ComplaintsforLawn Brothers Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  06/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Lawn brothers was contracted to fill in about 120 yards of dirt on our property after a huge backyard project. They were also contracted to seed and fertilize the area. Upon completion of the project we noticed large areas of water pooling and not draining on the property specifically in the areas that needed the most fill - **** inches. They used topsoil to fill in those areas versus fill dirt. After doing some research and speaking to a few industry professionals we were informed that you cannot use topsoil to fill in areas over 3 inches as topsoils function is to retain moisture for grass growth. It will not drain beyond 3 inches. Additionally when they seeded the areas they did not rake the seed in. Upon first wind and rain day much of the seed blew or washed away leaving huge bare spots everywhere. The areas that do not drain properly simply drowned all the seeds before they could germinate. We are left with a big soggy water filled dirt pit that is dangerous for my kids and pets and is haven for attracting mosquitoes as well. It will cost thousands of dollars to rectify the issue.

  Business response

  06/15/2022

  I have been doing Landscaping for many years and have filled holes and raised many lawns up with topsoil and I have never heard of topsoil causing pooling or not allowing for drainage. If this was the case then I would have many more complaints and unhappy customers because we have done hundreds of jobs very similar to this one. Please note that over watering would cause puddling in which it sounds and looks like he did. We only use clean screened topsoil from our supplier, the home owners request to get fill from other companies not knowing where exactly the soil is really coming from is not something we as a company agree with. If we receive fill from companies like pool/masonry companies (as suggested) you have no idea where that soil is from and it can be contaminated with many different things. We install Fresh screened topsoil that we know is great to grow on. The homeowner originally asked for seed and sod which we told him from the start that sod would be a lot more money but was a much faster process to getting grass, he was also informed that the seed option was way less but was more of a challenge to grow a lawn and could take time with lots of care. 

  Customer response

  06/15/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  This job was done wrong on several fronts. None of which the business response addresses. Topsoil is an organic material which easily erodes. Topsoil also holds moisture, part of why it is useful and necessary to put down before seeding.   It is for that very reason using it to raise a lawn up some **** inches and to insure proper drainage it is not customary nor successful. It offers no stability.  Additionally there is no over watering on my part. I followed the watering schedule they advised me of. Even a minimal amount of water causes pooling because nothing is draining. Even when the pools of water eventually dissipate after several days one step into the ground and you sink in some 6 -8 inches or so, making it extremely unsafe especially for my 3 children and dog.  Again there is no stability with several inches of topsoil being used as fill. As far as seeding goes, yes we are very aware that sod is more expensive then seed. That being said industry standard is to lightly rake in seed after application.  This helps keep the seed in place to avoid blowing away or washing away. It also helps keep the seed moist. This company neglected to rake the seed in. They even neglected to put down the starter fertilizer. I had to complain and have them come back to do that. 
  
  Id love them to answer this question in their response here. 
  
  As a self proclaimed experienced landscaper with all those happy customers is it customary or at least a very good idea to lightly rake seed in or is just dropping it on top of the soil the better way to do it? I would like to see if they answer this here. 
  
  Lastly, and this is where the bigger issue exists. We as a customer obviously have a problem here. I reached out to the company on several occasions over several days and my requests for answers or a solution were completely ignored. In my opinion that speaks volumes. I really liked ***** and his guys but seems like this is just another case of a company being paid in full and disappearing when a problem arises. I thought Lawn Brothers was different but I obviously was wrong. At the very least they should have come over to see what was going on and had a professional discussion about what was causing it and what could be done. Instead they completely disappeared.  

  
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• Initial Complaint

  04/11/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  Date of transaction: 4/5/2022 Amount of money paid: $1750 Paid for landscaping clean up. Lawn Brothers Landscaping did not complete the job I paid for. Attempted to contact business, business came back performed minimal corrective work (weed wacking) and leaving all debris left laying in garden beds. invoice # on jobber #***

  Customer response

  05/22/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by Lawn Brothers Landscaping regarding complaint ID ********. Their only response to me is they went above and beyond and got what I paid for which is obviously not the case 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************
  

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