T & N LANDSCAPING DESIGN

Two weeks before the work was done, Trinh gave me a bid on rototilling an 10 X 20 area I have between the sidewalk and street. I explained that the ground was clay and my plant roots weren't being able to grow. I asked him to pull everything with the exception of three bushes. I told him that the ground needed to be thoroughly worked through with an organic and sand compost or one or the other. I talked to him about removing all dirt and debris until everything was level with the sidewalk. He said none of it would be a problem. I asked him for a bid that included removal and hauling of old shrubbery and dirt as well as labor, rototilling, organic compost and or sand and planting a few new plants. He told me $304.00. I agreed and we shook hands. I recorded the conversation as I have had him do other work for me in the past and he tends to not speak or understand English on occasion. He called on the date he scheduled to do the work and asked to re-schedule. During that conversation I again talked about the work he agreed to do. There was no misunderstanding. They arrived with no rototiller. The workers said they'd do it all by hand. They made a moat around the four edges of the area. The dirt they removed was perhaps a wheel barrel full. I had a Dr's appointment so when I got back home I saw that they left the mound of dirt on top, put a thin lawyer of what looked like topsoil and planted a few plants. A friend of mind from a nursery came over and examined the compost for me. He said it was mostly topsoil - very little if any compost and most assuredly not organic. We dug in and found that the clay was in tact so there was no rototilling. A n invoice was stuck in my door. The price went from $304.00 to $572.00. I called him and asked what happened and he started to not understand so I told him that I was sending him a check for the work he did and if he didn't like it he could take me to court. He objected until I mentioned the tape recording of the bid - he immediately backed down and agreed to a MUCH LOWER PRICE. Anyone needing a landscaper. Be very careful and make sure you get the bid in writing or on tape. He lost a customer and hopefully someone who sees his truck in the neighborhood will see this on Angies List or talk with the people who own the property where his truck is parked.

I contacted several companies on Angie's List in March to get bids for mowing, edging, and weeding my rental property in Salmon Creek. He got back to me and quoted $18/week for every week or $26/week for every other week service. I told him I needed the every other week service. Since his bid was a few dollars less than the next closest bidder and since his only report on Angie's List was someone who had been pleased with his work at a price of $25 for mowing, edge trimming, and weeding (the same exact service I requested), I thought I'd give him a try. He told me he would start the work on either 3/26 or 3/27. I thought this would work out great since my new tenants were moving in on April 1st and many weeds were popping up through all the new landscaping we had installed. I was so disappointed on April 1st when I met the new tenants at the house and nothing had been done -- the weeds were taller than ever. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and gave him more time to get the job done but the weeds continued to grow. I finally hired another gardener and then called T & N and told them to not bother to stop by as they hadn't done any work and my yard was looking worse. I was taken aback when he said he had mowed the lawn twice already and that I had only hired him to mow the lawn! I was very upset about this because I had made it abundantly clear when I asked for an estimate that I wanted mowing, edging, and weeding. Although it still appeared that he did absolutely no work in the yard, I've sent him a check for $20 to compensate him for the mowing he says he did. His bill to me for mowing services shows a total of $58.42 -- absolutely ridiculous. If I'd only wanted mowing and not professional edging and weeding, I would have hired a high school kid to mow. On top of all this, he is now threatening me with a lien on my house! What nerve!

T & N Landscaping provides very good service. Trinh Nguyen has a very professional, efficient team. They've provided weekly lawn care and seasonal weeding and tree-trimming services for us for almost a year.