Merkle Lawn Care Company, LLC

Beware of Merkle Landscaping The short version- work that was pointed out during the walk through with both the company representative and the men who performed the job was not completed. When asked, the company refused to negotiate a settlement. Update- 45 days later, all but two of the small trees and shrubs in the area are growing back. The full story- When I walked the job with the Merkle Landscaping representative I specifically pointed out three honeysuckle shrubs to be removed that were the reason why I hired them. I said that my adult sons and I had broken two shovels trying to dig out the bushes and that was the reason I needed to hire outside help. When the contract was written it did not stipulate specifically the removal those three shrubs, but it also did not say that the workers would only use hand tools. It said what the “crew daily rate” was. Neither party stipulated that the crew would be two men with hand tools or two men with a stump grinder. When I walked the job with the crew, I again pointed out that the bushes were the most important part of the job. They worked very hard and did a good job but left the three stumps from the shrubs after cutting off the branches. They have already sprouted and will be the same size next year. The problem was that the workers did not speak enough English to understand that this was the beginning point of the job. Our communication was limited, so the stump removal was missed again. When I called the Merkle representative I offered to pay more for them to get rid of the stumps but I asked for a concession to pay half the hourly rate for the extra work. My offer was turned down by the Merkle representative because in the contract it says that they are not liable for anything that is unseen or not marked. The pine stump from the tree I had removed years ago was clearly visible and located within 5 feet of these three shrubs. I mentioned that the large pine stump could stay because it was dead. Pine trees with more than a foot diameter at the base have root systems larger than 5 feet, so the shrubs were likely to be tangled in the roots of the former tree. Also, I mentioned breaking two shovels trying to get the shrubs out. When you agree to a contract with Merkle Landscape make sure that you stipulate specifically what you want done. The workers did the job as described to them by their boss, but my desires for this job were lost in translation and the job that I requested was not the job completed. Before you commit to any work with this company understand fully that if the job you want is not done, the owner will not make it right. Update: 45 days later all but two small trees are growing back