| Key Takeaways: |
|---|
| ● BBB Accreditation is different from a BBB rating: Any business can get a rating; accreditation is optional, paid, and has requirements. ● Under 2 minutes to check. Verifying a company's BBB status helps you spot unlicensed or high-pressure operators before you hire. ● Lawn Love has been accredited since 2017: It is the only one of the 3 major national lawn care marketplaces with a BBB accreditation. |
Anyone with a truck and a mower can start a lawn care company the same week they buy the equipment. So, how do you know a company is trustworthy?
A BBB accreditation seal is one of the few things that tells you a stranger did more than buy a mower. Most lawn care companies aren’t accredited, but here’s how to tell whether the one you’re considering is, and what the seal does and doesn’t guarantee.
Short on time? Lawn Love is a BBB-accredited company that provides lawn mowing, bush trimming, and most other lawn care services for its customers.
What does BBB accreditation mean?
BBB accreditation means a company applied to the Better Business Bureau and was approved against its 8 Standards for Trust: Build Trust, Advertise Honestly, Tell the Truth, Be Transparent, Honor Promises, Be Responsive, Safeguard Privacy, and Embody Integrity.
There are a few basic requirements. A business generally needs at least 6 months of operating history. It must meet all licensing requirements for its trade, have no serious government action, and maintain a B rating or better for as long as it stays accredited.
It also commits to honest advertising, disclosing full pricing before the job, and answering complaints through the BBB platform, among other standards.
The BBB can revoke accreditation if a business stops meeting the standards.
BBB accreditation vs. a BBB rating: What’s the difference?
| BBB Accreditation | BBB Rating | |
| What it tells you | The company meets BBB’s requirements and agrees to its standards. | How BBB thinks the company handles customers |
| What’s behind it | A BBB review: It verifies licensing, checks government action, and confirms track record | A score calculated from complaint history, responses, licensing, and government action |
| Who has one | Only companies that apply and qualify | Almost any listed business |
| If a job goes wrong | The company agrees to answer complaints through BBB. | No obligation to respond |
| Can it disappear? | BBB can revoke it. | Grade drops as complaints come in and are not solved |
A BBB letter grade rating ranges from A+ (highest) through F (lowest). It’s free and automatic. The BBB assigns one to almost any business it has a profile for, based on complaint history and public records. No application is necessary.
Accreditation works differently: A business has to apply, pay a fee, pass an evaluation, and actively maintain the accreditation.
That means a company can have a solid rating and no accreditation. Less often, an accredited company’s rating can slip if new complaints come in. Check both.
Since accreditation requires a B rating or better, a C or lower tells you something went wrong. The grade drops for unanswered complaints, unresolved patterns, licensing problems, or government action. A C isn’t automatically a dealbreaker, but read the profile and find out what caused the low rating before you call.
Read more: 9 Reasons to Hire a Lawn Care Professional
Why it matters more for lawn care than you’d think
Lawn care has one of the lowest barriers to entry of any home service. Anyone with a truck and a mower can call themselves a lawn care company. That makes it a common target for the door-to-door pitches and unsolicited offers the BBB tracks every season.
Watch especially for operators who show up uninvited offering a “deal” on services you never asked for.
A BBB seal means the Better Business Bureau checked the licensing, the business history, and how a company communicates with its customers. It’s a shortcut through vetting you’d otherwise do yourself.
Accreditation also gives you somewhere to go if a job goes wrong. Accredited businesses agree to respond to BBB complaints and take part in mediation and arbitration.
How to check a lawn care company’s BBB status
1. Go to BBB’s Search Directory and search the company’s name and ZIP code.
2. Look for the BBB Accredited Business seal. Also check the letter grade. (A accredited businesses should have at least a B rating.)
3. Read the complaint history and how the company responded to each one. Volume matters relative to size: 3 complaints against a 2-truck local outfit is a bigger signal than 30 against a national brand with thousands of jobs a month.
4. Check the accreditation date. A company accredited for several years has a longer track record than one accredited last month.
Here are a few BBB tips for hiring a lawn care or landscaping pro:
- Know exactly what work you want done before asking for estimates, and ask for a lawn inspection.
- Check references, get specifics on prices, and be clear on what services are included.
- Discuss payments and warranties, and get everything in writing.
Red flags that show up in BBB complaints
The BBB and the National Council on Aging (NCOA) both flag these issues. Check for these warning signs in BBB complaints and also keep them in mind for any company that approaches you:
- No proof of license or insurance
- No written contract or quote
- A change in price after the work starts
- Pressure to sign or pay immediately
- Unsolicited door-to-door offers
- Too-good-to-be-true discounts
“Licensed” usually means a state pesticide applicator license, required for anyone applying fertilizer or weed control commercially. Your state agriculture department publishes a searchable list. Mowing-only crews often need nothing beyond a local business license.
Scammers specifically target older homeowners, betting they’ll ask fewer hard questions and be less likely to report a bad experience. If your parents can’t manage their yard anymore, it’s better to set them up with a lawn care provider you’ve vetted than leave them dealing with whoever knocks.
Read more:
Is Lawn Love BBB accredited?
Lawn Love is the only Big 3 lawn mowing service that is BBB accredited and has an A+ rating.
Yes. Lawn Love has held BBB Accreditation since June 2017, making it the only one of the 3 major national lawn care marketplaces to hold this seal. It currently has an A+ rating.
Lawn Love background checks every local provider in its network. Every booking comes with upfront pricing, and all Lawn Love providers carry damage coverage and Lawn Love’s satisfaction guarantee.
Read more:
FAQ
Yes, and most companies do, but complaints alone don’t tell much. What matters more is if and how the company answered them. A single resolved complaint says very little about a business. A pattern of complaints nobody responded to says a lot.
That’s common and doesn’t mean much on its own. Plenty of small or newer local companies simply haven’t been profiled yet. Verify their license and insurance directly, and read reviews elsewhere. Weigh it accordingly: License and insurance are non-negotiable; accreditation is a bonus.
No. They’re separate things. Accreditation requires a business to meet its trade’s licensing rules, but you should still confirm current license and insurance directly with the company before you hire.
Hire a local lawn care pro
Getting a company’s credentials right takes practice, the right questions, and time you may not have. With Lawn Love, you skip this step. The company is BBB accredited, and the providers in the network are background-checked and customer-reviewed.
Get an instant quote, choose a time, and a Lawn Love mowing provider handles the rest.
Main Image: Professional gardener mowing a lawn with a gas-powered mower. Photo Credit: standret / Adobe Stock
Related Posts:
