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TruGreen ChemLawn - Pricing

TruGreen ChemLawn • New Jersey Sues TruGreen Chemlawn --- Consumer Complaints • Too Much Service • Not Enough Service • Pricing • Happy Insider • Unhappy Ex-Insider --- • What You Can Do

Elizabeth of Glen Ellyn IL (3/30/04):
I have two properties ... one in St. Charles and one in Glen Ellyn. I have used Chemlawn for many years in St. Charles. In 2000 I began using their service at both properties. I used to be happy with them, but it seemed like they were coming more and more to both properties and the prices were going up and up ... to sixty dollars a crack. In the spring of 2003 I called to cancel the service for St. Charles. It was just too expensive.

Their salesman convinced me to stay with the service if he dropped the St. Charles price to $25.00 for just four basic treatments ... fertilizer and weed killer, nothing more. SO, they kept my business. (big mistake on my part) The next St. Charles bill was for $25.00 and then they went up the $35.00. When I called to complain, they said no one ever told me it would be $25.00. SO I sucked it up and paid the $35.00 each time because I didn't want the hassle of fighting them.

But now I am really upest. They came to both properties on December 8th, 2003 and the total was $261.68! At St. Charles, the total was $152.00! This was $58.71 for fall fertilization, $58.71 for fall dormant oil, and $35.00 for EARLY fall application! On the same day, they charged me $109.26 for fall dormant oil ($60.77) and late fall application ($48.49)! (Isn't December 8th a bit late to call it fall application?) I called to complain about the St. Charles bill and how they weren't authorized to do all of those applications. I offered to pay for the Glen Ellyn bill and the $35.00 of the St. Charles bill because the rest was not authorized since I had called them in the early spring to cancel and then was talked into staying with the "discount" and only basic applications.

The guy said he'd have to speak with his supervisor. He called back in about an hour and said they have no documentation that I called in the spring to change the order. Therefore, since they provided the service, I would have to pay. They were also mad that I hadn't paid the bill yet and I explained that happened because I needed to have time to talk with someone. I am on spring break today and finally had the time. He said it's an issue of me not paying and I said it's an issue of them providing services they were not authorized to provide.

I am being asked to pay $117.42 for a service I didn't ask for. I have medical expenses and I don't want to just throw this money to the Chemlawn wolves!

Patrick of Girard OH (3/26/04):
Last Fall I agreed to have an ant control sprayed around the perimeter of my home. I was told that the treatments would be done once in the Fall and once in the Spring and the cost would be $83.46 tax included. The perimeter treatment was to last one year, (12 months), as per the sales call that I received. I agreed to the two treatments. On Sept. 24, 2003 the first application was applied. I paid $41.73 for this application. Then, on Oct. 27, 2003, I found that the True Green Chemlawn put the second application. I wondered why the second application was put down only a month later--but I paid the $41.73 for the application. I felt the people knew what they were doing.

Then...last Friday, on March 20, 2004, my daughter, who was checking our house while we were away, saw and killed several ants. When we arrived home, on March 22, 2004, we also have been killing ants. Today I called our TruGreen Chemlawn and told them about the ants. I was informed that each treatment lasts only a month! I was suckered because I was told the two treatments were to last one year and I believed them. Then I questioned why the Spring application was done one month after the first...response: it only is good for one month! At this rate, I would be paying them $500.76 to kill ants all year long. I had been spraying around my house one time a year, using three spray cans at about $4.00 each. So for $12.00 I was ant free for ONE WHOLE YEAR!

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