Integrated Services Group LLC
Complaint 285665 Details

I am writing today to file a complaint against Integrated Services Group, LLC, by whom I was hired to provide landscape maintenance services to their client: Yum Brands. They are refusing to pay me for the work that was performed. I was contracted on 7/2/12 to provide twice-per-month general landscape services at the Kentucky Fried Chicken, Libertyville, Illinois location. This property is vacant so instead of having weekly service (standard of the industry), they’ve opted for twice monthly. Our scope of work was to include mowing, weeding and light debris removal in order to avoid unsightliness or ordinance violations. Weekly service is what is needed to maintain a ‘well groomed’ property, and although it was suggested to them when we were hired, they insisted they only needed the minimum service to satisfy the Village of Libertyville requirements. This is exactly what we had provided until 9/11/13.

On 7/23/13 I received an email from Integrated that they were changing my requirements for service. I would need to submit photos on a monthly basis showing the work as being completed. I immediately called and spoke to Nicole Wold and explained that my crew doesn’t have a camera phone or camera to take these pictures. She spoke to her manager, and they agreed that since my crew doesn’t have the means to do this, they would let me continue doing business as usual.

Then on 8/23/13 I receive another email from Integrated explaining that I will need to service this location on 2 set days each month and that I will be in breach of contract if I can’t. I again responded that I cannot guarantee exact service dates. I requested that they find another service provider that can accommodate these new requirements and to let me know when they do. I never got a clear response to this request.

On 9/11/13 my crew calls me from KFC to let me know that the property had just been serviced by another provider. Apparently, Integrated had found another service provider but had failed to let me know ahead of time. I emailed Nicole Wold letting her know that I was disappointed in their lack of communication with me.

On 9/17/13 I receive an email titled ‘Termination of Landscape Services Effective Immediately; Payments Suspended’. It’s signed by a very elusive woman, Lori Hansen. I have left at least 2 dozen messages for Lori and emailed her several times, with no response. She only has time to send threatening emails, not respond to them.

On 10/11/13 I received a letter from Preston Mecham in the mail with a partial payment for the balance due. They had conveniently deducted a $200 penalty from this check. Preston explained to me that their new service provider needed to be paid extra since the property looked unkept when they arrived on site 9/10/13. I had to agree with him since we hadn’t been there since 8/28/13 and there was 13 days of growth to be maintained. It looked the same way when we would get to the site every 15 days or so. We have had an excellent growing season this year and, of course, everything needed attention a week before our scheduled visit. Twice a month service didn’t allow for the constant manicured appearance they were looking for. I am being unrightfully penalized for a time frame that was not in my control.

While they were kind enough to send me a partial payment of $97.50, I will not accept it because they have rubber stamped on the back: ENDORSEMENT OF THIS CHECK CONSTITUTES FULL AND FINAL SETTLEMENT OF ALL CLAIMS AGAINST THE PAYOR. I absolutely need my payment in full of $297.50. It seems very dishonest to me that a company would send out so many partial payment checks to their vendors that they would require a rubber stamp to do it. I can only imagine they’ve wronged many others before me.

I have done nothing wrong and I have worked within the scope of our contract up until they started making changes to it. I made absolutely sure of my requirements prior to signing our contract so that I would never have a reason to breach it. I never did.

I have been unable to contact the one person that allegedly has the ability to resolve this matter:Lori Hansen at Integrated Services Group.