ComplaintsforMcMaster Landscaping LLC

• Initial Complaint

  08/30/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We purchased a new build and closed on it in November 2022. McMaster started our landscaping that same month and were mostly finished in April 2023. We had a huge storm come in that ended up sending water flooding into the basement in my daughter's room impacting her room and the room next to it. When I called the builder, they came out and identified a couple of different issues caused by the landscaper to include not installing a drain in a concrete walkway they put in and altering the grade and drainage pattern so water could not flow away from the house and had to flood the window well, which then came into the basement. Almost immediately, landscapers became defensive and blamed the builder. They then blamed to developer and everyone started pointing fingers at each other. We had a consulting company come out and reshoot the grade to determine the landscaper did alter the grade and drainage pattern. We also had another reputable landscaper come out and quote us an additional $11k to fix the problems McMaster had created. There are puddles everywhere any time it rains, settling in several areas of the yard, and they planted shrubs in our drainage swale which are completely damaged. The warning signs were there when we had to submit our landscaping plan to the *** several times before getting approval. McMaster's insurance denied their claim and they did not ever attempt to repair what they damaged. Not only would it cost us $11k to fix the backyard, we also incurred costs to repair the damage to the basement. The whole situation has caused so much emotional distress with my whole family.

  Business response

  08/30/2023

  Hello,

  The builder will always blame the landscaper. We didnt nor wouldnt alter the grade as that would have been more work for us for no reason. A drain in the concrete would have made the problem even worse. The dirt around the house was never even compacted properly. We even spoke with the landscaper ****** hired and they said they had to compact around the whole house and bring in tons more fill dirt. So it obviously wasnt our fault to begin with. We feel horrible for what happened to ****** and her family and we stayed in contact with her as much as we could. The flood was also an act of god and the house would have flooded regardless of landscape pulse we stayed out of the drainage swells. 

   

  Customer response

  08/31/2023

   
  Complaint: 20536869
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  You telling me "the builder is always going to blame the landscaper" means the landscaper is always going to blame someone else.  In this case, you're blaming the builder and the developer.  You did not speak with the second landscaper who quoted us over $11,000 to fix what has been destroyed.  You spoke with a company Classic was willing to hire and pay for to fix the settling caused by the shoddy work you all did.  You also did not speak with the excavator that came in and re-shot the grade.  It's laughable that you say a drain in the concrete would have made things worse because we will literally never know that since you didn't install it to begin with.  What needed to have happened is any water coming into our yard needed to daylight into the street and have an actual path (not interrupted by shrubs, concrete, or huge rock islands) to move away from our house.  Your claim of trying to continue communicating with me is sad, because you stopped all communication once you realized the mistakes you made.  This is extremely unfortunate that a business that is supposed to be reputable doesn't even finish the job or fix what they destroyed.  We had several issues throughout this whole process that I unfortunately ignored as serious red flags.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business response

  08/31/2023

  We had our drawing approved by the **** We actually had to submit several drawings because there wasnt enough plants. HOA requires 50% of the landscaping to have plant coverage. Unfortunately your house was built too low and it was at the bottom of a hill in your neighborhood. Above you had not been developed yet so it allowed way too much water into your backyard. The land developer had even built a dam at the top of the hill to try and mitigate most of the flood. It had rained for 24 hours strait the dam broke and sent water flooding down the hill to your house that was never graded properly in the first place. The builder even had to come in and build a retaining wall at the back side of your property next to the sidewalk because it was never graded properly. Also previous to the flood your water lines outside had frozen because you didnt drain the lines and water had been spraying out of the copper line for who knows how long right next to the window well that had flooded. Ive attached several pictures showing how much water there was. One of the pictures is of my truck parked outside your house and water is up above my tires. Like I said its horrible and unfortunate what happened but to blame us the landscape isnt fair. We put down fabric weed barrier and rock and we stayed out of the water drainage easements.

  Customer response

  09/07/2023

   
  Complaint: 20536869
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  There are so many facts you have incorrect and it is honestly exhausting trying to correct you or have you understand.  At this time, it is not helpful or effective for me to continue to argue this through this avenue, which means I unfortunately have to seek other ways to get the fair and just resolution we deserve.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  07/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We contacted McMaster to install irrigation system, dog run and landscaping for our new home. I work at Pioneer Landscaping so I was to purchase all the landscaping materials. We received multiple quotes, in which we were trying to "make things easy" for McMaster. Once the work got started they made adjustments to the plans many times without speaking to me regarding any changes. The lot was not "cleaned up" prior to our sod being delivered and we spent multiple hours cleaning up and preparing the area for the sod. After the sod was delivered they came back out to complete the drip system and install plants and trees. They decided 1/2 way through the job to just put above ground sprinklers in instead of the drip system, and then complained "we would never be happy" as other customers had no issues with their changes. The dog run was not completed to the billed Invoice, we did agree to the changes for the dog run, but there was no monetary compensation made for the changes (almost 1/2 the size and no retaining wall). They also cut the turf without measuring forcing us to make more changes to the dog run. The drip system is all on one line for the front and back areas - trees and plants all on one line, and leaks. We have asked for the system to be separated from the front and back, correct any leaks along with $1950 refunded for the changes that were made and not completed per the final quote. They have also sent us an additional Invoice for planting trees/shrubs/plants. According to their estimate and Invoice it notes 1/2 the price of the shrub or tree to deliver and install to include stakes, straps and fertilizer. The Estimate shows $150 per tree, and only 1 needing stakes. We supplied the delivery, stakes and straps, so they should not have charged for 3 trees and no where does it show a charge or cost for plants.

  Business response

  07/11/2022

  We had started ************************* job on 3/27. We gave her a deal on the original price by letting her buy the material. The only things she did not want delivered was the glacier white rock, black lava rock, and the topsoil. On the first day of working, she had only got the clear creek rock delivered. When installing the turf, she told us that it was a piece of scrap turf her work had given her which was 6 inches smaller than she expect. We realized after we had cut it. We spoke to her mother who lives with her and makes decisions on how the turf was smaller coming up with a solution that she had agreed on (she spoke with ******, and we had a verbal agreement). They added the turf and retaining wall after the original quote and started working. They thought the price was not going to go up after adding more labor items. We had completed her job on 4/08. We had installed the edging and topsoil and their builder installed the grass 3 months later (6/15). They had said everything was great on the first job and paid us. The invoice said you would pay for planting at the time of install. She had bought tiny trees which didn't meet the *** requirements and were only 3 ft tall. In the invoice it states there is a minimum of $150 per tree and $25 per shrub. We completed this job on 6/26. We had added sprinkler heads to the planter beds we thought you would want to control the water to. After her telling us she wanted that changed to a drip fitting to every shrub, we came the next day to fix it and finished the job on 6/27. We had told her we would need the payment for installing the trees, shrubs, and the instillation of the drip fittings and we still have not received the payment of $880 and it is now July 6th. I had stated to her via texted that there would be and additional late fee charge of $250 onetime charge and an additional 7% unless there was communication between the homeowner and I giving valid reasons to be late. As of now there has been zero communication and homeowner state I am harassing her after she said she would mail us a check. 11 days later and we still have not received our payment.

   

  Customer response

  07/14/2022

  McMaster came out and give us a quote to install landscaping and a fence on 1/25/22.  After getting more information regarding the fence, we decided to just have them do the landscaping.  We were originally scheduled to have them start on 4/5/22, but through the process and their scheduling we got pushed back and moved up several times.  They finally squeezed us in for 3/22/22.  They only have us a couple of hours notice as to notify us they were dropping off equipment.  It was understood from the very beginning we were going to buy all the materials (that would have been picked up at Pioneer Landscape, as I work there and receive an employee discount), so not sure why they think they were giving us a good deal??  McMaster agreed to pickup/deliver all items except for the Clear Creek rock since it was over their weight limit on their trailer (this was also noted on their invoice they would deliver anything under 5 tons each included in cost).  I never told them the turf was scrap!  They must have assumed this.  The turf was on the Open Ticket in the retail office and paid for.  The turf was paid for by foot and they should have measured the turf before cutting it to ensure it was the correct length.  My mother was home at the time they were installing the turf and called me to see how we wanted to move forward with where and which direction to place the turf.  We agreed upon the current location and pieces that were cut, to accommodate their error.  The retaining wall was never installed, and the labor associated with the wall is what changed the quote/estimate.  The labor to install the turf was minimal there were no edging or tucking of the turf (due to their cutting error), so it was a matter of sticking a few pins through the turf into the ground.  (I could have done that!)  We removed the retaining wall not added it since we had already gotten the new puppy before they even started on the dog run.  Yes, everything did look great from the rock standpoint after they had completed that.  It wasnt until the sod was to be delivered that we discovered the ground where the sod was to go was not ready for the sod.  They had applied topsoil in preparation of the sod, but failed to fix the ruts, clean up rock that had fallen out of their bucket when install in the outer areas of the lot, and cleaning up their tools and concrete from when they installed the posts for the dog run.  My mother called to ask ***** for help with this, but only received backlash that it wasnt in the quote.  After getting very frustrated with his lack of ownership or want to help fix things she asked if she could borrow a rake.  He responded he didnt have one!  We spent 5 hours raking and cleaning up the area for the sod.  They did mention the $150 for tree install and yes it was on the invoice, but there was nothing regarding a cost for Plants or Shrubs.  They have nothing to do with the *** requirements, and or opinion in the trees, plants or shrubs we purchased, only the fee related to the tree install.  The job was not completed until 6/28, in which we wanted to wait a few days to ensure everything was working properly before making final payment.  They constantly made adjustments and or changes to fit their needs and time schedule.  They could have called to ask if they thought something would be better, but never did.  We only asked for changes to be made due to them making changes without asking.  It was not until then that we started receiving multiple phone calls, text messages and threats to pay (some were even before the drip system was installed correctly).  We then decided to refer to the Quote/Estimate and Invoice on the pricing of the tree delivery and install, which is where we realized they were trying to double bill us along with charging us for labor and materials that were never installed or installed incorrectly.  We sent a letter certified to them asking for the drip system to be fixed (at least 1 leak present) and the drip system broke out into 2 stations (as noted on the Quote/Estimate and Invoice) and that they refund us $1,950.00 for the difference in the tree installation and retaining wall (labor and materials) that was not installed.  There is even discrepancies in what was Quoted and Invoiced and what was actually installed.  Which I had included in my original submission of this complaint to the BBB.  They avoided the certified letter being delivered and only received it on 7/11/22.  We had additionally sent a text message asking for the same items to be corrected and a refund but received a text message back arguing and no resolution, and they have not been back to fix the leak or correct the drip system.  They did not offer to correct the drip system or the leak nor did they offer any type of compensation in their response so we are still requesting they fix the leak, split the drip system, and refund $1,950.00 as originally requested. I have attached photos of our "Cleaned up sod area" as well as conversations with ***** and *****, my receipt from Pioneer with all the material I paid for. These pictures try to show the clean up of rock and debris - not the weeds or erosion.  We understand where those come from! 

  
  

  Also the hills, mounds and ruts made by their equipment.  Along with an area closest to the dog run where there equipment and tools were washed off from the concrete used to set the posts to the dog run.  The rock was scattered all across the entire **** sq ft area.

  
  

  
  Complaint: 17518800
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  Business response

  08/12/2022

  This message is to state that I have filed an intent to lien on ****** hills property for failure to pay for the service of planting trees and shrubs and installing her drip line. I intend on going to  pikes peak county building next week to finalize the lein. I would also like to start the process of the mediation to get this resolved and get paid. I'm going to take the rest of this message to respond to the false accusations ****** and her mother ***** have made. First it starts with they had received multiple quotes and decided to go with us cause we were the cheapest. I gave ****** a deal seeing how we buy all of our landscaping material from the place she works.  So on April 2, 2022, Saturday, we came in to start installing the sprinkler system, that was our first day of work on her property. So to make things very clear we made no changes to her landscaping plans. ****** or her mother had repeated changes while we were trying to get the job done. I had expressed to her mother verbally and 
  ****** that the labor cost will not change at all and the original quote is what it is. Her mother was definitely not happy but it was understood the quote can not get any cheaper, unless we took things off like; wall, dog run, things of that nature but they didn't want that, so the quote states a 2 ft. wall (6inx6inx8ft) which is 4 pieces of lumber. The wall in the beginning was going to be 2ft to have an 8'x8' piece of turf level, so they changed it! We still installed the 2ft of lumber, a 1ft retaining wall and the other 2 pieces of lumber to square it up to her existing concrete, but since the wall isn't 2ft they think they need money back. This whole job was based on labor cost. They knew what the cost was months before we started, also stated in the contract (invoice) they were to have materials delivered to the property except for a few things I told her we could grab. The only thing they delivered was the clear creek decorative rock and we delivered the rest. To clear a few things up the drip system and sprinkler system was tested on 04/04/2022. We completed both and put water to it, to adjust the sprinkler heads to properly hit all of the sod area. we pressure up the drip cause there's caps on all ends, no leaks. We then went into ******'s house to shut off the water and blew out the lines to prevent it from breaking because it was still snowing at the time. This all started when her mother ***** called me at 730pm on June 15,2022 telling me there were weeds in her sod area, rocks and concrete. The concrete is from slag off their foundation and they graded dirt over it, the weeds because they didn't upkeep the landscaping for the 3 months prior to finishing it, and the rock unfortunately is in dirt! So then her mother became malicious and had us come install the trees and shrubs knowing she wasn't going to pay. It's a minimum 150$ per tree minimum 25$ per shrub. That does include delivery but they bought the plants from a nursery deep in downtown, so they ended up delivering to save the 65$ additional dollars I was going to charge for delivery. The minimum price doesn't change, it's our time and labor charge just because delivering them doesn't mean it gets cheaper, I would have never agreed to that and we wouldn't be in this situation. What I don't understand is why they didn't do it themselves if they didn't like the price. I've expressed to her if she didn't pay there would be a one time fee of 250$ and an additional 7% compounded interest until she pays. Every week I send her an updated invoice and my app lets me know she has read it and she never responds to me, only stating that I need to stop harassing her. After I filed the intent to lien she is now sending me invoices saying I need to pay her 1950$ for overpayment on the first job we completed on 04/08/2022. This whole thing is over 630$ and this is completely insane and we have never had to deal with this in the 21/2 years we have been in business

  Customer response

  08/17/2022

   
  Complaint: 17518800

  We would be willing to negotiate, but they have not offered nor suggested a single thing, other than paying their ridiculous Invoice with late fees, finance charges and threatening to file a lien.  If they could agree to pay the $2,100.00, they can take $360.00 (3 trees installed $450.00 minus $65.00 delivery fee and $25.00 for stakes, straps, ********************* we purchased) out of that and refund us the $1,740.00 difference this matter would be settled.

  
  Please see attached response and invoice (contract) that denotes materials, services and labor in dispute.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

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