Homeowners Reveal Lawn Care Scams and Shoddy Service …

After paying for lawn treatment for more than a year, Angies List member Carol Campbell of San Antonio became suspicious because her lawn's appearance didn't improve. Her technician always came when she was away, and she only knew hed been there after noticing the treatment markers in her yard.

Deciding to set up her own sting operation, she pretended not to be home the next time he came. "The technician rang the doorbell, which I didn't answer, but instead watched as he 'treated' my lawn," she recounted in her 2012 review. "The treatment consisted of the technician walking to the backyard, placing a treatment stake in the yard, and then walking around to the front yard and doing the same. He then got into his truck and drove off. Nothing other than the lawn stake was applied to my lawn."

Campbells review is just one of several that detail negative experiences members have had with lawn fertilization and treatment companies. Unlike with mowing, lawn treatment doesnt produce immediate results, so it can be difficult to monitor the quality of service. In some cases, homeowners went months or even years before realizing they were paying for shoddy service.

Here are four of the top complaints we found in member reviews:

Several members described companies that were eager to take their business, but then avoided them like the plague.

Many cited frustration with trying to file a complaint or dispute a bill. In most cases, the members were unhappy with the quality of service, and when they tried to complain to the company, their calls were never returned or they were told a manager would come out and correct the problem. But as the days turned into weeks, nobody ever returned their calls, and a manager never came to assess their lawns.

"Not only was the fertilizing service poorly done, but when I called to ask them to improve, I never could reach them and they never called me back," wrote Anthony M. of Wexford, Pa., in a September 2012 Angie's List review. "The only time they called me back was to sell me more services." His review noted how he was never able to reach the local office, and all of his complaints were sent to an out-of-state call center.

In another complaint, members said their providers started treatment without first inspecting their lawns.

The members said they hired the company after getting an extremely low quote over the phone. However, when the technician arrived to treat the lawn, they were told there was an unforeseen problem, additional treatments would be needed and, of course, it would cost more money.

Whether a scam was involved or not, many members reported that they paid the extra money out of fear that their lawns would deteriorate. The ones who refused the upcharge were disappointed because they received only partial service.

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Homeowners Reveal Lawn Care Scams and Shoddy Service ...