Ryan Lawn & Tree
reviews and complaints

We hired Ryan Lawn & Tree in February to put in a new stone patio, pergola, and gas fireplace. They also had to move a storage shed and put up a new fence. To do all this, they had to demo the old patio, tear down a fence, and trim 2 trees. In February , we paid them a 20% deposit on the total cost of our project. The rest of the money was due when they finished. Our salesperson, ***, told us that the project would start in the first week of April and be done in 3 or 4 weeks, depending on the weather. But that was a lie. They just wanted us to sign the agreement. By late March, no one from the company had called us, and we were worried. We called and asked to speak to someone in charge. *** called us back and said that our project wouldn't start in April. They were having trouble getting our fireplace, so it wouldn't start until early May. When they finally started in May, they said it would be done in 3 to 4 weeks, by Memorial Day. But it didn't go as planned. It seemed like only *** or maybe *** and 1 other person were working on our project each day (they only work 4 days a week). In the third week of May, our fireplace was supposed to be installed on a Thursday, but when we got home, they were gone, and it wasn't finished. We didn't know what happened. We didn't hear from anyone until we called on Tuesday to ask about the fireplace. That's when *** told us they ordered the wrong insert and had to order another one. So they wouldn't finish until they got the new insert. They never finished the project. They focused on other projects instead of ours. They tore the back of our house and didn't replace the gutters. They put an electrical outlet on our pergola that made another outlet on the back of our house stop working. They didn't install the gas line for the fireplace. They didn't install the fan in the pergola correctly, so it doesn't work. They laid electrical wiring and coaxial cabling for our outdoor TV, but it's not waterproof. And, of course, they never finished installing the fireplace. According to the City of Springfield, Ryan Lawn & Tree isn't licensed to do hardscaping. They only have a license for tree surgery. They're not allowed to install fences, patios, pergolas, lighting systems, or outdoor gas fireplaces. They didn't even get permits for the work they did at our house. I talked to *** about our concerns, and he said he was new to the company and they didn't have much experience with hardscaping. He said our salesperson was new too, and they didn't have experienced tradesmen on staff. The staff at Ryan Lawn & Tree, like *** and ***, have been dishonest with us. They blame everyone else for their mistakes. They blame each other, the low staffing, the electrician, the plumber, the fireplace company, Covid, and the weather. We strongly advise against hiring Ryan Lawn & Tree for hardscaping in Springfield.

I called Ryan Lawn on Wednesday, 8/25 and sent a picture to ***e. He said he didn't have anything on his truck to spray it at the time, but he made a professional call and told me to dig the weeds up. Now, note that I have brown spots ALL over my lawn. I paid $575.54 this month, and I was told to dig up my weeds, and this is ONLY for my front lawn. I requested a supervisor to call or visit on Friday, 8/28 at 9 am and Tuesday at 4 pm, 8/31. No return call, but the supervisor said Ronnie, my technician, would call. I guess the supervisor called, and I said he didn't think I wanted anyone to come back out. He arrived this morning, 9/1, and said he sprayed the weeds, but he's not sure if it will work. I SAID I have always had the BEST and Greeniest Lawn on the block. This lawn looks sad, and in the $575 amount, they sprayed for bugs, and I have weeds and bugs. Ronnie said NOTHING can be done, and I said this. I guess I'm finished with lawn weed services. They do plant my grass seeds.

In March this year, I hired RLT to fix up my front yard. They said that in 5 weeks, my yard would look amazing after they verti-sliced and seeded it. They assured me that they would be careful not to harm my perennial beds while applying the killing agent. Unfortunately, some of my perennials ended up getting killed during the process. After the kill-off, *** and *** came to verti-slice and seed the yard. While they were doing it, one of the wheels fell off the verti-slicer, but *** just kept going without fixing it. *** was there too, but didn't seem to care. Three weeks later, when the seed started to grow, I noticed that there were big patches of turf with no seed at all. I reached out to *** and *** to let them know that I wasn't happy with how the yard looked, but they just said that having brown patches was normal.

In February, a representative from Ryan Lawn and Tree came to give me an estimate for installing drains in my yard. I showed him the areas where water pools when it rains, such as along the east gate and the concrete around my in-ground pool. I explained that I needed the dirt backfilled and sloped away from the pool. Additionally, I pointed out the south side of the yard, which remains saturated year-round, and the west gate entrance to the pool, which needed a drain due to standing water.

The representative informed me that they use large PVC pipes and gravel for the drains, so there should be enough dirt for backfilling. He also mentioned that they could auger two stumps. A few days later, I received a proposal with an aerial picture of my house and the planned drain placement. I accepted the proposal, understanding that an existing drain along the south side of the house would be removed and extended east through the front yard towards the street. This, along with the installation of storm boxes under the downspouts, was supposed to solve the water accumulation issue in front of the gate.

On March 25, the work was completed. However, I noticed that the front drain stopped in the middle of the front yard, and there was no drain in front of the gate. Furthermore, they accidentally cut an electrical wire near my pool, and a box with gravel was buried in front of the pool entrance. The next day, it rained 1 1/2 inches, and I called the sales representative, ***, to inform him about the standing water. He came out and said, "I never told you I was putting a drain in front of the east gate. It's not in the proposal I sent you. That area is meant for a dog run, and all I can do is put in gravel. We didn't have enough dirt to backfill around the east side of the pool." He promised to "fix" the front drain and asked me to call him when it was dry.

After he left, I noticed six to eight gouges on my front slope where heavy equipment had been driven up and down, even though there was a back gate that could have been easily accessed. I called *** on the 30th, and two laborers came back on the 31st. One of them scraped dirt on his knees around the drain, while the other dug a 3-inch hole with rocks in front of the gate. The review continues with the desired outcome.