Emerald Green Lawn Care

Doesn't Recommend

Matt F.

Joined 1 year ago

Watch out for "Auto Renewal" even without your signature. I had Emerald Green Lawn Care Service for 2 years. I paid up front both times for the service. I was never actually home to watch them do their work, although on a few occasions I found only the front yard taken care of and not the back. I didn't find the service particularly good as during this time part of the front lawn died. In the 2 years prior to the service of me doing the work myself, that never happened.

Fast forward to 2012. I decide to start taking care of the lawn myself since I'm not getting my money's worth. I get the renewal notice "pay up front get a discount" offer in the mail and I don't send it in. Keep in mind that I have NEVER signed a service agreement with Emerald Green.

So one day in late March I'm working from home and I hear the side gate shut. I'm not expecting anyone on my property so I look out and see an Emerald Green Lawn Care truck outside. As he takes off, I come outside and take a look at my front door and lo and behold I have an invoice for $68 for services rendered. Apparently he put down three different types of chemicals but you'd hardly know that looking at the lawn, or the fact that he never made his presence known first by ringing the bell.

I will admit to the fact that their invoices have fine print at the bottom stating that unless you send them a letter stating otherwise, they will continue your service year to year. This was pointed out to me when someone returned my complaint call, but since I always paid up front I never paid much notice to the invoice other than to make sure I wasn't being charged and to see what they claimed they were doing.

I'm sick and tired of companies doing this. Magazine subscriptions employ this technique, but lawn care services cost a bit more than magazine subscriptions. We have a signed service agreement with a pest control company to do preventative maintenance every year and yet, every year, they call me to remind me about it. Emerald Green does no such thing. And the whole "cancel in writing"...why? I never SIGNED anything binding myself to them. Why should I have to send them something official when they never sent me anything official?

This smacks of ABC Financial, a company that handles gym memberships. You have to go through hoops to cancel with them. But at least in that case, they also have a signed agreement with me, so despite their archaic way of doing business, at least they have a leg to stand on.

I find this practice of "auto renewal" unprofessional and shady. Their excuse was "read the fine print". I think that's all you need to hear to judge for yourself. Combine this with unimpressive lawn results and I think you have a recipe for a company that just doesn't care and you should look elsewhere.

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Editorial Review. Lawn care service maintains lawns all over eastern Massachusetts, with free lawn analyses for new customers.

Recommends

im4nits

Joined 9 years ago

Fine Service from Emerald Green. They are very responsive to requests for service. With the sighting of weeds, clover, or grubs, you call them and they are all over it.

Recommends

jawaka

Joined 10 years ago

Finally a good lawn care service!. At last we found a lawn care service that cares and knows what they are doing. Emerald Green provides for all of our lawn care needs (fetilization, seeding, insects, etc.) on time and they do it right.