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A brown and crunchy lawn that’s full of weeds is a real downer, but many homeowners don’t want to spend their spare time treating, fertilizing, and aerating their lawns. For this reason, a lawn care service can be well worth the money, especially if the service helps homeowners achieve their dream of a well-tended and lush green lawn that’s the talk of the neighborhood.
TruGreen lawn care is one such service that offers solutions for busy homeowners (or those who simply don’t want to care for their own lawn). The company has branches in all contiguous U.S. states, as well as Washington, D.C., making it a widespread and therefore realistic choice for most homeowners across the country. But how do the TruGreen lawn company’s services stack up against the competition, and is the service worth paying for? This TruGreen review will explore the ins and outs of the company so homeowners can determine whether the company’s lawn-care plans are right for them, and if so, which one to pick.
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At a Glance
TruGreen
Specs
- Service area: 48 states and Washington, D.C.
- Services offered: Lawn aeration, overseeding, pest control, soil amendment, tree and shrub care
- Quotes: Instant online quote
- Scheduling: Online, phone, or mobile app
- Guarantee: Satisfaction guarantee
- Customer support: Email, phone, live chat
Pros
- Wide coverage area spanning 48 states and Washington, D.C.
- Wide range of service plans that fit most needs
- Straightforward instant quote, booking, and online payment systems
- Easy-to-use mobile app for scheduling services
- Comprehensive online library of lawn-care resources
Cons
- Lawn mowing service not offered
- Unclear guarantee information
- No option to cancel annual plans online
- Mosquito Defense product ingredients could potentially be harmful to pollinators
- Relatively large number of negative online reviews
Our Verdict: TruGreen offers widespread availability, a range of lawn care plans tailored to each individual lawn, and a simple quote process, making it a top pick for lawn care services. Prospective customers can get an instant online quote via TruGreen’s website, and existing customers can manage their account using the company’s intuitive mobile app.
Claims
TruGreen landscaping offers services throughout the contiguous U.S. and Washington, D.C., (Alaska and Hawaii are not currently serviced), so utilizing the company’s services is possible for most lawn-care customers. The company offers a wide array of services, which include several lawn-care plans, pest and mosquito control, and tree and shrub care.
About TruGreen
When it comes to lawn care companies, TruGreen is a recognizable name thanks to its widespread service area. TruGreen was founded in 1974 under the name ChemLawn before moving its headquarters to Lansing, Michigan, in 1979, when it began operating under the TruGreen name. Today, TruGreen is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.
TruGreen offers tailored lawn-care solutions through a variety of plans and à la carte services. The company takes the training of its specialists seriously with a promise that all lawn-care specialists are TruGreen PhD-certified through the TruExpert Certification Program. Specialists are paired with a mentor for ongoing coaching on a variety of topics, including agronomic, horticultural, and safety-related matters. They are also required to meet all state licensing standards to apply weed and pest control products.
TruGreen is a franchise business with more than 200 branches in the United States. Since franchises are independently owned and operated, customer experience varies and is dependent on the customer service at their local branch.
How It Works
TruGreen’s lawn-care services are designed to improve and maintain customers’ lawns depending on their individual needs. Customers will specify their concerns and requirements during the quote process, and TruGreen will show a selection of the plans or services that will help the customer reach their lawn goals. Once the customer signs up for their chosen plan or service, they will be able to schedule their first visit to get their treatment started. Depending on the plan chosen, TruGreen will come out every 4 to 6 weeks to complete each treatment. But if the homeowner has concerns in between visits, TruGreen will come out as often as needed to address them, even if the customer doesn’t have a visit scheduled.
During each visit, homeowners can discuss their lawn’s progress and their remaining concerns with their lawn-care specialist to determine whether they need to make any changes to their plan. The specialist will leave a service summary with the customer after each visit so they can see exactly what was done to their lawn during the appointment. Lawn-care specialists will also offer tips and suggestions to the customer to help them care for their lawn between TruGreen visits.
Plans and Services
TruGreen offers five different lawn care plans to cater to a wide range of homeowners. The plans include TruHealth, TruComplete, TruSignature, TruNatural, and TruMaintenance. For customers who prefer to opt for one-off treatments, the company also offers soil amendment, grub control, mosquito control, lawn disease services, and tree and shrub services.
The five TruGreen lawn service plans include the following services:
- TruMaintenance Lawn Care Plan: Fertilization, Healthy Lawn Analysis, pre-emergent and targeted weed control.
- TruHealth Lawn Care Plan: Fertilization, Healthy Lawn Analysis, pre-emergent and targeted weed control, grub prevention and control.
- TruComplete Lawn Care Plan: Fertilization, Healthy Lawn Analysis, pre-emergent and targeted weed control, grub prevention and control, overseeding, aeration.
- TruSignature Lawn Care Plan: Fertilization, Healthy Lawn Analysis, pre-emergent and targeted weed control, grub prevention and control, overseeding, aeration, tree and shrub care.
- TruNatural Lawn Care Plan: Healthy Lawn Analysis, natural fertilization.
TruGreen claims that its TruComplete plan offers the best value, since it offers almost all TruGreen services with the exception of tree and shrub care. This means it will likely fit the needs of many homeowners. However, customers who don’t need all of the services covered by this plan can opt for TruHealth or TruMaintenance to save money. Customers who want the entire package of services available will likely opt for TruSignature since it includes tree and shrub care, which means the homeowner won’t have to worry about most, if not all aspects of yard care, with the exception of mowing. Finally, customers who are eco-conscious and don’t want to use a chemical application can choose the TruNatural plan, which uses 100 percent natural fertilizer with minimal environmental impact.
For customers who don’t need all of the services included in the annual plans, TruGreen offers a variety of stand-alone services, including the following:
- Lawn overseeding service
- Lawn aeration services
- Lawn disease services
- Lawn fertilization services
- TruGreen mosquito defense
- Perimeter pest control
- Outdoor nuisance pest control
- Grub control and prevention
- Weed control
- Soil amendment and analysis services
- Tree and shrub services
Unlike many other lawn-care services, TruGreen plans do not offer mowing, so customers will still need to either mow their own lawns or find another professional to take care of this task for them by searching online for “lawn mowing service near me.” TruGreen services continue automatically each year, so customers will need to request to cancel their agreement if they no longer wish to use the services.
Product Ingredients
It’s not immediately clear what the exact ingredients are in TruGreen’s lawn care applications. However, the company claims that:
- It uses lawn products that have been registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in lawn and landscape care.
- It does not use products that are known to irritate skin or produce allergic reactions.
- It will not use any products that contain known carcinogens defined by the EPA, the National Toxicology Program, or the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
- It does not use products that are known or thought to leach to groundwater when used in lawn treatment applications.
TruGreen also claims that the products used by its lawn-care specialists “contain the same ingredients found in lawn-care products that tens of millions of homeowners buy annually at lawn and garden outlets.” However, the company does not mention any names, so it’s hard to know exactly what its products contain.
For the TruGreen Mosquito Defense service in particular, the company will not treat flowering plants or areas where bees and other pollinators are present. While no ingredients are listed, this does suggest that TruGreen’s mosquito product is harmful to pollinators, so customers concerned with that may want to ask a lawn-care specialist for more information before signing up for the service (or skip it in favor of more natural homemade mosquito repellent).
Getting a Quote
Homeowners who are interested in one of TruGreen’s services have two options when it comes to getting a quote. The first option is to get a customized online quote. The customer will answer questions about their lawn (including whether it has weeds, brown or bare spots, or pests) and their goals when it comes to their lawn (including fertilization and mosquito control). Once the customer has answered these initial questions, they will be asked to enter their information, including their address, and contact details. That will take them to the property measurement tool, which uses an aerial map of the address provided.
The company’s “Smart Lawn Measurement Tool” takes an estimated measurement of the property size, broken into segments. Customers can then select which parts of their lawn they want to include in their plan (for example, they may prefer to only treat the front yard). This allows TruGreen to estimate square footage in order to provide a realistic quote.
Customers who aren’t comfortable with an online quote can choose to get a quote over the phone instead. The process for generating a quote is similar, but the representative will take all the necessary information and complete the steps themselves. Once the quote is complete, customers will get a copy sent to their email address so they can view the different plans and pricing options available to them.
Scheduling
Once a customer has signed up for their chosen TruGreen plan, they can conveniently schedule their service by phone, online, or via the TruGreen app. Customers who choose to use the app can view their upcoming service visits, reschedule appointments as needed, and track their specialist on the way to their home so they can get an idea of when exactly to expect them. According to TruGreen, changes to service dates via the app may take up to 24 hours to process, so customers who need to reschedule their appointment on short notice may want to call their TruGreen branch directly to make sure the changes are processed in time. If they prefer, customers can also schedule or reschedule visits by visiting the TruGreen login page and using the online portal.
Customers can choose to schedule out all their visits when they first sign up for their chosen TruGreen plan so they don’t have to remember to schedule each time, but scheduling readjustments are possible. Additionally, technicians may occasionally need to reschedule appointments during peak seasons due to demand. In that case, the local TruGreen branch will contact the customer as soon as possible to alert them to the change and to reschedule their visit.
Pricing
TruGreen does not clearly advertise its prices online, mainly because the cost of lawn services can vary depending on the size of the customer’s lawn, the customer’s location, and the customer’s specific lawn-care needs. The only way to get detailed pricing information is to go through the quote process, either online or over the phone. However, not all customers will want to share their personal information with TruGreen in order to get a quote. To help prospective customers get an idea of the potential price ranges, the following are prices quoted for an approximately 15,000-square-foot lawn in Dayton, Ohio.
- TruComplete: $1,517.68 per year (seven applications)
- TruHealth: $812.18 per year (seven applications)
- TruMaintenance: $687.23 per year (six applications)
- TruNatural: $1,715.68 per year (six applications)
- TruBasic: $555.80 per year (four applications)
TruGreen also quoted some prices on some individual services, including the following.
- Mosquito Defense: $449.78 per year (five applications)
- Mosquito & Outdoor Nuisance Pest Control: $830.23 (six applications)
- Tree and shrub services: $565.18 per year (seven applications)
While this may be a typical TruGreen cost range for these types of services in Ohio and the Midwest, customers who reside in areas with a higher cost of living, such as cities or coastal areas, will likely find that their lawn-care costs exceed these estimates.
When it comes to payment methods, customers have several options. They can prepay for their plan or service and receive a discount. Alternatively, they can sign up for EasyPay, which will automatically deduct the payment amount from the customer’s designated bank account or credit card after the completion of each service visit. Finally, customers can choose to pay as they go, which means they will receive an invoice after each service that they will need to pay manually. Customers can pay online, by phone, or through the TruGreen app.
Customer Service and Support
Potential customers have two main ways to contact TruGreen customer service with questions: by phone or through an online form. Existing customers can also contact TruGreen though either of these methods, but a more streamlined way may be through the TruGreen app’s live chat function.
Registered TruGreen customers can access a host of services through the company’s mobile app. They can use the app to view their account history and status, schedule service, track service technicians, pay their bill and manage upcoming TruGreen payments, purchase additional services or plans, and live chat with a representative if they have specific summer, fall, or spring lawn care questions. Via the app, customers can enroll in paperless billing or monthly billing, add or replace payment methods, and manage or change their current payment options. They can also provide feedback on their visits so TruGreen franchises can ensure their specialists are doing their jobs well and can get information on any potential issues.
Customers who wish to cancel their service must call TruGreen directly and will be required to verify their identity in order to process the cancellation; the limitations in cancellation options make it rather inconvenient in doing so. TruGreen does not currently allow customers to cancel their plans online or through the app.
Guarantee
All TruGreen services come with the company’s guarantee, which promises that TruGreen will visit the customer’s property as needed between the regular scheduled visits to ensure customer satisfaction. This applies to customers on lawn-care plans, tree and shrub plans, perimeter pest plans, and nuisance pest control plans. For customers on mosquito control plans, TruGreen guarantees that its treatment is effective in controlling the customer’s mosquito population within 24 hours, with a significant reduction in mosquitoes for up to 30 days after each service. Customers who are not satisfied with their results will have their yard retreated at no extra cost.
While the TruGreen Guarantee applies to many TruGreen customers, it’s not clear whether it applies to stand-alone services such as grub control and prevention, lawn aeration and overseeding, soil amendment, outdoor nuisance pest control, weed control, and lawn disease service. Customers can contact their local TruGreen branch or speak to a TruGreen representative by phone or app to find out whether the services they’re interested in are covered by the guarantee.
Lawn Maintenance Resources
Lawn care can be a lot of work, and even customers who pay a service like TruGreen to take care of their lawn’s health can benefit from learning more about how to best maintain their lawn. TruGreen provides several online resources to help customers learn more about their grass, including a blog, a learning center, several lawn-care guides, and an FAQ section. Through these resources, customers can learn more about different types of turf grass, lawn diseases and pests, types of weeds, and basic shrub and tree care. The learning center also allows customers to enter their ZIP code in order to learn about the popular lawn-care issues in their area, which makes it a valuable resource for many—not just customers.
For example, when entering a Dayton, Ohio, ZIP code in the TruGreen learning center, the customer will be directed to resources about overwatering, types of lawn disease and insect infestations in their area, and different types of weeds they might come across in their yard. This helps the customer have a more tailored experience on TruGreen’s website, since a customer in Texas will have vastly different lawn concerns than a customer in Maine.
TruGreen Reviews by Customers
Customer reviews for TruGreen are mixed, leaning negative. This is in part due to the fact that there are hundreds of franchises nationwide with varying levels of customer satisfaction. Unsurprisingly, the TruGreen lawn-care reviews on the company’s website are overwhelmingly positive. Customers say that TruGreen helped rid their lawns of weeds and make them greener and thicker, with one customer going as far as to say they have the “nicest lawn on the street” after utilizing TruGreen’s services.
On other platforms, including the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Trustpilot, and Consumer Affairs, the reviews are less rosy. BBB reviewers claim to have not seen results, or to have had specialists claim to have performed a treatment when they did not, and some report getting an excessive number of phone calls and text messages after requesting a TruGreen quote. Trustpilot reviews are also mixed, with some customers calling their TruGreen service “terrific” and claiming excellent results with their lawns, and others reporting their lawns developing bare spots and weeds after their TruGreen treatment. On Consumer Affairs, some customers write that TruGreen had a positive impact on their yard and that the lawn specialists were very knowledgeable. Other customers reported increased weed growth after using TruGreen’s services and spotty customer service. Ratings for Trugreen are relatively low, though potential customers are encouraged to evaluate reviews on a case-to-case basis.
- BBB: 1.09 out of 5
- Trustpilot: 1.5 out of 5
- Consumer Affairs: 1.9 out of 5
It’s to be expected that a company with a nationwide footprint like TruGreen will have some disgruntled customers. Homeowners who are considering TruGreen services may want to reach out to their neighbors in person or through a local group to see if any of them have used and would recommend their local TruGreen franchise. This may be a better and more realistic representation of what to expect.
How TruGreen Stacks Up to the Competition
TruGreen’s online quote tool stands out since it allows prospective customers to easily navigate through the process in order to view customized quotes. Although potential customers will need to enter their contact information in order to get an online quote, they will not be asked for payment information until they are ready to sign up for a lawn-care plan or other service. On the other hand, for some services, customers are asked for their billing information to obtain a quote, which some people may find off-putting. While TruGreen doesn’t offer lawn mowing services like other companies might, its lawn-care packages allow customers to choose the services they want without paying for each one individually. However, with more research, customers will find that some key competitors, such as Lawn Doctor, also don’t offer mowing services.
With franchises in 48 states and Washington, D.C., TruGreen is also more widely available than many of its competitors. Its online portal and mobile app also help it stand out among the competition, as several other companies don’t allow customers to manage their accounts and schedule appointments using these methods. TruGreen’s app comes highly rated and has an average rating on the Apple App Store of 4.6 out of 5 and over 21,500 total reviews. This app gives TruGreen a leg up against its competitors, since many in the lawn-care space do not offer an app.
Should you hire TruGreen?
So is TruGreen worth it? TruGreen offers a variety of lawn and yard services, an easy online quote system, and a highly rated mobile app that allows customers to manage their accounts from their phones. Potential customers who like the ease of online or mobile app account management will likely appreciate TruGreen’s services. The company’s website is easy to navigate and provides a great deal of educational information to help customers care for and maintain their lawns. The company has mixed online reviews, so customers may have varying experiences depending on their location. And since TruGreen is a franchise business, the quality of its services and customer support may vary from branch to branch. Therefore, customers may want to specifically look for reviews of their local TruGreen franchise by searching for “TruGreen near me” before signing up for a plan or service.
TruGreen offers comprehensive lawn-care plans (that exclude lawn mowing), which can be beneficial for homeowners who don’t want to DIY their lawn care or pay several different contractors to take care of their lawn. Services like TruGreen are attractive for busy homeowners who may not have the time to put into lawn care, or may not want to spend their free time taking care of their grass. For these homeowners, TruGreen’s services can help them focus their spare time on what matters most to them, whether it’s spending more time with family or losing themselves in a good book.
Overall, TruGreen is a viable option for homeowners looking for a lawn-care company; it has a nationwide footprint and a varying range of lawn care services to suit the needs of many homeowners. However, potential customers are always encouraged to thoroughly research their local branches to identify any potential issues with the service.
We independently reviewed this service by weighing the company’s claims against first-hand experience with its professionals. However, due to factors such as franchising, human error, and more, please note that individual experiences with this company may vary.