I am the owner of a rental property in Gulf Breeze, Florida, I live in another part of the state. I contacted Mr. Hartley in early 2012 about providing lawn care/maintenance. I also needed re-sodding. I asked Mr. Hartley if he could take care of everything. I needed an individual/company who could do it all. He said he could, that he subcontracted out weed/pesticide treatment and re-sodding, but that he would be my go-to guy to get it all done. So, I hired him. He stated to me, in writing, his services would be $170 April-Oct, $85 Nov-March for lawn care, plus the cost for treating for weeds/insects. He also said "If I recommend any form of extra work like fertilizer, winterizer, lawn feed, I will bring it to your attention on the month before invoice so you can either call and say yes or no to it". My FIRST mistake was not signing a contract with him...he never offered one. As soon as I verbally hired him, we immediately began discussing re-sodding my back lawn. We discussed over the phone Centipede vs. St. Augustine grass, pros, cons, etc. and WE decided on ST. AUGUSTINE. He e-mailed me a quote for ST. AUGUSTINE grass (specifically stated in his e-mail). In a few weeks, when it came time to start the project, he told me he needed another $140 for an extra pallet of "sod"; he had miscalculated the amount of sod needed. I cut a check for ST. AUGUSTINE grass (written in the memo section) for $2590 to HIS sub-contractors, mailed it to him (at his suggestion), and he gave it to them. He said they needed paid in full up front, that they wouldn't take partial payment with the remainder due at project's end (which I later found out to be incorrect). The project was initiated (after my check cleared) and on March 12 he informed me the yard was rotovated, clear of old grass/weeds, and the "sod" would be going down the following week....he would keep me informed "every step of the way". After not hearing from him, I e-mailed him on the 20th and asked about the re-sodding. He informed me only then that the first batch of sod was not good enough, they refused it, and the new sod would be laid, coincidentally, that day. After not hearing from him, I contacted him on the 26th of March. He said "all went well". TWO DAYS later, on the 28th, Mr. Hartley informed me part of the "turf" didn't take, they'd watch it, and he assured me the sub-contractor would replace it if it didn't take. I started to become concerned....something didn't feel right. On the 29th, I e-mailed Mr. Hartley asking for an invoice. He said he'd call them "tomorrow". April 9th - no word about the sod taking or not, what was being done, and still no invoice. I contacted Mr. Hartley again; on April 10th he said he'd leave another message for them. Two days later, on the 12th, he told me that the subcontractor (coincidentally?) "just mailed it". I received the invoice on the 14th, and to my shock discovered only then that CENTIPEDE grass had been placed (it was also at this point that I found out, as it states on the invoice, that "half down is required to start all projects" and "[you] agree to pay invoice in full when due"). I called Mr. Hartley and expressed my frustration and anger. He was very argumentative and vehemently stated he quoted me prices for CENTIPEDE grass. Only when I read him his e-mails explicitly stating ST. AUGUSTINE grass did he acknowledge he may have made a "mistake" in writing St. Augustine grass in his e-mails, but he MEANT Centipede grass all along. ????? I said we needed to come up with a mutually agreeable solution. He offered $100 of lawn care; I said that was not acceptable and he asked if I expected him to "work his [expletive] off for free?!". He FINALLY offered to reimburse me the difference between the cost of Centipede and St. Augustine sod, which I appreciated. I appreciated it so much that, and because I am a nice guy who wants to give people the benefit of the doubt, I told him that his acknowledgement of his mistake and his willingness to make it right was good enough for me at this point (I wanted to be as reasonable as possible) and I just wanted and expected great service/communication in the future. He promised he would provide that. Continuing to accept his services was my SECOND mistake. April 26th I still had not heard from Mr. Hartley if that strip of sod that didn't take back in March was replaced. I sent him an e-mail inquiring about it. He replied the next day and said it was scheduled to be replaced "next week" (again, conveniently?). I then took matters into my own hands and called the subcontractors directly (I had their number only from their invoice) and asked them to notify me directly when it was replaced. They said they would. About two weeks passed....no word. I called the subcontractors back and they said they had replaced it, Mr. Hartley knew about it, and they assumed he had notified me. Talk about poor communication and people not following through with what they say they're going to do! Time went by and I assumed everything was being taken care of. The back lawn is now fully re-sodded and the lawn in being taken care of by Mr. Hartley. Aug 6th I received an e-mail from Mr. Hartley stating that, because of all the rain, weeds were "in force" in the lawn (this included the newly re-sodded back lawn). I stated my concerns to him about this in an e-mail on Aug 8th. Was the sod of good quality to begin with? Was the ground adequately prepared before placing the new sod? etc., etc. He reassured me, adamantly, that it was because of all the rain. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I agreed for Mr. Hartley to allow a "buddy" of his to give an estimate for treating the weeds. Aug 12th, I received an e-mail from Mr. Hartley asking if the price were $60-$70 (which he estimated), did I want his [buddy] to treat for weeds, and if so, did I want Mr. Hartley to pay for it and he bill me, or did I want billed directly from his "buddy"? I said I wanted billed directly, with an invoice and I asked who this "buddy" was and what the name of his business was (Mr. Hartley had never told me). In a reply e-mail on Aug 12th, Mr. Hartley told me "I'll call you as soon as he calls me so you know exactly what you are getting and the exact price". He also told me the guy's name and his business name. I never heard anything from Mr. Hartley until Aug 22nd, when he asked me to call him. He told me then that there was also a problem with Mole crickets and his subcontractor could treat for those as well. Hurricane Isaac then hit and I assumed nothing had been done yet because of that, again giving the benefit of the doubt. Time went by and I was never told the lawn had been treated and I never received an invoice for either service. I now have to assume that the services were never done. On Sept 30th, I sent Mr. Hartley an e-mail asking about the weeds and mole crickets. He sated in a reply e-mail the weeds were "nearly gone" and the mole crickets "I think" were treated. He would call first thing the following morning. The next day I did not hear anything from Mr. Hartley. I e-mailed him again. Mr. Hartley replied on Oct 3rd that he "just spoke with [buddy]" and an invoice would be sent that week. Again, no word from anyone and no invoice for treating the weeds or mole crickets. Nov 30 I received Mr. Hartley's monthly invoice for lawn care. It was for $210 - $170 monthly lawn care + $40 for winterizer. ????? I STILL did