Few things enhance curb appeal like a lush, well-manicured lawn, but it’s not so easy finding a dependable lawn care pro who can pull that off. GreenPal is one of a number of services that has popped up in recent years to help solve that problem.
So will GreenPal leave you feeling like you have a new pal, or are they just another face in the crowd?
To assess the efficiency of GreenPal’s system, service and methods, we tested their booking functions and evaluated their response time, quality of service, and customer care. The results were satisfactory, although their approach to resolving customer concerns gave us some pause.
What We Liked
- Easy to use: GreenPal’s website and mobile app are both straightforward and simple to use.
- Widely available: GreenPal is in most major metro areas in the U.S.
What We Didn’t Like
- Limited services: Unlike LawnStarter and a couple of other competitors, GreenPal doesn’t offer a full slate of outdoor services.
- Iffy dispute resolution: If you have a problem with the service you bought, that’s between you and the contractor. GreenPal generally doesn’t mediate disputes.
- No BBB accreditation: GreenPal has a solid overall score with the Better Business Bureau but is not accredited.
In this review:
- What is GreenPal?
- How GreenPal Works
- GreenPal Services
- GreenPal Prices
- Quality Assurances
- GreenPal Pros and Cons
- GreenPal vs. Competitors
- GreenPal Reviews
- FAQ About GreenPal
- Our Verdict: GreenPal Customer Service Falls Short
What is GreenPal?
Launched in 2012, GreenPal set out to capitalize on consumers’ appetite for on-demand services the way Uber, Lyft, GrubHub and others had. Founder and CEO Bryan Clayton had run a lawn mowing service in high school and saw an opportunity to simplify the way homeowners connected with reputable contractors.
GreenPal doesn’t actually provide any lawn care services, however. Rather, it’s more of an online freelancing service that allows mowing contractors to see your job and bid on it.
Homeowners simply list the job they need done on GreenPal, and contractors in the same area “bid” on the job. The lawn care pros pay GreenPal a fee for each mowing job they get through the bid process.
How GreenPal Works
GreenPal’s goal is to connect homeowners with local lawn care professionals. Here’s how it works for homeowners:
Step 1: Go to the website or mobile app homepage and enter your home address, full name, and the email address. Click “See Prices.”
Here’s what it looks like:
Step 2: Lawn maintenance companies in your area bid on your job according to the lawn profile. You can tell GreenPal how flexible your service date is on the “Flexibility” menu. More flexibility means you might get better pricing.
Step 3: You will receive quotes from lawn care pros in your area. You can see the price quote, reliability rating, and the percentage of users who booked them again on this page.
Click on “View Full Profile” to see the number of times the landscaper has been hired on GreenPal, the service they provided, and their rankings. This history, plus reviews, and photos of past work, are all intended to help you evaluate the provider. If you like what you see, tap on “Hire Me”.
Step 4: Once you select your company, you’ll be asked to enter your payment information so GreenPal can reserve your spot. Enter your payment details in the box and click “Book My Lawn Mowing.” You will automatically be billed 48 hours after the job is done if you don’t dispute the work or file a complaint.
What’s Next? GreenPal states that you can expect to receive five bids within 24 hours. We tested the claim using different addresses in different regions. We sometimes received five bids, but not always. Generally, the first bids arrived within hours of posting our information.
GreenPal Services
Unlike some of its competitors, GreenPal offers a fairly limited slate of services:
- Lawn mowing services: Initially, GreenPal started with just mowing services that included edging.
- Snow removal services: Recently, GreenPal added snow removal services.
- Landscaping services: This isn’t a GreenPal offering per se. A small number of vendors working with GreenPal provide landscaping services and additional yard work in certain locations.
GreenPal Prices
GreenPal’s website is pretty vague about the range of prices you might pay for mowing services. That’s understandable to an extent, as prices vary by lot size, region, and other factors.
Generally, however, mowing prices start at $25 and up for a standard quarter-acre lot. That includes edging and blowing grass clippings off patios, walkways, and driveways.
GreenPal Quality Assurances
Cost and quality of service are equally important for a customer. Here is a look at GreenPal’s quality safeguards:
Approval Process for Vendors: Each vendor has to go through a basic approval process to join GreenPal’s roster. This process includes:
- Verification of equipment they use
- Pictures of previous work done
- Professional references
- Vendor must agree to GreenPal quality standards
The GreenPal Guarantee: If you hire a vendor via the GreenPal marketplace and find that something isn’t right with the service or professional, you can simply dispute it online. GreenPal will notify the lawn service provider.
NOTE: If you’re unhappy with the work, GreenPal does not mediate the dispute between you and the contractor. You’re on your own.
Payment After Service: After the lawn service is completed, the contractor notifies the customer that the job is finished. The customer then has 48 hours to dispute the service or payment goes through. Again, GreenPal leaves it to the customer to work out any disputes with the lawn pro.
GreenPal Pros and Cons
Here are some pros and cons we found:
Pros
- Freedom to choose: Customers have control to pick a service provider within their budget.
- Easy to use: The GreenPal website and mobile app are designed with simple interfaces and prominent action buttons that make it easy to book a mowing.
- You can see the work quality beforehand: GreenPal lets you select your vendor based on photographic evidence of their past work.
- Service is available in many locations: GreenPal serves most major cities nationwide.
Cons
- Limited offerings: In most areas, GreenPal only mows and edges.
- Customer service needs work: Customers complain that it’s difficult to reach GreenPal’s customer service representatives.
- Limited help resolving problems: GreenPal takes a hands-off approach if you’re unhappy with the work. You’ll have to deal directly with the vendor to sort it out.
- Not accredited by the Better Business Bureau: But it does have a B+ rating with BBB.
GreenPal vs. Competitors
GreenPal is not the only player in the lawn care field. LawnStarter is a leader in this space, for instance. Here is how GreenPal stacks up against its competitors:
GreenPal Reviews (4.28 average)
The easiest way to gauge a company’s effectiveness is to check its customer reviews. We sifted through some of the top sites for authentic user feedback and found mostly solid reviews of GreenPal.
At Trustpilot.com, GreenPal scored 4.6 out of 5 stars, and 84% of the total 1537 reviewers gave the company 5 stars.
Reviewers on Sitejabber.com gave GreenPal 4.24 out of 5 stars, with just 105 reviewers clearly indicating that customers are generally satisfied with the service they receive. Sitejabber also states that the company ranks 14th among Home and Garden websites.
Appgrooves.com, a platform that reviews mobile apps, awards 4 stars out of 5 to the GreenPal app.
We randomly collected some reviews from GreenPal’s customers on these websites. Here’s a sample:
Dedicated and hard-working crew: “I cannot begin to express my satisfaction with my GreenPal crew. They get right to it when they arrive, edge consistently well, and clean up like they were never here. My lawn looks so smooth after the cut that it puts my previous efforts to shame. I never thought this service would be a step above all the many crews I have hired in the past but they are and I am a truly satisfied homeowner!!” – Donna P.
Had trouble in the beginning: “Had trouble in the beginning with them showing up every 2 weeks but they have been right on time the last few weeks. They do a very good job. Happy we are back to a normal schedule.” – Mary M.
Buyer beware: “This app doesn’t guarantee its services and does not protect the customer. Scheduled a service with (company named) through this app, the guy never showed up. Rescheduled with me long enough for my payment to clear and then ghosted me again! Horrible business model, NO customer service, and crappy contractors! Never use this app!” – Dsenters
Great Service: “Recently purchased this home and needed to find a lawn service. I was having trouble finding someone late in the season but found GreenPal who set me up with a great vendor. System is easy and I get great email updates. Very pleased!” – Dan P
Not a Happy Customer: “There is no way to update your payment or other information unless you have hired someone. Customer service is just an automated chatbot. I found the app easy to use in the beginning and for getting quotes it is, and selecting someone and paying … but other than that you can’t get to your information or even the program using the app (or the site).” – Serry
FAQ About GreenPal
Can you cancel an existing appointment with GreenPal?
Yes, you can cancel your appointment 24 hours in advance of your scheduled date. You cannot cancel or reschedule on the day of your appointment.
Does GreenPal allow you to schedule a service for a friend or family member?
Yes, you can easily schedule a service from anywhere in the world through their website.
Will they bag the clippings?
It’s important to remember that GreenPal does not offer lawn care services itself. It only connects you to a landscaper who does. Lawn care vendors usually do not bag clippings as a part of their standard service. You can ask them if they offer bagging as a service and order directly from them.
Our Verdict: GreenPal Customer Service Falls Short
GreenPal’s website and app passes our tests for ease of use, and it has a fairly robust roster of lawn care pros available to handle your job.
However, GreenPal is limited in the services it provides, and some users dinged the company for lackluster customer support.
Perhaps the thing that may really cause customers to pump the brakes on GreenPal, though, is the company’s hands-off approach to resolving complaints about shoddy work. They generally leave it to the customer to duke it out with the contractor.
Main Photo Credit: Canva Pro with text overlay
