Aerate-1 Landscaping & Ponds

My yard really needed a lot of help. I had a large area with mulch in my back yard that did not look good at all, and some work done by another outfit that was not completed. Hector came out and made some great suggestions on how to make my yard more appealing. His crew arrived nice and early and set to work immediately. They laid some topsoil and mulch, trimmed a tree, and laid out some river rock. My yard looks so much better now. If I need additional work, I’ll know who to call.

We GOT Suckered! Our pond was installed by Hector and his crew (and cost $ 8,000.00) with great disappointment! After the install we noticed the pond was losing water and we suspected there was a leak — after multiple calls Hector sent his crew and they found a leak — the liner had collapsed and had to be fixed. A few weeks later we encountered another leak and noticed there were multiple areas where the liner appeared to have collapsed again — we have made multiple appointments for Hector to come out — he makes appointments but doesn’t show up – NO SHOW NO CALL! Tonight was another example — Hector assured us he’d be out at 4:00p.m. — it’s 5:30p.m. NO SHOW and NO CALL! We have called him and it goes to his voicemail!

Don’t get duped like we did!
Aerate-​1 has been doing my spring pond clean-​up for the past 2 years. We’ve been happy with their service, so this summer I contracted them to replace 4 lights in my pond. I don’t know much about lights, so trusted that they would guide me with the right product.
On 7÷18÷2014, Hector Martinez and his crew came out to do the work. I paid him $ 550.00 for the 4 lights and installation. Since it was daylight, I wasn’t able to see the result at the completion of the job. When it got dark, I immediately saw that both the product and the installation were not satisfactory. The lights are LED; they’re harsh and glaring and don’t match the rest of the landscape lights in our yard. Moreover, they are not positioned correctly — there’s just a big ball of light in the middle of the pond and the waterfall is completely dark.
I emailed Hector to let him know that I was not satisfied with either the product or the installation. He told me that I should try moving the lights around at night to get them positioned correctly. Hello? What am I paying him for if I have to wade into my pond myself to position them?
As for the lights themselves, he told us that he only carries LED and that we should go out and buy our own lights and he would have them installed. When we asked how the refund would work for the lights he installed, he told us that they were non-​returnable and that we were out the money.
Don’t believe Aerate-1’s claims on their website about ‘highest level of customer service” or «commitment to quality». After spending $ 550 for nothing, we’re now back to square one with our lighting project.

Do yourself a favor– stay away!!! After 2k to clean our pond, we were left with a leak and Hector would not even listen to to stats about how quickly it was losing water. On top of that, they completetely changed the design layout of the pond and tore out every single lilly pad without consulting us. Finally hired someone honest and communicative, but had to pay again.

I have used Hector’s company, Aerate-​1, several times and he and his crew always have done first rate work. I have had them do general Spring clean-​up and mulch, install an Arbor Vite screen, and tree trimming over the past few years. Most recently they installed a pond less water feature with a flagstone garden path and the finished work was perfect. Highly recommended!