Dave in Guelph

Weedman called me early in the year and asked me to sign up to their annual summer service. Their trick is to get you to agree to accept receipt of the early payment invoice, which really means you’re accepting the start of a contract between the two of you. I told the telemarketer that I would not be accepting they're services if I didn't have a quote first, and that receiving a quote would not mean that I was agreeing to receive their services. They are not the only ones that take care of lawns! The telemarketer, Rob, gave me the indication that if the “Early Payment” invoice wasn’t paid, that there would not be any contract between us. Payment = Contract. The last week in April Weedman showed up to our house and applied the first treatment in their program, and proceeded to bill me $90 + for the service. I find it funny that the service employee treated the lawn even with a competitor’s sign sticking out at the curb, clearly indicating the property had already been treated. I called them May 2, telling them I had not agreed to any service commitments. They cancelled the service, and I heard nothing from them for about 3 weeks, at which point I started receiving calls to pay the outstanding invoice or they would send my file to collections. I received another call on May 17th indicating that my account was past due and that I needed to pay it. I told the young lady that I had not agreed to the service, that it had been cancelled, and that I was not going to pay the invoice. She argued that I did have a contract which started in February, and had agreed to the terms. She stated that they had the original conversation from February recorded proving my acceptance. I told her to get me a copy of the recording because I knew I had said, “I I’m not agreeing to sign up for service and only agreeing to receive a quote for review”. She said that I would receive a call with the info. I never heard back from her again or from Weedman until June 1, when a message on my answering machine told me I needed to clear up the invoice ASAP to avoid collections. I don’t really care about the whole collections thing, but figured it might make it more difficult to renew my mortgage in July. Do not deal with these guys. I paid the invoice not because they were calling, but so I wouldn't potentially have any problems renewing my mortgage.