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Old 04-08-2013, 01:19 PM
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Scott K Scott K is offline
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TruGree(d)n

I just had to mention this one.


Several weeks ago, I was contacted by TruGreen for an interview. I never applied to them, they called me after finding my resume somewhere. Now, I have 20 years experience in landscaping, associated with my past maintenance jobs. Despite that, I didn't get the position. I knew why, my age, present physical condition (despite the assurance that they are "an equal opportunity employer"), and my seeming lack of agressive sales ability. I was supposed to be a lawn care tech, but was also expected to generate many new sales as well.


I was leery of joining the company anyway. A quick google gave me countless negative results from unhappy customer and employees. I only accepted the interview after reading all the negative reports because I need a job so bad, and enjoy working outside. Today, I got an example of why. I received a letter from Trugreen. I thought, "OK, here's my rejection letter, finally. Nope. It was a solicitation to become a customer! Really? I'm not good enough to be hired by Trugreed, but they now expect me to hire them? I find that very unethical, that they added me to their potential customer list, because they got my information from an interview I never sought out in the first place.


I'm seriously considering sending the letter to the gentleman who interviewed me, and basically telling him to stick it. At the very least I want them to remove me from their database.


Forgive this latest rant. This nonsense just makes me mad.


Scott K.
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Old 04-08-2013, 04:19 PM
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Your disgust is understandable and I wouldn't want to work for them, either. But remember that few people deliberately try to be bad or offend others. It's far more likely that this particular company is just thoroughly incompetent regarding administrative matters. That easily explains why they have so many customer complaints, and it explains why the employees who sent you the customer solicitation had no idea that you had been interviewed for a job. This is not an excuse for incompetence, it's merely an example of incompetence. Sending the letter to the interviewer won't hurt, but don't expect it to help anybody, either.

Sorry this one crapped out on you, Scott. I wish you all success in finding a much better job very soon.
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Old 04-08-2013, 05:53 PM
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Thanks , Yale. I'm not sure what I think complaining to them will do, anyway. I'm just mad, and disgusted, as you said.


Scott K.
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Old 04-08-2013, 06:13 PM
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That sucks.
Their website 503'd on me though, the service master site looks good though, for trugreen there are hundreds of jobs for 'ouside sales reps', means don't have to pay minimum wage or overtime.
Owned by a private-equity firm based in NY, wonder how they make their money?

Pity yourself and some of the unhappy employees don't set up your own business in competion, maybe you could plant an advert with every customer complaint you find.
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Old 04-08-2013, 07:35 PM
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Not so Tru Green

Scott,
you obviously have something that trugreen does not.
Integrity and class.
We hired them to do the spring treatment of our yard last year.
I watched in horror as the tec took their long hoses and drug them through
all the treated grass rubbing them on my wife's carefully planted flowers
and shrubs.
Even after I had told them not to get close to them.
On top of that He even sprayed several of them not knowing what they were.
After they died,,, they sent over another guy to take pictures of the
devastation and report our dis-satisfaction back to their office.
I had told the manager in a phone call that my wife was upset that they had ruined her gardening.
And all the office manager offered to do was to not charge us for the
one application for that day.
This in no way compensated us for the money and time we lost
from their terrible work.
To say the least,,, we told them not to come back.
( We still get their letters wanting us to hire them )
As far as I am concerned,,, you dodged a bullet in not being hired by them.
My best hopes for you that you will find a job with a
reputable company that makes you happy.
Best Regards,
Gary
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Old 04-08-2013, 08:20 PM
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Gary, your story sounds very much like many of the customer complaints I read about them. Trugreen used to be a good company, but since being taken over by Servicemaster, have gone downhill fast. I'm sorry you had to be one of their victims.

Apparently what I read about them hiring anyone with a pulse, is almost true. I'll amend that to "anyone with a pulse, who can also push new customers into signing up". In other words, TG doesn't care if their people do a good job, just that they can sign up new customers.


Thanks all, for the well wishes. Some good luck for a change would be nice.


Scott K.
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Old 04-08-2013, 09:55 PM
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Scott, I'd hire you to take care of my lawn, and those of the stepdaughters -- but the commute to Texas would be a killer. Any chance you'd consider leaving New York? Although born in New York City, I escaped a couple months later and it may well have been the best break I ever had.
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Old 04-08-2013, 10:24 PM
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I'd come down and take you up on that, but as you say, the commute would be a killer. Too many commitments to move now, but maybe someday. The job situation has got to be good somewhere.


Scott K.
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Old 04-09-2013, 06:50 PM
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You'll live longer if you avoid TruGreen and its ilk

After Chemlawn approached us a couple of years ago, I did some research on residential lawn chemicals. What I found is alarming:

According to the federal government, 95% of the compounds used in lawn care are known or suspected carcinogens. Pesticides and herbicides attack the central nervous system and other organs; the symptoms of toxicity mimic flu and allergies, and are often misdiagnosed. Pesticides and herbicides get tracked indoors and persist for years. The danger is not in eating or drinking them but in absorbing them through your skin. That means any surface they settle on in your home can be a hazard to you and your family—especially to your children.
Children, fetuses, and old people are most vulnerable to damage from exposure to pesticides. And the links between pesticide use and serious diseases—asthma, cancers, immune system disorders, and others—is well documented. Here are just a few examples:
· Studies by the National Cancer Institute found that children are six times more likely to develop leukemia when pesticides are used around their homes. Children have a 50% higher incidence of leukemia if their mothers are exposed to pesticides in the home up to three months before, or during, pregnancy.
· The Journal of Epidemiology reports that more children with brain tumors had been exposed to pesticides than children without tumors. Children under age 2 have 10 times the adult risk of developing cancer after exposure to pesticides and other chemicals; ages 3-15 have triple the risk.
· Children have been found to have a greater risk of developing asthma by age five after pesticide exposure within the first year of life.
· Several studies have concluded that pesticide exposure reduces human fertility and male sperm counts, and may be linked to miscarriages.
Wisconsin requires applicators to post little white warning signs on treated lawns, but toddlers and pets can’t read them. Besides, you don’t need to roll around on a freshly treated lawn to be at risk. The toxins get tracked indoors from sidewalks, driveways, and lawns, and remain toxic for months or longer. And in areas where lawn treatment is common, studies have found that pesticides form a toxic smog that persists for weeks or months.
The poisons you put on your lawn have not been “tested and proven safe,” as some lawn care companies claim, and as many homeowners believe. A recent Congressional study concluded that of the 33 most popular lawn pesticides, only one has been fully tested for human health hazards. The study also concluded that 90% of the pesticides on the market today have never been subjected to even minimal safety tests, or to any tests for carcinogenicity, neurotoxicity, or environmental dangers.
The lawn care companies don’t want you to know any of this. They say a green lawn provides oxygen, but pesticides actually deplete oxygen. They tell you their products are “organic;” legally, they can describe as “organic” any compound that contains hydrogen and carbon. They tell you their products are safe for the environment. But if you read the product labels—if you are allowed to read them—you’ll find many stating clearly that their contents are toxic to birds, fish, and aquatic organisms. The EPA estimates that 7 million songbirds die each year from pesticide exposure.
Many common ingredients are listed as “inert,” but “inert” doesn’t mean “inactive” and some inert ingredients are more toxic than the “active” ingredients. Companies call their products “biodegradable,” but some of their products degrade into compounds that are even more toxic.
Pesticides are becoming one of the worst environmental pollutants in the U.S., poisoning streams, rivers, lakes, oceans, and wells. Many Americans are developing a strange and very disabling condition called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) that is sickening large numbers of otherwise healthy people.
Is having a pristine, weed-free lawn really worth poisoning yourself, your family, and your neighbors?
And your lawn? Ironically, the chemicals your lawn treatment company uses can actually do your turf more harm than good. They deplete or destroy many of the natural compounds and organisms that help keep your lawn healthy. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture reports that lawn care uses three times as much pesticide per acre as agricultural land. And each application creates a dependence on the next application. Your lawn becomes a chemical junkie, unable to survive without artificial life support that is toxic to you, your family, your pets, your neighbors, and your environment.
All of this information and more has been documented by the EPA, the National Institutes of Health, the USDA, and many rigorous and independent scientific studies. You can find more information and a long bibliography of sources, online at Poison In The Grass - Lawn Pesticides and Health, or search on “lawn care toxins.”
Get informed. You can have a healthy, attractive lawn without pesticides.
Let’s stop poisoning the neighborhood.
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