JACKSON COUNTY, Ga. — Residents in Jackson County said they’ve been ripped off by crews offering pine straw installation services.
People there said they were approached by crews offering to lay pine straw at seemingly reasonable rates. However, once the work was completed, the victims were presented with bills far exceeding the initial quotes. And the crews are also accused of charging for more bales than were actually laid.
According to reports from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the schemes were reported in Athens, Jefferson, Commerce, Bogart and Hoschton.
In one report from Commerce, a crew from “All Seasons Landscape” allegedly quoted a property owner a price of $5 per bale but never said how many bails it would take to do his property or a final cost. The crew later charged $3,300, claiming they used 165 round bales. The victim eventually paid $2,000 after disputing the charges.
One man in Jefferson told the sheriff’s office a crew offered to lay pine straw for $7 per bale. While the crew were installing the straw, he said his wife showed him a warning from a Facebook group about a pine straw installation scheme. The post actually showed a picture of the same truck the crew outside was using. He went out to try to get them to stop, but they told him they had already laid 376 bales, demanded $2,600 and refused to leave until paid. The complainant said he negotiated the price down to $400 before the crew left.
One of the victims in Athens said in a police report the crew claimed to have put out more bales than they actually did. He said he ended up paying $3,945 for 300 bales of pine straw.
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In another case in Jefferson, a woman said she was duped after agreeing to pay for 40 bales at $7 each. The installer allegedly claimed to have laid 70 bales and asked for $600. She said she then wrote him a check for $500, and he later returned, claiming the check didn’t clear and asking for another $500 check. She wrote him another check, only to discover when she got her bank statement showing that both checks had cleared.
The Georgia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division offers the following advice to avoid such schemes:
- Ask to see the solicitation permit issued by the city, if applicable.
- Ask to see a business card and make sure you get the name of the business and the employee.
- Ask for the business’ website and check it out.
- Check the Secretary of State’s website to see if the person has a business license.
- Check Better Business Bureau’s website (bbb.org) to see if there are any complaints against the business.
- Before someone starts the work, ask to get the terms in writing, including the scope of the job, quantity of materials and the final price.
- Say no to door-to-door solicitations and instead contact a reputable company, perhaps one recommended by a friend or neighbor.
If you are being harassed by a door-to-door salesperson, call 911.
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