GERMANTOWN, Tenn. — Mid-South homeowners say their yards were left in shambles by a landscaper who gave them the runaround.
Tim Hassell, of Germantown, said it all started in march when he hired Elite Landscapes to resod his entire yard. The cost was $6,000, a price tag he said seemed too good to be true.
“I had my doubts about the price of it, so I had him do a small portion right here,” he said.
Hassell liked the work, so he said he agreed to pay 50 percent down.
“He came out, started to till the yard and get rid of the existing grass in the front and back,” he said.
But then Hassell got a call. The owner of the company said because of the weather, he couldn’t cut the sod.
“From that point, it started dragging on,” Hassell said. “[The yard] sat for so long, the grass started to grow over again.”
Hassell said he came out once again to till the yard.
“It looked like a bunch of monster trucks ran over my yard,” he said. “At that point, I had a real problem.”
Hassell says the work was never completed. He cut his losses late-June and hired another company.
All the while, Evan Howlett was signing a contract with the same landscaping company to fill a koi pond, resod his back yard and extend his patio with stone. He also gave Elite Landscapes 50 percent down.
“It was the week before Memorial Day,” Howlett said. “Half of that job cost $1,492.50.”
Howlett said he was promised the work would take a week.
“Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday they came out,” he said. “They did do some work. They removed some trees that needed to be done.”
But then Howlett said by the end of the week, he got a call that there were problems with laying the patio followed by more disappointment when he was told he was getting sod.
“I took off work and sat at home and waited for a truck to never come. It just went on and on like that for weeks,” he said.
Howlett says someone from Elite Landscapes finally showed up June 23, but that was to get the tractor left in his backyard. His cameras captured the awkward interaction.
“They took the tractor and never came back,” he said.
Both Howlett and Hassell said they’ve contacted the owner of the landscaping company, Cameron Reeder, numerous times asking for the work to be done or their money back. Neither have happened.
So we tried to get answers. No one at his listed address wanted to talk, so we left our card.
About an hour later, Reeder called. He said the projects were delayed due to weather, family trips and the owners’ making it difficult for him to do his job.
He said he completed half of the work on both yards, so therefore, he doesn’t owe a refund.
He also promised to an interview later that day, but he never showed.
“I wanted it to be a win-win situation for both of us. Give him a chance to get it done. Get his business going,” said Hassell.
Both men said disappointment is an understatement.
“It’s taxing because every time I look at the backyard, it’s a reminder of incompleteness and lost money,” said Howlett.