Today, I woke up to hear the story of a fly-by-night , so called ‘lawn care contractor’ who ripped off an unsuspecting disabled lady. When confronted, not only did he run from Global News Investigative Reporter Sean O’Shea, he punched the Camera man!
The sad reality is its easy to enter the landscaping and lawn care business, and unfortunately, that make it easy for punks like him to give us a black eye.
But, there is hope. Today, we took the opportunity to help a consumer fix the mess she was left with, while teaching her that there are several easy ways to find a great lawn care or landscape company. Watch here
Here’s what you need to know:
- Are they a professional member of Landscape Ontario and the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association? This adds a level of assurance that they have been in business for at least 5 years and follow the associations rules of professionalism and ethics. You can easily check by going to Landscape Ontario Online or clicking on the links above.
- Check out their reputation online. There are sites for homeowners to review and rate companies such as HomeStars or check out their reviews on Google by going to Google maps and searching for a business by name. Learn how by clicking here. Other sites are Facebook or Houzz.com
- Are they a member of the Better Business Bureau? The BBB rates companies based on their long term reputation of handling customers concerns
- Have they won any awards that represent a strong focus on customer service, longevity in business, quality work etc.? Check out the Consumer Choice Award, for non-biased independently verified
- Guarantees and fancy paperwork are easy ploys to fool people IF they don’t have a reputation of backing them up. Great companies stand behind their work. The only way to know is to do your homework. My parents always preached that your reputation is everything- Don’t waste it!
LawnSavers steps in to help a lady ripped off by an unscrupulous lawn contractor. (with the help of fellow long time Landscape Ontario Member Hank Deenen Landscaping)
