Badger Landscapes

We received an estimate from Mr. Caleb Kyser of Badger Landscapes on April 10, 2012 to have a "screen" of thirteen (13) 30 gallon sized Leyland Cypress trees planted along the back fence line of our property at a cost of $280.00 per tree, which, according to the estimate, included "Trees, Micor. (?), Mulch ring, Man and equipment time, tax, and delivery." He gave us very specific directions: the trees had to be watered daily, from the time they were planted "until the 4th of July). In addition to our instructions for the daily watering, Mr. Kyser sold us 13 "gaiters" (donut-shaped rubber devices that were to be kept filled with water, and which would provide additional moisture for the plants on a continual basis. We were billed separately for the "donuts." We began having problems within two weeks after the trees were planted. Despite the fact that we'd watered them daily, as instructed, dead spots began showing up on the trees. Then, a few weeks later, one of the trees died. My husband contacted Mr, Kyser, who didn't seem to have a problem with replacing the tree. We explained that we had been following his directions, but that it had died anyway. We also said the other trees were developing dead spots, but he assured us that they would be fine. It was not long before ALL the trees had died. My husband contacted Mr. Kyser when it became obvious that the trees were not simply "stressed" from having been planted, but that they were 100% dead. Soon, Mr. Kyser simply refused to return calls from my husband about resolving the problem. I contacted Mr. Kyser personally, and he was rude and aggressive. He refused to accept any responsibility or to honor the six-month guarantee to replace the trees. When I told him we had followed his instructions, he said we had "over-watered" them. This is highly unlikely since the trees are planted on the side of a steep hill. When I pointed this out, he said that he had come by the house and looked at them, and that the trees had parasites. (It is unlikely that he ever came to the house; I had broken my ankle and was stuck in a cast - I spent all my time on a sofa that overlooks our driveway. Furthermore, we have a watchdog who barks when a car door is shut two houses away. She would have had a fit if anyone had pulled into our drive, gotten in and out of their car, and opened and closed our back gate.) He then suggested that we hadn't contacted him in a timely manner because we were "delinquent" in paying for the "gaiters" he had placed around the base of each tree. Since we had been billed separately for them and at a later date, we paid for them separately, and at a later date. He finished by stating that if we had a problem, we could talk to his lawyer. My husband is a former owner of a tree company (Wolf Tree Experts, Inc.) that was founded in 1925 in East Tennessee by his grandfather. While he is no longer in the tree care business, he became one of the southeast's only 145 Certified Arborists in 1992. In short, he knows about trees and tree care. A pity we can't say the same for Badger Landscaping or Caleb Kyser.