GreenTrees
About us
Owned and supervised by degreed horticulturists, GreenTrees is a team of highly trained experts in every aspect of modern arboriculture. That expertise includes the exclusive use of environmentally sound substances.
Business highlights
Services we offer
Lawn restoration, appraisals & shrub fertilization, cabling, construction, landscape installation, lot clearing & hauling., ornamental & fruit trees, plant analysis, pruning shade, shrub trimming & shaping, storm damage repair & cleanup, stump removal & grinding, tree removal, weeding & mulching
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 89% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 11% |
I had used them for tree trimming and tree removal in the past, and it seemed to work out alright, so I thought we could do a larger job of improving the landscaping without any problems. Because of the previous work, I didn't think it was necessary to do an Angie's List review. (Big mistake.)
They gave me a verbal description of what they planned to do. I asked for it in a written contract. They kept saying they were too busy to get around to that. (Note: This should have been a red flag warning.) They finally sent a brief, written description of the scope of the work, but not a contract with payment terms, etc. By this time, it was too late to start searching for a new contractor without destroying the schedule (we were trying to get a house ready for sale during the spring marketing period, for families that wanted to move during their children's summer vacation.)
So we plowed ahead, even as I sent them my request to change the details on the lawn work (which they refused to do).
They do their tree trimming work efficiently. That seems to be what they do best. Beyond that, it gets dicey.
They hired a subcontractor to replace the sidewalk. I think he was one of their neighbors. He didn't seem very professional. Fortunately, I was on site at that time and I am familiar with placing concrete, so the resulting new sidewalk was not a disaster, although the finishing was not as nice as I would have expected from a professional.
The lawn & landscaping was delay-delay-delay. Supposedly because a cold springtime delayed the shipment of landscaping materials to their yard. They claimed that they couldn't do the lawn until after the landscaping work was done because the landscaping work would damage the lawn. (Professionals would have ways of avoiding such damage, but these folks were not very professional!) Upshot: They scheduled the landscaping/lawn work to start on the day after I had to leave town. Very convenient.
But the worst was the payment. When I expressed my concerns about how they were planning to just "treat" the lawn instead of replanting it as I originally requested, they were all upset when I said I would delay the second half of my payment until the lawn had grown-in so I could confirm that the results were okay. Lots of angry calls from them, and a threat to take me to court and place a contractors lien on the property. I pointed out that they had never prepared a contract, so technically they were not contractors, and a lien could be placed only if I had violated specific terms of a contract (which didn't exist.)
When I sent them photos showing how horrible the lawn looked after a few weeks of growth, with weeds sprouting all over, and explained that the photos would be "Exhibit A" if they wanted to go to court, they quieted down.
In the end, we found a buyer for the house and, much to my amazement, he did not complain about the condition of the lawn, nor ask for a deduction in the cost of the house because of the lawn. So, we made the final and full payment to the contractor about 7 weeks after he had completed the work.
But, because of his unprofessional manner--failing to provide a contract and threatening me with liens and court action instead of apologizing for the mess he created--I would recommend to other Angie's list users that you steer clear of this contractor.
Licensing
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