ComplaintsforThe Doty Group, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  05/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I hired The Doty Group Aug-Sept to level, extend, fill, hydroseed & install drainage for a water swale in my yard. Instead of being filled with quality grade loam, I ended up with a bunch of rocks. The ******* advised it was bec they use a poor quality product. As a result, the hydroseed didn't take despite my following the directions given. Then the whole corner of my yard caved in due to water. The end with the drain openings on the other end of my yard were completely covered so the water couldn't get in causing my neighbor's yard to flood and causing me immense psychological stress. I personally had to dig out both drains so that the water could drain. I contacted ****** repeatedly & she just tried to brush everything off as mother nature. Finally I was able to get her to send someone back out but she didn't pay any attention to my concerns about the **************** issues and as a result before they came back out I was picking up buckets full of rocks to try to get the new round of hydroseed to take. As a result, while the seed took more than the first time, my lawn looks like a partial desert and is all dirt patches with rocks scattered with some grass. They filled the hole & moved a boulder behind my fence but I still fear the corner of my yard will cave in again as they needed to install a drain behind the fence too & I have massive pooling when it rains. I had hand dug a trench myself to try to help bec of the issue with the work and ended up covered in poison ivy. My contract terms stated reseeding if loam didn't take. I was told they take pride in guaranteeing their work. Their work is a *********** aren't honoring it as I've tried reaching them by phone, ************ for over 2 months now without a single response. I even said I'd be forced to expedite. Gave a few more days & said I'd be contacting BBB. March 11th was when I sent the first email 2nd was 4/15. Texts on 4/19, 4/25, 5/2, 5/3, 5/9. Calls 5/7, 5/13. *************** were sent to ******

  Business response

  05/14/2024

  We are very sorry that it has come to a complaint to the BBB, but this is an unfortunate situation.  This job was completed in the fall of 2023 and it was nearly impossible to make the homeowner happy.  We returned to this property more times than we have ever returned to another property for miscellaneous concerns/complaints.  We did eventually satisfy all of her concerns and were paid in full for the work that was completed.

  The drainage was done properly, however customer demanded excess loam be brought in, which we advised against due to the drainage that was put in.  We ended up bringing in additional loam to satisfy the customer's demands, however, the excess loam (that we advised against) resulted in blocking the drains that were put in, as we anticipated that it would.  We then returned to fix the drainage work, which would've worked perfectly had we not brought in more loam.  The drainage now drains water beyond the customer's fence into the *****/swamp behind her house, where it is meant to go.  We are not sure where the customer expects the water to go when it leaves her yard?

  We do not provide poor quality loam.  Loam is screened to the best of a loam screening machine's ability, so pebbles and rocks will inadvertently pass through the screen.  When the loam was originally raked and seeded, there were no rocks on the surface.  Before grass germinates completely, the top covering of dirt can 'wash' away and expose these rocks (and there was a lot of rain).  As grass continues to mature and thicken up, it will grow over/cover these rocks, but this takes time.  If a homeowner wants a perfect lawn immediately, sod would be the best choice.  Growing a thick, full lawn can take up to 3 growing seasons - and that is with the utmost care - regular watering, regular fertilizer treatments, and keeping dogs off of the new lawn.  In addition, it is early May and the ground is just starting to warm up enough for grass germination, so she will start to see new growth if she takes care of the lawn. 

  Requesting a full refund for a job that was eventually completed to her satisfaction seems like a very unreasonable request.  We look forward to hearing from you, thank you!

  Customer response

  05/14/2024

   
  Complaint: 21707425
  
  I do not accept the business's response as a resolution to my complaint because: I find it interesting that in less than 24 hours I got a response here when I've been messaging for over 2 months and been completely ignored.  The statements made by The Doty Group are false and outright lies.  I never asked them to cover the drains with loam.  They put rock on top of the drains and when they did so then put loam on top as required to seed the yard.  However, the ends that intake the water were completely covered by them with loam and rocks so water couldn't get in.  I had nothing to do with it.  I was the one that had to fix it myself so the water could get in.  They did nothing to fix this.  There was no advising against anything and none of me asking them to block the drain pipes.  The extra loam brought in afterwards was to repair the sink hole that occurred and to fill the other corner which had washed away due to the water being trapped from the blocked drain pipes.

  The water is not meant to go behind the fence, it's meant to drain into the intake pipe in my neighbor's yard which is where the 2 new pipes they did install drain to.  Not sure why they're claiming it drains into the ***** as that's incorrect.  Another pipe should've been installed behind the fence to account for that water & drained to the same intake pipe the other 2 go to.  When the sink hole was repaired the crew assured me there would no longer be water trapped but clearly that was incorrect as it's still happening.

  The poor quality loam comment was made directly by their employee to me.  I'm not sure how long they expect grass to take to grow? It's been 8 months and I still have bald spots everywhere.  I do take care of the lawn, kept my dog off of it for the time they requested for me to, and followed their watering instructions.  And they promised the hydroseed would take or they'd reseed.  The first application barely did anything which is why they made the second application.

  Yes, I was unhappy and they had to come back out but it's because they did poor quality work.  Had a sink hole not happened and the hydroseed actually taken the first time along with the sprinklers being properly aligned they wouldn't have had to make a return trip.  And had they planned to fix everything at once, instead of doing it piece mail they wouldn't have come back multiple times just once.  That was their decision to do it that way not mine.

  I'm willing to work with them if they're willing to work with me.  I felt forced to request a full refund because they refused to even have a discussion for the last 2 months.  If they're willing to install the proper drainage pipe to take water from behind the fence to the drain intake with the other drains they installed and take care of the hydroseeding issue so the lawn actually takes I'm willing to accept that as resolution.

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

  Business response

  05/15/2024

  Unfortunately, we are not comfortable reengaging with this customer or willing to do any further work at this property, hence our response is being done via BBB and not to her personally.  Additionally, every employee that worked on this property requested not to be sent back because the customer was extremely difficult to work with.

  A refund is not a reasonable request as the job was completed (and paid for) in full, if she was dissatisfied at completion, she would not have paid.  
  

  This thread is becoming a he said-she said; we responded to her complaints with our initial explanation and have nothing further to add.

*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. ↩