Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  12/31/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I agreed to pay more than down payment to finish job correctly, but remainder balance upon completion. Then they took my card and overcharged me even more than the total agreed price. No reciept for anything, and did not show up when promised days in a row. They planted 14 wrong type of hedge trees. Green Giants grow to 50 feet and will require lots of maintenance to keep from being overgrown, they were all different sizes, had bare roots, unhealthy brown color, now leaning and falling over. Built deck, unfinished sawed off edge, big odd overhang on the other side, missing rails & lattice skirt & risers, too short. No room for grill I specified this deck was for. Mix match material and wrong construction. Not supposed to nail through top of Trex material. No liner under pea gravel. Wrong paver border material for the use. It looked totally absurd. Supposed to mulch and do stone border around tree and trim neighbors tree overhang. Not done. I have to tear down the deck, buy new trees and replant and lift 30x40 area of pea gravel to put liner underneath. On top of that they left a pallet, all the trash and very muddy shared driveway. Pea gravel everywhere. Found empty liquor box in my trash.

  

  Business response

  04/08/2024

  
  Where do I begin?
  I guess we will start with the original cost for the job was 17,500$ , the homeowner was shown multiple types of brick border and she picked out the ones she wanted , she was given different types of privacy trees since she originally wanted a fence but couldn’t afford to do it n she chose green giant arborvitae since she did not want to wait for the emeralds to grow n said she would have us back in 5 years to top them to keep to her desired height
  She also expressed interest in a deck
  I told my estimater it would cost an extra 8,000-15,000$ depending on what type n the size n she declined at the time 
  So the day the work was scheduled my supervisor did a walkthrough with my estimater and homeowner and the homeowner was very adamant in having a 8x14 trex deck built and told my supervisor she only had 20k to work with wich only leaves 2,500$ for a deck n he told her that it would have to get approved by me since that was only materials, n she told him that it can be as basic n cheapest way possible. So I came out 2 hours after the walkthrough once I got out of my meeting, meanwhile we had all the pavers, all of the trees , all of the mulch n pea gravel n machines , trucks , laborers on-site already working on her landscaping project and I spoke with her about the deck that I couldn’t do the deck at cost and she threatened to pull the whole project with a full refund 
  After I was into the project already ,so basically strong armed me into doing her deck at cost , she provides no pictures of the final product wich I do have and will save them for court since she has lied to the credit card company and has been. Given a full refund wich I now have to prove to them the contract n pics of the work n basically fight my case to them from Ursula’s lies n deceit 
  When we were done here project there was still 12,000$ due, she says she did not like the border , keep in mind the border she picked out and also there was no lattice on the bottom of the deck wich is n upgrade she did not pay for
  So I sent my supervisor up there to to discuss her issues in attempt to make her happy n she picked out another border n the lattice of her liking
  So he went up there along with more of my laborers to remove the prior brick border n return it and get a different one n lay it down n also buy and Install lattice all free of charge , no additional fee like any other company would have done and at that time my supervisor wrote up the revised contract with total price of 20,000$ plus the 3.5% credit card fee with her signature on it and gave us the final payment where a reciept of payment was sent to her like it was I send to every other one of my clients . 
  The trees hanging over lower branches were trimmed ,another lie
   u wanted taller arbs in front of garage as agreed 4 of them 7ft
  10 along the fence 5ft
  And every single tree was well above agreed height 
  Another lie
  There’s was nothing discussed about a liner putt down since u had crush n run underneath 
  Another lie since you were asked if u wanted everything dug out n a liner installed and you declined 
  All of the agreed areas were mulched 
  Another lie
  
  
  This has been by far the worst client in almost 20 years by far the most untruthful one , has bashed my company online , leaving negative reviews n it’s sad
  This is the 3rd time I’ve tried to respond hopefully u can putt this on there 

  Customer response

  04/11/2024

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my complaint and have determined that this does not resolve my  issue.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

  **In order for the bureau to continue to assist you, you MUST provide your view on the matter or your complaint will be closed as answered.
  
  
  
  
  Regards,

  Complaint ID: 21073171

   

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  08/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I contacted C & R Tree Service and a man came to give me an estimate for shaping and trimming two young maple trees in the back yard, planted about 3 years ago. The first price was $1500 per tree. We negotiated and he asked what would seal the deal. He offered to do both trees for $1500. We agreed on this, signed the contract and gave him a $450.00 non-returnable deposit. Three men arrived unannounced at 9:15 a.m. on August 15. The first time I looked out of the window I was in shock. My trees were severely trimmed. (Pictures attached) I paid him $1050 by check as I had signed a contract. They left at 10:15 a.m. On August 16 I called the company and told them that the men worked for ONE HOUR on my trees and I felt that this was not right, besides which my trees look horrible. I did admit to signing the contract and giving the workman the final payment check. But I feel that he should have re-considered the time involved and the cost and made an adjustment. His attitude (owner of the company) was basically that it was too bad for me, my loss. My husband and I are obvious senior citizens, both retired from public service jobs (teacher and fire chief). The advertisement for C & R was in our church bulletin and they were recognized as "Advertisers of the Week." We believe in hiring local people whenever we can and foolishly trusted the integrity of a church bulletin advertiser. I did try to stop payment on the check, but it had already been cashed. The bank confirmed that we had no recourse through them. Look at the pictures of my poor trees! They were not shaped, they were butchered.

  

  Business response

  08/17/2023

  I spoke with you for 15 minutes and you said you were happy with the trees and everything else but you thought you guys paid too much. I offered to give you a discount on future service and you told me there will never be future service at that point there was nothing else to discuss,

  my estimater came out and spent over an hour with you guys and you had agreed to a price and my guys did exactly what you guys wanted, and my guys were there for almost 2 hours , did an excellent job on cleanup, the drive time to and from, advertising to acquire such customers, the church isn’t free to post in, license, ins, all proper safety gear , maintenance n upkeep on the trucks n saws n ropes, cost $ for an estimater there’s alot that goes into every job wich I had explained to you and unfortunately we didn’t come to a resolution n still won’t, you were scheduled over a week and half and had ample enough time to cancel . My guys all 20 of them do not come to jobsites and play on there phones or slack off , they all hustle to get the job done and head off to the next one.. so you rather me tie up half your day 3/4 hours like most companies would? Because me personally I rather have a company show up and get there job done and move on to the next one so I can go about my day, I’m sorry you feel the way you do but we also build long term relationships and I could’ve been the one tj do the estimates for future work but again you got ingnorant with me n gave me an attitude, therefore I ended the conversation with I’m sorry you feel that way have a good day

   

  Customer response

  10/10/2023

  Better Business Bureau: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my complaint and have determined that this does not resolve my  issue.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. **In order for the bureau to continue to assist you, you MUST provide your view on the matter or your complaint will be closed as answered. Good day.I spoke with someone from the BBB today in order to re-open a complaint which had been closed without resolution due to my not responding to the message within 5 days. I apologize for the inconvenience.  The following is my response to the company's message.  Complaint ID: 20486393 Robert Patton, C & R Tree ServicesYes, we spoke about my tree job for about 15 minutes, but I don’t recall saying I was pleased with the work.  At that point, there was absolutely NOTHING that could have been done to fix my trees.  NOTHING.  The damage was done.  As a result, there was no point in discussing a solution that could be accomplished by you or anyone else.  The pictures speak for themselves. As far as a discount for future service, it is incomprehensible to me that you would even expect repeat business!I don’t recall how long your estimator was here. His first price was $1500 PER TREE!!  I should have been wary when the price was cut in half if I signed the contract that day.  My trust was in the integrity of your company.  What I requested from this job was a tree shaping.  They arrived at 8:15 unannounced, and were gone shortly after 9:15.  I deliberately checked the clock when they left. As far as having a week and a half to cancel the contract, to my recollection the estimator came out on August 9, the day after the wind/rain storm in Newark.  After I left a message, my husband remarked that with all the damage to trees in the area, we probably would not hear back from you immediately.  I agreed and we were very surprised that the estimator called and came out that afternoon.  The job was done on August 15.  August 9-15 is 6 days, not 10.  We were asked to pay a $450.00 NON-REFUNDABLE deposit.  As senior citizens, both my husband and myself are on fixed income, and losing $450 to cancel the contract was not in our thoughts. My poor trees are not “shaped.” They were cut up to a point, with the uppermost portion not touched at all.  There are bare spots and branches remaining that are poking out at odd places and angles.  I showed before and after pictures of the trees to a certified Master Gardener and she was aghast at the job that was done and at the price I paid for the work. I fulfilled my part of the contract.  I gave you the NON-REFUNDABLE deposit in advance.  I paid your workers the balance on the day the work was completed, although I was not happy with the work or time spent on the job. As I stated above, the only resolution possible is a refund.  There is nothing that can undo the “shaping” of my trees.  Nothing will restore them to the fullness and beauty that they had.  And as far as my being “ignorant” and giving you an “attitude,” that is a matter of perception.  I refer again to the pictures of the trees and the price tag for the work.  I seriously doubt my trees will find their way into your promotional advertising.  Regards, Complaint ID: 20486393    

  

  Business response

  11/25/2023

  So you first stated they showed up in announced at 915
  and then they left at 1015

  then in your response months later you stated they showed up at 815 and left at 915 and you know this because you looked at your clock 

  so Wich one is it ?????

  I’ll tell you wich one , my estimater comes out he told you the date 

  we come out on such date , my supervisor nocks on your door as they do with every homeowner, they ask your husband or you to do a walk thru and tell them everything you want done to your trees and they will give you recommendations,

  the work then gets completed 

  then before my guys leave and before any payments are collected 

  A”Final walk through is completed and made sure customers are completely satisfied “”

  wich was done and you guys were happy wich is why payment was made 

  there was trimming done to the top of the tree with a pole clip wich is a very meticulously proper practice, and the trees were thinned , the deadwood was out and the cross branches removed even though your before and after pictures are days /weeks apart i can tell from the plants n grass at the bottom’s cut n trimmed 

  All the work that you guys wanted done was in fact completed and you guys were completely satisfied , IT Was NOT until your “Master Gardener “ wich is not an arborist or anything to do with trees , had n opinion about the work done and the price that was paid and had all the negative things to say about the work completed, that you guys wanted and then you decided to call me about it,…

  and now you want a refund , is completely absurd,

  it’s also absurd that the BBB even re opened this complaint wich should have been closed when the complaintiff refused to respond in the alotted time 

  please close this ASAP there will be no resolution on my end 

• Initial Complaint

  07/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In August of 2022 I contracted with C&R Tree service to remove 10 trees on my property and prune two others. Grinding of all stumps was also included in the contract. A date to perform the services was agreed upon so I took a day off work to be there. C&R Tree showed up two days early unannounced when no one was home. When my wife came home from work the trees were down and were being ground. I was on a business trip, so I did not arrive to see the work for another 24 hours. When I did see the work I called Rob the owner to say I was not happy with the pruning job and that the stump grounds remained. He said the grounds had to settle but he would return to do more pruning. After not hearing from him throughout the winter I contacted him in the spring about finishing the pruning. He did send two of his workers out to perform this task. By now I had paid someone else to remove the wood chips and discovered that the stumps had not been fully ground. His workers agreed that the job was poorly done and took pictures to show the owner. I followed up with the owner and he agreed to return a third time. After a month I had not heard from him so I contacted him again via text and phone multiple times with no response. I get his voicemail when I call but no return calls. I also provided the photos shown in this complaint. It has been over 6 weeks since my last contact with the owner. I just want the job completed as contracted and the resulting wood chips removed as I have already paid for the first batch to be removed.

  

  Business response

  07/07/2023

  I believe you failed to mention the tornado that came thru and there was damage every where in the neighborhood, I got permission from your wife to do the work when we did the work while I had multiple crews there, 

  I noticed you did not provide a picture of the contract, wich clearly states stump grindings will be left on-site unless otherwise qouted, you were not charged for stump grind removal, there was also 20 years of pine needles that were neglected to be cleaned up and was hard to see your stumps, but as you can tell from the pictures , your stumps have been grinded out , however I did not and will not chase roots wich is the only thing in your pictures wich is an additional fee as well 7.50$ per inch and you do not feel like you should pay anything else , just like the 2 trees that your stating, unfortunately there was a miscommunication with you and your wife and my company had to be in the middle of it as your wife didn’t want to loose her privacy and only wanted a little bit trimmed off , of by the way that you weren’t even charged for, and we trimmed them to her liking , wich is why she gave me the check , then you came home and we’re disappointed with the trims , so we took more off for you for a second time , and then a 3rd time you wanted to be home and they got trimmed a 3rd time free of charge the whole time u bashed my company to my workers and felt very disrespected . Unfortunately you fall under the 1 out of every 1000 customers that can’t be pleased unless it invlolves doing free work .. I went above and beyond and now you are bashing again on the internet I’m sorry but as far as I’m concerned you have been completed and I refuse to waste another minute trying to please you 

  have a nice day !!!!!

  Customer response

  07/15/2023

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my complaint and have determined that this does not resolve my  issue.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

  **In order for the bureau to continue to assist you, you MUST provide your view on the matter or your complaint will be closed as answered.
  
  
  
  
  Regards,

  Complaint ID: 20287963

   

   

   

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩