Updates

After much deliberation and discussion, Pat Lix, the VP of Tru Green agreed to have a second office manager come out to investigate.  This meeting seemed fairly positive.  Chris Nix, the Carrollton TX. Manager indicated that from what he could tell, this was certainly a TruGreen issue.  He also indicated that no matter what, TruGreen did have SOME responsibility in this matter.  1.  If the wrong chemicals were used then they should certainly replace the yard.  2.  If the yard was killed by a fungus or some other means, they should have noticed it and informed me of the problem and given me a plan to combat the issue. (this was never done)

He informed me that he would return with a known landscape company to get the measurements for replacing the lawn.  I was told that I would receive the estimate at the same time.  That following Monday Chris and the landscape owner showed up, measured the areas that were killed and indicated that I would receive the estimate within a couple of days.

It took over a week to get the estimate, however it finally showed up at almost $15,000.00.  

Based on the estimate and the landscapers unwillingness to "guarantee" the sod installation without a layer of top soil, Pat Lix got involved again.  He determined that the need for more top soil means that TruGreen didn't kill my yard.

We had a lengthy conversation and in that discussion, Mr. Lix admitted that no one had ever even looked at the technicians route schedule to determine if chemicals were changed or added during a service.  He also admitted that none of his managers were qualified to determine whether the yard was killed or simply died on it's own.

In that discussion, he agreed to have his "expert" return to my home that following week and provide a detailed report of his findings.  He would also personally investigate the technician's route schedule and determine whether there could have been an issue there.

That discussion occurred the weekend of July 14.  I have called, emailed and sent text messages to Pat Lix and he has not responded at all.

July 21, 2018 - 10:05 PM - I received the following Text Message from Pat Lix, "You will be hearing from our legal department very soon.  My apologies for the delay."  I reponded, "So no report from your expert or on your technician?" to which he responded, "All will be included to verify findings." and in a second text, "At least all that our legal department feels is required."

I then responded, "So I guess documenting our last call should be done..."

I am now awaiting contact from the TruGreen Legal Department.

August 24th - Via Email:

I finally received a letter, via email from Tina Morgan Director, Legal Process, Claims and Contract Compliance.  Her letter stated: 

Dear Mr. James, 

I am the Director of Claims for TruGreen, and have been contacted  by our local branch concerning your claim.  It is my understanding that you noticed damage to areas of your St. Augustine lawn in March and April when  certain areas did not green up.  At the same time, other areas int he lawn look green and healthy.  You reached out to TruGreen for answers, believing that something applied to your lawn last year somehow caused this damage. 

The above description is not consistent with chemical damage.  As the entire lawn is sprayed, we would expect to see damage throughout the lawn consistent with our spray pattern.  This did not happen.  Instead, the damage is confined to shady areas, and areas that are extremely dry.  Inspections by our general manager, our region technical manager and a local landscaper revealed a number of cultural issues with your lawn. 

First, we found there was moisture in the healthier areas of the lawn, while other sections were extremely dry.  Our technical manager had difficulty inserting soil probes into dry soil, and found the top layer to be powdery with no moisture.  Our general manager and a landscaper met with you and discussed your irrigation routine.  It was evident that you are not running your system long enough to adequately water the grass and/or your irrigation system is not reaching all sections of your lawn. 

Secondly, we found the soil in the sloped area to be very rocky, and insufficient to sustain grass. 

Excessive shade is another issue.  Grass already stressed by insufficient watering cannot be sustained with the added stress of inadequate sun.  St. Augustine needs at least 6 hours of good sunlight to thrive.  We noticed similar thin areas in the lawn s of your neighbors that had native trees and shade. 

During 2017, there was a fungal disease commonly known as brown patch that we controlled with Herritage. This disease also causes stress to the lawn. 

Finally St. Augustine grass does not tolerate cold temperatures very well.  During the past winter, your area experienced temperatures in the teens and twenties.  We have seen damage in St. Augustine awns, in the area resulting from extreme cold.  However, with other stresses in your lawn, we believe the cold played a significant role in the damage you are seeing. 

Mr. James, please be assured that TruGreen stands behind its work, and if I believed that our applications were the cause of or a contributor tot he damage in your lawn, I would not hesitate to make it right.  Our commitment to customer satisfaction is a key driving component of how we resolve claims in this department.  However, in this case I cannot find any evidence of factors that combined to stress your lawn to the point of decline. 

If you have any information or any facts that I did not recite above and that have bearing on this claim, please advise.  Otherwise, I will have no choice but to deny your claim. Sincerely, 

Tina Morgan, 

Director Legal Process, Claims and Contract Compliance.  

Upon receipt of this letter on July 24th, I called Ms. Morgan and gave her all of the facts in this claim.  As stated here in the site and she agreed to return to the branch offices and their managers for more investigation.   She also said that she would be in touch after that additional investigation.  That conversation occurred on July 25th or 26th. 

I have not heard anything in the month of August.

September 4th 2018

September 4th 2018 I returned home from work to find several TruGreen signs in my yard.  Evidently they have come to my home to do an application on my yard again.

I promptly sent an email to Ms. Morgan and Pat lix (VP), to which i received no response.

Finally after an entire day day, I contacted the branch office myself and ensured that my account with TruGreen was cancelled long ago.

I find it interesting that this "system" that TruGreen uses to track the activities on their customer lawns has once again failed them.  No one I spoke with could give an answer as to how this could have happened.

This story just gets better every month and STILL TruGreen refuses to take any responsibility for the death of my lawn.

Oddly enough, the application that was applied to my yard on September 4th was 25 lbs of nitrogen.  For those of you who don't have St. Augustine yards, 

Nitrogen ENCOURAGES Brown patch mold in St. Augustine.

Thank you TruGreen for ensuring that we maintain the level of brown patch in my yard for the entire year of 2018.