[NavyCO]

You say a picture is worth a thousand words, you are correct. We just finished paying Paradise Landscaping $2000 to install a concrete border and stone along with some shrubs. The job as "Gretchen" the owner informed us was to only take at most two days--it took 5 with alot of prodding. We paid her 1/2 upfront and the balance on the last day, but at the last and it looked like they were going to finish the job though LATE into the evening. She asked for final payment, said she was running short of stone for one side of our home, and that "she would be back 1st thing Monday morning to finish--I promise."

Monday- no Paradise or Gretchen, and still another week and no Paradise, so finally I returned to Florida and made seven (7) calls to her firm and her and she failed to return any of our calls. Only when issued a slight threat of enforcement did she finally return my eight call. Now a neighbor of mine that used her and had similar problems with tardiness said "she'll give you every excuse in the book as to why she and her firm can't do something or aren't going to be on time, and the first excuse will be that she just got back from a cruise and hadn't gotten any of your messages, and damn sure if that isn't exactly what she told me first out of her breath on the phone.

I told her that her excuses were falling on deaf ears, and her reputation was beginning to follow her and her firm. I informed her that if my job wasn't finished by this Tuesday at 4pm I'd post information about her firm on the Village Blog and internet, and I have the photos to prove her unfinished work, besides all four of my neighbors will testify to the same in court--so there is NO slander here my Village friends.

If you wish to see the photos of PARADISE LANDSCAPING that remains still to this day undone go to email me at a76@verizon.net and I will send you photos, or better yet.........drive by 356 Rhapsody Path, in Hadley Village to see the undone job for yourselves. See what kind of real trustworthy work that Paradise can do for you....Buyer beware!

[NavyCO]

to be fair to a firm that wasn't fair to us...if she ever does finish the job which she promised to do, I will posted that she finished the job (even though done very very late with a lot of prodding).

If firms would simply do was promised, they'd have a lot less problems with customers and the law.

[villages07]

CO,

If you have an email address for her...send her a link to this thread...that might spur some response/action.

[Boomer]

We don't own in TV, at this point, but I pay attention to how things go there.

Every once in a while I see threads like this and it makes me wonder about how business is done in TV.

Is it standard for contractors to ask for money up front? Half even???? And to want payment before the job is finished????

Don't they use contracts?

To me, such concern over upfront money would scream that the one wanting the money does not have a good working relationship with the suppliers used for materials needed for the job. I would wonder why.

On a custom order for furniture or window treatments or something like that, I understand paying something when the order is placed. I have done that through solid local companies for a written order. But that's for custom stuff.

But for work to be done???? I have never done that. I have signed many a contract though. Of course, I have to say that in my neck of the woods, there are people I know with whom I have done a verbal. But I know them and they know me so that works fine.

Upfront money for work -- I would have to question that.

Is asking for upfront money like that S.O.P. in TV?

This is a serious question. Maybe I live on another planet.

Boomer

[drdodge]

Number one rule is ...never pay any money up front, if they are in business and cannot do the job without money up front, they should not be in business. Number two... never give final payment until job is finished to your satifaction. Number three... Always get a release of lein form signed by the princple of the business. sometimes you might pay a little more but it might be worth it. I have had about 20,000 dollars worth of work done in the past 4 years and have always been satisfied. Stop looking for a bargin

DRD

[spk7951]

Last July when we moved in a number of folks we met all told us the same thing about contractors, "If they ask for money up front, stay away from them".

[faithfulfrank]

It is very easy to post pictures here.....I use photobucket. Concrete edging is one project I want to but have yet to do around my place.

Frank D.

[NavyCO]

Yes.

[NavyCO]

she only has a phone number and P.O.Box and that should tell you something.

[NavyCO]

YES...finally after a month and a half, Gretch and her team of Paradise Landscapers FINALLY got around to finishing our yard and placing the rock they they had left undone. It now loooks very nice--the way it should have looked if the job had been completed on time. The job is finally finished.

As to whether you should you any landscaper...1. check them out for references, and 2. NEVER pay her the full amount of money due UNTIl the job is completed. In this way you will never have to wait for Paradise to come back and beg them to do the uncompleted job.

356 Rhapsody Path. The job finally looks nice and is complete a month and a half later.

[784caroline]

My General Contractor requires NO UPFRONT money and has done work for me and my neighbors that included everything from simple jobs as Crown Moulding, cabinets and shelving, to complete Lanai expansions and enclosures. All work has been done on-time and with complete satisfaction!!

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by 784caroline

My General Contractor requires NO UPFRONT money and has done work for me and my neighbors that included everything from simple jobs as Crown Moulding, cabinets and shelving, to complete Lanai expansions and enclosures. All work has been done on-time and with complete satisfaction!!

I would love to here about your lanai expansion! (Or see pictures?)

[CAL]

Paradise is one of the worst companies here in the Villages. They rarely follow through once they receive your final payment. always seem to be running behind because they are always asking for more money during the process of their job. The owner was charged with fraud last year for taking money from customers and not performing the work. They originally had only been installing landscaping however they have branched out on curbing and driveways. If you ever have the opportunity to see one of their driveways, the lack of experience is very obvious and forget about any followup on their so called warranty. Buyer beware with this contractor.

[Sidney Lanier]

Originally Posted by NavyCO

she only has a phone number and P.O.Box and that should tell you something.

I would not hesitate, then, to print out the thread up to this point and mail it to her. A couple of times we had issues with merchants when we first moved in, and applying pressure by explaining about the existence of community blogs--meaning shared info about many things including problems with merchants--certainly helped.

[NavyCO]

I have to agree with CAL below about Paradise. BUT...THEY FINALLY DID COMPLETE THE JOB 1.5 MONTHS LATE, AND ONLY AFTER REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO GET THEM TO DO WHAT THEY PROMISED. As you can see from her "private" email to be below she is not happy that people tell the truth. But I am happy she finally did what she promisted to do by her contract, even if it was late. Thank God I now actually live full-time in the house so I can see what is going on. Who knows, if my wife and I were there I may never have see the job through to finish.

RKK

Re: Landscaping (from Paradise Landscaping Gretchen) quote:


Well that is really nice of you, can you post anymore? It does not really matter to me, I will be contacting talk of the villages if it is not changed, it has been fixed for almost two weeks. Did you not get the messages about bad mouthing the companies on this site, they are stopping people from posting.


Quote:
Originally Posted by NavyCO
I'll get around to it just like the time it
took you to get around to it. It does look nice now like it should have a month and a half ago. You should expect my timely post shortly.

Robert



Quote: (LasVegas is Paradise Landscaping's handle)
Originally Posted by lasvegas
I thought you were going to post when the stone was done. It has been done for a week.