John C in Mississauga

I hired Bill McCartney in 2007 through a landscape designer I was "assigned" when I submitted an online request through Sheridan Nurseries. Because of the affiliation with a large, established company like Sheridan Nurseries, I felt reassured that I was hiring a reputable, professional contractor. To better manage the finances, we chose to split the project into two phases: backyard first (~60% of the cost) then the front yard the following year. While the overall project was installed to our satisfaction and the crew was respectful of the property during the course of the project and appeared to take pride in their work, I was starting to get concerned about the extensive (4-level) stone work on the stair-walkout from our patio door to the patio when it started to show signs of heaving and instability. This was more concerning since the it had really become unstable to walk on, and the stones were so loose they could be removed easily by hand. I spent the better part of the 2010 outdoor season trying to get a hold of Bill so that he would come back and fix things. I wasn't looking for "free warranty" service, but felt that an honest contractor would acknowledge that the installation was not holding up and required some degree of fix. I was prepared to pay a reasonable amount out of respect for additional labour, but did not expect to have to pay full cost only 3 years after the initial install. I lost count of the number of calls and emails I made to Bill in 2010. I eventually enlisted the assistance of my landscape designer (Nan Keenan) to try and generate a response from Bill. In all honesty, I think I heard back from Bill maybe twice - through voice mail messages promising he would "take care of things" but was "extremely busy". Weeks, then months passed, but Bill and his crew never appeared. I gave up on Bill by the time fall 2010 rolled around and had to ask Nan Keenan for another firm who I could rely on to fix the mess left behind by McCartney Landscaping. As of April 2011, I am essentially looking at a situation where I am being forced to pay twice for a job that should have been done right the first time. My advice - stay away from McCartney Landscaping. They may show up when you first hire them, but good luck getting ahold of them afterwards to stand behind their work.