Clearbrook Landscaping & Lawncare LLC
About us
At ClearBrook Landscaping & Lawncare we understand that you want your property to look the best it possibly can. We also understand that you don't have the time to make it look that way. We are pleased to offer the following professional services to assist you in making your lawn and landscape look its very best!
Business highlights
Services we offer
Landscape and lawn installs, edging sidewalks & driveways, patios, paver walkways, ponds and waterfalls, pruning, retaining walls, snow removal & salting., spring & fall cleanup, tree and stump removal
Amenities
Free Estimates
Yes
Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
---|---|---|
89% | ||
0% | ||
0% | ||
0% | ||
11% |
My wife and I are Hudsonville residents and our experience with
Clearbrook - specifically the owner, Ross - was awful, and we would NOT
recommend this company.
(1) We met with Ross and one of his employees a couple times to go over the
design and to negotiate the price. At this point there was never any
indication from Ross that there was an issue . However, the day before
they were to begin Ross texted my wife stating that he was not going to do our
landscaping alluding to the fact he wasn’t going to make any money. We
were both extremely frustrated - not only due to him trying to skip out THE DAY
BEFORE starting, but also because he chose to communicate by text.
We called him, told him of our frustrations, and he offered to continue to do
our landscaping. Though we were hesitant to go any further with
Clearbrook, we agreed as we needed our lawn and other landscapers were booked
out for weeks.
(2) The process itself wasn't bad, though it was clear that Ross was looking to
skimp on quality. When I advised him of a low spot in our lawn, he did
not want to address it. Flooding is an issue in our Hudsonville
neighborhood, and pooling in this spot was a concern of mine. I even
offered to pay for any expenses (dirt, labor, etc...), but no initiative on his
part. I had
to call the sub-contractor - West Michigan Hydroseed - to get the process
rolling. (By the way, West Mich Hydroseed was great to work with.)
They then
worked with Ross to bring in a few yards of dirt, which was not nearly enough
to
fill the low spot. I brought up my concern of the lowspot but nothing was
done. I could sense he was growing frustrated, which was odd as this
request was necessary to prevent flooding in our lawn... and I was willing to
pay to do it right.
I had to pay my neighbor to bring in five more yards of dirt to
level out the area.
(3) We recently had a pine tree die that Clearbrook planted. Most
greenhouses in our area offer one-year warranties on trees and shrubs.
When I contacted Ross, I stated that the tree had died and that it may
have been from overwatering as it was planted in an area where runoff water
flows. Ross quickly replied that it would not be covered by a warranty
because of over- or under- watering. This was frustrating as I really
wasn't sure why it died - I just gave my hunch, but was quickly shutdown.
Now initially we were
asked where we wanted the tree, but I would expect a and quot;professionaland quot;
landscape company would know where and where not to plant based on ground
level, water flow, etc... And at the same time, we hired Clearbrook for
their services - they sold us and planted the tree. That tree died a few
months after being planted, and without seeing the tree the owner states that
they won't do anything about it When I
responded by text pointing these things out, I received no response. I
called the
next morning and left a message - no response.
(4) The most frustrating part of all this was the response I finally received
from Ross
days after the tree incident (#3). Again we received a text from Ross
stating his thoughts on what happened to the tree (never came out to see the
tree), pointing out several things that may have caused it to be under-watered
that he saw when he did the lawn but never told us to address. He also
stated that he was not
responsible for the tree or the placement as he did not charge us for a layout
or design.
I then wrote a heated text back stating that we were done dealing with him;
that his lack of business and customer service skills would cost him a lot more
than a $150 tree - as my wife and I will tell this story to anyone
planning for landscaping. We have already convinced two couples
contemplating Clearbrook to steer clear.
The worst part (yet somewhat funny) is his final text to me that day:
and quot;Just a heads up, in 6 yrs you are the only customer I had to treat this
way so it is what it is. It doesn't work for me to walk into an insurance
agency and expect the best insurance in the world for $10 a month [I work in
the insurance industry]. If you want a nice landscape with good service
you have to be willing to pay for it!and quot;
I find it funny as he actually admits that his service is inferior. And
shouldn't good service be offered regardless of how much one pays?
Seriously though, I will take his advice - next time I will find a
quality landscaping company and pay more as this experience was
awful.
"At ClearBrook our #1 goal is customer satisfaction. I am glad you included my text in the review because I think it is important for others to realize than in 6 years of servicing hundreds of clients, we have never dealt with nor have been taken advantage of like we have with you. We were willing to draw up a design for your landscaping free of charge, but were not thrilled when you decided to the landscape on your own and yet expect us to answer several questions on how to do the landscaping. Here is a text from the customer referring to that. "Great Thank You. And sorry to keep bothering you, but I wondered if we should put some screen down before the mulch? To Prevent weeds? Also would you mind bringing a copy of the plants you recommended/the drawing tomorrow? I can't find it at our house. Thank u again so much for your help and patience." This is just (1) of the many text/questions I would get at night........ As far as the evergreen tree goes, it was sold to you at wholesale pricing as I was trying to help out your budget. It was placed specifically in this location as a block hiding the drain pipe behind it. The tree did not die from too much water, the tree died from lack of water. Also, you installed 1-2" stone around the tree which also would dry it out faster from the heat. As for the no response to the text and phone call regarding the dead tree, I explained to you the next day I was home sick with the Flu. This is a small portion to the other side of the story. I would agree that the landscaping and lawn do not look great, however that is due to you wanting the bare minimum and choosing to do majority of it yourself. It was mentioned that other contractors that had worked for you, you were not satisfied with either....It just might not be the contractors....We have hundreds of satisfied customers that would share their stories."
Licensing
State Contractor License Requirements
All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our Find Licensing Requirements page.
*Contact business to see additional licenses.