Complain about a product or service

Scotts Lawn Care Products

Ed of Madison, WI August 3, 2009

Last year I paid for Scotts Lawn Service for the season. The applications they applied never improved the lawn, largely because the service was not provided at the time promised. Moreover, Scotts missed two other scheduled service calls. After many calls I was finally reimbursed for the missed service calls but despite my complaints that the lawn deteriorated with broad leaf plants, they did not fulfill their promise to provide additional service. I canceled the service. This year, without any authorization, Scotts came out in Spring and took the liberty of applying fertilizer to the lawn while no one was at home. I called again telling them the service was canceled last season because it was totally unsatisfactory. The fertilizer applied this year only increased the spread of broad leaf plants further deteriorating the lawn. Scotts continues to send be bills for the service that was not authorized. These actions should be a warning to other potential customers that the service is unreliable and ineffective. Their administration of the program inhospitable and at times hostile and I strongly urge potential customers to avoid any contact with this company.

Linda of Thornton, CO August 1, 2009

April 2009 I applied Scott's Weed and Feed to my front and back lawn. I followed the directions exactly and used a spreader. This was on a Saturday. I had put new sod in my yard 4 yrs ago and it was looking good. Besides having a mostly dead yard, 3 days after I applied this to my yard I was in the doctors office with a severe upper respiratory infection. My oxygen level was extremely low, I was given a breathing treatment and xrays on my lungs. He gave me some antibiotics and had to go back a week later for spinometry (sp).

Now, I am somewhat better, but went from a perfectly healthy 55 yr old woman who went to the doctor one time a year for a physical to a woman that has to use 2 inhalers and see the doctor on a regular basis. Interestingly enough one of my dogs developed a tumor and I had to put him to sleep. Can I say that the fertilizer treatment caused all this, not positively as I don't have the bag or otherwise I would have had it tested. Coincidence?

Brad of Palmetto, FL July 31, 2009

After reading all the complaints about Scotts Lawn Service, I decided to put in my opinion. I used their service for about three years. At the time, I thought they were doing a good job and that any problems I complained to them about were things they couldn't do anything about on a Florida lawn (it's hard to keep a lawn nice in Florida). In the two years since I quit the service, the only thing I notice that has worsened in my yard is the increase in the amount of fire ants I have to kill (I used Ortho Orthene First Ant powder; stuff works great.).

I work as a security guard in a gated community and have talked to a few of the so-called 'techs' that service peoples yards. They have all told me the same thing: Scotts Lawn Service is only concerned about one thing: MAKING MONEY. The 'techs' told me that they are told to make 1200 a day in business. If that's their incentive, then no wonder the 'techs' fly thru these yards and get them done as quick as possible. You can get 1200 worth of business done by doing a crappy job in 6 hours (or less) or by doing the job right in 8 or 9 hours. Bottom line, from what I've been told, Scotts doesn't care about quality work or retaining customers. All they care about is making a money and paying these so-called 'techs' 12.00 an hour. What kind of people do you expect to hire when you pay them that much?

Scotts Lawn Service is just riding on the name "Scotts" because they think that everyone will assume that their lawn service is the best just like their fertilizer (which I do think is the best out there). Looking back on the three years I had Scotts Lawn Service I would say that they did a poor to fair job as far as I was concerned. My wife often complained about all the weeds that were showing up. I would call and their 'well-trained' managers would come out and either tell me that the weeds will die shortly after they retreat it or that they were (as they liked to call it) "non-treatable grassy weeds". Watch a bunch of baloney. Bottom line is their 'techs' and 'managers' know very little about the lawn care business. All they know is how to make money and give people broken promises and outright lies.

Last thing. I remember one of their 'techs' was a girl that would "fly" up to the gate I work at and get in and out as fast as possible. You know she was spending only between 5 and 10 minutes on a yards. My advice. Stay away from any of these big nationwide companies like Scotts or TruGreen Lawn Care and use a local guy that knows his stuff and knows that if he gives you good service and results that you will continue to make money for him. Scotts and TruGreen could learn from that as well.

David of Woodstock, IL July 2, 2009

In 2008 my wife and I decided to use Scotts Lawn Service for our lawn. We agreed on five treatments over the summer and fall of 2007, but during this time Scotts Lawn Service would call with other treatments that we could do for our trees, flowers, possible bugs and what ever else Scotts Lawn Service could think of. Each time my wife or I would state that we were not interested in these extra services. At the end of the year my wife and I decided we would not use Scotts Lawn Service in 2009.

In March of 2009 I came home from work and found an invoice for services from Scotts Lawn Service hanging on our front door. I called Scotts Lawn Service immediately and asked why they serviced our lawn. I was told that Scotts Lawn Service does this as a convenience for their customers with the same price as paid the previous year. Is this for the customer's convenience or guaranteed business for Scotts Lawn Service? I believe the latter is why this is done.

I asked why I was not called or sent a letter letting me know about this. I was told by Scotts Lawn Service's personnel that they are a season to season company and unless I call to let them know I no longer want their services, they just come out the next year. The season to season statement is written on the perforated portion in tiny print on Scotts Lawn Service's invoice.

I believe seasons are winter, spring, summer, or fall not 2008 to 2009. This is a new year not a new season. When I explained this to Scotts Lawn Service's personnel, I was then told that Scotts Lawn Service had my agreement to this and I would have to pay. I asked for a copy of this agreement, but was never given any such documents because I believe it doesn't exist.

Under protest, we paid the bill and after the check was sent, we received an invoice stating that the payment was late and a late fee was due. I cannot believe this company is allowed to do this to a customer. First provide a service that was not asked for and then charge a late fee because you no longer want their services. How can all this be legal or fair to any consumer? Does this mean another company can provide other services not requested and then charge what ever they want?

If Scotts Lawn Service is so dedicated to their customer why don't they make a courtesy call to the customer in the winter asking, if they want to continue the service? Is this not done in hope that the customer will continue service with them and if they call and actually ask the customer, the customer would have the opportunity to say they are not interested in another year of their service? We are registering this complaint as we believe we should not be billed for a service that was not asked for.

Former of Anytown, MD June 23, 2009

As a former employee of Scotts Lawnservice, I can honestly say I will never use Scott's products again and certainly consider any of the other lawn care providers for my service. I have seen from the inside how lawn 'technicians' are pushed to complete as many applications per day as possible. Their production is measured on how many dollars/day they 'bill' so lawns that were mis-measured or underpriced by the sales person are done very quickly as they do not pay the proper amount, and it does not pay for the lawn tech to do a good job. Many times non-Scotts products are used, and temporary help is used to put down product with little or no training.

Jan of River Oaks, TX May 22, 2009

As a gift to me, My girlfriend Jan ordered a yearly program to get rid of stickers in the grass, broad leaf, and to aerate and fertilize the yard about June '08. Innocent enough right? And very thoughtful.

In the course of 3 months, my lush St.Augustine lawn in the front yard was destroyed (I was out of town on an assignment) we called them out, and they said they could fix it, and came out repeated times (at full cost to us), for fertilizing, etc. They never aerated the yard "before" any of the fertilizing, and treatments, and the yard got worse. The broadleaf and nutsage (stickers) never went away, and additionally they burned the back yard as well.

We called the Branch Manager-Michael who came out to the house in November '08. I was home now, and was ticked, but controlled. I wanted to see what he would do. He agreed that the lawn was dead, and needed to be re-sod. He was going to turn it into the insurance company (Nov '08). That was 6 months ago. We have also kept all the e-mail correspondence.

He stated that he needed before and after pictures for the insurance company. As I am very proud of my yard, I did have before pictures, and CERTAINLY after pictures, I sent copies to him in e-mails. He lost them 3 times, and I resent them 3 times. Next he said it was turned into the insurance company, and we needed to deal with them directly. Fine, give us the name and number of the insurance company. To this date he has not given us this information despite repeated calls.

In effect they double charged Jan for services not approved, and she paid each one. They were billing her as much as 200/mo before we put a stop to it. They were applying product to a dead yard. I asked the manager why they would do this? According to the AD, each one of their technicians was trained to analyze lawns, and what they needed. So the obvious question is this; If they are so knowledgeable, why would they treat a dead lawn? If it was not fixing the nutsage problem (our origonal problem), why did they not fix the problem. Finally, they advertise "SATISFACTION GUARANTEED", I know what that means to me, evidently that does not have the same meaning to them.

We posted a sign in our yard that said "Scott's Lawn Care took care of this lawn" Posted right in the middle of the dead yard. It got lots of attention, and Michael saw it when he came over. The next day, someone removed it from the yard, and threw it on the side of the house. We put it back up, and it was gone again 2 days later. We called Michael and told him, and he denied any knowledge of it...no surprise. So we informed his that the police were notified, and would be watching the house. Remarkably, the sign was no longer bothered.

To this date, nothing has been done by Scott', a call to the corporate offices to file a complaint was met by a recorded message that they were closed at 5pm, we called at 2pm. A call today to Michael resulted in the same statement that he made 6 months ago, that it was turned into the insurance company, and they would review it and cut us a check or we could work with Scott's to have new sod installed. Remember this has been into the insurance company for the past 6 months, this issue is over a year old now.

Anyone who has installed a new sod lawn knows you don't do it in the middle of a Texas summer, it is to be done in the spring. As many have written here before me, IMO Scotts is run by people who are not interested in satisfied customers, pound as many treatments as possible into a billable month, have no knowledge of grasses (yes there are different kinds) and the proper chemicals to put on each one, and do the treatments without our knowledge or approval, show up at 7 in the morning or 6 at night. They are interested in making money first, and customer satisfaction somewhere down in the list. Don't pay? They turn you over to collections, rather than deal with you one on one, to resolve the issue.

IMO they are a company to avoid. I paint this with a broad brush. I am sure there are good franchises, but this is not one of them, and from the letters I have read thus far, many have the same problems, exactly, which makes me tend to think that they have been trained to behave this way. Scott's? Prove me wrong. BE responsible, fix your problems, and attend to your customer base.

Truth of Frederick, MD May 14, 2009

I had paid for the spring aeritation and seeding..the grass started to come in pretty good, then they put down the crabgrass killer which also killed the grass that was coming in. A manager named 'Book' (?) came out and looked at the yard and said something else caused it..it wasn't them! I think he must have been drinking. Mind you the grass was thick and green until about 2 days after they put down the crabgrass killer! What else could it be? Needless to say I canceled my service, and they came out the next week and put down another application...and won't remove the charges.

Robert of Pearland, TX May 3, 2009

I bought "Naturscape natural black mulch" claiming it to be all natural and no recycle material. What a load of bull. I found several recycle pieces in there , part of a 3/4 x 1 1/2 manufactured piece of wood and a piece of machined round wood , could be that of a broom stick. The natural black is most likely Carbon black, so there is not much or at all left of the FOREST PRODUCT now is there. never to buy another scotts product.

John of Mchenry, IL March 28, 2009

John of Mchenry IL (03/28/09)
I've been using Scotts LawnService for about 4 to 5 years. Every year they would do the aeration typically in the fall at the same price of that years program. Apparently due to the weather condition in 2008, the aeration did not get done. In the past if that happened, which it did, Scotts would do it in the spring at the price of the program of the fall schedule.We have elected to hold off this year(2009) because my wife is dealing with a respitory condition.

I called because I would now like to get my lawn aerated from last years program and put the chemical program on hold. I was told no can do on the aeration price from 2008 which was 79.94. I was offered a price of about 250.00 to 300.00 in which I stated that I was to be charged from the 2008 program of 79.94. Salesman said that he would talked his manager which he did and called me back to tell me that the manager would not honor the price of 79.94. A little upset, I told him I would take my business elsewhere. Extremely poor customer service. I have a business myself and if I were to deal with my customer like this, I wouldn't be in business for long.

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