WOODSTOCK LANDSCAPE & MAINT

We had a large patio installed and upon completion they had to come out 3x over 6 months to correct the grading as there was water running into our basement as a result of the poor grade job initially. With regard to yard care, their office service consistently was non responsive, offered no specific dates they would be able to do service nor responded to requests for follow up.

I had Woodstock Landscaping and Excavation put in a firepit and do a significant amount of landscaping around our house. The firepit was beautiful, but several of the plants and trees died, including 6 Arborvitae to screen corner by fire pit. We tried to get them to come out and look at the trees to see what could be done several times this spring and they never came out. All of the trees died. When we had a separate company come out to remove them and fix the garden, they said they were misplanted and still in their cages. Additionally, several other plants were put in areas where they shouldn't have been (two Lilacs that will grow 12 x 12 next to our door). When spending thousands of dollars, you expect them to have a measure of knowledge on how to plant things. We were able to move some of the plants and save them, but the lack of effort on behalf of Woodstock Landscaping to even help was shocking given how much we paid. I've asked them for a partial refund of the plants that died that were planted poorly. This seemed reasonable given that we had to pay to have somebody else come out and fix the problem. I have been unable to get a response from them for 1 month, and have been trying to get somebody out to our house since April 13.

Excavated so water flowed into basement. Improperly constructed retaining wall. Improperly installed French and deep drains. Had to return under supervision of another contractor to fix direction of water flow into house. Overcharged.

Where to start? Let me begin with a brief overview: Working with Woodstock Landscaping was a nightmare and easily the worst customer service experience of my entire life. Dave Gutierrez, the owner, is a relatively nice guy (at first) who talks a good game on the surface but simply can't deliver his promises. We hired him to close up a small pond on our property and build a larger one lower down with drainage ditches that would channel water into the new pond. Dave came up with a comprehensive plan and then failed to execute on virtually every aspect of his plan. First, the crews Dave uses are careless, lack proper training (in many cases) and, from what I can tell, are essentially disgruntled employees. Once Dave leaves the site they do want they want with little regard for the initial plan and boy do they work slowly! From talking to them after Dave leaves, it's abundantly evident that they have very little regard or respect for Dave. I don't know whether it's about compensation or the way Dave treats his employees, but they clearly don't like him. Without proper supervision, the work his employees do is often substandard. Dave had his team build a berm on the back side of the new pond that blew out twice in the first year. Both times I had to cajole him into coming back to repair it. He was reluctant and both times he did little more than put a quick fix together. Eventually, I had to recommend a solution to repair the continually failing berm based on nothing more than common sense. Dave also planted grass on the area around my pond but it never took and quickly became overgrown with weeds. I asked Dave to replant but of course he wouldn't. Also, the area around my pond was supposed to be graded smooth and level and it's anything but. When you walk around my pond you can easily step in massive and dangerous holes, so you have to be very careful where you walk. Dave was supposed to make the bottom of the pond uniform but the depth varies from step to step. In other words, he couldn't even dig a symmetrical hole that gradually descends to the deepest point in the middle. Also, the drainage ditches Dave built that go around my house and direct water to the pond collapsed and rain washed the drainage rock out of the ditches and down the hill into an ugly pile by my house, leaving three and four foot deep ditches where people (especially children) can fall and get hurt. When I asked Dave to repair the problem he flat out refused. He said he built the ditches properly but due to unusually heavy rainfall the ditches blew out unexpectedly and it wasn't his fault. He once even suggested it was the town's fault for not diverting water away from my property. Over time I called Dave repeatedly and often ended up begging his wife to have him return my calls. It got to the point in which they both stopped answering my calls and I had to start blocking my phone number in order for them to even pick up the phone. I finally got Dave to agree to meet me at my property and then he didn't show up. Dave also planted evergreen and birch trees, several of which died within a few months. I managed to talk him into replacing some of them but eventually I had to replace the rest myself after Dave decided he was done with me. Since I stopped working with Woodstock Landscaping I have since met other people in our area who have worked with Dave and had similar experiences. Dave and Woodstock Landscaping have a terrible reputation in Ulster County and I can't quite fathom how he stays in business. The man has virtually no integrity and knows nothing about customer service. The one skill I give Dave credit for is talking a good game on the front end. He promised us exactly what we wanted at a fair price -- which was essentially a beautiful pond with working drainage ditches flowing into it, and then didn't follow through. Dave is little more than a glorified hole digger. I could never recommend Woodstock Landscaping and feel concern for anyone that would use them. As I said, I've encountered and used many vendors, businesses, and providers in my life and career, and this company is easily at the very bottom of the heap. The best advice I could give someone considering Woodstock Landscaping is to get a very detailed proposal in writing with a signature and then watch them like a hawk. Caveat emptor!

I wish there were space to write the number of complaints I have about this company's unprofessional work. Here are a few: Removed plants and trees they were not s'posed to, never replaced them. Left non-working watering hoses wrapped too tightly around newly planted trees, did not finish mulching them, did not roll the lawn flat but left it more uneven than when they came which could cause injury in the future! Knocked into a tree with the hauling truck, leaving a hole, and may have killed it, left it in disrepair. Did not refashion the fence the way it was before they came, left used oil and cement and garbage behind a wall on property... This company took the money before the job was done and left us with a mess of a yard all summer after promising a quick turn around. They have not followed up phone calls with action, and instead asked me to stop calling!!!

I had this company plant a dogwood tree which is doing fine but will have to wait out its first winter to tell. Then I wanted them to install a garden on a small piece of land requiring a rock wall. The work was done promptly and efficiently, and it involved building a rock wall, installing cedar fence polls, putting in topsoil, deer fencing and a gate. During the process I googled the company for its phone number and found many negative comments. I went ahead with the job and so far my experience has been good.

Contractor originally planted a total of 14 trees and shrubs on our property. Initial contact was quick. Scheduling of work was equally quick. And, workmanship was very good. When it became clear that one tree was not going to make it they replaced it promptly. Then a second tree began to deteriorate despite regular watering. They replaced this one also; albeit a bit more slowing. That tree which was installed in September of 2012 also began to show signs of distress in early June 2013. This time it took several unanswered phone calls, a couple of emails, a personal visit to the nursery, and almost 6 weeks befor we even received a response to the latest concern. While ultimately the tree in question was replaced for a second time the lengths we had to go to even to get a call back were extraordinary. This contractor provides good products and generally satisfactory service at what we believe to be a fair price. However, this experience with follow-up responsiveness will likely influence our choice of provider for future landscaping needs. Since writing this review we've learned from the owner that during the period we had difficulty getting responsive service a major medical matter was being navigated. We understand that these situations can divert ones attention from work and customers. I suggested that had we been informed that there might be a delay in call back from their office staff it is likely we never would have posted this review.

Bad from the start. Did the piping but were clearly unable to slope and grade the area to prevent pooling of water. He has been working on the project for two summers and still can't get it right. We finally gave up and are planning on completing it ourselves. They work very messy and ruined almost our entire lawn . We also have a couple of wet spots bordering our neighbors and he suggested we plant Maple Trees because they don't mind wet soil. Two trees did not make it . He also planted a bunch of white pines in the back. Two were replaced and one of those had some sort of fungus and is dead. Not sure where he gets his landscape material from but it is very poor quality. Again, they work very messy and they ruined several existing trees in the area they were working. In general, the workmanship was very poor quality and even though they kept returning to try to address the issues, they never succeeded. I will not use them ever again and would not recommend them under any circumstances.

Very professional job, looked great when completed.

I believe this guy's name was Dave Gutierez and, as I heard from other victims, he's a classic shyster. When he accused me of swearing at him, I knew the man was a liar, and to not believe anything he said. My lawn didn't look any better after Mr. Gutierez was done with it than it had before.