Lawn Connections

Sometimes they miss some strips of grass.

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When it comes to landscaping maintenance, most people take an "out of sight, out of mind" approach. Honestly, I can't say I'm much different. When it comes to basic maintenance, I want the typical issues addressed in a timely, reliable, professional fashion. If I have additional needs, as I have with flowers, hardscapes, and the like, I want to see attention to detail, creativity, passion, and professionalism. After working with Lawn Connection for years, I can say they meet that criteria, and never disappoint. Wait, what's that? NEVER DISAPPOINTING? Bold statement, you're thinking. Perhaps. But at the end of the day, that's what's made this relationship one of the most satisfying I've had when it comes to any work done on my home. No, I'm not saying I never have questions or concerns--that would be ridiculous, especially given the very "nature" of landscaping care. What sets Lawn Connections apart, aside from the reliable service, is the attention to providing unparalleled customer service. They send me letters outlining service schedules, seasonal changes, and even give me a little insight into the company's growth. As a professional in a small business environment myself, I enjoy the idea that my client relationship matters and is what makes another local business family grow and prosper. When I have an issue--and heck, how can that not happen--all I have to do is bring it to their attention. Seeding problems? Fertilizer concerns? Pesticide inquiries? Design questions? I ask. I get an answer. I get an EXPLANATION. If something isn't done right, it gets FIXED. There are never excuses. Honestly, I rarely have any concerns, but I think it's important for others looking for these services on Angie's List to know that this place deals with problems the right way. That's what sets them apart.

My poor experience with this company one year ago is what prompted me to join Angie's List. The first thing they did on my 1 acre heavily wooded property was an overall clean-up, which they actually did a decent job of with the exception of only hauling off half the debris they were supposed to take away from the backyard (they said they'd come back to get the rest, but weeks later they never had). Then they installed about 20 different trees and other plants that I selected, and this is where I first noticed problems. Doing a simple youtube or google search about how to plant trees, shrubs, etc., you can learn how to do it: dig a hole 2x bigger than the container, amend the soil, make a basin around the plant so that water doesn't just run off, apply root stimulator. The Lawn Connections (LC) crew took a very different approach: dig a hole just big enough for the root ball to fit in, plop it in, done. In some cases they even took the heavy clay that had been dug out of the hole and covered the root ball with it -- insuring that any water applied would simply run off without penetrating to the plant. Needless to say, despite paying $25-$45 per hole, about half of the plants I paid Lawn Connections to put in the ground ultimately died. Once all the (shoddy) planting was done they then began to do the weekly mowing, trimming, weeding, and leaf removal which I was to pay $452/month for. From the VERY FIRST WEEK the weeding was NEVER done. As a result, weeds quickly began to overtake our numerous flower beds. I both called and e-mailed about this to LC (including sending pictures of the weeds) but never heard back from the owner Chris Jamieson until I withheld payment for the weeding (I did pay for the mowing and trimming) after it had not been done for six weeks in a row (it was supposed to be done every week during the spring and summer months for a cost of $45/week). When he finally replied by e-mail he said he "understood my concerns, stood behind his work", etc. but was terminating our maintenance plan because he didn't like the way "I resolved the weeding issue unilaterally" by not paying for the work (weeding) that wasn't done. No big deal because by that point we had joined Angies List to look for another provider anyway, but that was a truly laughable response. "I don't like that you're not paying me for the work I'm not doing, so I quit". I'm 46 years old and this was one of the most mystifying customer service experiences I've had in my entire life. I am happy to share the entire e-mail thread of my communications with Chris Jamieson along with accompanying photos with any Angie's List members (I'm sure Mr. Jamieson will have a very different version of this story). A year later my wife and I can laugh about it, especially since we've been so pleased with the lawn service provider we got after our terrible experience with Lawn Connections.

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I have been using these guys since Spring 2012 and I think the price is good and the service is too. They have replaced any sprinkler heads they hit without my asking. They also stop blowing/weedeating when my young children come outside to get in the car for school. They do a good job overall on the lawn and even adjusted their cut height after I called the office and asked them to cut it a little shorter. I have found the office staff very friendly and helpful too. I will use them again in 2013.

I needed a company to mow and edge my yard temporarily while I recovered from Eye surgery. I did not use Angies list this time because honestly did not think about it and was in a hurry. I just did a quick google search and read about this company and how they cared about how they cut the grass. I called and the lady said they would e-mail me a time and date they would start. They did not ask a day but that was OK. They did just that and started a few days later. They mowed and edged once a week for two weeks (no contracts!). They bill direct to my credit card. I am particular about my yard. I told them I wanted it to be mowed no lower than 2.5" and they did just that. They even mowed in vertical patterns to make the yard look nice (I did not ask for that). Mowing vertical on my yard is not as easy as horizontal so I know the guys cared about what he was doing. There is 3-4 guys that do the yard so they are very fast. After two times, I canceled because I was able to mow again myself. They gave me no hassle about canceling. I was not even going to write a review but recently my father is looking for somebody to do his bushes so I looked up this company on Angies list and saw they had one bad review that seemed very very odd. I also saw the owners reply which I agreed with so thought they deserved a good review from me. I have also told my father to call them to talk about doing their bushes. I will report back about that experience if all goes OK.

It just kept getting worse. They mowed at erratic times, would sometimes not show up at all, and have double billed on at least one occasion. But the worst thing of all is that when I cancelled my service because I sold my home they gave out my email address to some very aggressive spammers and a very well know pornographic magazine's mailing list. It started the same day as my cancellation. I get about 10 spam and phishing emails a day now and at least twice a week I get pornographic images emailed straight to my work inbox. This is unacceptable.