TLC Lawn Care Inc

I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY. The company requires a pre-pay of all services. It was easy enough to set up service, but little did I know that they would not perform the work as paid. I requested a sprinkler system start up and standard backflow test to be performed. The technician came and walked around the yard for 15 minutes before deciding that the whole system needed to be replaced. Their quote was outrageous and I sought a second opinion. Long story short, this company did not perform the backflow test (by the way is more expensive than most of their competitors) but they refused to give me a refund. A report has been filed with BBB after trying to work with their negligent staff.

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We had some problems with TLC Lawn Care.  We had them for six years.  We had two three year contracts with them.  They did fairly well during the first three year period.  We rebid the job and they were the low bidders again for the second time and it was during that time that we had some difficulties with their performance but we talked to the manager of the company and worked things out.  A year ago we got into the second contract and we rebid the work and a new contractor was selected as a low bidder.  The last time we used them would have been the end of December 2014.  There contract ran through the end of December.   

Service has been average on the lawn side, nothing to recommend but nothing to complain about.  My problem, though, is in NOT following our need to make sure that the gate is locked when mowing is complete, and the response we received when we encountered a problem following their error.  To explain further, prior to hiring TLC, we were very clear that the gate must be closed after mowing is complete because we have dogs and we do not want our dogs to get out of the yard.  We discussed this before hiring and they committed to closing the gate - and to put the metal hook that we then put through the gate latch as a second security measure.  We have used them for only a couple months - and yesterday, after the mow, they didn't latch or lock the gate, and our dog did get out....the dog is deaf and cannot hear you calling, so it's essential that she stay in the yard because she will not hear or respond to someone calling her or to a car driving down the road in her direction.  With frantic chase, we did get the dog back, but were angry.  We called TLC, who was only half-hearted in apologizing.  Initially, they said that the note on the account many have been overlooked so maybe the mower didn't get the instruction - apparently he was newer and they fired the first guy that worked on our lawn.  Why they even share that, I do not know.  They then talked to the mower, who denied that did not close the gate, so they suggested that perhaps the dog somehow managed to open it - although there is a metal s-clip that fits through the latch, plus the dog is a senior who has bad back legs and cannot jump, so this is impossible.  Insinuating that a client is lying is never good customer service.

Bad service plus poor professionalism and lack of ownership - beware to any who might expect a company to follow through on their commitments and respond accordingly if they don't.

unknown

It has not gone well with either service.  My lawn looks average and i've had to put down two additional insect control applications myself and also two fungus applications.  They told me I had brown patch and wanted me to do an additional treatment.  They did not know I had already been treating with fungal control due to early rainy season.  I declined that service.  However, they were responsive to two calls I made concerning weeds in the lawn.  They seem to have the weeds now in check.
The lawn was actually a better experience than the sprinkler system.  When I scheduled for them to do start-up I explained that I needed someone who could really explain b/c I had never had sprinklers.  The guy came out to start up and said my controller was not working.  It was a two-year old controller and so I sent it back to manufacturer.  They said it appeared to be fine, but since it was under warranty, they sent a new one.  I scheduled for them to come back.  Each and every time they come, they charge you a standard $80 even if they do nothing.  That was the case on this one.  The controller had a power plug that did not fit my outlet.  So, I arranged to have a new controller box installed because the price they quoted me was too expensive.  I got them started up, even though I had paid the company to do this in the package.  I then became concerned because the backyard seemed too wet.  I scheduled a sprinkler check which was also included in the package.  The tech who came that day thought we just needed to water less and so he cut back the time.  I felt there was something else wrong because the water was nearly standing and you would actually "slosh" through the yard while mowing, but I thought I'd give it a try.  After all, they are the experts.  The next week I got a call from the City telling me that my water usage was unusually high.  My usage went from 1300 sq. ft. to 8500 sq. ft.  I paid a $490 water bill for the extra water used.  So, once again I called and they came back out.  Charged me another $80 +another 49 while they dug and discovered a leak and fixed it.  
I was not happy, but still was willing to work with this company.  I felt that the tech could have explored a bit more as to the excessive water.   I called to have my second, included sprinkler check and that was scheduled for August 25th.  I had not paid the previous $139 billing because I suspected the problem might not have been remedied as the repair area of the yard continued to be wet.  When the tech showed for my "free/included sprinkler adjustment check, I mentioned the area and asked him if he thought there might still be a problem.  He began digging , told me it was still leaking but in "different" areas and it would be somewhere around $300 or more to fix.  I told him at that point not to do the repair.  He left without adjusting my sprinklers the very reason he was there.  I suspect the owners did not want to pay him overtime because I was the last appointment of the day, and told him to leave, but I cannot verify that.  They billed me another $80 for the time he spent , even though he was there to adjust my sprinklers which should have been a free/included call.  I will not have them come back out to adjust the sprinklers, which is my decision, and of course there was no offer to refund.  
 Long story short, I called numerous times trying to mediate this situation.  I never asked for anything other than maybe a reduction in charges for the extra $80 that I was charged on more than one occasion and certainly the last charge.  Not once did the owner ever call.  They just had the scheduler/receptionist go through a "we are not responsible" conversation over and over that was mind numbing.  I received their final bill in the mail yesterday, which included an interest charge for the July repair that I was waiting to pay to make sure the problem was resolved.  Insult to injury.
Also, just yesterday I had a professional sprinkler company that many neighbors had since recommended come, dig up the area TLC said was still leaking and diagnose the issue as a run-off problem from my neighbor over-watering her lawn!   They actually dug a hole twice as big as any TLC had done.  I had absolutely no leak whatsoever with the underground sprinklers on my property.  I am thankful I did not have TLC go ahead and "repair" what did not need to be repaired.  And, the straw that broke the camel;s back was they could not give me a bid for the cost.  That was too red a flag for me. They said it would be approximately $300 for labor, but until they got in they could not estimate additional costs of parts, labor etc. . .   The professional company was able to give me a maximum bid to repair without ever having to actually dig the ground.  They just gave me a maximum-worse case scenario which was lower than TLC.  Thank goodness, it came in way under that amount because there was no repair necessary.
 I believe I was not professionally cared for by this company.  I do not understand how a problem that ended up being such a trauma and costly for me would not be noticed by the owner--I was really expecting a personal phone call.  Never happened. So disappointing.

unknown

We have had them for years.The staff are fine and they show up when they show up, we don't make appointments with them. They clean up after themselves and do very well.

lawn treatments did well for a couple of years, but as time passed, the lawn thinned to the point it was more bare ground than anything else.  They never took the effort to suggest anything to help, just kept spreading fertilizer & weed treatment on bare ground.

on time and professional. Have used before and will use again.

There were NO issues with TLC for the mowing services I had signed up for. They are quick, professional and are GREAT at the work they do!

They have been very reliable, professional, and timely with their service each week. Definitely recommend them!

Employees were always very friendly. We had problems with grass growing in shady areas and was told that overseeding would solve the issue. The overseeding never seemed to produce any new growth and would die out by the next year. Last year when we had the areation done, it appears that the lawn was dethatched instead as all we were left with was dirt and no grass. At this time was decided to choose another provider.

I have had difficulty with this company since I originally got them. I originally hired a smaller company that went knocking door to door in the spring. They however, were bought up by TLC. The first problem was that I was originally told that I could get my lawn mowed every two weeks and pay 50.00 a month. Well I noticed that they had been showing up weekly so I called and left a message. I heard nothing back. So I called again. Still nothing. This went on until I managed to flag down the crew that was at my house and ask them to please have them call me back. Finally they called me back. They promised not to charge me for the additional mowings. They then and quot;accidentallyand quot; charged me twice for the same mowing. I called and called until I successfully got ahold of some one and they promised to fix the error. Then fall came and I received a bill that was twice as high again. I called and was informed that they had some how missed one of my payments. So I sent it again. I then get a bill two months later and it's twice as high again. I call again and the man tells me that they charge double on the last mowing of the year to mulch the leaves. I don't argue but this was never discussed and I'm not very happy with the surprise charge. It has been winter now and I continue to get bills that I have paid with no proof of why I am being billed. I have decided to cancel my service before spring and find some other company. I would recommend you do the same.
I also had no way to pay them originally because they never gave me a proper address or online bill pay. All of thier payments are through the mail which I don't really like and worry about.

Not good. Their fertilizer service was just okay, not proactive, lost parts of our yard to some type of disease. They would come out and spray as the program was set-up but never gave recommendations for improvements.
Mowing was even worse. We had a really hot summer and I kept trying to get them to cancel the weekly mowing because all they were mowing was dirt. They kept coming out and refused to cancel the weeks.
STAY AWAY!

They mow my lawn. They are dependable, they show up every week.

In fairness I should mention that I never bothered to contact TLC for any remedy. I just didn't have the time, and by the time I did, it was too long since the work was done to reasonably ask for any remedy. That is why I checked N/A for responsiveness.
The downspouts were done perfectly and cleanly. They even fixed the drainage from my sump pump.
For the other landscaping, the bare minimum was done and three out of 10 plants died. By bare minimum, I mean things like they laid mulch down, but didn't put weed guard. There were old plants (vines, weeds, etc) to be pulled but they we just chopped of just below the surface. So now I have to always pull weeds. When TLC was done, the landscaping looked fine (except as noted below). It wasn't until a week or two that I notice the weeds and the thin mulching they did.
I decided to redo it myself. The old plants are definitely gone and the weed guard is down. I am weed/old plant free.
When they were done, the work looked nice but the picture I was presented to show me what it would look like is so different from the reality, that if I was willing to take the time, I'd fight for a refund. The problem is the invoice states exactly what I got, so I'd have nothing to argue over. The plants were just miniscule compared to the ones in the picture that made me decide to do the landscaping. So the picture and the invoice have nothing to do with each other (unless you are familiar with all the various plant sizes -- I was not and I know nothing about plants. ) I understood the picture was showing some time of growth (I was assuming one season), but it will be 3 to 4+ years before they are even close to what was pictured.
I rated TLC with C as there was nothing extraordinary about the work (except the downspouts) I have them doing the annual weed and feed service and that has been excellent.

TLC threatened to send my wife and I to a collection agency if we didn't pay  their fraudulent bill.  They charged us for the time that Dustin (and another employee) spent to fix the piping that he had damaged.  We ended up firing TLC for the remaining year's worth of maintenance work that my wife had earlier signed up for.  We fired them because they were charging us for services that were either not performed as requested or services that we didn't agree to pay for (e.g. rescheduling electronic scheduler, fixing damage caused by Dustin).  They charged us $600 for what other companies would have charged us $300.  For example, TLC charged us $50 for sprinkler startup, which consisted of opening the (newly installed) gate valve.  That's it!  The idea was that all of the new sprinkler heads would be checked for leaks during startup, but no new heads were ever installed! 
The damage that Dustin caused to other piping 3 feet underground when he used unnecessary brutal force to remove the valve may still be leaking.  We don't know because it's 3 feet underground and attaches to the water main.  He covered it up with dirt and didn't perform an in-service leak test prior to opening the valve.  We are observing water leakage at the on/off box (damage caused by Dustin when he used brutal force to remove the valve), but it doesn't appear that owner Daniel Becker is willing to fix it nor has he offered to fix it.  The on/off box is about 4 inches below the ground and you can see water still leaking!  The old gate valve, which Dustin took without our permission, looked to have good threads and be in good condition with the exception of a hairline crack (that was causing our initial leak).  We still don't understand why Dustin had to use brutal force to remove the valve???  We were told by Daniel Becker that they threw our old valve away.  The valve could have easily been removed using proper removal technique by any experienced service repair person.
After multiple threats by "Debbie" and Daniel Becker (owner) that they'd send us to a collection agency if we didn't pay their fraudulent bill, so we paid their bill it in full.  Then we issued them multiple DEMAND LETTERS for money that TLC Lawn Care, Inc. / Daniel Becker owes us!  We have asked that they pay the costs to have a 3rd party fix our current leak that Dustin caused as well as reimburse us for the 3 hours that their employees spent to fix the extra damage that Dustin caused; or else we will sue them in small claims court.  We will likely be suing TLC Lawn Care, Inc. in small court for fraudulent billing practices and negligence. 
This whole situation has been a nightmare.  My wife and I cannot believe how a company in today's economy can still be in business when they treat their customers so horribly.  [See other BBB complaints over the their billing practices.]

They are good. Their demeanor is great. I am going to be working with them to try to give me a quote to start doing more commercial mowing for 4 location in Kansas City.

We've used them for several years and they're fine. The person who did the application was pleasant and friendly.

Overall they did a good job. If I ever had an issue they were great about getting back

to me about my concerns. The only problem I had with them is that they decimated my bird feeder while they were verticutting. Sure I should have taken it down but they didn't have to mow it down either. I was supposed to get reimbursed for the parts I had to replaced but wasn't. Plus to add insult to injury was still charged for the verticutting.

I've used them once a year for probably the past 5 years. They have good equipment, do a good job, and show up when they say their going to.

They did a very professional job with mowing, doing verticut and planting grass seed.

As expected and right on time.