ComplaintsforW Christian Busk Landscape Architect, Inc

• Initial Complaint

  06/27/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We met with Christian Busk to discuss our landscaping ideas and vision for our new built home. After not hearing from him we reached out to advise him that we would like our deposit back as we received nothing from him for the work discussed on our lot. We met with ************ on May 24th at our new home to review his design plans which we had previously discussed on several occasions. The plans provided did not reflect anything we had mentioned that we wanted on our lot nor the vision we had for the space available for landscaping. Additionally, he did not include any of the various palm tree species we were looking to plant in his drawing. What he showed us was a plan with 4 coconut palm trees which was never discussed and way too many trees and plantings for our liking. Also, we advised many times to keep the landscaping clean with bright floral colors. Everything he showed us was what he liked and wanted and not what we liked and wanted.Since the May 24th date, we asked that he provide a quote on the design drawings/scheme that he brought so we would at least have an idea of what something like this would cost. Approximately one month went by and we never received a revision of the drawing ,nor a quote, or any correspondence from him. We also asked for a quote on rip rap which he did get back to us on and advised that the quote included labor. Only later, he had an assistant reach out to us to tell us the quote was wrong and the adjusted price for rip rap was $15,600 more than he original quoted. With the ridiculous overpriced quote on rip rap and the absence of a quote or revised drawing for the landscaping, we asked that he return our $4,500 deposit. ************ did not do $4500 worth of work on our behalf and the plans he provided meant nothing to us because the plans never represented what we asked for or are looking for. ************ refuses to return the $4500.00 and we are filing a complaint for consumer protection practices, unlawful business practices.

  Business response

  07/03/2024

  March 6th  -        Met on site
  March 14th        Supplied Design agreement; agreement not signed (1.5 hrs)
  April 30th          Meet at office for tour took clients to (3) representative jobs where they could see
                              the completed gardens near the beach similar to their new house location.  At the
                              end of the tour the client gave us the retainer check of $4,500.00 to begin Design
                              work. (Did not ever sign the Design / Build Agreement)
  
  May 2nd             Met at house to discuss landscape discussed Design Build budget between
                                $100,000.00 and $150,000.00.
  
  May 24th -           Met with client on site with rendered landscape plan. During that meeting we
                               supplied ******* with a Florida My Eden ********* book so she could select
                               specific varieties she might want to add to her new landscape.  Owners reside in
                               ******** and were not familiar with Florida plant materials specifically a coastal
                               plant pallet. The Clients house is across from the ************** and couldnt agree
                               on using natives or *************** Practices for our area for coastal flooding
                              conditions. We proposed a palette of native palms, shrubs, and trees that could
                              withstand conditions on their waterfront side.
  
                             We provided idea on needed sitework with existing palms along their joint neighbors property and                                            got resistance on any agreement there.

                            They would not give a date when they would be here again to have a meeting to get
                            a decision. We never received any information for **** or ******* on what they wanted from our submitted                              plan or from the ********* book we supplied them.
  
                           3 weeks later **** asked for some installation numbers for grading and adding rip
                           rap walls to his seawall area. His engineered plans for beach engineers didnt have
                           this work permitted and we werent allowed to install work without local city/county
                           authorization.
  
                           The next day he wanted a quote on the landscape we met together on.  Since he and
                           his wife didnt agree with anything on the plan, we were waiting on their clear
                           direction on what they did want. Our company doesnt just prepare quotes on
                           landscapes unless they have been approved by owners.
  
  June 24 -             5 days later, on 6/24/24, the owners sent their letter removing us from their
                              Landscape project. By this date we still did not ever receive the signed Design/Build
                              Agreement supplied on March 14, 2024.

  Customer response

  07/03/2024

   
  Complaint: 21906583
  I am rejecting this response because:
  This is just nonsense. I have been in sales for over 20 years and in doing sales and working with clients, I never got paid prior to a contract being signed. ************ recommended that we follow him to look at his work when we first met. You dont get paid for that. Yes, he had to come look at the lot as a landscape designer. Thats part of scoping the job and finding out what the client wants and seeing if we are a good fit. We also sent him the blue prints. The problem is ************ never listened to what we wanted. Nor, delivered on what we ask him to design. As a designer, you deliver on what the client envisions for their home that they will be living in, not you. We went another direction after our visit with ************ and saw that we had to start over with someone that could design what we asked them to do. We paid ************ $4500.00 to start the work and create the plan but we were not given a design plan on what we wanted, the one provided was garage to us. No other work was performed! We moved on with another landscaper, we were charged $1500 for them to create a new landscape design and with that we were provided a 2D plan, a 3-D plan, and a video. The designer also went onsite twice and zoom called us to go over the details. We have no problem paying ************ $1500.00 for the plans that were no use to us and ended up in the trash. ************ can send us a check for $3,000.00. 
  
  Sincerely,
  ******** And *************************

  Business response

  07/12/2024

  07-08-24 Rebuttal:
  
  To whom it may concern:
  
  In 35 years we have never had any complaints from the BBB.  We are landscape architects with award winning work from both ASLA ***************** of Landscape Architects) and FNGLA (Florida Nursery, Growers, and Landscape Association) since 1981. We work diligently to finalize our landscape designs to meet all of our clients needs.
  
  The Duchardts reside in ******** and are not familiar with Florida plant materials. In our last onsite meeting with the *********, we discussed a couple of options for palm species that could be incorporated in their design. We supplied them with the best reference book on Florida plant materials.  After leaving them with this, we never received any feedback on what they wanted in their landscape. Within 2 weeks the owner sent the letter to stop work and return their money.
  
  We would have continued to develop a finalized landscape plan, but the owner decided to cancel our arrangement. Once we replied that we had performed our services, and supplied them with a landscape planting plan, they responded with the following email:
  
  From: ************************* <********************>
  Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2024, 4:48 PM
  To: Christian <********************************>
  
  Subject: Re: Quotes and Drawings
  Christian,your email just confirms what I said about not listening to us.
  With that said, I would suggest you rethink your position on the refund as we will find every possible online social media outlet to give you the bad reviews that you will deserve and coming from a family of lawyers I will have no problem providing enough data to support a breech of contract claim against you! Let me know if youd like to resolve this amicably or legally. 
  Sent from my iPhone (Mr. ******************* spent the time on their project as indicated in the attached breakdown of hours (included with our first response back to the BBB) delineating how much time was worked on the design and CAD drafting.
  We expect to be paid for time spent on services rendered, as any business does, which was indicated by their retainer payment of $ ******** that they gave us.   We do not agree that we owe any portion of the retainer back.
  We have never experienced this type of behavior directed towards our company before.  We would like you to consider this case finalized at this point.

  Customer response

  07/15/2024

   
  Complaint: 21906583
  
  I am rejecting this response because: It is clear to me on the third time responding again to ************ that he still does not listen. As stated in the first compliant, ************ did not listen nor acknowledges that he gave us a plan that did not show what we asked him to do on our landscape drawing. ************ states that he designed a plan that he wanted for our property and not what WE wanted for our property. It doesn't take 45 years of experience to know when a client says do not put coconut palms on my design, he puts coconut palms on the design. When a client says, do not block the water view, he blocks the water view on his design. When a client asked for a lot of bright floral colors lining the perimeter of the property, he put's all green ones. Not only did he give us a design that we did not ask for, he never fixed the plan with the revisions we asked him to make. Which leads me to ************ also lies! He did not get back to us two weeks later. Please see the attached email to ************ letting him know that we met with him a MONTH prior and waited a MONTH for him to revise the plans and send it back to us with what we asked him to do originally on the design. So again, this man stole from us, did not deliver on what we wanted in our landscape design, and owes us a refund of $4500.00! 

  So here is what I am going to do next if we do not get our refund. 
  

  1. I am going to email the counsel members of ****** Springs to let them know that I filed a complaint against you for defective work and fraud.

  2. I will also file a compliant with the ****************** of ******** and Professional Regulations, as I know there is a protection in place for consumers that get ripped off from contractor's like yourself. 

  3. I will *** for the full amount owed back to us. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** And *************************

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