LawnStarter Review: Charged for Lawn Care Service That Never Happened?
⚠️ DF4IT Analysis – LawnStarter Lawn Care
89%
Risk Level:
Very High Risk
Verdict: Our assessment indicates a significant risk of being charged without confirmed service delivery. Refund support responsiveness varies by case.
ⓘ
Evidence
Corroboration
Behavior
Response
Based on firsthand transaction records, refund request documentation, Yelp review patterns, and BBB complaint analysis.
Disclaimer: The DF4IT Score estimates the likelihood of losing money or receiving no value based on public signals such as user complaints, refund patterns, and business responsiveness. This score is an informational indicator only — not a legal finding or financial advice. If you represent this business and believe information is inaccurate, please use our Right-to-Reply Form. Learn how this score works: DF4IT Methodology.
⚠️ LawnStarter Review: Charged for Lawn Care Service That Never Happened?
One of our subscribers shared a troubling experience with LawnStarter, a lawn care contractor marketplace. He signed up four months ago, selected a provider, entered payment details, and received confirmation. But the service was never performed.
❌ What Went Wrong
Despite scheduling and confirmation:
- No contractor ever contacted him.
- No lawn work was completed.
- He was charged $47.17 on seven separate occasions, totaling $345.77.
- LawnStarter’s app showed no service logs, yet billing continued.
Meanwhile, his alternate provider (via GreenPal) consistently sent service photos and text updates – confirming real work.
📅 Timeline of Events
| Date Range | Event |
|---|---|
| Month 1 | Signed up, job scheduled, no-show |
| Month 1–2 | Charges began posting without service |
| Month 2–4 | Continued billing despite no completed work |
| Month 4 | Refund request submitted |
| +7 days | No acknowledgement or response received |
💳 Billing Summary
| Charge Date | Amount | Posted Date |
|---|---|---|
| 9/3/2025 | $47.17 | 9/9/2025 |
| 9/12/2025 | $46.11 | 9/16/2025 |
| 9/16/2025 | $46.11 | 9/20/2025 |
| 9/25/2025 | $46.11 | 9/29/2025 |
| 10/9/2025 | $47.11 | 10/13/2025 |
| 10/15/2025 | $47.11 | 10/19/2025 |
| 10/24/2025 | $47.11 | 10/28/2025 |
| 10/30/2025 | $47.11 | 11/3/2025 |
| Total | $345.77 | — |
🧾 Refund & Support Experience
The user submitted a refund request through LawnStarter’s support portal. As of one week later, no response or acknowledgement has been received.
📣 Public Review Patterns
This isn’t an isolated case. Public platforms show similar complaints:
- Yelp: In some regions, 21 out of 31 reviews are 1-star, citing no-shows and billing issues.
- BBB: Over 290 complaints in the last 3 years, many referencing non-delivery and refund delays.
Sources:
✅ What Worked Better
After switching to GreenPal, the user received timely service, photo confirmations, and billing only after work was completed. This highlights the importance of service verification before payment.
🧠 DF4IT Verdict
While LawnStarter’s platform concept is legitimate, the gap between billing automation and actual service delivery creates risk for consumers. Without proper safeguards, users may be charged repeatedly for services that never occur – and face silence when seeking refunds.
This case is part of our ongoing investigation into platforms that automate billing without verifying fulfillment. We’ll continue to publish updates and evidence as they become available.
✅ DF4IT Verified Evidence & Vendor Invitation
This case has been DF4IT Verified. The customer provided full documentation, including a downloaded PDF of their billing history, screenshots from the LawnStarter app, and matching credit card statements. For privacy and safety, we’ve redacted transaction IDs, partial dates (e.g. day numbers), and the financial institution’s header — to prevent vendor-side identification or retaliation.
Total charged: $345.77
Services performed: None confirmed
We believe this situation deserves a fair resolution. While billing errors can happen, charging a customer repeatedly for unfulfilled services — without acknowledgment or refund — raises serious concerns.
📨 Open Invitation to LawnStarter
If you represent LawnStarter or its billing team, we invite you to respond publicly or privately. We’re open to publishing your side of the story and helping facilitate a resolution. Our goal is not to attack — but to ensure accountability and protect consumers from silent losses.
You can reach us via our contact form or email listed on the DF4IT blog. We’ll update this post if a resolution is achieved.
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