Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  11/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Oct 19, I ordered 3 tons of gravel from gravelshop.com (it's part of Sand Group). I waited a few days and got worried, so I called them about not receiving any order confirmation. On Oct 21, the emailed me the order confirmaton: email subject: Order update *******. They also wanted me to pick another gravel since the one I ordered was not actually available. I asked if it was the same size, and they confirmed that it was. I asked that because the bigger the rock size, the more premium (pricier) it is.I paid $646.83 for my order. I received an email to ask me to pick between two alternatives: Rock 1.0 or Rock 2.0. I chose rock 2.0 since I had already ordered another few tons of rocks from **********, and I wanted to match the size and color of those rocks. The rocks I received had lots of issues:1) It did not appear to be 3 tons, more like 1.5 tons. While I did not weigh them, I ordered 3 tons from ********** and the rocks do not compare at all in mound size (see email with photos)2) the color is wrong (the rocks are all grey tones, no multi/tan tones like the ones in the photo from Rock 2.0 3) the size is more than half the size than the photos in Rock 2.0 and what was ordered. I would classify the rocks received from GravelShop (Sand Group) as tiny pebbles, not more than .3-.4 inches, whereas my order was .75 inch rocks. (Reminder: smaller rocks are cheaper by about $250 for the amount I ordered).This feels exactly like a bait and switch. I have emailed them and called them numerous times and they have not agreed to any faults. They rejected my credit card dispute as well. I need your help, please.

  

  Business response

  11/14/2024

  We are currently in communication with our customer and working to resolve this complaint. We are awaiting the closure of the dispute case with the customer's bank, as our payment processor freezes any possible action being taken on the payment while it is under dispute.

  Customer response

  11/16/2024

   
  Complaint: 22529180
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  the gravelshop says they will refund but when asked did not say how much

  the gravel shop also said the case is not closed yet on the credit side so their hands are tied, I have attached screenshot of my letter from the credit company confirming the case is closed 

   

   

  I would like BBBs support to help keep the company responsive to me and honest.

  
  
  Thank you, 
  
  ******** ***

  

  Business response

  12/13/2024

  We have agreed to and processed a full refund for the material delivered due to sizing and color variation. Excluding hauling costs.

• Initial Complaint

  08/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  They delivered the wrong material to my home and said that they are going to refund a portion of the price and just leave the material there. Here is what they put in my driveway after they delivered the wrong product. I will have to pay to have it hauled off and on top of that they want to charge me for delivering the wrong product.

  

  Business response

  08/20/2024

  The customer has been issued a refund in full.

  Customer response

  08/30/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  04/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased some gravel from your company 3/15/24. The Salesperson took my credit card over the phone. Now I'm told you don't take cards over the phone. Same day, same card, there was a purchase for Wing Stop that I did not make, *****. I had to cancel my card and get new one causing multiple phone calls and time for me.The gravel salesman recommended wasn't even close to being enough for the area and measurements I gave him. Now, I have to order more and pay to have it spread. I will not be buying from your company. The rock was way overpriced, I realize now. I am getting 16 ton for $500. You charged $750 for 8 ton. Again, wasn't nearly enough.I feel I should be compensated for what took place. I can't even get a return call!

  

  Business response

  04/25/2024

  As a general rule, we do not accept credit card payments over the phone. Customers must fill out the online order form on our website, and payments are processed online on the following payment page where they must input their card information. Payments are received through the payment processing system Stripe which does not show any customer's secure card details. Payment was submitted to place this order from an Illinois ** address (Stripe screenshot attached). If one of our associates had taken card details and submitted payment through our online order form and payment page for the customer, the ** address would be an ******************* where our office is located.

  Our website features a calculator that can be used by anyone to estimate the amount of material for coverage needed for their project. The calculator only provides an estimate and cannot be 100% precise. It's measurements are similar to every other gravel calculator on hundreds of other websites for construction materials. We can't speak to the dimensions the customer provided over the phone. In any case, the customer received exactly what was ordered by them and our prices are transparent throughout the ordering process and include materials, delivery + sales tax.

  We state clearly in our terms and conditions, that the customer must click-to-accept before they can place an order, that we DO NOT offer dump spreading of material. We only provide bulk material delivery and have never offered spreading, labor services, etc.

  Customer response

  04/26/2024

   
  Complaint: 21603156
  
  I am rejecting this response because: The companies attachment proves nothing! Also, was an investigation conducted with customer service representative?

  Of course, he will probably not admit he took my credit card over the phone. So, it's his word against mine. The attachments I'm sending show that the receipt I received was sent to me, to my email from the gravel shop company, I did not go onto the site to pay. I did not even know that was an option because customer representative took credit card info so why would I try to go to site to do that!

  Unfortunately, my credit card already removed the Wing Stop purchase made in ******* with my card for $48.00. So, I do not have a copy to send you. There are no Wing Stops in ******** where I live. That was done the same day as purchase to my credit card from the gravel shop company! It was caught in time that no other purchases were made.

  I had to spend my time for credit card fraud to stop and change my card. I had to spend more time with businesses for automatic withdrawals. I'm still trying to get this straightened out with ********** I have spent my time dealing with Customer Representatives at the gravel shop who never had managers return my calls. Now I'm spending time with BBB to try and get some type of resolution. My next and last resort will be with an attorney for credit card fraud! I believe this company needs to be held accountable for what their representatives are doing and telling people. I would think that they would have enough knowledge to give accurate quotes! Not one that's 16 tons short when given measurements of area to be covered!

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  Customer response

  04/26/2024

  They did admit they do not take credit card information over the phone so that validates it should not have been done by representative!

• Initial Complaint

  09/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered 4 tons of gravel, I took a picture because doesn't look like 4 tons, gravelshop agent told me yes that is 3 tons, I have been asking why they charged me for 4 if just delivered 3. no answers.

  

  Business response

  09/29/2023

  As previously stated to the customer, we've confirmed with dispatch and the yard the material was pulled from that 4 cubic yards were delivered to the customer. A yard is equal to roughly 1.2 tons, so the customer certainly received the 4 tons they ordered from us. I have attached the delivery ticket to this response for reference confirming 4 yards of stone was delivered.
  
  
  Our email response to the customer from before that they are referring to was meant to state that the photo they sent to us was indeed what 4 tons of material looks like. It was simply a typo in our email response to them that it was 3 tons.
  
  
  We are sorry you are unhappy with your order and the amount that you were expecting to receive. But they did in fact receive all the material and services associated with their order with us.
  
  

  Customer response

  09/29/2023

  I m sending their  answer to my requests , I'm really disappointed,  definitely I'll leaves a review.  Customer needs to be at the receiving of the product. 

• Initial Complaint

  06/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On May 12, 2023, I ordered a load of gravel from gravelshop.com to be delivered on May 18, 2023. I was charged $280.27 on May 13, 2023. On May 16, 2023, I was contacted and told that i would have to pay another $65 plus tax to get my gravel because it was unavailable in my area. I was also told that if this was not doable that i would be refunded 100% of purchase. I told them to cancel my order. They said it would be 5 to 10 business days for the refund to show up on my credit card. I emailed them again on May 31st because I had not received my refund. ******** responded telling me it would be another few days. Its now June 7, I sent another email and have not received a response. I called, but did not get through to a person so I left a message and am waiting a response. I have called my bank and if I do not get a resolution soon, I will be going through them to try and get this refund. I am a single older woman who does not have this money to just throw away. This has been a hassle since the beginning.

  

  Business response

  06/15/2023

  Upon review of this complaint, it seems a 100% refund had already been processed as of last week. We had been short-staffed with our billing department around the time of this order and it may have fallen through the cracks. We do apologize for this delay. We have re-sent the customer a refund receipt reflecting the 100% refund that has been processed.

• Initial Complaint

  05/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This is a place that collects your money when they do not even have the product. I paid for delivery and my card was charged right away. Not until the next day was I informed there would be a five day delay and I could not get a refund for **** business days !! ! Turns out this company does not have any product, trucks or people working to deliver your landscaping they arent even in my area. They are collecting money from people based on need and service date but they dont actually have any product and are across the country. Every review says the same thing over and over , this is a scam l. They hold your money for **** days when they took it for items and services they knew they could not provide . Please look Into This scam. This company shouldnt be allowed to sell things and services they do not actually have on hand nor should they be allowed to just keep everyones money as their profit for **** days .

  

  Business response

  05/31/2023

  Gravelshop utilizes a vast network of partner suppliers and independent haulers to fulfill our customer's aggregate, construction and landscaping material needs. This is how we are able to service such a large coverage area throughout 25 states in the south, east and midwestern ****** Independent hauling companies, construction material brokers, and freight brokers are commonly used throughout the construction materials industry to expand service areas and to help organize and supply materials to meet demand (e.g. to a residence, commercial jobsite, government project, etc.) who do not always, and often don't, have their own materials on-hand. We have a number of legitimate competitors who operate in the same way as we do. Though we do not have a physical rock yard or nursery in this customer's area to deliver or pick up from, this is an entirely legitimate business practice. We've serviced thousands of satisfied customers, many of them repeat customers, who understand and appreciate this.
  
  In this particular instance, we had no reason to believe our partner supplier that we normally use in this customer's area was overbooked at this time as we are in the middle of the high season and availability can fluctuate with little notice. We only became aware of this when they informed us they were tied down on another job. We advised the customer of a possible delay on their order to the following week, but offered to continue looking to secure a hauler to meet their requested time slot. We make clear in disclaimers and in our terms and conditions that orders can be subject to delays, but especially in the busy spring season. Delays, shortages and other unforeseen circumstances can occur all the time in this industry with any size trucking company or construction material provider. The customer clearly was not agreeable with a possible delay, so we set up their order to be processed for a 100% refund. A 100% refund is the most we can possibly do to resolve the customer's order. Refunds are never instantaneous and do take time to process and show back up in the customer's bank account. We ask for the customer's patience and understanding of this. We do not 'profit' nor benefit in any way from processing customer refunds...only the banks and credit card companies do that with their processing fees that we must pay.

  We are disappointed that we were unable to fulfill our customer's order at their requested time. They can expect to receive a 100% refund on their order.

• Initial Complaint

  01/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I sent in my credit information over the internet to have gravel delivered Thursday, 12th 2023.The dispatch called that morning and I missed but returned the call later that morning.The dispatch said no delivery is made until contact is made. She then proceeded to take my credit card information. The charge was ******. She told me it was too late so it would have to be delivered another day. She asked where to dump the gravel, I requested it be spread as the truck drives down the driveway. She then informed me that they don't spread gravel. I told her I needed it spread and she was helpful in telling me who does that and that they are closer to where I live.The dispatch told me she would tear up my credit card information. I checked my account Saturday morning before ordering from the other gravel company only to find out the money had already been taken out of my credit card account. The next Monday morning I called and told them of the problem. He assured me that it was in the process of being returned and to wait 5 to 7 days.The money had not been returned on day 6 so I called once again. The man said it hadn't been sent to the business office and he would check as I held the phone.He then informed me that he sent it and the money would be returned minus 10 percent. I questioned the 10 percent and he said handling fee. He acted surprised that no one told of the 10 percent charge. I hadn't read it or heard of it and the charge should never have been made. If it had gone through the delivery would have had to be scheduled for another day.I requested a full refund. He said he send a note.******** gave me my order number which was **** and that I would receive an email which I never received.I checked my account today, the 23rd of January and a refund of ****** was made.I tried to send an email but neither of the 2 were deliverable.I tried the phone and got nowhere.Please help me solve this problem.Thank you

  

  Business response

  01/24/2023

  We do apologize that there seems to have been some confusion between the hauling company we hired to deliver the customer's load and the customer, as it seems that the hauling company contacted the customer for payment mistakenly instead of us (Gravelshop/Sand Group USA). The sale was made by the customer through ********************** and not anyone else.

  To the issue at hand: Our customer placed an order through our website on January 3rd, 2023 for 4 cubic yards of Crusher Run to be delivered on January 5th. The hauling company attempted to make contact with the customer on the day of intended delivery to confirm delivery for that morning. Many trucking companies will not attempt a delivery unless contact with the on-site is made first. It seems that once contact was made between our customer and dispatch with the hauling company, the customer made a special request to spread the material. Gravelshop does not promise nor offer the spreading of material. This is stated explicitly in our terms and conditions and on the checkout page (screenshot attached), which customers must accept before moving on to payment. As stated on the checkout page and detailed in our terms and conditions: "Cancellations are subject to fees." There is a 7.5% cancellation fee if you cancel after the order has been placed. The customer elected to cancel the order rather than reschedule for another day, citing the inability to spread the material as the reason for cancellation - a service that we do not offer. As per our terms and conditions, the customer was refunded ****% of the order (including sales tax) in the amount of $408.62

  Customer response

  01/24/2023

   
  Complaint: 18881852
  
  I am rejecting this response because: The truck was not loaded for delivery because by the time I called them back it was too late for delivery that day. After that I also found out that it couldn't be spread. The dispatch was very nice in assuring me that my credit card information would by torn up and not used. I didn't see any mention about withholding money and in all the conversations I had up until the final one no mention was ever made about holding money. Further I didn't see any mention of them not spreading gravel. I would have still accepted delivery if they would have spread the gravel. Could someone please contact the dispatch that was on duty? That trucking company was not going to charge me. They said my information would be torn up. The truck was not loaded. Once they were made aware that the gravel was to be spread, there was a mutual cancellation. Whereupon,the helpful dispatch pointed me to another company that would be able to fulfil my need. 

   

   

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Lottorian ******

  

  Business response

  01/27/2023

  As previously stated, the customer must agree and accept the terms and conditions on our website at checkout before inputting payment information and placing the order. The customer is notified on the checkout page that cancellations are subject to fees, and the details of which are outlined in our terms and conditions. It sounds as though our customer also gave their credit card information to the 3rd party trucking company, but this was in error - as Gravelshop / Sand Group had already arranged for that same 3rd party trucking company to deliver that day and we provided payment information to them. We cannot attest to anything else that the 3rd party hauling company may have did or said to our customer. Thankfully, the order was cancelled by the customer before the truck had loaded or was en route to the customer - because if it had been cancelled after the fact, the customer would have been responsible for the failed delivery charge, as well as the cost of set up and scheduling, which can amount to up to 50% of the entire order payment amount per our terms and conditions.
  
  We make no offer or promise of dump-spreading anywhere or at any point in the order process, and if the customer had indicated in their customer note when placing the order that they required this service, we would have contacted them before processing the order at all. We are also not responsible for the missed delivery date, which was due to the hauling company being unable to reach our customer at their phone contact information provided when placing the order.
  
  We are of course disappointed that the customer did not receive what they had expected and that the order did not go as planned. We think that 7.5% is a modest cancellation fee when accounting for the transaction fees, scheduling, manhours and services our business must expend into the processing and cancellation of an order. 

  Customer response

  01/27/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Lottorian ******

• Initial Complaint

  12/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  date of transaction November 23, 2022 Order Number ******* Material: #** Granite Delivery Date November 29 2022 Delivery Time between 8:00 am - 12:00pm.Amount of material: 10 Tons I had put a note comment saying I would like the extra ton for $41 added to the order and it had gotten misconstrued. The 10 ton order was placed and confirmed as paid and that is what I want. Now I can not contact anyone by phone or email, and I have a schedule conflict. My wife has an appointment over 90 miles away on the same day, and I need to know exactly what they are doing. I have received an email and answered their question of do I want 10, 11 or 41 tons (which is false) and stated I want what was debited from my account ($688) to be delivered as scheduled and now I can not contact anyone. Have them contact me as soon as possible.Thank You,*********************** ************ *************************

  

  Business response

  12/02/2022

  There was some initial confusion between us and our customer regarding the amount of additional material needed (1 ton versus 41 tons) that the customer had requested to us in writing - which was resolved without issue after we clarified with him.
  
  Separately, the customer requested to move the date of delivery back a day due to a scheduling conflict of theirs. We then worked to coordinate with the hauler to accommodate the customer's requested delivery date and confirm they were available to deliver at this time. The hauler had some doubts due to inclement weather in the area, but promised to confirm with us once he knew when delivery was possible. We updated the customer throughout the process with whatever information the hauler could confirm for us. We believe it is in this timeframe that the customer understandably grew impatient--but we did not have a definite answer for them and could only notify the customer what the hauler was telling us, as he would be the one carrying out the delivery. The customer was ultimately contacted on Wednesday morning (11/30) and informed that his order would more than likely be delivered Thursday (12/1).

  The customer was contacted by both us and the hauling company carrying out the delivery confirming that it would arrive to him that day (12/1). The hauler confirmed with us yesterday that the order was delivered successfully to the customer.

  We have been in contact with the customer since this complaint was filed, and all services have been fully rendered to the customer, so we consider the matter closed and we thank the customer again for his order with us.

*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. ↩