Underdog Landscape Supply

Got one load of topsoil and it was fine. Needed a second one and it clearly wasn't screened, as it had golf to softball sized hard clumps in it. Took me hours to break it apart before I could use it. I called and simply asked for a discount--it seemed only fair--and was berated by the owner, who told me that all the soil was the same. I asked if he would like me to send him pictures, and he said, "no, just send me my money." Zero courtesy and customer service with this company. And product not as described 50% of the time. Beware, and check out all of the negative reviews on Google and Yelp before you trust the good reviews here.

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Excellent! All around the wood was crazy, the firewood was great.

Wood was delivered promptly and wood was well seasoned, the shorter length we needed and no delivery charge.

Price was quite a bit higher than anyone else, but I went with them since they could deliver to my address quickly (next day). They also guaranteed 100% oak, and I didn't want to deal with sorting out softwoods. Delivery was prompt and efficient (Yes, you have to stack the wood and clean up afterwards. They just dump it off of the truck.) The quantity of wood seemed right for a half cord.
Wood is burning well. Had some difficulty with the bigger logs that were wet inside, but overall, I am satisfied.

[BE SURE TO READ THE UPDATE] Very timely. Called to tell us when the delivery was on the way (same day service). Driver was professional and stayed within lines (e.g. stayed on the driveway). He dumped the stone and mulch where we wanted in a tidy pile. Very neat and quick.
I was disappointed the river rock wasn't all river rock nor was it all inthe 3-5and quot; category we had requested. But, in full disclosure, I did not follow up with Underdog to express my displeasure. UPDATE: I called Dave and explained how we received stone that was larger than we asked for and he said that's just what we get. He explained 3-5and quot; is a diameter and not a length, and that I should have stone that is between an orange and grapefruit in size. I explained to him that at least 50% of the delivery was larger than that with some pieces being as large as a size of a football. He again replied, and quot;That is what you get.and quot; He said there was nothing I could do, even when I asked if we could load it back up on our truck and drive it back over. We have used Underdog for years for mulch, gravel and topsoil. We will not use them again and certainly don't recommend them. I guess he must have enough contracting business because, based on the negative Angie's List feedback, he won't sustain residential business over the long term.

Wood is dry and burns fine. However if you appreciate aesthetics at all then avoid ordering if it has been wet weather. It had been raining a lot and the wood came absolutely covered from top to bottom in mud. My driveway was also covered in mud and rocks. When I called to complain I was told that the wood was scooped up with a back hoe and the dirt comes with it and by the way no one else was complaining. In retrospect i should have powerwashed the whole lot. Not only was the stacking a filthy process, every piece of wood I now carry into the house is black with a coating of dirt and this is not an exaggeration. In addition, many of the pieces are very non-uniform in length, girth and shape with many large gnarled pieces which are difficult to stack and burn. So, it appeared that a lot of the wood, rather than being split from uniform logs, was collected or scavenged as random pieces. Maybe it is difficult to find decent wood in this area, my prior source was 90 percent poplar and not cut well, which is why I bought my Angie's List subscription and sourced Underdog. The firewood I have purchased in other cities is typically very clean, and quite uniform in cut and appearance so I am spoiled perhaps. Despite all this the wood is dry and burns well - I just need to wash my hands and brush off my shirt every time I have a fire, and am not able to stack any of the wood in the space beside the fireplace.

We ordered soil from Underdog several times over the past 2+ years, and the experience was always positive. I would have given them an and quot;Aand quot; on all counts. Last week, we installed a fireplace insert and needed a large quantity of firewood. Underdog's price was comparable to other (mostly smaller) companies, so we went with Underdog, given our prior positive experiences.

In inquiring about the price, we were told we could order either 1/2, 3/4 or 1 cord of seasoned firewood. Since we knew we didn't want a full cord, we ordered 3/4 of a cord, because it was the best deal. The delivery truck came on time and, as in the past, the driver successfully navigated the driveway with the large truck (this always impresses me). After the wood was dumped, I politely asked the driver, Dave (with whom we placed the order), how we know that it's 3/4 of a cord. He explained their method of measuring and then told me that it was actually more like 2/3 of a cord. Since we had carefully done the math to determine the best price, I explained to him that we were told it would be 3/4 of a cord. He said -- without the least bit of remorse in his voice -- that it only amounts to about 50 pieces of firewood. and quot;Fifty pieces?and quot; I said. and quot;That's a lot. We placed our order based on the price of 3/4 of a cord, so we expected 3/4 of a cord.and quot; He said, and quot;It's only about $10 difference.and quot; Given that Dave is a very big man, I wasn't interested in fighting with him then and there, so I let it go for the moment.

That evening, when my partner came home and checked the pile of wood, we discovered that most (if not all) of it was damp. We right away left a message on Underdog's voicemail, explaining that the wood was damp. In the meantime, we have made a fire in our new fireplace insert every day. The wood we already owned burns like a charm; the Underdog wood barely burns and only does so when there's lots of dry wood to get it going. We left the original voice message on Friday and didn't hear back from them. On Wednesday, I called during the day. Dave picked up, I said my name and then, suddenly, the connection was gone. I waited a few minutes, didn't get a call back, and then re-dialed. Voice mail. Since then, I have left a few voice messages, asking for him/them to return our calls. Nothing.

So, to re-cap:
1. we were told we'd get 3/4 of a cord but got only 2/3 of a cord;
2. we were told that 50 pieces of firewood and/or $10 shouldn't matter to us;
3. we did not receive a return call to a very reasonable voice message;
4. we were possibly hung up on when I said my name; and
5. we still haven't heard back from them after a week and at least 3 follow-up messages.

This experience makes me question Underdog's and quot;accuracyand quot; (honesty?) in delivering soil to us in the past.

We won't be using Underdog for anything -- soil, mulch, firewood -- ever again.
I suggest that you don't either.

1/25/12 FOLLOW-UP
It is now almost three weeks since the delivery. Since my initial Angie's List post, I have left another voice message, asking for him to return our call. Nothing. Today, I called from a different telephone number, and Dave picked up. I explained the three issues I have with him/Underdog: 1) he has not returned our phone calls; 2) he delivered 2/3 of a cord when he told us it would be 3/4 cord; and, 3) wood was very damp. I hoped that he would help us rectify the situation so that I could withdraw my negative listing here (and get decent wood!). He spoke very little, saying only that and quot;seasonedand quot; has nothing to do with and quot;dry.and quot; They store the wood in the open (so it won't get moldy under a cover); if it rains, the wood gets wet. That's just the way it is. If I want kiln-dried wood, it would cost $425?/cord. Since it was clear that I would not get any satisfaction with/from him, I told him that I would look elsewhere for a firewood supplier and said, and quot;Good luck with your business.and quot; He hung up without saying and quot;goodbye.and quot;

The process went very well and will definitely use them again.

Called Friday, they delivered Saturday at 10:00 AM on the dot as promised. Wood was excellent this year. Well seasoned, and 90% bark-free 16" logs. 10% smaller (kindling) sticks, but no shake or sawdust as I had experienced in the past. Driver was punctual, polite, careful, and dumped it where I specified.

See above.

Called for pricing about 2 weeks prior to delivery. They quoted $225 for mixed hardwoods and $300 for all oak... a little pricy, but not obscene. The wood was delivered on time in the late morning on Saturday. All in all, I would rate the wood's quality as a "B"... seasoned well but with just a tad more kindling size pieces than I would have hoped for. It was still a solid cord's worth of wood though and I would use them again in the future.

Wood is OK but not excellent. Well seasoned, but many of the logs are VERY dry and light, not real hardwood. This is burning up pretty quickly, but the price was OK. Delivery was VERY prompt, polite and professional. Half cord should last the winter which is all we really ask.

I got wood. It burns.

They were able to schedule prompt delivery, were on time when they arrived and put the mulch exactly where I wanted it.

I had called another company to deliver firewood 9 am on a Saturday morning. After waiting two hours; I figured they weren't showing up. I went into Angie's List to see who could come out. I found Underdog Landscape, who then told me they would be out before lunch. At 11:30 am they called and told me they would be there in 10 minutes. Sure enough they were at the driveway with the 1/2 cord of wood. I am sitting in front of the fireplace enjoying the fire. Thank you very much.

Very well.

Underdog delivered a full cord of wood. Delivery showed up a few hours later than they said they would and charged $10 more than they said on the phone. Wood seemed to be a mixture of seasoned and fresh wood, some termite eaten pieces and a LOT of kindling.

They were very responsive. They answered the phone and offered next day delivery at my convenience. Their wood is excellent; they get it from western PA, not the junk leftover from taking trees down in this area. The wood is split (but they do not stack it) and has no bark on it. So far, the wood burns long and well. We'll see, but they definitely delivered a full cord. They specialize in wood, mulch, topsoil, and stone. They don't do landscaping.