LANDSCAPE/PLANT WARRANTIES & GUIDELINES
Woodlands Escapes would like to thank you for choosing us as your landscape installer. The installed or purchased plant material is accompanied with the following warranty & guidelines. By accepting the Estimate you were provided, you are acknowledging you have read and understand this information:
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Warranties are based on invoices being PAID IN FULL WITHIN 3 DAYS of being issued. They are date/time stamped when sent to Customer.
Basic Warranty: Free replacement for the first 30 Days after installation. After 30 days, but within first 6 months it is 50% of plant cost, plus labor to replace the plant material. Property owner is responsible for proper care and watering during that time or warranty void. Warranty is void if no functioning standard irrigation system is present or if proper coverage is not present. WE will discuss watering schedule with customer. Freeze or flood damaged, deer/pest/disease/fungus affected, plants not covered. Warrantied plants will be replaced only one time & timing of replacement will be at discretion of Woodlands Escapes.
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If for any reason you retain the services of another lawn or landscape contractor to install plants, soil, compost, mulch, or service your lawn in any way, then Warranty is void. Not all mulch, soils, compost are the same quality as we use. We take great pride in sourcing the purest, cleanest products that don't contain toxic chemicals, and purchase directly from the producer, not from a soil/mulch yard.
Tree Warranty: Trees under 30G are covered under Basic Warranty. Trees 30G and larger are covered for 3 months. If they are stressed we will see it within the first 30 days. Please notify us immediately if you see any signs of stress or leaf drop. Customer is responsible for proper care and watering during warranty period or warranty is void. After 30 days, but within the 3 months it is 50% of tree cost, delivery, plus labor to remove dead tree and plant replacement. Palm Trees fall under same warranty unless planted between November
and February. Palms that are exposed to freeze during warranty period are not covered.
Substitutions: Substitutions of plant material may be necessary due to the availability of certain materials at time of initial installation or replacement. From time to time we do experience pricing & availability fluctuations and it will be reflected on the final invoice. We have the right to substitute any plant under warranty.
Excluded from This Warranty: Perennials (seasonal color), groundcover, other non-hardy plants, plants in containers, client-supplied plants, transplants, sod. No warranty for discounted plants. No warranties for plants/trees where there is no irrigation system installed, malfunctioning/broken irrigation system, or for plant material installed in areas where irrigation system will not reach.
Seasonal Color: Seasonal Color is not included in our Basic Warranty. Customer is responsible for proper watering until plants are established. If there is a problem with seasonal color due to installation issue it will be seen within the first 14 days. Please notify us immediately and email pictures if you see stressed seasonal color so we can take a look. Pest, disease
fungus, weather damage not covered.
Sod: Woodlands Escapes takes great care in securing the highest quality sod, directly from sod farms. It is cut the day of or the afternoon before an installation. It is very rare that we replace more than a few squares of sod. Customer is responsible for proper care of sod after installation. After installation water daily. Daily watering should occur based on Season and volume of rain fall. The goal is to keep the new sod very moist but not squishy/muddy for the first 2-3 weeks, then moderately moist after that. Water in the morning. Do not water in heat of day, nor late evening. No traffic by people or pets for 30 days. No mowing for approximately 3 weeks. No fertilization for at least 30 days. Keep an eye out in shady areas for grey leaf spot that may need to be treated. There is NO warranty on sod, but we do offer a one-time call back to address any sod issues.
Weather/Storms: Before, during, or after installation, excessive storm damage may cause erosion of mulching, soil/compost/sand and planting and/or sod install areas, dry streambeds, and groundcover areas. Woodlands Escapes will not be held responsible for storm related damage. We will restore the areas to their original condition after Customer approves a Work Order/Estimate for such restoration.
Residential Systems (Electrical/Plumbing/Irrigation): Woodlands Escapes is very careful when onsite during a landscaping installation, and careful around properly marked or identified systems. It is the customer’s responsibility to locate, clearly identify, and notify Woodlands Escapes of all underground conduits, wiring, internet/cable TV, outdoor lighting, pipes, septic systems, etc. Any damage to such will not be the responsibility of Woodlands Escapes. We are very careful when working at residences with irrigation systems and low voltage lighting, but do not make any promises there will not be damage or might need adjustments to system after landscape installation. Every system is different, systems and layouts get changed over time, normal wear and aging, all affect an irrigation and/or low voltage lighting system. Woodlands Escapes can contact an irrigator and/or electrician make any necessary changes/repairs, but only after Estimate for said repairs/changes are approved by Customer. This will only be done after original landscape invoice has been paid in full.
Personal Property: Many residences have playhouses, outdoor furniture, swing sets, raised gardens, potted plants, statuary, yard flags, etc. Woodlands Escapes will not be responsible for moving said type items, nor damage to items. Please take proper precautions to protect your personal property prior to landscape installation.
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Pet Poop. If we will be on your property executing a landscape revision/installation, we ask that you do not let your dog(s) out to do their business in the work area, nor in the path from street to work area. This becomes a big unsanitary issue. If you cannot avoid this, then every day, prior to our arrival please remove all dog poop prior to our arrival. If we end up with dog poop on shoes, gloves, equipment, wheels, etc. you will be charged a cleaning sanitation fee.
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As stated above, all Invoices are Due Upon Receipt. If not paid within 3 days of emailing (which is date/time stamped), all warranties are void. After 3 days there will also be a $100 per day Late Fee added. At 30 Days your invoice will be turned over to Collections and you will be responsible for their professional fees as well.
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All landscaping material & plants remains the property of Woodlands Escapes until the invoice is paid in full. If for any reason invoice balance is not paid in full, customer understands that we will return to property during normal business hours and carefully remove our material & plants. No notice required.
Woodlands Escapes retains the right to photograph the landscape work they have performed for the purpose of their website and/or company marketing efforts, without remuneration or reimbursement to the client. No mention of name, address, or otherwise personal information will be used.
Indemnification. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Contractor, for itself and all parties acting under or through Contractor, shall indemnify and hold harmless Customer from and against all claims, damages, suits, losses and expenses of property, or bodily injury resulting from a negligent act on Contractor’s part. Similarly, Customer shall indemnify and hold Contractor harmless from and against all claims, damages, suits, losses and expenses of property damage or bodily injury resulting from a negligent act or omission not caused by Contractor or Contractor’s agents and/or employees.
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Lawn Maintenance & Care Service Policies
Our Crews, Managers, Office Staff primarily work Monday thru Friday. Of course, if you should need us outside of this please send an email to office@woodlandsescapes.com, or text 832-803-2007 or 346-814-8373, and be sure to include your concern. We will get back to you ASAP.
Service/Mowing Season: We use 2 seasonal schedules during the year. Spring/Summer begins mid to late March, which is weekly service. Fall/Winter begins mid to late October, and is biweekly. You will receive approximately 42 services per year.
Service Day: Services will be provided between 7:00 a.m. and Sunset. To optimize time, mileage, and money we create routes so that crews follow the same route every week. However, as we add customers, and at season change over, it may change, so we cannot guarantee a day or a time of day. Note: if you turn Crew away from service you are still financially responsible.
Service Expectations: We strive to be the best lawn care & maintenance team out there. That is not to say we can fall short, no one is perfect. At anytime if you should have an issue, please email, call, or text the office immediately. We do ask that you remember that we are your lawn maintenance/care service and are only on your property once a week for a short period of time. The crews are very focused on their duties and task and cannot be expected to see issues with a shrub that looks sad, a patch of the lawn that looks dry or sick, excessive weeds in certain areas of lawn, etc. In the end homeowners are ultimately responsible for the condition of their lawns and landscape. We have been hired to help with a portion of that. So, we do suggest weekly walks around your lawn and note any issues if they arise.
Rain/Inclement Weather Delay: Sometimes it rains on and off and we will continue to work. Sometimes a service day is rained out and we will resume servicing the next day, which will then push all service days back. Due to weather and conditions beyond our control from time to time, mowing service may be way off schedule. In the event of record rain fall/inclement weather that keeps our Crews from safely and effectively visiting properties, service days may be missed entirely with no chance of a visit before the next scheduled service day. There will be no credits or refunds offered as a result of rained out days – as our Crews will resume regular visits when the weather allows, and we will do all that is necessary to get your property back up to excellent condition, which often takes more time on site. If lawns are saturated to extent that mowing would cause ruts or damage, then Crew will spend the budgeted time performing other contracted services – trimming, edging, weeding, picking up debris, blowing, so that services remain current and property is refreshed.
Inaccessible Yards: Once the service crew arrives, they begin our systematic approach to servicing your lawn. In order to provide timely, efficient, and dependable service WE DO NOT CALL OR KNOCK on the door if a yard is inaccessible. Inaccessible Yards may include, but are not limited to: locked gates, broken gates, ongoing projects, moving vans, too many parked cars, pets outside, parties, irrigation running, construction material, or workmen in a yard. We will not return until the next scheduled service day, and you will be charged as if the service took place.
Gates: Our crews try to be careful about closing gates. If security is a concern, please make a quick check of the gate and lock for closure after our service to be certain the gate is secured. Please contact us via email if you do find the gate/lock open, and we will remind the crew to close every time! However, we cannot guarantee a gate will latch and the lock stay in place. We will not service yards with key-locked gates as we do not want to keep up with your keys. But please provide us with combination for lock if needed.
Pets: Our Crews love pets, but not all pets love us! We will always be mindful of pets kept on your property, but we cannot be held responsible for any pet while maintenance is being performed and will not be responsible for any escaped pet. If a Crew does not feel comfortable accessing a yard due to a pet, then they won’t, and your backyard service will be skipped. Please check the gate for closure after service to ensure it is latched before releasing your valuable pet back into the yard. On your scheduled service day please assure that your lawn is free of pet toys and pet droppings. We reserve the right to charge a minimum $50 equipment sanitation & cleaning fee for pet droppings encountered on your property. We cannot proceed to the next property without cleaning the equipment. All service stops, we return to our shop with a full paid crew, unload all equipment, clean & sanitize, then return to route. You will be charged for all that time.
Weeds: If you subscribe to our “Full Service” then weeding beds is part of the service. If you do not have properly mulched beds then we will recommend and send you a quote for an application. A properly mulched bed will keep weeds at bay and also assist in retaining moisture & protect roots. If beds remain unmulched then weeding will result in additional fees, added to next monthly invoice. We do not apply “black” mulch. “Black” mulch is a dyed product and will lead to severely stressed plants, often killing them. We use the highest quality native mulch products.
Lawn & Landscape Treatment Program: We use 100% organic products. No harmful chemicals. Many of our Customers subscribe to our annual lawn treatment program. This is a monthly inspection, any needed application, seasonally scheduled Fertilization. The technician should leave a hang tag on your door or gate to let you know we have been there. Please be sure that your irrigations systems are running correctly and not completely turned off, especially during the seasonal fertilization times. Do not water at night. We can tell when a lawn has not been properly watered after fertilization application. There are certain signs we look for. Also, as we are only there once a month, please notify us immediately if you see any areas of concern.
Lawn Debris: Removal of normal lawn debris is included in both our BASIC or FULL service plans. Lawn debris includes anything left behind by Mother Nature (sticks, leaves, pinecones, etc.) PLEASE NOTE: We do not remove grass clippings as our mowers are all mulching mowers. Items not included in our definition of lawn debris are man-made trash items – newspaper, packing peanuts, plastic bottles, paper cups, etc., as well as dog poop. We are not a trash company.
LARGER AMOUNTS OF LAWN DEBRIS (limbs, etc.) caused by inclement weather or brush piles collected by Customer as a result of your own yard work efforts may require an extra charge for removal. Removal requests must be made directly to office via email, and the pile will need to be viewed and priced before any removal can take place. Remember, if we have had a lot of bad weather, which does happen, it will take awhile to get around to every customer, so don’t make your pile on the lawn which will kill the grass. Please DO NOT approach the Crew and insist that they do this as a part of your regular maintenance routine – they do not have appropriate room on their trucks to accommodate these requests, nor are they to be held responsible for doing work outside of regular routine maintenance. Also, excessive seasonal leaf/pine/acorn masting drop is not covered under normal maintenance and will be separately, or added to next month's invoice.
Roofs/Gutters: We do not clean/blow roofs or gutters. We are a fully insured service company and our insurance will not cover employees climbing on roofs or ladders to access roofs/gutters. There are many service companies in the area that specialize in this service. If you subscribe to a service for this or do it yourself, please make sure the debris is disposed of and not left for our Crew.
Tree Trimming: As part of FULL SERVICE we do seasonally trim the canopy of trees 10 ft. and under, in order to allow a person to walk under the tree. If there is ever a tree that you do not want trimmed, please email the office and let us know. Palm & Crape Myrtle trimming, along with Rose or Freeze Damaged Plants, are not part of service and will be bid separately. Please email your request to the office. We are carefully considering subscribing to the “No Crape Murder” approach to properly care for Crape Myrtles. Most Professional Horticulturist agree that the aggressive trimming of crapes that takes place yearly leads to overly stressed trees, excessive scale/fungus/sooty mold, too early blooming, reduced blooming. Within a few years of no pruning we have noticed fuller/more blooms, later in Summer which is actual blooming season for non-stressed crapes, and reduced need for chemical intervention for insect/disease control. Of course, if you still insist on trimming your crapes, please email your request to the office. We will send you an Estimate for the service and once approved will place on our trimming schedule February/March.
Sprinkler/Irrigation Systems: Please refrain from watering the night before or the day of your scheduled service. The cut will not be satisfactory – grass blades tend to lay over when wet and blow off of debris is almost impossible. Properly designed and installed irrigation systems are not damaged from routine lawn service. All systems require regular maintenance and will deteriorate without it. Living in Montgomery County with all the natural and planted trees we are constantly faced with irrigation issues due to roots, etc. Systems just get old. We have experienced irrigators we use, and are happy to test your system seasonally, prepare your system for overwintering or Spring/Summer start-up, or make repairs when necessary for an additional fee; we do not pay for any 3rd party repairs.
Damages: We are very careful when we service your lawn, but if an incident does happen, please notify us immediately, no later than 24 hours after the service where damage occurred. All approved repairs will be made by us or one of our approved contractors; repairs made by others without our consent will not be our financial responsibility. Damages we will not cover include, but are not limited to: air conditioning wiring, bird baths, bird houses, benches, chairs, play sets, concrete, dog beds, downspouts, drainage, shade structures, fences, fence posts, fence stain, flower boxes, holiday décor, improperly installed irrigation components, irrigation valve covers, metal edging, path lighting, solar lights, pottery, outdoor curtains, retaining walls, stone edging (brick and/or stone), stone pathways, toys, unprotected trees, trampolines, plastic pools or other swimming pools, windows. Exposed cables/wires, invisible fence dog lines, or sprinkler components/lines normally found below the surface of the lawn, disease or damage to lawns, any item hidden in the landscape and not clearly marked. We will not move any object in order to perform lawn service. All lighting should be installed in such a way that it is not exposed to damage by lawnmowers or string trimmers. We are not responsible for any type of window and/or glass breakage while providing maintenance on your property from rocks, objects left in the yard, flying debris, etc. Window damage and expenses shall be the sole responsibility of the customer. We are not responsible for damage to any item left on the lawn. We strongly suggest that all our customers walk their entire yard, every inch, thoroughly from time to time to identify and/or remove/repair any potential issues.
Communications, Concerns, Changes: Please make all communications, changes to service, requests, or concerns to the office and not the Crew. That way we can properly log the request/concern and have proper ability to reply and/or follow up. As Crew members assigned to your route can change from time to time, they might be off one day, or misunderstand the information, we just prefer all communication be directly with office by email, phone, text.
Billing Procedures: We bill monthly on the 1st for all services contracted. Payment is required via credit/debit/electronic check. If you ever need to change your method of payment just email the office before the 29th of the month, and we will send you our Credit Card Authorization form through a secure service. While processing monthly payments if a card is declined an automatic email goes out to Customer to request new payment information. A $25 Late Fee can be added to unpaid balances for each month that such balances remain.
Cancellations: We work very hard to provide great service with a strong desire to retain all our customers. But at the same time we are realistic and understand sometimes things just don’t work out, or customers sell their homes, or we may need to revise the geographic areas we serve. Our service agreements may be terminated for any reason by either party upon receipt of email to office/customer with thirty (30) day notice of intent to cancel (non-payment of two consecutive months of service fees may constitute notice). If notice of less than thirty (30) days is given by Customer, then we reserve the right to either bill for services in lieu of notice, or agree to termination based upon justifiable cause. We also reserve the right to discontinue servicing less than thirty (30) day notice if justified. All cancellation communication must be via email to/from office@woodlandsescapes.com.
We love all our customers and want to provide nothing but the best service we can, no matter the size of your property. Everyone is important to us. We hope this, along with your original Lawn Care & Service Agreement, help clarify things or help answer a question you may have. From time to time this information may need to be modified, so always check back to see if your answer is here. If not, please reach out to us. We are here to serve you.