Lawn Care Complaints

Lawn Care Companies

• Homeowners who contract with lawn care companies often find themselves paying for a service they aren't necessarily getting. According to Consumer Reports, all the hype about “Individual lawn care” or “Services tailored to each lawn” is just that, hype. Most lawn services provide the same service, products and time to each lawn, regardless of the problem. Another lawn care complaint was about incompetent technicians who were unsure of how to apply specific treatments and incorrect advice regarding water, pesticide and fertilizer application.

Cost

• According to authur Ted Steinberg, Americans are obsessed with the quest for a lush green lawn and stop at nothing to buy the products to get there. In his book, “American Green: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Lawn,” Steinberg details the staggering amount of money that is spent on weed control, lawn equipment, fertilizer, water and even lawn service. According to the Lawn Institute, a not-for-profit corporation that exists to promote turf grass, Americans spend $25 billion annually on lawn care.

Time Commitment

• A lot of homeowners complain about the time required to maintain a healthy lawn -- watering, fertilizing, weeding, feeding and mowing. According to the Lawn Institute, the time required to mow your lawn is the biggest complaint, with the time spent applying lawn products a close second and watering being the third. The Institute stated that in terms of time, mowing a 10,000-square-foot lawn with a 19-inch mower takes only about one-half hour. However, the Institute does not take into consideration grade (few lawns are absolutely flat) and the time required preparing, cleaning and putting away the lawn mower.

Lawn Problems

• Other common complaints include lawn problems such as pests, dead or dying patches of lawn and unrecognizable lawn diseases. Despite the amount of money and time homeowners spend in lawn maintenance, they are often at a loss as to how to prevent these problems, according to James Johnson, the Georgia State Extension Services Garden Manager. Local Extension Services can often help homeowners identify and rectify the problem, though it often takes a little time and patience to get their lawns back on track.