Woman pays $5,000 for landscaping project in backyard, says it’s not complete

by · WBTV

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - A Charlotte area woman who paid $5,000 for a contractor to create a “dream backyard” says instead, she was left with a muddy mess.

For six months Olivia Hopkins claims she has been calling the contractor, trying to get him to come back and finish the project, but all she has is weeds, mud, and broken promises.

“I’m just really disappointed with how this has gone,” said Hopkins.

This is what Olivia Hopkins paid Paul Banner at Banner Nursery & Landscaping $5,000 to create in her backyard. But six months later, this is what her backyard actually looks like.

“We had some drainage issues, just didn’t have grass, had a lot of bare spots so we wanted that to be addressed and then we wanted to expand the patio.”

Hopkins made the initial $1,250 payment on January 31. The patio work was completed a few days later.

“Within a day or two we had a pretty hard rain and a lot of the sand in between the pavers had washed out, so I texted Paul and he said they would come back out.”

Banner did come back, but the problems continued for months.

“As time went on, we realized the drainage issue was not any better, we were still getting mud puddles in the backyard, the grass was not coming up, he put in a bunch of mulch and that was wearing away.”

Hopkins says she was not happy, but Banner assured her he would fix the problems and she paid him the remainder of the $5,000, but the weeks turned into months.

“As time went on, he told me over and over – we’ll be out next week, we’ll be out next week, we’ll fix it, we’ll take care of it, I’ll do extra, I’ll make it look good for you, but he just won’t come out and do it... it just makes me angry.”

WBTV Investigates contacted Banner. He declined an on camera interview, but he did say rain delayed his work. He also sent us this text message indicating he offered to fix the problems but indicated Hopkins only wanted a refund.

“I was just tired of Paul telling me over and over that he was going to come out, he was going to make it right, he was going to do extra and then not showing up.”

6 months after the project started, Hopkins says Banner, after our calls, has promised finish the project this week. Hopkins doesn’t understand why it took WBTV getting involved, but tonight she is optimistic that her “dream backyard” will finally become a reality.

“I just want my yard to look good, I want my yard to look like it was supposed to.”

Our story is already paying off.

After WBTV’s calls, Hopkins says, Paul Banner came out and finished the job at her house.