Lanscaper Problem
 

We are rather new to TV and just wanted to get word out there that some Landscapers really are scams and very unprofessional. We dealt with Mansfield and did like the job they did however, no breakdown of prices are ever given therefore, you have no idea what you are really paying.
Also, one of our Sylvester Palms died well before the 90 day warrenty was up and they refused to replace it. We watered all the new landscaping as advised and were called "liars" over and over again when we tried getting it replaced. I have never encountered anyone so mean and nasty.
To make a long story short, we turned him into the Better Business Bureau, went to Seniors Against Crime who could do nothing for us as there were no other complaints which I find hard to believe. We ended up going with another Landscaper who replaced the tree giving us a much larger Sylvester at over $100 less than what Mansfield charged.
So beware if all the promises made in Landscaping Ads!!

Thanks for the post, just what I needed. We are in the middle of that process and find it to be a bit overwhelming. At least I now know why their ad says that once you enter into an agreement with them they do things at the speed of light. I have had 2-3 firms over for estimates with 2-3 more next week, so hopefully we'll make the right choice. I may exclude Mansfield based on your comments, even though their ads in paper and by unsolicited mail look very good. I have been duly impressed by one of the two firms that I have dealt with to this point, but caution seems to be the key ingredient. I am not rushing to judgement on the selection, so perhaps that and a "logic check" from fellow TOTVrs will be the key. Thanks again. Ray

Landscaping
 

Try Jeremy at Advanced Curbing, really helpful and responsive to our needs. 352-237-0231

Caution is definitely the byword here. Based on a lot of observations, I would say the key to success is to keep them just a little behind in the payment department. In other words, don't pay a lot of money up front for a landscaping job. You would prefer to pay when it is done but bigger jobs may merit some "timed" payments - a little upon signing contract (make sure you have a well written contract), a little more at various points throughout the job. The key is keep about 25% for the final payment. This is made only after you are happy, all the "punch list" items have been taken care of, the trash hauled away, your year cleaned up, all contract conditions met, you have a copy of any C.O. or Arch. Review documents that may be required (this is rare in landscaping but it does happen), you get a Release of Lien from any subcontractors they used (again sort of rare but watch out for it), and then you make that final payment.

It's hard work but it's not rocket science. If you keep the landscaper just a little behind the power curve money-wise, they will work hard to make you happy and collect that last payment - which usually represents their profit. If they want a lot of money up front, find someone else! Too many take the up-front money and never return - that becomes their "profit". Also consider that if the company is so underfunded and credit-strapped that they can't afford to get your plants, mulch, pavers, etc., without an advance payment from you, how good will their 90-day or 1-year guarantee be?

I gave up on landscapers. So far 100% have failed to provide what they promise when you hire them. I now just buy what I need at the nursery and hire a day laborer to dig the holes and plant them. I then do my own fertilizer and care. Have even decided to do my own pruning and mulch as they don't cut it there either. Cost is significantly less, work is minimal and results are better. I have identified one I may try when I next need something I do not want to attempt, but so far the industry as a whole is below satisfactory.

Very satisfied
 

Hi just finished my new landscaping project at the villages--I also had a tough time finding reliable people and finally found Jeremy at Advanced Curb and landscaping--had very few issues and did what agreed--installed curbing-extensive new patio and landscaping--very big job--did not ask for money and paid as work progressed--Tyrone his landscape man is excellent--answers his phone also--just make sure have good contract-sign work change orders and have exact plants u want-I am retired Building Contractor so know my way around--call Jeremy at 352-427-5515 and say Herb sent me

Has anyone else used Mansfield Landscaping, and what are your thoughts??
We were considering calling them for an estimate, and I don't want to rule out someone based on one comment that is negative.
Thanks!!

:thumbup:I so agree. I love to get my hands dirty and this soil is just sand, so easy to dig. Pruning is easy too, these tropical plants just snip off.

From what I have heard and seen, Mansfield landscaping has a fairly good reputation and I would be leary on accepting on face value the facts that the original poster has made. Oh and BTW, this is HIS/HER FIRST POST if you have not noticed.

First of all the OP states that Mansfield provided her no breakdown of prices and then states that she was able to replace the Sylvester palm for $100 less than what Mansfield charged..how was this determined if no breakdown of prices was provided???

Second she checked with Better Business Bureau and Crimes Against Seniors and NO complaints were on file. I would tend to rely on history and a long term trend that these organizations offer compared to the experience of a single poster on this board !!

A Sylvester dying in 90 days is hard to believe.......can it happen I suppose so, but extremely unlikely. NO contractor with Mansfields name recognition would jeopardize its reputation by providing inferior stock. NOw I have seen Sylvesters take some heavy hits with the past freeze and they may not look as good as others but they are still not dead. If something like a Sylvester would die within 90 days it had to be inferior or sick stock to begin with and you would have to ask why did the homeowner even accept and pay for something that did not look good.

Mansfield did some work for us within the last 30 days. We used them since a friend of ours recently expressed great satisfaction with them after a major landscaping project at her home. Her project was extremely well done.

We called Mansfield requesting an estimate and within a few hours had a representative at our house. While this person may have been somewhat lacking in personal skills he was well versed in landscaping needs and costs.

We needed a patio dug up and replaced, large bottle brush trees removed along with another large plant, replacement trees planted and some additional landscaping done.

While no written bid was given, each phase of the process was verbally quoted individually and we were satisfied with the prices quoted.

Within 5 days the work was started and completed timely. Mansfield asked for no money down and didn't request any payment until all work was finished.

I have no doubt I could have had them write down each phase of the project in order to get a "written estimate" but we didn't feel it was needed.

So if you feel you need a written estimate to feel better, get a couple of quotes in addition to Mansfields. But don't rule them out as they are very timely and require no money until the project is finished.

Mansfield vs. McGowan
 

I dislike making disparaging comments about any contractor but....we had one of our Queen palms die from last winter's extreme cold. Wanted to replace it with a Sabal. McGowan has done a lot of work on our street so I intended to call them, but inadvertantly wrote down a wrong phone number, which turned out of be Mansfield's. I ended up speaking with Steve Mansfield (the owner) on the phone.

Told him I had a wrong number, that I was calling McGowan Landscaping (then he told me who he was). He proceeded to keep me on the phone for the next half hour, giving me the hard sell and saying negative things about McGowan and the work they do. That was all it took to COMPLETELY turn me off to Mansfield.

McGowan replaced our dead Queen with a nice Sabal in a timely manner and at a decent price (much less than Mansfield quoted). It's been in the ground 3 weeks and I can tell it's already starting to grow new fronds. I'm happy with McGowan's work.

I have been living here going on 11 years and have gone thru lots and lots and lots of lawn/bug people. For the past year I have used PTL Services - they now take care of my whole yard and my house (insie and out). I saw a problem with my lawn yesterday and called them. My outside guy, Matt Kibbly, came by today and looked over the situation. He said he didn't have the right chemicals on his truck at the moment to treat what was wrong but that he would be back. He always does what he says he will do and he came back and treated the situtation. I just "hired" them to take care of pests inside my house and haven't seen a critter since they came in and took care of things last week. In fact, Jimmy, the guy who came and treated inside and outside for the pests, asked me if I was satisfied with my lawn and I said what are you referring to, and he said, well, they didn't blow the grass clippings and that is a no no. He said he would take care of it and he did. They do not give you any hassle about anything - you have a problem, they fix it and no extra charge for the service call. And, you always have the same person taking care of you. These guys are neat, clean, professional and just really nice guys.Give them a call, you might find that it is one of the best calls you have made since moving to the Villages. 352-307-7484. I personally don't think you will be sorry.

Mansfield??
 

>>First of all the OP states that Mansfield provided her no breakdown of prices and then states that she was able to replace the Sylvester palm for $100 less than what Mansfield charged..how was this determined if no breakdown of prices was provided???<<

I posted on this Mansfield vs. McGowan a few days ago, but have a couple more thoughts.

When I got stuck on the phone listening to the hard sell from Steve Mansfield, I did tell him what I wanted done and he quoted me $400 to dig up my dead Queen Palm and replacement of it w/a Sabal Palm 10 or so feet tall.

McGowan dug up my Queen and gave me a nice Sabal that is 10 to 12' tall for $225. I would say Mansfield is a bit higher priced.

My neighbors across the street had Mansfield do some extensive landscaping for them. They had some of those terraced stone walls built and planted a lot of plants/trees. Mansfield did a BEAUTIFUL job. I didn't want to ask her how much it cost though...none of my biz. However, when she was telling me about it, she did make a couple comments about the owner (Mansfield) that were less than complimentary. She was speaking about him personally, not the company or the work that was done.

I would ask any landscaper you are considering to give you at least 2 or 3 addresses of jobs they have already done so you can drive by and see for yourself. You might also ask if there are any previous customers you could TALK to about the work they had done. If a company balks at giving you this information, then I'd be a little hesitant to go with them.

Good luck...hope you can find a good company for a decent price.

Landscaping
 

We used Custom Scapes, which is located on HWY 441 across from Leisure Living. They did a fantastic job for us and have backed it up without any problems. Tell them we recommended them Highly.
Bob and Jane Follett

We are in the process of doing some fairly extensive landscaping. Well, I should say ... we're currently trying to get some estimates. This sounds easier than it is. :confused:

I can't find telephone numbers for Village Palms or American Kwik Kerb in the telephone book or on the internet. Another company (recommended on TOTV) stopped by nine days ago, and promised a detailed estimate, but we're still waiting.

I called another company someone had highly recommended, and the telephone number has been discontinued. Scary.

Any help or comments would be appreciated.

We used LandSculptures to do our major project. They came when they said they would and did what they told us in the contract. They warrantied all the new plants (not the ones they just moved) for one year. About 6 months later one of the Sable palms had not opened and looked as if it was dead. We called Lana and she came by about an hour later. She told me the tree was dead and she would schedule a crew to replace it within 2 weeks. 2 days later it was done. When we first were getting estimates we went with Lana to neighborhoods where LandSculptures had done 10 or 15 homes. Some were over a year old and still looked great. Svetlana also took a picture of our front yard and gave us a computer generated photo of what the job would look like on completion. It was pretty close. Call Svetlana at 352-286-1618 for an estamate.:024:

Mansfield Testimonial
 

I am shocked to learn of the problem below because our experience with Steve Mansfield is the opposite. We received more than we paid for and had fantastic service during and following the installation. They were prompt and delivered what they promised.
Keep in mind that Mansfield has thousands of satisfied customers.

and a testimonial for a person with ONE POST................

I've seen several yards done by Mansfield. One was an extremely fast job due to the owners having to go back north. I do know these owners paid a premium to get it done quickly, but it was done on time and looked quite nice. There was an issue that sprinklers that were simply watering rocks should be capped (my comment) and, after a bit of discussion, they did agree to cap those plants. To date, this yard looks quite nice. The other yards that I know were done by Mansfield all seem to have been quite nicely done. I do know they were all higher than I thought was appropriate for TV, but that would have been my only issue.

However, I was at the house that had the expedited job the other day. They had let a flyer asking the homeowner to do a post about how pleased they were with the work. Mansfield very specifically mentioned Talk of the Villages in its flyer. Personally, I found this quite offensive. It is one thing to ask that a yard be used for a referral or even ask that the word be spread about a good job, but to ask someone to defend your work for you just doesn't feel right to me. So, my opinion so far is that they seem to do a good job (have no idea how well they back up what they claim -- I've never been part of the negotiating process and never want to be), they do get a job done when promised, but they are not very professional and you may have to ask (or flat out demand)them to do the little things (like capping sprinklers).

I've also seen work by McGowan. Like Mansfield, it has been beautiful work. I think McGowan's prices are more reasonable. I do know of one instance where the work was not completed when promised, but was only 3 days late, which was probably reasonable considering there was rain.

KB Lawn has also done some nice yards.

Rupert Cross is another one who knows his lawns (only problem with him is he doesn't necessarily get things done when he says he will, but he is also one of the cheapest and he does know his stuff).

I've seen some of the work done by other landscapers here, but really don't remember whose was whose, so won't/can't comment on their work.

We use Rupert Cross and have been very pleased. He really knows his stuff and is very honest. When we hired him he told us to NEVER pay for anything up front when I tried to pay him a deposit.

We recently had several landscaping quotes for some planting, curbing and rock that we're planning to do, front and back. An interesting process for sure. So I've now met some of the landscapers that I've been reading about on TOTV, including Mansfield and Sabrina McGowan. I really liked Sabrina, she seems to know her stuff.

We chose Terrascape on CR 301 to do the work. We especially liked the fact that they have their own nursery and a large selection. We were able to choose a special palm tree for the front island .. a very unique, large double-trunk Sylvester Palm, diamond cut.

:agree:I love Terrascape. I especially like Bonnie, the plant lady. Your Palm sounds beautiful. We got a lot of stuff from them and they are reasonable for a reputable nursery. Bonnie picked us a wonderful tangerine tree and we harvested 36 tangerines when it was only two months planted. :thumbup:

Salybow, I'm so happy to hear your positive comments about Terrascape. Bonnie was definitely a big part of the reason we chose Terrascape. We loved working with her. She was so helpful and knowledgeable, yet relaxed. .

try using Chase Frye 352-459-5193 or Darran Melanson 352-303-8559 of Grandscapes they both have done work for me and have been great! always did what they said they would and backed up their work. I have has Mr. frye come back and help me with my golf cart too very nice young man and affordable

I will give a big ditto for Rupert Cross. He did some work for us and even did some extra stuff that wasn't in the original quote, but he didn't charge for it. Very reasonable price, very good work. He told me up front that he often is not able to get to a job when he originally says he will, but since the work is outside I didn't have to be home waiting for him, so I considered that to be no big deal. He did show up on time all three days that he came. He also came back promptly to fix a sprinkler line that was leaking. It was behind some stuff and easily overlooked. I found it a few days after he had finished and been paid for the job. One of the complaints about some of the landscapers in TV is trying to get them to come back to fix a problem after they have been paid.

hey there number is 753-4772 they have a good web site too, i was just there today doing some shopping. hope it helps!

Who is this number for? The last post to this thread was December of 2010