ComplaintsforD&D Mulch and Landscape

• Initial Complaint

  05/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  ***** Mulch delivered 10 cubic yards of mulch, but put it directly in the middle of the driveway, directly behind a garage door with a car in it, and not where they were directed to place the delivery. They claim they put it where instructed. In addition, they at no time gave notice of when the delivery would occur so I could ensure the delivery went as planned and be there to observe. I was home at the time of delivery, but they did not knock or call to confirm placement so the dump happened before I could do anything about it, and by the time I got outside they were already gone. The only recompense offered by the company was $25 off a FUTURE purchase, instead of offering to come move the mulch where it should have been or taking something more substantial off of my current order price ($25 is not even 5% of the $552 I paid for the order). As it stands, I have to make a 25-point turn to get a car out of the garage in front of where the mulch was placed. Their lack of acknowledgement that they even made an error is what upsets me the most. Why would I complain if they put the mulch pile where I wanted it?? As you can see in the attached picture, the mulch pile is in the middle of the driveway, to the right of the cone that was placed where the mulch should have been delivered so as not to obstruct exit/entry to the garage. Why on earth would I want a big mulch pile in the middle of my driveway? It makes no sense that they wouldn't have given any thought before dumping and running. I would like to be contacted by the owner of ***** Mulch, as their sales staff has shown no ability to adequately respond to customer complaints.

  

  Business response

  05/20/2023

  On 18 MAY 2023 ************** placed an online order with D&Ds location in ************** for 10 cubic yards of mulch. A copy of his online order form and his invoice are attached. As part of our order process, our managers ask the customer to place a delivery marker where they would like their product dropped. This part of the process is to avoid what Mr. ****** complaint is about. ************** informed our office when they called to confirm his order and take payment that he would place a cone where he would like the product dropped. He also noted that it should be in front of the basketball hoop. As always, our driver was given copies of the paperwork for this delivery. When our driver arrived on scene, he crosschecked the cone and basketball hoop in the driveway with his paper work. The area in question was safe for our truck to enter, so he proceeded with the delivery and dumped the material at the marker.  An image of this is attached. D&D does not agree that the product was dumped incorrectly or in the wrong location. Because of this, D&D did not redirect machinery and personnel to the dump location to move or remove the product.
  
  
  As a company, D&D does not provide a delivery time or timeframe to our customers. This is due to the sheer volume of our daily deliveries combined with external factors such as traffic, load wait times, dump truck availability, and any unforeseen circumstances throughout the day. ************** was informed of this at the time of his order confirmation in addition to our operating hours of 6:30a - 5p. His delivery occurred about 8a, which is inside our delivery window. Furthermore, he did not request that he be contacted prior to delivery nor indicate at any time that he would be present for the delivery. This is the norm, as the majority of our deliveries occur when customers are not home. Because there was no notation of the above in his paperwork and the order was pre-paid by credit card, our driver was swift and efficient in making his delivery. There was no need to knock on his door at 8a, which is early in the morning for some. D&D does not dispute that we did not make contact with **************; however, we were under no obligation to, not asked to, and did not believe it was courteous at such an early hour.
  
  
  D&D was given no explicit instructions not to block Mr. ****** garage. Some customers prefer their material as close to the house as possible to maximize driveway space. Others do not. Because of this, our drivers rely on the delivery marker system and drop their load where instructed. They cannot read our customers minds. In addition, we do not believe the garage was actually blocked, as the customer, while frustrating, was able to exit his garage and avoid the mulch pile. ************** knew his delivery would be completed sometime during 19 MAY 2023 between 6:30a and 5p, and while he claims it was obvious he didnt want the mulch dumped where it was and would have reconfigured his driveway, D&D believes ************** had ample warning and opportunity to avoid this situation by not parking in his garage that night in anticipation of the delivery.
  
  
  D&D recognizes that while they are not at fault for creating a frustrating exit to Mr. ****** garage, a 25-point turn is frustrating. We offered ************** a $25 gift card for his troubles. ************** received his mulch on the date requested in fully quantity. Because of this, D&D does not believe ************** is entitled to any compensation but still chose to show good faith in offering a gift card.

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