Do NOT use Good Neighbor Service Management,Inc.
 

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!!!!!

First of all, my condolences for your loss. Since we're still trying to learn everything we can for when we move down there ourselves (and also possibly being snowbirds for the middle of summer), your post has me a little confused. Were you using this company while you were living there, and if so, for what? If you were snowbirding and using them while you were gone, were you forced to pay in advance for your "contract?" In other words, what 4 months are left on it? The other obvious question is, have you checked the fine print on the contract to see if refunds are even mentioned? To be honest, if it were me and I had just lost my spouse (and guessing that it's not an outrageous amount of money), while I too would be upset about paying in advance and now not needing the service, I would probably just let it go for my own overall mental health and anguish. Good luck.

So sorry about the loss of your husband. What a sad conclusion to what should have been many happy years in TV.

If you will do a search on this forum for "Service Smart" and read the thread started by Martian on 9/10/19, you will find plenty of comments about "Good Neighbor", formerly called "Service Smart." Maybe the only thing you can do now is add to the volume of complaints already filed with Seniors Against Crime. I'm sorry you didn't know about their reputation at the time you signed with them.

I suspect they concentrate their sales efforts on people newly arrived due to their bad reputation.

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.

From the site not to be mentioned........

https://www.**************.com/2019/...marion-county/

I can't find the link.

Google "Good Neighbor Service Management,Inc."

Page 2, about half way down you'll see a link to the story.

I would only recommend this company to someone I truly hated.

Thanks for the warning. One of the best parts of a community "bulletin board" like TOTVs, is the ability to allow your friends and neighbors to know which individuals who own a business are ethical and moral in their dealings, and which, like the "Kenny" you mentioned, are either unethical or perhaps just immature or unskilled in communicating with customers. I know this kind of thing happens a lot in The Villages, it seems so often their are a lot of opportunists to fancy themselves business people and don't have any back ground in business practice at all. A neighbor of mine used to call these types of "lawn services" "lawn mower cowboys".... LOL... mostly about the money, quick money. NEVER paying for more than one month ahead would stop all of that. Sort of like cable TV and phone bills, electric bills. There are many honest small business people, fortunately through TOTV's we can share who those folks are. I hope you get your money for work they did NOT do ! Sad how some people operate.

Good Neighbor = BAD NEIGHBOR
 

Neighbor had them, prepaid for a landscape job. Took his money, tore out the old landscape, long story short, 3 months later, 20 phone calls, they were not showing. We had to set them up, using an empty home nearby asking for a landscape quote. They came out the next day. Confronted then. Work finally done about a month later. Others have them as well, lawn service and fertilization are both terrible.
NO GOOD NEIGHBOR, EVER!!!

Sometimes it's best to ask neighbors who they use. When it comes to lawn treatment, A/C service, etc. Best not to concentrate at the least expensive . I pay my lawn person at the end of the month. Have used the same people to service and replace my A/C. I think you see how I protect myself.

If you paid with a credit card, I would file a dispute with the credit card company and let them help you. Otherwise can you show up on their doorstep?

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. 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.

Good Neighbor - Service Smart -Once A Year
 

The Good Neighbor was formerly Service Smart and then before that they changed their name from Once a Year. They just keep changing their names as the terrible reputation builds up. So that is 3 company name changes that I know of. There may be more. They are the WORST! There is a complaint file a foot thick in the Seniors Against Crime office against them. I won't even go into the list of problems I had with them! I'm so sorry you have to deal with this.
When I have to get help I check with the Home Warranty Office and they usually have good people that they refer me to. A check about a specific company can also be done with Seniors Against Crime.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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!!!

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.

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.

Good Neighbor service
 

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.

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.

Thank you TOTV
 

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.

Their lawn service truck was at Riverbend around noon today...

Why are these crooks allowed to operate.

Is this company part of TLC Landscaping does anyone know?

I'm very sorry, but it needs to be said again....NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER pay for services in advance no matter how much of a discount they might offer. Many new residents in the southern areas are just bait for these predators. After going thru a few different landscaping companies, I've found the best services from the smaller independent operations who really depend on the income from keeping their customers happy.

Sorry, I'm not that naive to believe this. Roy Blackburn was Kenny's Field Manager and he apparently is the one going around giving the BS to potential customers. Roy and Kenny then went with Aaron Gaines (after Kenny was already known to be ripping people off). Aaron can't say he didn't know what Kenny was up to. Roy is no better than Kenny and Roy continues to work for Aaron through all his companies, including his new one, Central Termite and Pest, LLC. Based on many comments from "taken" customers, seems people are still paying for services not received in 2020. Aaron's companies go for about 18-24 months, get F ratings for all the complaints, then starts up a new company and that company gets complaints and F ratings. Follow the paperwork out there....all public info. I bet you will see his new company, Central Termite and Pest, LLC go down the same path.

If he ripped me off I wouldn't just keep calling Roy/Aaron/Kenny and leaving messages only to be continually ignored. Everyone who was taken advantage of should find out where in Ocala they live, contact the media, and all show up and demand answers and their money back. They will keep taking advantage of people if people just shrug it off and figure they learned their lesson and accept the loss of funds. Can't believe they are still allowed in The Villages with all the complaints.

Seniors vs Crime
 

Some less than informed have entered negative comments regarding Seniors vs Crimes. It is sad we have these residents who are just plain negative individuals. It is a shame they live here since they do more of harm to the citizens of the Village than help.The Seniors vs Crime are a special project of the Attorney General's Office of Florida. They are Volunteers who show up each week and record complaints of Villager's and work to help the person who feels they have been cheated. They have helped hundred's and maybe thousands of Village's settle their problems with Company abusers. In some cases they report the problem to the Florida Attorney General Office for appropriate action. As far as being qualified many or these Volunteer's have very strong backgrounds which run from retired Assistant District Attorney's in a large City, multiple retired Law Enforcement people, retired business Executive , (e.g. Finance, Pilots, Attorney's, Doctors, etc etc.). They are able
to provide advice and directions and search for solutions to the many varied complaints. Given this list please ignore those who would try to damage this great organization and as an aside call them before signing with a vendor as they do have records from prior issues, etc. :popcorn:

I just moved to The Villages and unfortunately ran into Good Neighbor (Roy AND Kenny) on my 3rd day in town. Of course, I have been ripped off big-time and learned too late of their horrible reputation. I would very much like to get the media involved in this so that they can be put out of business once and for all. I don't want to break any rules here, but would like to know how to get a group of Good Neighbor victims together to make our voices heard by the State of Florida, law enforcement, and The Villages. These two shysters should at the very least be permanently banned from The Villages, and the media should be able to bring it to the attention of authorities. It is criminal to prey upon senior citizens and we need to band together to put a stop to it. Any suggestions on how to put this together are appreciated.

I totally agree. But, I would just point out that Seniors vs Crime has a huge file on these people that dates back at least 8 to 10 years. Tons of evidence. This organization is sponsored and funded by the State of Florida Attorney General, and their stated mission is to assist law enforcement and the Attorney General in prosecuting crimes. So, the state and law enforcement are already well aware of these people. But, they have either been unsuccessful at stopping them from operating, or they have ignored the problem.

If I can be of help, count me in. I have been very adamant trying to warn people of these crooks! If I can help you please contact me and we can coordinate this. Something is fishy and the stink needs to go!

That’s why they keep changing their name. Good Neighbor is their third name and when and if government acts on Kenny, he’ll change it again.
Very important to make use of resources available like Nextdoor and TalkoftheVillages to research contractors before choosing.