"They did an excellent job repairing, cleaning, and staining our deck. We appreciate the hard work and will hire again"

"I cannot, unfortunately, join in the rave reviews this company gets.  Let me explain in detail.
 
Last fall I moved into a new home, and the builder did a crappy job with the lawn.  In the spring, I paid Nagas $4,000 for what was supposed to be a fresh start with lots of topsoil, plus grass seed and straw.  The topsoil cost was double the initial informal estimate Jason provided in person (which he later said was based on last year's prices).  To be fair, the $800/load price was reflected on the written estimate I agreed to.  But the point is, this lawn was a substantial investment.  (And Nagas can be a bit aggressive about seeking quick payment.) 
I received no instructions whatsoever on caring for the new lawn, weed control, fertilizing, when to mow, how much to water, or what to expect as far as progress during the first season.  I also got the impression that Jason and his company were perhaps stretched too thin.
Five weeks later, my yard looked like an abandoned lot.  The new grass was, at best, patchy.  The front yard was choked with all sorts of exotic looking weeds, much of which I now know was hard-to-eradicate nutsedge.  There were all sorts of bare spots.  I brought my concerns to Jason, who claimed the new grass was progressing as well as possible given the hot weather in early spring.  Jason's people came out (at no charge) to spray and overseed.  The grass finally seemed to pick up in quantity, but it doesn't look anything close to thriving.  It's still thin, pale, and rather patchy, and often has a yellow/brown cast despite a wet summer and regular watering. 
Since then, I have used Nagas for biweekly mowing at a rate of $50 per visit.  Several times the mowing crews cut landscape lighting wires (this stopped after I brought it to their attention) and left big muddy ruts (which are now bare patches) from their large mowing equipment. 
On June 28, I alerted Jason that there was a serious weed problem that needed to be addressed.  A few days later he informed me that he had sprayed but "may need to spray again."  He also mentioned he would seed again in the fall.  If this spraying indeed happened (I wasn't billed), it had no effect whatsoever.  Nutsedge, I've come to learn through the research I've had to do on my own, just laughs at ordinary herbicides.  Jason's emails referred to spraying for "broadleaf."  So I now assume he didn't understand the problem he was dealing with. 
It's now August, and I've become alarmed that the front yard is being overtaken with nutsedge, a weed that's ugly and very difficult to eradicate.  Today, I wrote Jason about this.  His advice was to wash his hands of the matter and suggest I call Scott's or Trugreen.  I have all the emails documenting the above-described interactions. 
I consider this unsatisfactory for an A-rated professional landscaping company.  I had assumed that, being a small local business where you deal with the owner himself, Nagas sought to form ongoing client relationships.  To my mind, that involves customer education, monitoring, and followup when they've done an expensive installation and I've brought problems to their attention.  By referring to future spraying and seeding, Jason led me to believe that my lawn was under his ongoing care and concern, not just a one-off job.  His crew is here every other week.  Jason is supposed to be the lawn care expert, not me.  Up until now, Jason has responded quickly when I've expressed concerns.  But the point is that those actions have been completely ineffective, and he obviously wasn't monitoring the problem as I believe he should have once it was brought to his attention in late June, to try to assure a successful resolution (i.e., healthy, weedless grass).  As a result, I am left with an anemic lawn, an ugly mess of nutsedge, and a threat to my $4000 grass investment.  
Jason's response today -- "My guys that mow have no formal training except for mowing.... I do not just drive around and look at yards unless I have been asked to check on something.  I think using one of the larger companies that specialize in lawn weeds is your best bet." -- shows he is washing his hands of the problem. 
If Nagas is not going to provide customer education and ongoing maintenance and support, then they should not be in the lawn-installation business to begin with, or it should made clear at the outset that once the seed is in the ground, the customer is on his own and needs to hire Scott's pronto.  In my case, the expectations and responsibilities were left ambiguous.  I accept some responsibility for this.  But on all these facts -- especially the ineffective response to specific problems and lack of follow through to see that the problem was resolved, i.e. that the weeds were under control --  an "A" rating and "super service award" certainly cannot be justified. 

"

"My wife and I recently decided to have some interior painting done in our home and we contacted First Choice Professional Painting to give us an estimate on the cost of the job and the time needed to perform. We had contacted them because they were listed on Angie?s list. I read all of the reviews for those participants listed in the Bloomington, IN area. Brandon Hood called and we set up an appointment to view the scope of the work and give us a estimate. He showed up on time and after viewing the rooms to be painted and recommending a color scheme with a reasonable cost estimate for the job, we decided to proceed and hired him to do the work to be performed on the following Wednesday. On Sunday he called and asked if he could move the schedule up to do the job on Monday, the next day. We agreed with the changed schedule. He and 3 others, a crew of 4, showed up on Monday at the agreed upon time. My wife and I had prepared the rooms to be painted by moving small items out of the area, and also removing switch plates and outlet covers. Within 10 minutes they were at work patching holes, taping the floors, and starting the ceiling. During the day they were efficient, courteous, hard working, and all business. We found it easy to relate with them, and they asked questions before proceeding with any questionable activity. We had initially expressed some doubt that they would be able to finish the job in one day. They painted the ceilings with 1 coat, 2 coats on the walls and 1 coat on the baseboards and trim in the front entry way of a split ranch, and the living room, dining area, kitchen, and bedroom hallway. They were good about cleaning up and protecting furniture that was still in the work areas. The job was finished ahead of schedule, and within the amount quoted for the job. The extra paint for the walls and trim was left with us for future touch-up. I would unequivocally recommend them for any work that they choose to bid on. We will hire them again if we have a need for interior / exterior painting services.
"

"I will be calling him for all future projects."

"The guy who built the deck did a really good job. He was very thorough and picked up good materials. He took a little bit longer than he said he was going to take, but I really didn?t mind that once I saw the work he was doing. He takes his time and does a good job. So it was worth waiting. We had to buy the lighting and he installed it for us. There was a day when he didn?t show up and we were wondering where he went. He then showed up the next day and told us what had happened. He spent the whole day from morning till night working here. That only happened once or twice. If need be, then I would hire him back."

"Installation went great. Very happy with the final product and will use again on my next project. Mark and Chris were very easy to work with on this project. Thanks again guys!!"

"Unfortunately the deck was more deteriorated than originally thought and weather delayed progress and took 7-8 days."

"Lance was very professional and very passionate about his work and quality of work. I highly recommend Hydro Stream"

"He started early, stayed late and worked quickly to get almost all of it done in one day; he had to come back for two hours the next day. He is pleasant and nice to work with. My dog chewed some of his rollers, and when we wanted to pay for them he told us not necessary because he knows and loves dogs."

"Measured and order materials needed ahead of job. Arrived on time to do work. Attention to detail was exceptional. Work was completed in one day and turned out better than was before. Appreciated that extra care was taken to not make a mess out of entire house. Have referred them out to family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors. The highest compliment you can give a contractor !"