What would you ask for in this situation? re: lawn service

[donthasslethehoff]

We have Scott's Lawn service that comes ~6 times per year to fertilize, lime, grub control our lawn. This is our 3rd year using them. We have 2 dogs and a fenced in back yard. The first year we had them, they always called 1-2 days before they came to let us know they were coming. We'd make sure all the dog poop was picked up and the day they came, we'd also check the back gates to make sure they were closed before we let the dogs out. It's also important to know that we never, ever use these gates so unless the lawn service came they're always closed.

Fast forward to last year. They stopped calling and giving us a heads up. Fine. I called them and asked them nicely to call a day or 2 before like they used to do, so we can clean  up the poop to their techs don't step in it. For the rest of the year they'd call sometimes, other times they wouldn't.

They gave us a really good price this year after we told them we were unsatisfied with their service the prior year and we were going to cancel. They stopped calling completely before treatments and I called to complain. At our 2nd or 3rd treatment one of their techs left the gate open. Fine. Maybe they didn't realize we had dogs, I dunno, but we never check the gates unless we know they've been here. If they don't call, we don't know they've been in our yard. I called to give them hell and said that it was completely unacceptable. I explained that our dog got loose and it could have been a much worse outcome than it was. They made a special note (or they claimed to) on our account to tell the techs to make sure they close the gates when leaving and gave us that treatment for free and 50% off the next one (essentially $60).

Last night we get home and let the dogs out, my husband is upstairs and hears a bark that didn't come from the backyard. Opens the front door, and our neighbor is walking across the street with 1 of our dogs. Scott's left the effing gate open again. Again, the situation could have been so, so much worse than it was.

What would you ask for in this situation? I have a $90 balance on my account (from last treatment and the one from yesterday) that I plan to tell them I am not paying for. I would also like free treatment next year, but at the same time, I don't want these people at our house. I feel like $90 compensation is not enough for this BS.

tl;dr Lawn service left back gate open for the second time this season and our dogs got out both times. I am pissed and it's completely unacceptable.

[tiffany81]

I used to keep my gate locked and require my lawn services to call the day prior so I could remove the lock. When they didn't call, they couldn't get into my yard. And they were forced to come back on their dime to do my service. Is that an option? Get a cheap lock from Home Depot with a combo and put it back there.

[my4girls]

I wouldn't use them again personally, even if it was free

[donthasslethehoff]

Nov 20, 2014 9:01:31 GMT -5 tiffany81 said:

I used to keep my gate locked and require my lawn services to call the day prior so I could remove the lock. When they didn't call, they couldn't get into my yard. And they were forced to come back on their dime to do my service. Is that an option? Get a cheap lock from Home Depot with a combo and put it back there.

That's a good idea, other than the fact that we also have oil service that will not call before delivery that also need to get into our back yard through the gate. If all else fails, I will cancel the automatic oil delivery and just call when we need a fill up.

This is frustrating.

[Deleted]

Use another service

[whitemerlot]

I would use a different company.

[Norticprincess]

New service and gate locks. If the oil service is good about locking when they done, you could get a combo lock and give it to the driver if you have the same one.

[AAM2012]

I have gone through 2 yard companies (Plant It Earth and Trugreen) and was never really satisfied with their service and I doubt they'll give you much of anything.

I think you need to either 1) cancel the service or 2) check your gate when you get home. They typically come the same time every month when they did our yard so I knew approximately when they would come.

You could also try putting up a "keep gate closed" sign.

[dirtyred]

Get a new service. I went with a local company and get much better service than with a franchise.

[lmdbww]

We're using Scotts for the first time this year and have had nothing but issues. 6 out of the 7 treatments this year they came to do right before a heavy rainfall and apparently, when I called to complain, it's my responsibility to call if that happens so they can reschedule. WTF, I got lawn service so it'd be less work for me, not more! I asked for a refund and she claimed that they had a "satisfaction guarantee" not a "money back guarantee" and I asked to schedule a respray and the woman told me no!

At that point I escalated to management and the dude was short w/me when I told him my lawn looked like shit and he needed to come out and take a look. Wouldn't you know, he came out and AGREED with me and couldn't figure out what was going on. I got at least 5 extra free weed sprays after that and our lawn is better, but still not 100% where we'd like it to be.

We're not using them next year. We pay $50/treatment and we can have it done by our neighbors lawn guy for half that (plus he gives us mowing tips and stuff, which Scott's is supposed to do but doesn't).

After our first treatment I didn't care about cleaning the lawn. Let them step in crap. lol

[donthasslethehoff]

We're going to cancel regardless. We have a $90 balance on our account, but I feel like getting that $90 credited isn't enough.

[donthasslethehoff]

Nov 20, 2014 9:32:02 GMT -5 Norticprincess said:

New service and gate locks. If the oil service is good about locking when they done, you could get a combo lock and give it to the driver if you have the same one.

The dog in your profile picture is the same type of dog that got loose My neighbor thought it was a deer in the middle of the road.

[VillainV]

I'd cancel. Otherwise there's not much you can do with $90 in credit.

I mean, closing a gate is common sense, no? If you find it closed, leave it closed??

[LoveTrains]

And this is yet another reason why dogs should not be in the yard unsupervised. 
Sorry, I know that's a shitty answer, but I truly believe that dogs should be supervised when outside. 

I would give them hell and get a credit for this service and then find a new company. 

[donthasslethehoff]

Nov 20, 2014 10:09:45 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

And this is yet another reason why dogs should not be in the yard unsupervised. 
Sorry, I know that's a shitty answer, but I truly believe that dogs should be supervised when outside. 

I would give them hell and get a credit for this service and then find a new company. 

That is a shitty answer and a kind of ridiculous one. We have nothing in the yard the dogs can get into. We fenced in the yard so that we could let them out, without watching their every move. They're free to play without a ton of oversight. Even if we were out there with them, it's pitch black, so unless we walked them on a leash in our own fenced in yard, the gates are both in areas where we can't see unless we were with them. If we were simply standing on our deck, watching them walk around, they would have still gotten out of the gate. I don't even know why I am trying to justify this...

Sorry - I need to edit this. Are you talking about like a dog door, and letting them in and out as they please when we're not home, or do you truly believe that a dog needs to be on a leash and watched every second that it's outside? We would never let the dogs out if we weren't home. Ever. We were sitting in the house for less than 5 minutes and realized that she got loose when we heard a bark in front of our house, and not in the back. The dogs aren't ever out for more than 5 minutes without us checking what they're doing.

[LoveTrains]

We will have to agree to disagree on the matter.

[donthasslethehoff]

Nov 20, 2014 11:23:25 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

We will have to agree to disagree on the matter.

See my edit to my PP. I think you need to clarify what you mean by 'unsupervised.'

[LoveTrains]

Nov 20, 2014 11:28:25 GMT -5 donthasslethehoff said:

Nov 20, 2014 11:23:25 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

We will have to agree to disagree on the matter.

See my edit to my PP. I think you need to clarify what you mean by 'unsupervised.'

I think they are fine outside in a yard (don't need to be leashed) but personally for me and my dog, I will be out there with him in the fenced in yard. There are so many things that can happen, even within a fenced in yard. 

if you are going to let them out and watch closely from the window, I can understand why, although personally i would not do it. I am very against people leaving their dogs outside all day while at work or not home, but it sounds like that is also something that you don't do. There are even more reasons why that is dangerous which I won't get into because its not relevant.

I personally go outside with my dog every time he goes in the yard. Nope, he isn't leashed but yes, I am out there, even in the rain and snow, watching and making sure he is a) actually going to the bathroom b) picking up the poop and c) ensuring that he doesn't get into a scuffle with a squirrel, raccoon, skunk, etc or otherwise get into trouble. 

I have just heard so many stories of people being home and letting their dogs out and something bad happening that it isn't worth the risk to me. If you have evaluated the situation and deemed that there aren't any risks, that is a decision that you can make for you and your family. I walk the yard behind my dog when he is sniffing and whatnot, so that is why I was baffled that he got out of the gate. I would have noticed that the gate was open before he was able to go through it. I can also correct any bad behavior that I see (digging, pawing at fence, etc) if I am out there with him 100% of the time. 

Whatever, everyone has different styles, and like I said, we will have to agree to disagree. I don't have kids, and I know its considered inappropriate to judge parenting styles. But my understanding is that people will mention if there are safety issues, like having an improperly installed car seat, or doing that thing with the car seat/carrier on the cars that people don't like (on top of it) because of safety issues. The purpose of my post is not to judge, but to suggest that there might be safety issues that you haven't considered. If you have considered those issues and deemed it appropriate for your dogs and your life style, rock on with your doggie parenting self. Your english bulldog is adorable and I bet he/she gives the best kisses. 

[Norticprincess]

Nov 20, 2014 9:46:14 GMT -5 donthasslethehoff said:

Nov 20, 2014 9:32:02 GMT -5 Norticprincess said:

New service and gate locks. If the oil service is good about locking when they done, you could get a combo lock and give it to the driver if you have the same one.

The dog in your profile picture is the same type of dog that got loose My neighbor thought it was a deer in the middle of the road.

Missing Mastiffs are a very bad thing. Glad you got the pup back quickly.

[msmerymac]

Nov 20, 2014 10:06:06 GMT -5 VillainV said:

I'd cancel. Otherwise there's not much you can do with $90 in credit.

I mean, closing a gate is common sense, no? If you find it closed, leave it closed??

You'd be amazed. Our cleaning service left the back door open once because they were cleaning the kitchen and wanted to air it out or something. We have cats. That is noted on our account. My friend, who was staying with us, arrived home early and freaked, closed it, and mentioned the cats. They then opened the door AGAIN. My husband called and told the owner that if anything happened to our cats, we would never be able to use them again. 

[donthasslethehoff]

Nov 20, 2014 13:04:35 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

Nov 20, 2014 10:06:06 GMT -5 VillainV said:

I'd cancel. Otherwise there's not much you can do with $90 in credit.

I mean, closing a gate is common sense, no? If you find it closed, leave it closed??

You'd be amazed. Our cleaning service left the back door open once because they were cleaning the kitchen and wanted to air it out or something. We have cats. That is noted on our account. My friend, who was staying with us, arrived home early and freaked, closed it, and mentioned the cats. They then opened the door AGAIN. My husband called and told the owner that if anything happened to our cats, we would never be able to use them again. 

I would be so pissed. It's no mystery that we have dogs. There's poop in the back yard and dog toys and whatnot. And as a lawn professional, the fact that our back yard grass looks like absolute shit from dogs going to the bathroom pretty clearly indicates that we have dogs. I am really lax about most things. This just pisses me off to no end.

Since it's a national chain, there's 1 hub for customer service. When I called this morning I said I needed to talk to our local branch manager. Apparently he wasn't in the office when I called at around 9am EST. I left my name and number. It is now 1:30. I will give them until 4 to call me back and then I am going to post to their corporate facebook page.

[lurknomore]

Nov 20, 2014 9:45:26 GMT -5 donthasslethehoff said:

We're going to cancel regardless. We have a $90 balance on our account, but I feel like getting that $90 credited isn't enough.

Why not?  Yes it was a pain.  Yes it could have been worse.  But it wasn't.  You're not entitled to money every time youare inconvenienced.  It's not working with this company in a way you want it to be.  Try to get your $90 credit and move on.  We rarely use our gates.  Yet we check them everyday when we get home before letting the dogs out.  Our electric meter is in the back of the house, so they could leave it open (never have, but we still check).  Our kids go out to play on the swingset.  Hell, a gust of wind could get our gate open (it's probably flimsier than yours admittedly).  But we check for the safety of the dogs.  Always.  It's just one of those things we do as dog owners. 

[orval]

I get that it is a pain and dangerous for your dog to escape. My dog (at 16 years old) escaped this summer after the guy that trimmed our bushes left it open. I didn't think they used the side gate and didn't look at that one. That said, I always check the gates to make sure they are closed. I can see them from my windows and I check before I let him out.
It is an easy, honest mistake to make. I don't think it is worth more than a $90 credit.

[donthasslethehoff]

Nov 20, 2014 13:45:02 GMT -5 lurknomore said:

Nov 20, 2014 9:45:26 GMT -5 donthasslethehoff said:

We're going to cancel regardless. We have a $90 balance on our account, but I feel like getting that $90 credited isn't enough.

Why not?  Yes it was a pain.  Yes it could have been worse.  But it wasn't.  You're not entitled to money every time youare inconvenienced.  It's not working with this company in a way you want it to be.  Try to get your $90 credit and move on.  We rarely use our gates.  Yet we check them everyday when we get home before letting the dogs out.  Our electric meter is in the back of the house, so they could leave it open (never have, but we still check).  Our kids go out to play on the swingset.  Hell, a gust of wind could get our gate open (it's probably flimsier than yours admittedly).  But we check for the safety of the dogs.  Always.  It's just one of those things we do as dog owners. 

This is the only company I've ever tried to get compensation from because of something they did. I always just say fuck it, and move on. You're right in that it could have been worse, but it wasn't, and we're lucky, but it wasn't the first time this happened.

Re: The gates. Other than the lawn guys and oil we don't use our gates, ever. Oil leaves a slip on our door, so we know when they come, and we always check. Lawn...well, that's the issue here. Given the fact that we're well past our first frost, having lawn guys come to our house, not something I was exactly expecting. My fault for not checking, but the chances were pretty slim of it happening.

[lurknomore]

Nov 20, 2014 14:01:44 GMT -5 donthasslethehoff said:

Nov 20, 2014 13:45:02 GMT -5 lurknomore said:

Why not?  Yes it was a pain.  Yes it could have been worse.  But it wasn't.  You're not entitled to money every time youare inconvenienced.  It's not working with this company in a way you want it to be.  Try to get your $90 credit and move on.  We rarely use our gates.  Yet we check them everyday when we get home before letting the dogs out.  Our electric meter is in the back of the house, so they could leave it open (never have, but we still check).  Our kids go out to play on the swingset.  Hell, a gust of wind could get our gate open (it's probably flimsier than yours admittedly).  But we check for the safety of the dogs.  Always.  It's just one of those things we do as dog owners. 

This is the only company I've ever tried to get compensation from because of something they did. I always just say fuck it, and move on. You're right in that it could have been worse, but it wasn't, and we're lucky, but it wasn't the first time this happened.

Re: The gates. Other than the lawn guys and oil we don't use our gates, ever. Oil leaves a slip on our door, so we know when they come, and we always check. Lawn...well, that's the issue here. Given the fact that we're well past our first frost, having lawn guys come to our house, not something I was exactly expecting. My fault for not checking, but the chances were pretty slim of it happening.

LOL at them putting fertilizer or whatever down after the first frost!!! 

There is so much I hate about having dogs (and so much I love...don't get me wrong!)  The damn fence is one of those things!!!  GL getting your credit.  I hate dealing with companies on shit like this. 

[donthasslethehoff]

They just called me back. Cancelled the account and told them to credit the balance. We're done. Now, we have to find a new lawn service...

[dexteroni]

I would just pay my bill and not use them anymore. There are a lot of errors that would result in me refusing to pay, but this isn't one of them. And it's definitely not worth more than the cost of your service. What do you want them to do, cut you a check? I can guarantee you that that will not be happening. Be grateful nothing happened to your dog, refuse to pay the bill if you feel strongly about it, and move on from there.

[megstoo]

Nov 20, 2014 13:45:02 GMT -5 lurknomore said:

Nov 20, 2014 9:45:26 GMT -5 donthasslethehoff said:

We're going to cancel regardless. We have a $90 balance on our account, but I feel like getting that $90 credited isn't enough.

Why not?  Yes it was a pain.  Yes it could have been worse.  But it wasn't.  You're not entitled to money every time youare inconvenienced.  It's not working with this company in a way you want it to be.  Try to get your $90 credit and move on.  We rarely use our gates.  Yet we check them everyday when we get home before letting the dogs out.  Our electric meter is in the back of the house, so they could leave it open (never have, but we still check).  Our kids go out to play on the swingset.  Hell, a gust of wind could get our gate open (it's probably flimsier than yours admittedly).  But we check for the safety of the dogs.  Always.  It's just one of those things we do as dog owners. 

Suck it up and pay the $90 balance.  You DID have their service and they DID put down product (ferterilzer etc.).  The same could be said if you have an actual reading on your water meter for example.  If they leave the gate open you don't expect to not pay the bill for the month.  It's a service you used, pay it and find another company.

Can you also not see your fence gates when you pull into your driveway to see they were open?  

FWIW: we also have lawn service for normal treatments (they come 4x a year) and they never call prior to coming.  

[cheezer]

I would not pay the $90 bill and never use them again.