Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/10/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am advocating for my mother, June ******* who is a 91 year-old blind and homebound customer of Alex ****** of Freedom Cuts. He has been cutting her lawn at *** ******** Drive in ****** *********** FL. For over a year she has paid him $120. per month in good faith to mow the front and back yards of her property. In the beginning Mr. ****** stressed his reputation as a veteran of high integrity and professionalism. As he became more established in this area his work ethic seemed to slip. On February 15, 2022, I sent him his monthly check and enclosed a note asking whether he had broken one or more sprinklers as he mowed. He did not respond but cashed the check. On or about March 15th I sent a note alerting him that there was indeed observed damage to the sprinkler system. Again there was no response and it subsequently appeared from the look of the yard that he had abandoned his customer. Shortly thereafter he showed up at my mother's home while I was there. I pointed out damage in the side yard and asked him to go to the back to look at other observed damage. He did not go to the back. He denied any responsibility. I stated that my mother never leaves the house and I as a disabled woman walking with a cane seldom walk in the yard. He is the only person who goes in the yard, he seemed to be ignoring aspects of the job and had been careless with his mower. He denied everything and apparently forgot his reputation as a veteran with great integrity. He half-heartedly stated that he would repair the damage "when I come by here again". Again he seemingly abandoned his responsibility. We were forced to hire someone last weekend to do the repair job that Mr. ****** has never attempted. Since he indicated his responsibility for the damage but never performed the repairs himself, it seems appropriate that he reimburse my mother for the repair work completed last weekend.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/16/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/05/11) */ I would first like to start off by thanking you for reaching out and giving me the opportunity to respond. I have been taking care of this property now for about a year and half. I take pride in everything I do and yes as your business grows things do get hectic but that is no excuse. The time line from the daughter Montye are off. The end of April I spoke personally with Montye and Also her Mother June where they brought to my attention 2 $3 sprinkler heads may not be operating. I did not say I didn't take responsibility for them being broken. I told Montye I would replace them which would be this week as I have not been there yet to cut and I received this email. Now a couple of things leading up to this, Montye has my number to call explain this issue but she choose to write 2 letters. By the time I opened the letters to read them I had already spoken with them in person and did not have the opportunity to fix the issue before this response. I am a 2 person crew, myself and another gentlemen. I understand everybody wants things done quickly and we try our best to provide this. Secondly come to find out the water pump was fried and wasn't working to even run the sprinklers. Third they had a busted sprinkler line due to water run off and erosion. Last thing is I had no way to know the sprinkler system was not working properly until they met with me when the aid came out and when I found out about this problem I said I would fix it. I will gladly pay the $7 for the 2 sprinklers but was not given time to fix the issue. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/05/12) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) As an amendment to my complaint, the last check written to Freedom Cuts was on March 15, 2022. There was an enclosed note notifying Mr. ****** of suspected damage. At the start of April I sent another note describing observed damage. The lack of an enclosed check was meant to prompt action. Written notice is the conventional method of communication with a business. Thereafter, the state of the unmowed yard led me to believe that Mr. ****** had abandoned his verbal contract to mow weekly except during the more dormant winter months, when mowing is typically performed as needed. I was surprised later in April to find Mr. ****** leaving my mother's home. She and her witness, Shelley ******** reported that Mr. ****** had been argumentative and had refused to accept responsibility for the damage. I asked Mr. ****** to accompany me to the nearest sprinkler. I stated that it would be impossible for a disabled woman with a cane to cause the damage, and that my mother is homebound. No one goes in the yard except for the lawn service workers. Mr. ****** declined to look at the damage in the backyard. He then stated that he would repair the sprinklers "when I come by again". By verbal contract that would have been the next week. No mowing has been done by Freedom Cuts at my mother's home since our in-person conversation. On May 8, 2022, Michael ******* repaired the sprinkler system. I asked him to bill separately for the pump repair and the yard damage. I have never mentioned PVC pipe damage in this complaint nor did we ever talk about it. Mr. ******' knowledge of the "busted sprinkler line" seems to indicate his involvement. My mother has lived in this home since 1985. Built on the top of a sand dune, the lot has always been subject to erosion. Erosion moves sand but does not break PVC pipe. Force from a heavy mower is more likely to break pipe and sprinkler heads. Informed lawn service workers on heavy mowers would avoid problematic areas and use a handheld device instead. Mr. ********** opinion was that all of the outside repair work addressed damage caused by careless mowing. The $140.47 charge was for pipe, couplings, adapter, elbows, bushing, and included $26 for three sprinkler heads (one half circle and two full circle), as well as labor. WE have never experienced such damage to the sprinkler system done by any lawn service in the past. It is unfortunate, and probably more expensive, that we had to hire someone else to repair the damage An experienced operator knows when he occasionally hits a sprinkler and usually acknowledges responsibility either by fixing the damage or by deducting the expense from the monthly bill. This BBB complaint seems to be a proper neutral forum for the resolution this dispute. If this BBB mediation is unsuccessful, I will make a formal complaint to the FL Division of Consumer Services. Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/05/13) */ Wow shame on you, I went into Her mothers house June and spoke to her with nothing but respect. It was the first time ever meeting June and at no time was I ever argumentative with June. June told me when she first got the sprinklers repair she should have gotten the pump repair as well because they told her it was on the fritz. I also in my conversations with Montye told her about the broken pipe in the back and also explain where the water coming down from the gutter eroded the ground around the sprinkler pipe putting pressure on it to snap. At this time she said she knew about the problem. So now we're getting a fabricated story from Montye and I do not appreciate that and will not tolerate it. Also I'm this conversation the person doing the repair was not a irrigation person it was the husband or boyfriend of the care taker. So I will not be paying for his work. Also I did not receive payment for month of April of $120 while work was being done on the property, so you can keep your $120 for that month and services will be canceled. Thank you have a wonderful day and May god bless you.