Bera & Son Landscaping Inc

Ernesto reviewed all the details of how to correct the drainage problem and also identified that our new patio was in danger of being destabilized by the pooling water. He arrived at 7:00 an with a crew and they hand dug out a deep hole to install a dry well that can absorb all the excess water. He ensured “JULIE” was contacted to flag all the buried lines and all the digging was done by hand to minimize damage to tree root systems. They dug through the hard clay level that is common in Grayslake subdivisions and sunk a well below ground level that can handle large rain events. They also pulled out a collapsed railroad tie structure supporting my garden that was approximately 6 feet wide and 15 feet long. They also shifted it to allow proper drainage to the sewer drain rather than just keep the same footing. The new garden has 6x6 timbers that are resistant to rotting and are now anchored with rebar and nailed together. The trees were all hand pruned with saws and all refuse was cleaned up. The team was very polite and considerate of my neighbors with parking their trucks. Bera and Sons keep very busy so I made sure to book them in March because they have a solid base of repeat customers that lock them in by early April. His prices are appropriate for the quality of work and It is a family business that takes pride in their reputation. My neighbor saw what they were doing and booked them for lawn maintenance on the spot.

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Ernesto came over for the quote, and he was great... very nice and professional and I liked what he was telling me they could do for my yard. I guess I did not ask specific enough questions though, because I paid $600 for mulch, which is about average for what I have paid each year because I get premium mulch and all... but when they spread the mulch, it was barely half an inch in coverage. I questioned them, and they said they only do more for new landscaping projects... I let it go though because I did not specifically ask them... I assumed, as every year when I order premium at that price, I get at least 2, if not 3 inch coverage. I also asked about the trimming of all the bushes and pruning the trees and such... and he said yes it was included... I am not sure where that translation was lost, because they didn't do any of that... so when I asked, I was told it was extra. I specifically remember asking about it, but he said he recalled me asking about trimming/edging the grass.... anyways... I let that go too, even though I have not known a spring clean up to not have that included in the package price... but whatever... I asked Marisa in the office how much extra and asked when they can do it, but she never responded, so I left it alone and ended up doing it myself. I also specifically asked for weed control in the mulch beds during the maintenance in the weekly lawn service and he agreed to that... so when I questioned it (as the weeds went incredibly insane in my yard, both in the mulch beds and in the lawn itself) only after I questioned that as well did they start to do a little bit... but all they did was just spray weed killer on the giant weeds and fried spots in my lawn.... anyways, I ended up doing all the mulched areas myself as well.... and to top it all off, before agreeing to the contract, I asked if they can do any day after 5pm for the weekly service, and he said yes and told me Tuesdays would work...  so I shook his hand and each day on Tuesday I came straight home from work to get there just before them and unlocked the gate and kept the dogs in so they can work. So anyways, as I already stated a few of the problems that came about after the first 3 or 4 services... but then it just kept getting worse and they just went downhill... along my back lot line, they were supposed to keep it cleared to a certain treeline that I told Ernesto about during the quote... but they never did... they just cut one line with the mower behind the chain link fence, and the rest became wildly overgrown... they also were very unprofessional and sloppy in their work and they would just ram into my fence gate when they needed to get the rider mower in and out of it... I thought that was so rude and unprofessional, but the gate looked ok so I let it go.... UNTIL... I noticed the guy turning around in the back at the fenceline and seemed to be in a weird spot.... anyways, the next day I was outside to do weed maintenance (because the people I had paid to do so, weren't....) and I noticed a HUGE dent in my chain link fence... in two spots! and it was the exact spot where I saw the guy turning around weird on the mower... and after looking at it closer, it is definitely from the mower ramming into it trying to turn around... and he never told me! so I reported it to Marisa... twice, because she never responded until 2 days later! and then I was told that Ernesto was going to come out and look at it... but he wasn't going to come until the next week's Tuesday service... well the next Tuesday I rushed straight home as usual for them.... and waited.... I realize they can get behind because of weather or whatever, so I was not too concerned... but... after 2.5hrs of waiting and no word from them at all, I contacted marisa to ask where they were and how much longer till they get there.... she responded that Ernesto said he was coming out tomorrow to mow the lawn himself and look at the fence.... I asked why she didn't tell me this earlier and why she didn't tell me until I contacted her after waiting 2.5hrs for them... she did not respond.... so then Wednesday, Ernesto showed up... to look at the fence... not to mow... ??! but anyways... he acted genuinely like he cared- he said the crew was switched for my property and guess they didn't get all the info on what was to be done.... I showed him the fence and he assessed it and said he could definitely fix it and he measured the area that would need the links replaced.... I showed him the areas that were looking very bad and the mulch, etc... he really did seem to care, and again, he acted so genuine that I was not even mad- I really felt like he cared and was going to make it better and fix everything... he said the crew could get out the next day, but I couldn't do that, so he said Friday, and I let him even pick the time... and he said 6pm.. so I said that's fine, I would make sure to be here... and I did.... Friday at 6pm came.... and went.... and I waited over another hour.... and I contacted them to find out what was going on... and absolutely NO RESPONSE whatsoever this time.... well I had things to do, so I left a message that I was leaving and for the crew not to come out now till Tuesday at their regular scheduled time..... Marisa never responded at all..... AT ALL! so the next Tuesday, I contacted her four times from 8am until 4pm asking for them to confirm that the crew was coming at 5 for the service.... NO RESPONSE at all.... but I got there by 5 anyways.... and I waited... and they did not show.... so this time I decided to call them... nonstop.... but of course it is marisa's cell phone so she has caller id and did not take my call.... so I left a message asking where they were... then I kept calling and leaving the same message, varying slightly each time, nonstop... and I also sent text messages.... I pretty much blew up her phone... until she finally responded..... by EMAIL.... what a coward!! she said that the crew will not be servicing my property anymore... she said that it was because they changed their entire schedule just for my property at 5pm and the guys wanted overtime because of it.... and that because the yard wasn't coming out, that it "wasn't fair to us to continue giving you the service".... yes... that is what she said..... she claims they will pay for the fence to be fixed if I mail them the receipts... we shall see on that part... but for their sake, I sure hope they do..... but I was absolutely LIVID!! I told her not to dare blame me for rearranging their schedule... I asked if there was a day they could do after 5... and I was told yes..... if they said no, then I would have picked something else?!?! how DARE she blame me! and also- what lawn company doesn't have several crews and work after 5 when majority of people are home?? if they don't, then fine... but they never told me it was a problem at all.... !! And for her or Ernesto to not tell me of their decision... to do it the way they did... I will never forgive them- and if this is how they treat customers, then people need to know! This is supposed to be a family business?? What a shame!!! So now, my lawn hasn't been kept in over two weeks.... and there have never ever been more weeds right in and throughout my entire lawn ever before... it is disgusting... and now I have to find a new company to start it up practically from scratch and need another whole 'cleanup' service.... Ernesto and Marisa should be completely ashamed of themselves! and I feel bad for 'Bera' and the bad name they have put on his company....

Ernesto and his crew did a great job! The work was completed in a very short time.

They pay attention to detail, clean up areas around trees and bushes, and my lawn has never looked better.  Highly recommend!

Initial estimate included clean up, weed and feed, mulch, power raking, aerating, seeding.
We requested advance notice of service because of dogs and locked gates.  After a no-show, called and was told we'd see them Monday morning, early.  Showed up afternoon Monday, again with no notice.
Spring clean-up was done satisfactorily, as well as mulch in front garden.  It does appear fertilizing occurred and that power-raking was performed,  There was no aeration.  As days and a couple weeks passed, it also appears there was no seeding done, and there isn't a single sickly weed in the yard. If anything, they've been fertilized into growing more than ever.  Grassless areas remain grassless.
Invoice received included an extra charge for lawn service, which wasn't performed beyond spring clean up.  Initial phone call message to discuss was never returned.  After another invoice was received, another voicemail was left, with follow-up taking a couple days to occur.  It was agreed that lawn service charge was inappropriate and could be removed.  Expressed concern about lack of any dead weeds and was told there'd be some sort of follow-up.  Inquired about next service and nothing exact could be provided.
Another few days, and nothing heard back, so paid the invoice minus the lawn service and cancelling any further service.

They are are on time and quick. They do good edging around the flower gardens. I would highly recommend them to anyone.

We hired Bera to do our fall cleanup.  We were please with their services, but were charged for things we didn't ask for.  We decided at the time to not make an issue of it and hired them for spring clean up.  The service was acceptable but the same thing happened with the invoice.  There were extra charges that should have been included in the price.  During this time in discussing their invoice with them, I found out that they are not honoring the contract I signed with the company for bi-weekly lawn service.  Apparently between receiving their proposal for bi-weekly service; receiving, signing, and returning the contract to the company, they decided they could not honor the contract unless I agreed to weekly lawn service.  Extremely disappointed they could not honor their contract.

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They are very good. They are great. They even weed in my garden. The price is very good too. They are so nice and they would do anything for you. I just like them. He is doing pretty good.

Great company! They maintain our lawn for us on a weekly basis. The team is efficient, professional, and does a great job with the lawn! We would definitely recommend! They offer a variety of services, such as fall cleanup and gutter cleaning, for a fair price. We really are appreciative to have found a reliable company to help us maintain our property!

they do an excellent job. they will help and do anything i ask them to. they are reliable and dedicated. they know their plants and flora and do an excellent job trimming hedges, bushes and trees. i don't pay the bill, but my husband says they are very reasonable.

When I called for a quote, they made an appointment, and were ON TIME. I was given a professional estimate in writing, as well as direct line to owner. They return calls quickly and professionally.

They do a really good job. The quality is excellent. They do exactly what you want done and are very nice to work with.

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They come every week, they have the best price they charge 27$ for the lawn, they did a lot of stuff in the beginning like spring clean up and they put in an underground pipe drain for 600$ and they cleaned up every thing. they saw any thing that needed to be done and they did it. They are always here, and the owner is always here to supervise to make sure they did the work well.

Ernesto was very professional and we were excited to work with him, especially since we found out that he also does brickwork in addition to landscaping.  Unfortunately after contacting him and informing him that we would like him to perform the services quoted in his estimate (weekly lawn service, annual fertilization, spring clean-up, removal of bushes, removal and replacement of a French drain, and leveling and sodding of our backyard) we have had to inform him that we will no longer require his services.  They came out unannounced in April to do the spring clean-up and power raking but we had to call him to ask when he'd be out to do the regular cutting as approximately three weeks had passed since their first visit and our lawn was getting very, very long.  We were told that the work on the bushes, drain, and sod would be performed on two separate dates however they failed to show.  They never arranged a schedule to be out to perform the routine services either.

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They've been very good. I would recommend them. It would be someone to call and talk to about estimate. They're very good and very polite. They did good work.

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We couldn't be more pleased. Ernesto had given me all the prices up front except the one drain because he wasn't sure what he would need to do until he dug it up. They were very efficient and got right to work. They even fixed our firewood rack. They came back another day to put down the mulch. It looks super. We are going to have him take care of our lawn all summer and fall. His prices are the best I've seen.

Bera and Sons does their work well and are very friendly to interact with. Some of their services seem overpriced (mulch is particularly expensive), but they are reliable and the quality of the work is high, so you get what you pay for. It's easiest to speak with them in person as they tend to be unreliable returning cell phone calls.