ComplaintsforWoodfield Landscaping, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  10/08/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Spring 2019 we paid $1300 for a patio proposal of $15000 or less. We were only provided proposals of > $15000 but were told we could not have another proposal without paying more and the original money could only be applied to a job and they could help us with financing. Ended up paying about $50000 for a new patio. We have had multiple ongoing issues with paver sand crumbling away and not hardening and vegetation growing through. I was told this would not happen as we paid to have drainage under the pavers. Despite having the problem *fixed* 20+ times over the past 2.5 years, it is still not fixed. A private company that I had look at it stated there is probably water underneath and the foundation likely needs to be redone. Woodfield has not offered to a permanent fix, just bandaids. Despite them saying someone would be out this summer, no one has come in over 3 months. I reach out every few weeks and get the response "next week".

  

  Business response

  04/28/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2021/10/22) */ Woodfield Landscaping, Inc. provided a proposal for requested work at the referenced property, with various options. The clients chose a scope of work including: demolition of existing patio area, installation of paver patio and stoop, installation of hot tub pad, deck platform and gravel area, post installation for pergola, landscape plantings, patio drainage, and yard restoration, for $50,036.62. After completion of the project, the client reported issues with the sand at the patio installation area. Woodfield Outdoors responded promptly. Woodfield Outdoors continued to look for solutions and provide repair work at no cost to the client multiple times as issues were reported. In April 2020, a representative from Woodfield Outdoors and a manufacturer representative for the polymeric sand used on the referenced project assessed the reported issues together on site. Per the supplier's analysis, "you generally get this condition when moisture is always present (wicking up from the ground, too much shade). I do not think it was installed an installation error or product error". The representative suggested a repair using penetrating sealer which Woodfield Outdoors provided at no cost to the client. Woodfield Outdoors last sent a representative out on site to complete repairs on June 18, 2021. Woodfield Outdoors regrets that the finished product has not been completely satisfactory to the client, but feels that everything that can reasonably be done to rectify the situation has been done, per paragraph 10 on page 4 of the contract, in conjunction with the determination by the manufacturer's representative. Documentation for the above can be provided in the form of company documents, emails, etc, as needed. Consumer Response /* (3000, 11, 2021/10/29) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Much of Woodfield's response is accurate with a few exceptions. 1. We did, on our own accord choose a scope of work for the price indicated. However, we paid a retainer of $1300 for a patio design with a budget under $15,000. We were never provided this. 2. A manufacturer representative was brought to the house and recommended a sealer, which would "fix" the problem. I was not informed that shade or moisture underneath the pavers was the problem. When the sealer did not work Woodfield removed and replaced the ******** several more times. First I was told that the sand was not applied properly allowing it to fall into gaps under the pavers over time. The remedy was a machine to vibrate the pavers after the sand was applied. When the sand still did not harden I was told that the workers over saturated the sand and it would not harden so it was done again. On 2 occasions the workers left my hose runny onto the fresh ******** for hours until I found it. 3. The last repair was June 18th, 2021, however only a small part of the patio was re-sanded which I notified the project manager of on June 18th. I then messaged again on June 24th because the new area had already fallen through leaving hollow spots. I contacted the project manager several more times and received a response on 8/2/2021 stating that a crew would be out to lay a plastic sheet down to see if it was a moisture issue. Despite this, and several reminder messages from myself, no one has responded to me since 9/17/2021. No further visits have been made to my property since June. If the ******** representative informed Woodfield that the issue is "moisture wicking from the ground or too much shade" why was I never informed of that? And why, more than a year later, am I being told Woodfield is laying plastic to test for ground moisture if they already "knew" that was the problem? I had this patio installed because my backyard was unusable because it was always wet and muddy. I specifically asked if the shade and the water would be a problem for installation and maintenance. I was assured it would not and that there would not be an issue with water "if we do our job right". I paid several thousand dollars to have "Essential drainage" (page 2 of the contract) installed to prevent any water issues. I was also told by other companies that looked at the pavers that improper base and drainage installation could be contributing. The water and shade was a factor I specifically addressed with Woodfield because that was our main concern. I was assured it would not be an issue with the pavers. Had I known that it would be, I would have went with the cheaper patio option (concrete). I do not think that paragraph 10 on page 4 of the contract applies to this situation as we were not provided with the information to make an informed decision regarding the patio. We were told that the "essential drainage" would fix any moisture issues. Woodfield has also declined to pull up any of the patio or redo the base to ensure that is not the problem, which has been suggested by other companies as well as several of their own project managers. They have also not responded to me in several months even though there is ongoing issues since original installation, and the warranty period is not up. Documentation can be provided for any of the above information in the form of email, contracts, texts, etc. Again, I think that at this point there would be 2 satisfactory outcomes. 1.Removal and reinstallation of the patio with the proper "essential drainage" OR 2.A partial refund of the paid price as I did not receive what was contracted. If a fair amount was provided I would agree to not pursue any further complaints with the company.

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