Updated Terms, Conditions, Estimate Process, and MISC FAQ
By AMANDA MUSOLINO, Managing Partner of NC Sod and Mulch LLC on 08/01/2024
It’s the heat of the summer. We are all slogging through and with the recent heat dome, there’s been some extraordinary conditions to work in. We took some time to audit our terms and conditions and FAQ.
Estimates– All reasonable estimates are free. We have tried many different ways and have come to this conclusion. We DO NOT LIKE CHARGING OUR CUSTOMERS for an estimate. We despise it. We have always avoided it at all costs. We do ask for flexibility because in order to keep these estimates free, we have cut back on the days that we do estimates. We try to group everyone together by region and we do our best to get to everyone quickly.
Calendar Deposits– We suspended our Calendar Deposit program on September 10, 2023. This program was put into place many years ago. It was a requirement for any of our Customers that confirmed jobs and wanted to be on our schedule. The modest $100-$200 deposit on day of confirmation was used to hold dates and secure trucking. It was being taken advantage of so we were forced to suspend it. ***Any outstanding confirmation deposits are expiring on November 1, 2024. They will not be valid any longer after this date.***
Extra Site Visits– Any site visits to change up the original free estimate is $100 starting today, August 1, 2024. This fee is due up front the time of the visit.
Job Confirmation and Deposits- As soon as a Customer has confirmed that they would like to proceed, a non-refundable deposit of between 35%-50% is required to be placed on our calendar. We offer two and three installment options for payments. We are not a financial institution and at this time not offering any type of financing, but we offer the option of two and three installments before work commences. The final payment is due when we have completed the work.
Non-Refundable Deposits, Why?– The first deposit is for securing trucking, ordering the sod, and purchasing materials needed to complete the work. Also, the majority of our Customers take off work, or arrange work from home days. It is horribly rude to my Customers, to us, and to our suppliers when someone demands a schedule change or refund at the last moment and we are left scrambling.
Job Scheduling– We do not schedule jobs any further than 4 to 6 weeks out. When our schedule is starting to fill up past the 4 week mark, we suspend estimates until we can get more caught up.
Forms of Payment– Due to the ridiculous amount of fraud we have experienced this past year, the following changes have been implemented:
- We have undergone fraud prevention training with our merchant services company and our bank.
- Two factor authentication is required for any sod sales. This two factor authentication DOES NOT INCLUDE a phone call request. We require a text message request AND an email confirmation of the order.
- For any transactions (jobs or sales) the person placing the order MUST MATCH the name on the card, and the address we are delivering to or doing the work at.
- Last minute urgent sod sales or installations must be paid by bank check or by transfer using Zelle, Cashapp, or Venmo. No exceptions and we thank you for understanding.
Warranty Changes– Our warranty clause has changed to reflect the following: We guarantee our Customers that their sod is delivered in live, good, sound condition and if we are doing the installation, that it is installed to our strict proven methods. This guarantee is a limited establishment guarantee of two weeks post installation. We want our Customers to have success with their lawns. We offer care instructions for ALL our installations and VIP Premium Watering Set Up Services for our Customers that do not want to worry about purchasing and setting up hoses and sprinklers if they do not have an irrigation system.
Working Days– Our crew works from Monday to Friday. We are open from 9 am to 3 pm on Saturday and we are closed on Sunday. On Sundays, we do not respond to any correspondence/communication. It’s tough working in the heat and it is absolutely necessary to have a rest day.