In early Feb. I met Ivan at an assisted living facility where my father had been living in Banning, CA. Ivan was doing landscaping work on assignment through a very reputable landscaping company located in Redlands, CA. I had just fired the current landscaper at my father's home in Banning the previous month for not doing the work he was contracted to do. I asked Ivan if he did work on the side, and he said, yes, he did. (By the way, Ivan knew my father had just died on 1/31, and he STILL took advantage of me.)
Anyway, he was very pleasant, had excellent communication skills, and so he agreed to come and meet me at my father's home that same day, at 4:30 pm on 2/2, after he got off work. He finally showed up around 7pm, when it was dark. He never called to tell me he would be late. He pulled a few weeds and quoted me $320 to replace the current mess in my dad's back yard with high grade sod. The $300 was for the sod, the $20 was the monthly rate to cut the grass, trim weeds, etc. I was paying for the sod and 1 month of service. He asked me if I would pay him in advance so he could buy the sod. Big mistake. Boy, did he cash that check fast!!! He was supposed to get the sod and deliver and install it Saturday, Feb. 4th. Not possible to leave him a message, since his voice mailbox was ALWAYS full. How convenient. He was supposed to show up at 8am on Sat, but he never showed. He finally called around 5pm that day to say that the laborers who were supposed to get the sod on his truck for him were taking the weekend off because of some Superbowl party. Is that a lame excuse, or what?!!
This type of lying and promising that work was going to be done was duplicated at LEAST ten times. I have documentation of phone calls, saved text messages, etc. Telling me he was going to come but, he never did. He also had asked me to purchase a timer, some irrigation wire, and another landscape part from Home Depot, totaling about $85, so he could repair my back yard sprinklers. Since i had to fly back home to the Midwest, i asked if the neighbors would let him in when he came again, to install the timer, etc. He finally came one weekend, when it was raining, took the timer, wiring and sprinkler head with him, and never installed them at the house, nor did he install any sod. I can only assume he used these for another customer or for his own benefit. The sod never came.
I tried calling him numerous times, and whenever I did actually reach him, he always he gave me excuses. He was called into a meeting, he had to work, his FATHER DIED, nothing but lies and more excuses. I warned him that i would call his employer, and he told me that his employer had nothing to do with his side jobs. I told him i disagreed, that if his employer knew he ripped clients off, they wouldn't be happy and wouldn't want someone like that working for them. He still obviously didn't care, and he never did the work he said he would do. I did call the employer and they were extremely nice and said they would talk to his superintendent. He lied to his employer, telling them the work had been done for me, when it hadn't.
The final straw, was when he told me he had the sod in his truck, and he was actually a block away from the house, when his tires blew. Seriously?!!! Never called, never took a photo of the sod on the truck or the blown tires so he could send me a text, proving this happened. LIES LIES LIES!
Long story short, don't ever use this guy to do anything at your house. Don't hire him, even with a contract. I wouldn't trust him at ALL. I can't report him to the State of California, since the work was under $500, but he isn't licensed, so that's another issue. I am taking him to small claims court. His motto, which you will hear on his cell phone voice mail, says, "Vega Landscape, Best Low Prices in Town." Don't believe it. He will RIP YOU OFF. One last thing... I finally did hire a great landscaper who immediately knew what was wrong with the back sprinklers and fixed them for $18, no extra parts necessary.
Don't use vega landscape.
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