. (At least the lady at the front counter who usually handles my purchases is nice ...). Early this spring, I decided to contract them for a landscaping job: three small areas in my yard/patio, with plants, rocks, etc. I won't give the landscape designer's name who came over and took pictures, expounded on all kinds of great ideas, told me we'd go rock shopping together, etc. etc. etc. I explained my budget and my timeframe. He had great ideas. Seemed enthusiastic and didn't blink when I told him my budget and my timeframe: I wanted everything done by May 1 -- for weather reasons, for travel reasons, etc. etc. etc. The designer told me he was behind 'by about a week' but would get a plan to me in about 10 days. Three weeks went by. No plan. No phone call. No checking in. I went to the store. I asked the designer about project status. He acted like he didn't know me, but said I was 'next'. Three more weeks go by. No calls. No check-ins. I finally talk to the owner, who says that they are having the 'best spring ever' and that they are completely overwhelmed with jobs. Goody for them, but what about MY project? He suggests someone else on their staff. After deciding that their approach to customers really, really SUCKS, I write the owner and the original designer an e-mail, explaining why I am cancelling the project. (The interim guy they suggested quit two days after contacting me, by the way. Wonder Why?) In the e-mail, I make a constructive suggestion that, in future, they try to stay in touch with clients better re: status, delays, etc. I'm an understanding and mostly flexible person, but I felt completely ignored by Brumley Gardens. Like my project didn't matter and neither did I. The response to my e-mail from the owner is a nasty, whiney lecture about how I shouldn't wait so long to request landscape work done. That I should have contacted them back in January, blah-blah-blah. That I should know better. No apologies re: lying about and misrepresenting their ability/willingness to handle my job when they clearly knew, all along, that they were overwhelmed. Then I was pointedly told that existing customers come first and so, basically, tough luck. As a former PR and marketing exec, I wish them well with their overly defensive and indefensible approach to customers. Had they been honest over the last two months, I could have contracted with someone else and gotten my project done in the timeframe I was looking for. But because I operated in good faith with a company that doesn't do the same, I'm stuck without the work done. The little lecture from the owner was the last straw. I've talked to several other people in the area who have had dealings with Brumley Gardens, and they all report various levels of being sassed at, condescended to or out-and-out bitched at ripped off by and mistreated by this group. I have let them know that I will not be recommending them to anyone I know for anything. Whatever happened to 'the customer comes first'?These guys have a lot to learn.