West Seattle Blog...

WSB Forum » West Seattle Rants & Raves

(25 posts)

Rant: Ken\'s Yard Service

Started 3 years ago by walfredo
Latest reply from teacup

walfredo
Member Profile

What a joke! I happened to be home today at lunch when these folks stopped by to do my bi-weekly yard maintence. The two gentlemen arrived, and one of them mowed my 400 square foot grass patch. The other one stood and watched him. 5 minutes later the two left and went to there next job.

Now this isn\'t a real expensive service- about $40 twice a month, but I would expect them to actually do something for that money.

I called Ken\'s to ask why only one of the two people sent actually did anything, and ask how much time they were supposed to spend on the yard for my $40.

She explained that they only were to work on the grass, and not to do any other sort of edging (not at all what was described when they were hired) and that for $40 you get two men for 15 minutes. I asked why they were only there for 5 minutes, and she explained they had a schedule to keep! I know- you are scheduled to do 15 minutes of yardwork at my house! How\'d that work out?

I\'m not hard to please, but it seems unreal to me that they would literally say that anything outside of cutting the grass is not within a yard services scope! That they left my house after 5 minutes of work to keep a schedule! What a joke. All I need is about 15 minutes of work every couple of weeks trimmng some plants so they don\'t overgrow into walkways in the yard, or into the sidewalk out front. Anyone know of any good companies that could do this?

Thanks!

Posted 3 years ago #
JimmyG
Member Profile

Did you sign a contract with them?

Their services should be outlined in the contract. If I was hiring someone on a regular/recurring basis I would certainly have a contract which spelled out what I was getting.

Posted 3 years ago #
mellaw6565
Member Profile

I got a bid from them once a few years ago to do some view cutting and the guy/owner who responded was a real jerk and his prices were outrageous compared to other bids. Never used him and have never recommended his service.

Posted 3 years ago #
Irukandji
Member Profile

Zook & Oleson
3204 47th Ave Sw, Seattle, WA 98116-3317, United
Phone: (206) 595-2793

GREAT for regular maintenance. I\'ve been working on the yard across the street for years and they are a hard working and respectable crew. Ben and his Family are West Seattle residents, and care very much about the quality of work, fair hiring, and community relations they offer.

Posted 3 years ago #
Peaches
Member Profile

I got a bid from Ken\'s when I bought my house--the yard looked like a wheat field, but it\'s not all that big. They quoted me $600 (yes, hundred) to get it under control. No thanks. By doing it myself I got a great workout, and discovered treasures like my iris/canna bed and a very small (but now very productive) apple tree that no doubt would have been mowed down by the commercial guys.

Posted 3 years ago #
glocson
Member Profile

$40 dollars a week is pretty much right on for a quick mow. I do agree with Walfredo, they should have atleast broke out a \"blower\"/\"air-sweeper\" or a trimmer(weed-eater). However with gas prices and labor cost\'s as they are don\'t expect the price to go down anytime soon.

Posted 3 years ago #
littlebrowndog
Member Profile

This is the third summer I have used Ken\'s. I pay $27 for my very small yard, which is mowed, edged/trimmed and blown/swept. The guy is in and out in about 12-15 minutes. I have been really happy with them.

Posted 3 years ago #
idler
Member Profile

I second littlebrowndog. Have had pretty much the exact experience. They are reliable and whenever I have had to call they have been very accommodating. Last week I happened to be home when they arrived to mow my totally dead grass. I met them at the curb and suggested that there really wasn\'t much to mow. They agreed and although I had not given advance notice they took me off the schedule. I called the office and suspended service to on call. I will start up again with the rain. I have tried other services and none are as reliable. The other benefit is that the office staff speaks english and so it is easy to communicate (by phone) exactly what your expectations are. I have had some pretty frustrating and hilarious situations in the past attempting my Spanglish to get something done.

Posted 3 years ago #
transplantella
Member Profile

I\'m a professional gardener groundskeeper with years of experience. I do all kinds of landscape maintenance, your mower and handtools. I generally eschew power blowers, hedge trimmers, etc,. They\'re heavy, noisy, annoying, and it\'s often just as efficient to whip out a broom or pruners or a shovel to get the job done.

I\'ll mow your lawn for $40. :)

Posted 3 years ago #
walfredo
Member Profile

Glocsow- I agree with you, if you are talking about a yard with a lawn. It literally is about a 200 square foot yard. It takes 5 minutes including parking, unloading the mower, mowing the lawn, reloading the mower, and driving off. It is silly- I just can\'t get over not having it be the policy that if 2 guys show up and are paid to do yard work for 15 minutes, its okay if only 1 of them does anything, and its fine if they leave in 5 minutes instead of 15. That is very problematic to me.

Posted 3 years ago #
Lismar
Member Profile

We use Ken\'s and we\'re quite happy. We don\'t really care how much time THEY spend, as long as they get the yard done. We care about how much time we\'d spend doing the same work. That is what we are paying for after all, getting OUR time back.
cheers,
Lisamar

Posted 3 years ago #
beachdrivegirl
Member Profile

Lismar,
I think Walfredo\'s complaint was outlined in teh end of the paragraph where he explains that they arent getting the yard work done that was discussed.

\"That they left my house after 5 minutes of work to keep a schedule! What a joke. All I need is about 15 minutes of work every couple of weeks trimmng some plants so they don\'t overgrow into walkways in the yard, or into the sidewalk out front. \"

Posted 3 years ago #
Starskyect
Member Profile

HI folks, i would be happy to do your yard work.
please feel free to email me and my hard working crew

ALMCO@AOL.COM

Posted 3 years ago #
ADW
Member Profile

I own and operate a environmentally friendly lawn care service called Clean Air Lawn Care. I am West Seattle based. We operate only battery and electric operated equipment that is powered by renewable energy sources; i.e solar panels on our trucks. Our staff is educated, friendly and considerate of your lawn and your property. We would be happy to provide an estimate for anyone that is interested. Thank you.
Adam 206-941-4180 or adam@cleanairlawncare.com

Posted 3 years ago #
andrea
Member Profile

I had the pleasure to utilize Al (Starskyect) a few weeks back for some pretty detailed yard maintenance and he and his crew did a fabulous job. Very reaasonably priced, quick, and they worked in some the hottest temps this summer, all with a smile! I highly recommend them.

Posted 3 years ago #
MrDog
Member Profile

What I was told (and it seems to make sense) when they give you a bid price to do your yard all year, they actually loose money in the spring when the grass grows so fast, so it even out at the end of summer when it slows down.

Also, we have 2 sets of stairs and it takes 2 guys to carry the mower up and down. If your yard is after ours and only needs 1 guy, then there is not much they can do about having an extra man. We have had their service for 3 1/2 years and its always been great. We get home from work and the yard it all cut and neat.

Posted 2 years ago #
afrikando
Member Profile

i've used valencia's landscaping for nearly five years now and can recommend them without hesitation. my property is small---they cut the front and back yards, edge, blow debris, and do some basic trimming and cleanup; it takes two men about 20 minutes and costs me $30/visit. if you have only one yard, it should be less. call for an estimate. (425) 432-1181‎

Posted 2 years ago #
Luckie
Member Profile

Like Andrea, we have been hiring Al to help with our yard maintenance. Hard-working, cheerful, reasonably priced, West Seattle born and raised!

almco@aol.com

Posted 2 years ago #
carter
Member Profile

We used Ken's Yard Service for a year to mow our little patch of lawn and parking strip because we were living overseas. Charge was $30.00. Upon returning we hired them to trim a few trees and clip some hedges. The bill was $400.00+tx. We hired them again the next year to do the same job. This time I was home. I timed the two workman (both did a good job) at 1hr45min and the bill came and it was $400.00 +tx. Out of curiosity I wanted a bill break down. I called and spoke with someone three times, each time saying they would send out an itemized copy of the bill. It never arrived. I haven't used them again. I found a company that had four guys, trimmed ALL our trees and hedges, and weeded the entire property for $350.00. Moral of the post: get multiple bids.

Posted 2 years ago #
elisabethf
Member Profile

I wholeheartedly recommend Eusebio Tovar's lawn service. Not only does he cut/edge my yard, he also cleans up beds when they need it. All for $30. Makes a visit, leaves a bill. You can reach Mr. Tovar at 206-762-1735.

Posted 2 years ago #
Attorney Melissa
Member Profile

I have been using Ken's for about 10 years but apparently they don't need my business any longer. I had problems last year on several occasions because when I happened to be home, I saw the guys barely mowing the yard, ignoring my planters that needed to be weed whacked and no longer using the blower on my patio. The woman in the office was nice about it and gave me a credit, and I said that I would have them come back out to re-bid this year to deal with the drop in quality of service. Some guy just called me back to say how happy everyone else with their service, clearly I am a complainer and that he doesn't want my business. So, Ken's no longer has my business and that's fine with me because apparently my statements about how long his guys are at my house and the drop in their quality of service is not credible and the word of his guys, who report being at my house for half an hour at a time, is credible. I'll check into the other suggestions on these posts and report back, but Ken's apparently doesn't care about keeping business or in confirming whether the employees are actually doing the work. As one poster said, I don't actually care about the time it takes to do the work, but that it gets done and it wasn't getting done, and I just happened to be home to notice that there was a reason it wasn't being done - THEY WERE ONLY AT MY HOUSE FOR ABOUT 7 MINUTES!

Posted 2 years ago #
Veteran Wisdom
Member Profile

I would recommend "Humble Chore Services" for any and all of your yard work/landscaping... Scott is a West Seattle native who has great prices, and is also a pleasure to talk to! Cayce & Gain also uses his services on their rental properties so I think that speaks for itself regarding reliablility! You can reach him at (206) 856-9160

Posted 2 years ago #
bsmomma
Member Profile

I'll second Humble!

Posted 2 years ago #
LifeLongWestSeattle
Member Profile

I used Ken's Yard for many years at our house up on 44th and I thought I would see if I could save money so I called one of the signs on Califorina Ave about the $20 yard mowings. They wanted me to be home and pay in cash each time and could not give me real reciepts (for tax deductions). So I am back with Ken's, they come when I am at work and do the work 2-3 times per month then send me a bill. If I take 3 days off per month it will cost me way more than the few $ I would have saved, lesson learned I guess.

Posted 1 year ago #
teacup
Member Profile

I'd have to agree with liking Ken's and being easy to work with. We use them bi-weekly and for big jobs and they've been awesome. Always friendly, good customer service and Julian was friendly and easy to work with. Quality jobs too. Not a complaint.

Posted 1 year ago #