ComplaintsforSmeland Tree Service LLC

• Initial Complaint

  02/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Received emails from *************************, office manage with email address ********************************************* indicating we needed to pay part of the services to be done in august 2023 with paypal. We paid after a few back and forth emails detailing the work and pricing. When the date approached for the work to be done, ************************* then informed me that their email was hacked and their $1,000 payment we made was not received. This business failed to inform clients about Data Breach and is asking we pay regardless of their data breach. This is unethical business practice and I do not believe we owe additional payment to this business. They are now threatening taking action by adding interest to what they believe they are owed

  Business response

  03/01/2024

  I had been in contact with the customer when this happened and I did tell her that we were hacked, I also called paypal and told them as well. When it first happend the customer and I were trying to get if figured out. The last time she responded was September 11 2023 after that date every time I reached out to the customer to see how things are going she never responded. She ignored me never getting back to me. I sent her a letter stating they still owed $1000. She still hasn't responded.

  Customer response

  03/02/2024

   
  Complaint: 21308499
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  The business did not inform me that they were hacked until after the service was already completed. The office manager informed me that she was aware of their business email being hacked well before the scheduled service when she came to collect payment we thought we already made to SMEland and never reached out. This business has never tried reaching out to the co-owner of the home who theyve also had contact information for, ***************************. They have his phone number and email, he has not received any messages from them. We made payment per instructions received from ********************************************* after several conversations over a course of a week using this email address that found out far too late was hacked unbeknownst to us. Businesses are obligated to tell their clients when they have had data breached. Its the law and is good business practice.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************

  Customer response

  03/06/2024

  Half of the tree service rendered was paid for upfront as correspondence from the businesses email address instructed us to do so. When services were complete, the office manager came to collect and stated they were aware of their email being hacked earlier some time before the crew was scheduled to come out. We were not informed of this and trusted that we were communicating with the office manager in previous emails. This resulted in an unknown party obtaining our email and home address(s) without our knowledge and loss of $1,000.00. The business should have informed clients, especially ones with upcoming services, that communication from their business email account was potentially hacked to better protect themselves from fraud. SMEland treecare did not contact us. They inform us that they are a small business so I very much doubt there were many customers that were needing to be contacted to inform of the prior & known hacked email account that belonged to this business and is still listed on their website. I find it highly suspicious that this business knew about this activity and did not inform us. We were corresponding for an entire week. The office manager knew about this hacked account weeks prior to our email correspondence with the apparent hacker. For this reason, I believe Im not responsible to pay another $1,000 to this company as we already did so per instructions received from their businesss email address. 

  Customer response

  03/06/2024

  I attached just a couple of correspondence between ** and *********************************************. Please let me know if you need anything more as there are more emails that I could not fit. Thank you 

  Customer response

  03/06/2024

  I attached just a couple of correspondence between ** and ********************************************** Please let me know if you need anything more as there are more emails that I could not fit. Thank you

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