[Mike Shebel]

We have been here since the end of 2013. We bought a new 1800 square-foot, two car garage courtyard villa plus the lanai.
We totally redid the landscape, tore all the carpeting out of entire home, tore our linoleum and put a new flooring in entire NEW villa , took out a bathtub and added a walk-in shower, added ceiling to floor storage cabinets in garage and epoxied floor in the garage, added cabinets above the washer and dryer in the inside of our villa, added Custom closets, designed and had installed a sleek, white, floor to ceiling desk, added Custom Windows from floor to ceiling in the lanai, and automatic blinds from floor to ceiling in the lanai, add an air conditioner in the lanai, had crown molding installed in the entire Villa, added lighting in all the closets, install lighting in the master bedroom ceiling, installed lighting in the ceiling in the living room, installed a new, decorative front door, installed a large, custom garage door screen that matches the color of the Villa, and had custom closet built in garage and have a furnace and water heater area enclosed in the garage.

These projects did not go without some struggle, but we were able to accomplish all of that. We knew no one here, when we moved here.

Some of our friends that moved down, have used all of our contractors, workers, and did not have to struggle getting their homes customized the way they wanted. They were able to exhale and not worry about whether or not they chose the right person to do the job.

Seniors Against Crime did help us in one situation. They called the contractor and spoke to them personally , on our behalf. I would suggest, before you hire someone you are considering, call Seniors Against Crime to check to see if there any complaints against them. They are a terrific reference. They were very hard to help the community. I called them for everything. Even if I am Considering buying a piece of furniture and having it delivered, I call and ask if anyone has had any bad experiences. That way, at least I’m aware, and I can make my judgment accordingly.

[starman215]

just googled the company the website says permantely closed.. maybe they got themessage and shut it down..

[Diane Allen]

I've had terrible experiences with this company. They never answer the phone and don't do what they say they will do. Unfortunately, I had them do some landscaping, with the stone wall, plants, etc. They said any plants that died would be replaced for 2 years. What good is that promise when you cannot get anyone on the phone and no one will return your calls. I cancelled our mowing service and refused to pay the last month until they replaced the dead plants. That was a year ago and I'm still waiting.

[17362]

Originally Posted by theruizs

Exactly. When we first moved here we had issues with a decorator ripping us off. Seniors against crime were no help at all, but then neither were the Sheriff or Police. They just suggested we sue them. Not sure what they really do except collect complaints.

Exactly.
We had a contractor rip us off for $4500 in February 2020... COVID-19 started and now it’s August. I heard seniors VS crime won’t do anything now. When we called the contractor to settle it up, he said “what settle up?” This angered us more, then he laughed and said his business is closed- good luck.
Expensive lesson. Since then we found out he uses a lot of aliases for his name. The contract is worthless in Florida.

[ditka41]

Absolutely a horrible operation. Surprised is he's not back in jail again. Has a history of being shut down, then opening again under different names. DO NOT pay any of the landscapers in advance of job completion in order to protect yourself from the crooks.

[wmcgowan]

Originally Posted by Trrags5

My husband and I bought a home in the villages 4-12-2019. We contracted with Good Neighbor Service Management,Inc. on 8-9-2019. My husband passed away in March 2020. I sold the house immediately and moved back to Maryland. There are 4 months left on the contract I have called nine times, I have spoken to 3 different people in the office trying to get a refund on the 4 months left on the contract, NO ONE will return my calls!!!! I have left messages to speak to the owner Kenny of course he won't return my calls. Don't do buisness with this company!!!!!

You may be bound by the four corners of the paper the contract is written on - watch Judge Judy for more details about contract law - what did the contract say? Did you breach the contract? What does the contract say about refunds? Curious

[PugMom]

the only reason i'm throwing my 2cents in is this man kenny came to our home when we 1st moved in our villa. he said all the right things, & had all the nice pix of their work/client list, etc. for some reason i just didn't like him, can't say why, prob a gut feeling. we sent him on his way & before he left, proceeded in trashing other landscaping companies we had estimates from. shortly after i found this here site, i saw the posts the other members are talking about. incredible. he still wanders around the newer sections of marsh bend, but havent seen that many residents that actually use him. one can only assume the reach of this villages site goes pretty far in educating residents.

[NavyVet]

Originally Posted by turk3531

Just let it go? That's what's wrong with this nation now! No personal responsibility, and, no one holding anyone accountable for their actions!

Exactly. Dollar amount doesn't matter. It's the principle of the thing.
People hate getting ripped off and we shouldn't have to put up with it.
It's just not right.

[Mike Shebel]

Always check with Seniors Against Crime, because they are a great reference for complaints BEFORE any purchases, any services done, or any contracts signatures.

They are very helpful in that regard.

[kimgarwel12@gmail.com]

Well, I have to admit, we contracted with this service as well after contacting several services to no avail. No calls back, no estimates, nothing. Then we contacted Good Neighbor Service and within 10 mins of my call, "Roy" showed up at the door. Very charming, very professional, very courteous. His prices are a bit less than some of the others. I didn't want to sign a contract OR pay up front for a year, but that's the way they do business, he says. Actually, many of the other services are the same. Anyway, long story short, we paid him by check for a full year. Within 10 mins of signing the contract (which he also signed), we had 3 guys in our yard, mowing, trimming, weeding, etc. Since then, however, it's been like pulling teeth to get service. I usually have to call and complain. Our contract is for weekly mowing. If they show up twice a month, we're doing well. I, too, have called repeatedly and asked for call backs from "Roy" with no response. He was trying to talk us into hardscaping our shrub beds and getting rid of that nasty pine straw, but under the circumstances, he's not getting another dime out of us.....and we'll certainly be looking for other lawn service at the end of our "contract" which he's in breach of numerous times. It's rather dismaying to know there's no help from the BBB or any of these other consumer protection places for this kind of stuff. Clearly, things haven't changed down here in Florida since we lived here back in the 90s when we experienced the same thing!!!

[Dgizzi]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

That company has been in The Villages for many years before 2019, and Seniors Vs Crime has a huge file of complaints against them. It makes me question the effectiveness of Seniors Vs Crime and the Florida Attorney General who sponsors and funds them. They are supposed to work together to prosecute companies who prey on seniors. But, the best way to avoid bad companies is to never pay any contractor for work in advance.

Obviously these offices are worthless just like the better business bureau. You cannot trust them either because you can complain to them and if the company pays BBB $500 or more, BBB will not give them a bad marking. So it is useless to use BBB. I too got Good Neighbors and for a “deal” I paid for a year. They come every week to mow lawn. I have had to call about spraying, they missed us. So they know I keep track and they will not refund you. When my contract is up March I will go another way.

[Mtngirl]

Originally Posted by starman215

just googled the company the website says permantely closed.. maybe they got themessage and shut it down..

Nope, they didn't get the message...........Good Neighbor Services is now Central Termite and Pest. They apparently have a good thing going and have no intention of shutting down. Start a business, rip people off for a year or so, when people start complaining and you get an "F" rating from BBB, then you close that company and start another. Seems the 3 musketeers in their games are Aaron Paul Gaines, Kenneth Wayne Smith, and Roy Graham Blackburn. Avoid these 3 and their companies like the plague.

[vettman01]

Kenny the owner has been arrested in the newer areas of The Villages for taking money and not giving people any service. I don't know why The Villages can't have him banned from their property.
He has run 5 companies OOB, Once a year, service smart, stellar, relevant & soon to be good neighbor.

[dwhite5773]

So true!

And I agree with an earlier poster: If there are SO MANY complaints to Seniors vs. Crime why do they (SvC) exist with funding from the Florida AG’s Office? This organization “Good Neighbor or whatever it is now called needs to be shut down by The Florida Department of Agriculture AND law enforcement!”

We were taken by the “Good Neighbor” when we bought our home in Fenney in February of 2018. Roy showed up the week we closed and had an amazing (what I thought) list of customers already in our area and a “reasonable” price for their marketed services. We took the bait and signed up for one year of lawn and pest services. Five months later we came back to our home for a month (July) to find our lawn nearly dead! Immediately I called to cancel service and ask for a refund of unused service, which is required by the State of Florida and the run around began. Well, being the good retired law enforcement officer I searched AND FOUND where they had relocated far north of the villages. I took a trip up there only to find a small building, no sign hardly of it being anywhere associated with lawn care, termite services, etc. I went in and asked the lady working for my refund. Well she tried everything in the book to get me to leave including calling “Kenny” for authorization to write the check (I don’t really believe she was talking to anyone). After 20 minutes waiting and staring her down she says “I don’t have time for this” “I’ll get in trouble, but I’m going to write your refund check” which she did. I immediately left and in the car deposited the check on my banking app. Oh, and I didn’t leave until I had taken pictures of the building, location pictures and then posting them to about 6 TV Facebook sites. I’m sorry for your loss. Unfortunately the only way you’ll get a refund is in person (if you lucky enough to find where they are now located). PLEASE, pass this to everyone to avoid answering their door for Roy Blackburn! The last time I saw him (about 2 weeks ago) he was driving a white late model Dodge Ram crew cab pickup with Good Neighbor signs on both front doors. I was lucky to get a refund AND I saved my lawn, but many unfortunately have not.

[Troy8432]

Moved in to Marsh Bend on 20 July. I was unpacking the POD and somebody approached me and handed me a flyer for landscape services. The individual claimed they had recently done someone’s landscaping down the street. Since moving in was my immediate priority, I set the flyer on my tool cart and didn’t get back to it until today. Low and behold, it is from Good Neighbor. Had I not received the heads up from TOTV, I may have considered calling them.

Beware new owners in Marsh Bend and Deluna, they are making the rounds.