[Gail Sullivan]

A year ago we were renting a villa in St. James awaiting our closing in Barrineau Villas in Fernandina. Along came Devon Dodd. Had a story a mile long about his landscaping expertise. As renters, we were able to kindly send him on his way. As an avid gardner from up north, his "resume" was full of holes. But alas, he showed up again at our new home in Fernandina! It appears he's trolling villa residences as they are smaller, more unnoticed properties. Since that time we have watched his work from a distance and spoken with neighbors who fell for his stories. The one about his inability to pay for needed medications is as old as the dirt he shovels. We have watched him go from door to door booking jobs and then taking weeks/months to complete while leaving piles of rocks in the road, bricks, plants, palm trees, etc., and most recently his trailer parked for days/nights on our street for days at a time without showing up to complete the jobs. We have one neighbor who had to have their work redone by a reputable landscaper because the plantings were done so shoddily they would not last the year. Another most upsetting incident was the couple that payed in full up front, the hubby then suddenly died, and work has still not been completed months later. Fortunately another landscaper learned of this atrocity and is now completing the job at no cost.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

[Cruise33]

Originally Posted by Guy&Connie1103

When I moved here I was told by my realtor that I could depend on contractors working in The Villages. Any contractor that did not perform as promised would never work in The Villages again. My wife and I hired Devon to separate two stone areas in our front yard. What a disaster. He failed to show up when promised. When he did finally show up,he said he would have to get a half load of dirt to level the area for the blocks. Several days later we were told by his wife that he was sick and they couldn't afford the medicine. We gave them the balance of the money. Days later we noticed Devon working on another job. When we called to ask when we were going to have our messed up front yard finished, we got a lengthy text from his wife that he was overwhelmed and wouldn't be able to finish our job. We had to. Hire another landscaper to finish.

This also happened to our neighbor. Others in our villa neighborhood, Barrineau Villas, have had similar problems with improperly planted palm trees (the one across the street is dying), poor customer service, threats, and more.

Devon Dodd has proven to be just the sort of contractor we were told wouln't be allowed to work in The Villages.

He did my premier home in the villages of Pinellas back in November and had no problems! They were very attentive to my needs and my yard looks fabulous. He was a very honest and hard working young man and I would hire him again! Im sorry to hear that you had a bad experience but this sounds to me like he was trying to stick to his commitment! Being ill is a poor reason to verbally bash an individual. Just putting in my two cents!

[John_W]

Originally Posted by Cruise33

...Im sorry to hear that you had a bad experience but this sounds to me like he was trying to stick to his commitment! Being ill is a poor reason to verbally bash an individual. Just putting in my two cents!

Sounds like you're verbally bashing the OP. Did you not read the entire post? We gave them the balance of the money. Days later we noticed Devon working on another job. When we called to ask when we were going to have our messed up front yard finished, we got a lengthy text from his wife that he was overwhelmed and wouldn't be able to finish our job. We had to. Hire another landscaper to finish.

They paid the guy in full!! In advance!! Only to see him working on a different property. They had to hire someone else to finish the job. Other neighbors had similar problems. The OP made a mistake and they are trying to keep others from making the same mistake.

If it's your opinion to hire this guy again, that's your perogative. The OP however was not giving an opinion, they were stating facts.

[tommy steam]

Don't pay anyone in advance for landscaping work. I don't know why anyone would do this.