Warning for CT wood buyers: CJ's Landscaping and Tree Service -Chris Gulyas

TheRambler · Dec 2, 2015

A warning to anyone in CT. CJ's Landscaping and Tree service may also be reffered to as Stone Tuff Construction, owner/operator is Chris Gulyas,. They are out of Norwalk CT. He sells on craigslist and will deliver to most of the state.

I ordered 5 cords of rounds that were supposed to be 16-18in in length, and I knew going in that some of the diameters were 40+ inches. Wood got delivered and right away I saw 1 large piece that wasn't cut through, was maybe 60 inches long or so. No big deal I thought, I can cut 1 piece down. Well we left and I started looking at the wood closer and it all seemed on the longer side so I went and grabbed my tape measure. Only about 10-15% of the load was the correct length, over 75% was between 25-30 inches.

Problem 1) stove only takes up to 22in
Problem 2) splitter only takes up to 24

So I called him immediately, and he apologized etc and said he would come back the next day with a few guys and cut it all down to correct lengths. I made over 30 documented attempts to contact him and schedule him to come out, he did answer the majority of the time; However he never showed up. This went on for several weeks. I tried to give the guy a chance, I really truly did. After several weeks passed I filed complaints with the BBB and CT dept of weights and measures, the appropriate time period has now passed for that and no resolution came.

It ended up taking me a lot of extra time and effort to get everything cut down to a size I could actually split, and I am still left with about 3 cords of wood that needs to be trimmed a few inches.

Problem 3) Once all the wood was split I realize I am short around 1 cord- 1.5 cords

So fair warning to all. I would avoid doing business with this company/individual.

Jay106n · Dec 2, 2015

I've also had problems with Chris Gulyas AKA CJ's Landscaping and Tree Service/ Stone Tuff Construction. I ordered 5-6 cord of firewood rounds by the tri-axle dump truck load. Chris promptly dropped me a load of firewood rounds, which I was initially impressed by the turn around time. But the load was short and the sizes were varied, up to 36" rounds, some 20-25" in length, which I cut up as needed and was not a problem. There was a ton of rot and in the end the load stacked out to be 3.5 cord of split firewood. I contacted him right away and he has been promising to send me "one of his guys" ever since April this year to replace the short load. I have not seen him since. I have been in contact with him by phone and text and email and Chris continues to promise me wood. Still nothing. I gave him a chance too, he seemed like a good guy....I would have ordered again if he had followed through, but at the end of the day Chris Gulyas is not a man of his word.

Over the summer Chris Gulyas said his truck was being used for a paving job which seamed reasonable, which was why he could not deliver my replacement load, but then I caught him advertising wood deliveries on craigslist. When I anonymously replied to one of his ads, he said he could deliver the next day. I texted him asking when I was getting my replacement wood, he asked me what my address was again and that he again would "get one of his guys" to do it. He never followed up with any confirmations i sent him and he never delivered. I finally decided to eat my loss and I wasn't going to blast him, but since you started it, yeah this guy is a scam. I normally wouldn't do this, but he ticked me off that bad. And its not the fact that he shorted me that gets me going, shorts happen and its expected from time to time, but its the fact that he continued the conversation for MONTHS and continued to promise deliveries while having zero intentions of making good on the deal. Chris Gulyas CJ's Landscaping is a scam.

Chris Gulyas CJ's Landscaping and Tree Service Stone Tuff Construction Firewood.

Husky · Dec 2, 2015

Why not just order some more wood from him and when he dumps it just explain that you are glad he brought the final amount to make up for the short and send him on his way. He most likely won't remember you after so many months of no show. I find these scammers will be very eager to sell another load to an unexpected customer. Have a couple of friends over when he delivers just to have some back up.

CountryBoy19 · Dec 2, 2015

Husky said:
Why not just order some more wood from him and when he dumps it just explain that you are glad he brought the final amount to make up for the short and send him on his way. He most likely won't remember you after so many months of no show. I find these scammers will be very eager to sell another load to an unexpected customer. Have a couple of friends over when he delivers just to have some back up.

My thought as well... Have him deliver a load, once it's dumped thank him for finally following through on making the first purchase right and tell him to leave immediately and NEVER come back.

BenTN · Dec 2, 2015

not defending this guys ethics at all, and he should make good on all his business deals.

But, knowing that he is a tree service first you can't expect perfect firewood from him. trees cut by these guys are usually dead or diseased and in need of removal from a residential area. this wood is great for a scrounger for free, but i would not pay for such wood. the guys working the tree will cut to a manageable length (whatever they or the skid can handle) and move on. they get paid by the job and that job is removing the tree safely. firewood business for these companies seem to be a way to fill in slow days and make some extra cash.

IMO, a triaxle load of hardwood pulp from a logger would be a better purchase, with about the same work, more manageable size wood and you can cut to your preferred length.

TheRambler · Dec 2, 2015

A triaxle of rounds is far less work. As long as it is the right size. Never had an issue before buying triaxle loads of rounds from a tree service.

And the idea of ordering more wood wouldnt work. For one the guy knows who we are, secondly he only sells wood in 4-5 cord loads. Third, doing that would most certainly have the potential for some very dangerous repercussions(him doing something to you, family, or property out of spite).

This is the age of smartphones. The guy himself doesnt have to remember, but i gurantee his iphone does.

Jay106n · Dec 2, 2015

TheRambler said:
A triaxle of rounds is far less work. As long as it is the right size. Never had an issue before buying triaxle loads of rounds from a tree service.

And the idea of ordering more wood wouldnt work. For one the guy knows who we are, secondly he only sells wood in 4-5 cord loads. Third, doing that would most certainly have the potential for some very dangerous repercussions(him doing something to you, family, or property out of spite).

This is the age of smartphones. The guy himself doesnt have to remember, but i gurantee his iphone does.

I know he remembers, I have been nagging him for months. He even told me he had my address saved. He just simply isn't going to follow through. And I agree, I don't see stooping to his level of trickery a viable solution and setting yourself up for a physical confrontation isn't in anybody's best interest. What ever happened with your BBB complaint?

TheRambler · Dec 3, 2015

Jay106n said:
I know he remembers, I have been nagging him for months. He even told me he had my address saved. He just simply isn't going to follow through. And I agree, I don't see stooping to his level of trickery a viable solution and setting yourself up for a physical confrontation isn't in anybody's best interest. What ever happened with your BBB complaint?

My BBB complaint went through the full waiting period of 3 or 4 weeks, I forget exactly how long. During that time the company never responded to BBB or me vis phone, email, or certified mail. BBB marked them with a negative rating and informed me they have had quite a few complaints with this company. The advised me to also contact the CT Dept of Weights and Measures. I did that as well and they told me, as did BBB, that I have a valid case and that I can take it to small claims court if I wanted to pursue legal action.

I looked into small claims court. It would cost me $90 upfront, and if I win the case that amount would be added to the judgement. I would really like to take this to small claims court, and if we were talking about a much larger monetary loss then I most certainly would. In my case I am out about $150, and probably 16 hours of labor(don't know how the court would value that if at all). And to pursue small claims court I would have to take 2 days off work, 1 day to file, and at least 1 day to go to court for the case. I don't know about you Jay, but I make a decent living, so I would be losing even more money by not working two days.

So I decided that leaving as much negative publicity as possible was the best course of action to try and make as many people aware as possible. For example; If you would have posted a something like this back in April when he worked you over, I never would have even considered him. But like you I gave the guy a chance(many chances) to make it right which dragged on for months. My ordeal started in September, and after about the 6th no call no show on the promised return date I realized full well he had no intent of ever coming back, but did continue to ask every couple days until I decided to file complaints.

smee · Dec 3, 2015

Why not tell him you are going to tell everyone you know that he scammed you?
If he knows he did you wrong and he cares about his name then i'm guessing he would passify you.
And let him know you know many people in the area who are into wood..
It sounds like he has a lot of customers for his junk like you, so maybe he really doesn't care...

TheRambler · Dec 3, 2015

smee said:
Why not tell him you are going to tell everyone you know that he scammed you?
If he knows he did you wrong and he cares about his name then i'm guessing he would passify you.
And let him know you know many people in the area who are into wood..
It sounds like he has a lot of customers for his junk like you, so maybe he really doesn't care...

Oh, believe me, I did. He doesn't care. He's just a sorry excuse for a human being.

smee · Dec 4, 2015

TheRambler said:
Oh, believe me, I did. He doesn't care. He's just a sorry excuse for a human being.

In that case F him!
Time for the big guy to loose.
Lets keep this thread current..

Jay106n · Dec 9, 2015

Here's the Better Business Bureau complaints of Chris Gulyas / Cj's Landscaping & Tree / Stone Tuff Construction:
11/16/15

Complaint: I ordered approximately 5 cords of firewood from Chris, ************. The order was for firewood rounds to be delivered in a large dumpster/dump :truck. I understood it was an approximate amount and could be +/- at least a half cord. The order was for firewood rounds 16-20 inch length, and up to 40in wide. Chris came and delivered the wood, and shortly after he left I began measuring the length of the wood because it looked a little long. Upon measuring, over 75% of the wood was 24inches plus, with a large portion between 25-30 inches in length. My log splitter will only take up to 24inch in length logs. I understand that there may be a few pieces that get cut too long, but this is the majority of the order. After realizing that they were mostly too long, I decided to calculate the quantity of wood delivered as well, and based off of the measurements of the firewood rounds and the number of them I am far short of 5 cords, I am lucky if I have 3 cords. I reached out to Chris via cell phone and text message and he assured me he would make it right. However, I tried numerous times to have him come out, and he was a no call/ no show 6 times in a row over the course of several weeks. He was to come out with some of his personnel with chainsaws and cut the wood down into appropriate sizes, and also bring 1 additional cord of wood. He has never shown up when he said he would except for the original delivery,. I am a reasonable person, and gave him numerous chances to make it right before escalating this matter to the BBB. The wood not being the correct length causes extensive additional labor hours to cut it to the correct size, and since it is too large for my personal equipment makes it useless until it is able to be cut to the proper size. This has caused me to be burdened with additional cost to make the product useable whereas it should have been useable at time of delivery.

Desired Settlement: I would like to have one of two things occur, 1) a refund of $200 , or 2) two additional cords of firewood delivered that is between 16-20inches in length

10/01/2015

Complaint:

Click to expand...

Chris of CJ's Landscaping and Tree Service was contracted by us to deliver 3 cords of firewood at $165.00 a cord on August 23, 2015. He showed up that day with only 2 cords of wood and said he would deliver the rest on Tuesday August 25th. I paid him in full in cash $495.00 for the 3 cords confident that he was not going to burn me for the other cord. Plus, he said he needed the money because of a problem he had with his truck. He never showed Tuesday and I tried calling him all that week, and he responded only after I contacted him through his ad on ****** ****. He told me that he was sick and would deliver that weekend of the 30th. Basically Chris has been blowing me off for the cord of wood he owes me since the 25th. He doesn't respond to my calls or texts, and my wife and I are fed up and just want the $165.00 back for the cord of wood he promised but never delivered. We want him to reimburse us with a money order in the amount he owes us.

Desired Settlement: We want Chris to reimburse us the $165.00 he owes us for the cord of wood he promised but never delivered, and we want to be paid by money order. We are not happy with the way he has treated us it is very disrespectful that he keeps blowing us off, and no way to run a business. Also, if you try and contact him the only phone number I have is ###-###-####.

3/23/15

Complaint:

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I was promised a cord of dry seasoned hard wood split for our wood stove. Delivery was two hours late and the wood was green, wet, and unseasoned and pretty much unusable... They won't return my calls or texts. This company charges $120 per cord for green wood and $250 per cord for dry seasoned wood.... Its highway robbery

Desired Settlement: I either want the $130 difference between what I got or what I paid for reimbursed to me or I want the cord of seasoned dry hard wood I was promised.

10/31/14

Complaint:

Click to expand...

I ordered 6 cords of firewood @ $150/cord. I payed Chris $900 check. He only delivered 5 1/4 cords.

Desired Settlement: Deliver the 3/4 cord of firewood which they shorted me.

7/13/13

Complaint:

Click to expand...

This company promised to deliver a full cord of green firewood for $120.00 cut between 16"-18" in length. We got maybe 2/3 of a cord and 70 odd pieces over 20", which are too long for our stove. ***** promised to return to cut up the long pieces as he pocketed our check. His partner, ****, promised to arrive within a week to solve the problem. Neither have shown up and numerous phone calls to them remain unanswered. Product_Or_Service: Firewood

Desired Settlement: Deliver more firewood to fulfill the negotiated amount of a full cord (4'x4'x8') and to take away the pieces too long for us to burn.

Business Response: Consumer Response /* (-5, 8, 2013/07/01) */ Consumer indicated they have heard from the company, but the issue has not been resolved. Comments follow below: Your letter evoked an upset phone call. He said he would honor the sale but that the rains had set him back and he could not get his trucks into his yard. Promised to fulfill soon. This phone call happened 2 weeks ago. I'm still waiting and will call him again.

BenTN · Dec 9, 2015

the BBB only matters to companies who elect/pay for a certification. its the old version of Angie's list.

Fiziksgeek · Dec 9, 2015

What is the volume of his dump? Can you even get 5-6 cords of wood on it?

Jay106n · Dec 9, 2015

Fiziksgeek said:
What is the volume of his dump? Can you even get 5-6 cords of wood on it?

It is a 17 foot bed. Looks something similar to this. I don't know how many cubic feet it would be, plus in the round form doesn't help.

BenTN · Dec 10, 2015

Unless they are stacked 1 by 1(highly doubt), there is going to be a lot of air space between 40" rounds. Probably a 12-15 yard dump, which calculates to less than 4 cords stacked tight.

Due diligence by the consumer is something we have obviously lost.

pma1123 · Dec 10, 2015

IMO, an anonymous Craigslist post blasting the guys business practice would be the best way to expose/warn others while minimizing risk to yourself.

Fiziksgeek · Dec 14, 2015

I've purchased log length from a tree service who uses 20 yard roll off dumpsters to deliver. They advertise, at least when I bough it, >3 cord per load. This seems fair considering 20 yards is over 4 cord in volume, then take out the air space. Rounds cut to stove length would pack a little better than whole logs, but still no way you'd get more than 4 cords in there.

For folks looking to buy,

1: Ask what size truck they use, do some math on a napkin, and figure out if you are getting a fair deal...before you purchase!

2. Be home if possible for the delivery, take a look at the load before they dump it. If its supposed to be a full truck load, is it? There will be some settling from road travel, but if its half full, don't let them dump it!

Jay106n · Jan 22, 2016

Somebody posted a Craigslist warning post about this guy http://nwct.craigslist.org/wan/5406197660.html

Jay106n · Aug 9, 2016

Mid summer warning to CT wood buyers. CJ's Landscaping and Tree service, Norwalk, CT may also be referred to as Stone Tuff Construction, owner/operator is Chris Gulyas scam

bfitz3 · Aug 9, 2016

Jay106n said:
Mid summer warning to CT wood buyers. CJ's Landscaping and Tree service, Norwalk, CT may also be referred to as Stone Tuff Construction, owner/operator is Chris Gulyas scam

If you see an ad by this outfit, post one of your own with links to this page and the BBB complaints.

Warning for CT wood buyers: CJ's Landscaping and Tree Service -Chris Gulyas

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