Sunbelt Lawn Care

"In response: What this clients fails to put in print is that he chose to install fescue sod in late spring. My company DID NOT provide this installation. This is just about the worst time of year to install a cool season grass. I explained to him that installing fescue sod in late spring would prove to be very difficult for this grass to survive as fescue needs cool winter months to develop a strong root system to be able to handle summer heat and stress. I explained to him the need for not only one but multiple applications of fungicide to prevent summer diseases that would most likely occur. An initial fungicide application (which was part of his program) was provided the first week of June. An email was sent out late June to advise the need for additional fungicide applications would be needed. To this email I never got a response. In August he contacts me and explains he has a small area of his yard that has a brown circlular area. I explained that this is most likely Brown Patch (Rhizoctonia Blight) and that I would get by to apply a fungicide as soon as possible. A few days later he calls me to state that his lawn was totally dead and gone. He also stated that he had another company to come out to evaluate this problem as I didnt drop everything to respond to him. The problem was identified as Army worms. This insect and the lack of continued fungicides caused the loss of turf. Please also note that this damage was only to areas that were sodded. Again, I assumed he was having brown patch issues which was prevelant in the area all summer and please remember he choose not to respond to my June email urging him to continue with fungicide applications. In this phone call I asked him why he hadn't responded to my June email urging to have aditional fungicide applications and he told me "I have enough emails read with work, I don't have time to hunt through emails from Sunbelt Lawn Care" he then told me that I was going to have to meet with his wife and "make this right". First, I've never conducted business with his wife and I certainly wasnt going to replace sod that was installed by another company in late spring and certainly when there wasnt any response to emails urging him to continue with a disease prevention program. I've been in business for 25 years and stand fully behind the service and products used. This client "enjoyed 2 years of service" as he stated but when he chose not to take my advise and wait to sod in the fall and then not to respond to emails urging him to continue with fungicide applications I cant help but feel sorry for him. I lost a clients business but to this day I strongly feel I gave sound advise and made the request to continue on a disease prevention program early on."