TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A Tucson woman says she hired a landscaper to do work that didn’t turn out how she planned. But the landscaper says his crew did exactly what they were told to do.
Aimee Finkelstein says she’s upset because her yard is now a mess. She hired a crew from Pueblo Verde Landscaping to freshen up her yard last month because she’s putting her East Tucson home on the market. The crew was hired after Finkelstein saw the crew doing work for a neighbor.
“It was in my own little oasis, and they just did such a number on my yard everything was so plush. Everything was covered now all I see is masonry walls, I have no privacy,” Finkelstein said.
Finkelstein says she met with the owner of the company and his crew to lay out her plan on a yard she's worked on for 12 years.
“The owner came over, I went over everything because I’m a fanatic. I went over every single tree, every bush, every flower and explained what I wanted done. He sent his men over three days later and I did the whole routine with them again. They looked like they were doing what they were supposed to be doing so I left and when I came back, I came back to carnage,” Finkelstein said.
Out of frustration, Aimee immediately called the owner of the company for a resolution and wasn’t satisfied.
“He defended them he said that’s what I asked for. I explained to him if I had a yard this beautiful why would I want to go from that to this,” Finkelstein said.
KGUN 9 spoke to the owner of Pueblo Verde Landscaping by phone and he says he responded to Aimee’s complaint both on the Better Business Bureau website and in person. He also says the biggest issue was that Aimee and her husband gave different instructions to the crew and had different visions of what they wanted. Adding, that Finkelstein’s husband actually paid the crew with a check and tipped them at the end of the day. The owner also says they never cashed the $475 check they were given for the job, and was told by Aimee to not send the crew back to finish the work.
At this point, the owner tells KGUN 9 there’s nothing more they can do. The owner says his crew will immediately stop work if any inconsistent directions occur in the future. The company currently has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
The BBB says you should always do the following:
- Get references
- Get a lawn inspection
- Get a clear scope of what you need done and pricing
- Get everything in writing
It’s also a good idea to check on the workers while they’re performing the job to make sure you get exactly what you want.
Aimee says she’ll be more careful in the future, and will get paperwork on all work done on her home. In the meantime, she’s determined to get her yard back to what it used to be.
“I put my heart and soul into this. I feel that he should pay for me to restore the yard,” Finkelstein said.
For BBB guidelines, visit here.
