Reviews

Review Details

• Review fromPaula H

  Date: 11/20/2024

  1 star

  Paula H

  Date: 11/20/2024

  Sharing Our Experience with Groundscapes After the Tornado.
  For us, the most stressful part hasn’t only been the tornado damage itself, but our dealings with Groundscapes. Many of you know they built a dock for us last year. When the tornado struck, it not only caused significant damage to our home, but also compromised our dock to the point where it needed to be rebuilt.
   We reached out to Groundscapes for a quote to rebuild, but were shocked when they inflated the cost by over six figures, clearly taking advantage of the fact that insurance would be covering it. At the time, we believed they were the only company with the equipment needed, so my husband reluctantly gave them a large deposit to secure the job.
   When I suggested our contractor, who was already on-site, could handle the demo, Groundscapes refused. They said if they didn’t get the entire job, they wouldn’t do any of it. This forced us to seek out alternatives and, thankfully, we found another company being used by others in the area.
  We requested our deposit back, but Groundscapes claimed they had already used it to pay for a new dock frame. They presented an invoice for nearly double our deposit, saying we couldn’t get the frame since they weren’t doing the work, but we also owed them the full amount.
   
  After involving our lawyer, we discovered the dock frame hadn’t been ordered at all, and no deposit had been paid to the manufacturer. The invoice they gave us was fake —a clear attempt to receive nearly $100,000 for something that didn’t exist.
   
  Despite legal efforts, Groundscapes has refused to return any of our deposit. When confronted about the false invoice, they have not denied it, but still won’t refund our money.
   
  As if going through a natural disaster isn’t bad enough, having your belongings disappear, to now be taken advantage of by a local company. I feel an obligation to let others know about this. 
   
  We have been very disappointed in the lack of integrity shown by Groundscapes.
  

  Groundscapes, Inc.

  Date: 12/11/2024

  As Owners of Groundscapes, Lori with my Husband; Nick…We strive to address all feedback with clarity and professionalism, especially when misunderstandings or misrepresentations arise. To provide transparency, here is the timeline of events concerning our dealings with Mr. and Mrs. Hesse, as they seem to have omitted key details in their recent statements:
  

  May 2023:  Groundscapes completed a unique, custom dock project for the Hesses. This project was not only innovative but became a standout on the lake. At the time, the Hesses were highly complimentary of both the workmanship and the professionalism we exhibited. The project was delivered on time and within budget.
  

  The Hesses chose not to add additional features like lighting, speakers, or fans initially, wanting time to assess how best to utilize the space. We respected their decision.
  

  April 2024:  The Hesses re-engaged Groundscapes for $18,078 worth of additional enhancements to the dock, including lighting, speakers, and electrical upgrades. We completed this work by April 22, 2024.
  

  April 24, 2024:  Tragically, a tornado struck their property, damaging the dock. While we sympathized with their loss, the work was completed prior to this event. Payment for completed work is standard industry practice, yet Mrs. Hesse responded to our invoice with:
  “I don’t have that anymore, so why should I pay for it?”
  

  As contractors, we fulfill agreements for labor and materials rendered, regardless of unforeseen events post-completion. We were surprised and disappointed by this response.
  

  May – July 2024:  At the Hesses’ request, we worked tirelessly with their insurance company for four months, providing extensive documentation, schematics, and engineering reports to secure the insurance payout requested by the Hesse’s.
  Groundscapes was also going to include into the rebuild not only the replacement of the dock but also over $100,000 in additional upgrades, including:

  • Upgraded fans, ceiling materials, and speakers = approximately $16,000 upgrade
  • Upgrading An aluminum dock structure instead of wood = $34,000 upgrade
  • Adding Full-length automatic patio screens that were not there before = $38,000 upgrade.
  • Completing Seawall repairs that were not initially done in May 2023 nor impacted from tornado damage, but from winter lake damage = $42,000

  Even after ALL these additional upgrades: Mr. & Mrs. Hesse would still pocket over $74,000 in cash from their Insurance payout.
  In July, the insurance company approved the claim and issued a direct payment of $596,000 to the Hesses. They approved and authorized Groundscapes to proceed with the new custom aluminum dock, which required a $50,000 non-refundable deposit to secure. This was paid by Mr. Hesse on July 12, 2024, and the order was placed immediately.

  Late July 2024:  Shortly after receiving their insurance check, the Hesses expressed an intent to piece out parts of the dock project to other contractors. We informed them:

  1. We are the only certified installers in the area for this dock system.
  2. Any work by others would void warranties.
  3. We do not work with subcontractors for quality assurance reasons.
  Despite these points, their sudden shift in approach raised concerns about their intentions, especially given the insurance payout.
  

  August 2024:  After weeks of back-and-forth discussions, Mr. Hesse informed us they no longer wanted the aluminum dock frame. We immediately began working with the manufacturer to explore refund options, despite the clear non-refundable terms.
  

  September 2024:  Before we could finalize a resolution with the manufacturer, the Hesses served us with legal papers. After presenting thorough documentation, $31,921.86 of the $50,000 deposit was refunded on October 30, 2024. The remaining $18,078 was applied to their unpaid balance from April.

  We felt like they still left us un-whole as we had just poured countless hours, paid engineering fees, permit fees, architect fees, etc into this project for customer that we thought were valuable and on the up and up.
  

  There was no compensation for any of the time or efforts that we had spent over the past four months to get them their insurance claim that they had wanted.
  

  In Conclusion:  This situation speaks volumes about character. Groundscapes invested countless hours advocating for the Hesses with their insurance company, securing funds for repairs and luxury upgrades. Despite our efforts, they withheld payment for completed work and ultimately used our expertise to maximize their insurance payout while reneging on contractual obligations.
  Unfortunately, this is not an isolated occurrence in our industry. Contractors often face situations where homeowners exploit their services. We take pride in our quality, transparency, and professionalism, but in this instance, we were misled and mistreated.
  We value our reputation and remain committed to delivering exceptional work to clients who honor agreements and respect the integrity of our craft.
  

• Review fromDrew F

  Date: 09/21/2023

  1 star

  Drew F

  Date: 09/21/2023

  We recently built a pool Sept of 2022. We were able to enjoy the pool for roughly 2 weeks prior to closing it and even then we started experiencing issues such as flooding basement, heater and cover not working, which they fixed. In the early spring we opened the pool and immediately experienced the sale issues. The pool cover was sagging and uneven. Our app to control heat did not work and the cover doesn’t open. Currently doesn’t close. We paid for a beautiful working pool. We were told we have a one year guarantee to work through any issues; this year told that this is not the case. We are now being bill for $1004.19. I believe Ground scapes still owes us for a cover that works properly, a heating unit that works and to not pay this bill.
  

  Groundscapes, Inc.

  Date: 10/13/2023

  We provide two auto cover adjustments at no charge for every pool that we build that includes an auto cover, as the ropes stretch after a new install and require adjusting. We also explain during our hands on pool orientation that slamming the cover closed, open, running the cover with water on the surface, and not pumping water off the surface will lead to failures with the tracking of the auto cover.
  
  More than 2 adjustments of an auto cover is not typical and is generally a sign of the issues covered in the orientation.
  
  We completed two no charge adjustments for the customers. They continued to call us back for adjustments after this, twice asking us to come over immediately so they could swim. A service which we provided.
  
  The customer did not want to pay for this service. After some back and forth on these charges Groundscapes agreed with the customer that they would pay for the one of the adjustments and we would write off the others. At this point we considered this matter resolved.
  
  Through a simple accounting mistake the second invoice in error. Instead of contacting Groundscapes and having this corrected they chose to disparage Groundscapes on social media and write this complaint to the BBB. Groundscapes feels that we have provided them with a well built, finished product.

• Review fromJessica R

  Date: 07/25/2023

  1 star
  We started our design with this company and put down a deposit, which they cashed the next day. they provided us with a beautiful design so we paid for the steal frame. Then the horror stated... One month in and they didn't have a permit to work in our area?? Which you would think should have been the first thing the told us before cashing out checks. Then when the finely got the permit to work in our area. They hadn't even filed for the permit to do the work on our property. after us going to the City office we found out they didn't even apply for the work permit until 2 months after cashing out 1st check. They didn't even keep in contact with us we always had to call them to find out where they were on things. Today after 3 months they told us they were going to start however there was going to be even more of a cost. The lack of communication, and commitment from this company is awful!! We were more than ready to pay over $250,000 for our pool however we fell that they just didn't want to do the project but were more than willing to take our money. NOW it is a fight to get out deposits back as they want us to pay for their time and pool frame that was never order!! I would NEVER recommend this company to anyone!! AWFUL ALL AROUND