# Property Damage? Need advice



## SlickerThanMost (Aug 22, 2014)

Hi, I'm a newbie climber with 2year experience who started working for my father. Recently, we were removing a dead Ash tree for $980 in my client's front yard and I happened to fell the tree towards the driveway which ended up causing a damage to the asphalt. We finished up with the stump grinding but obviously they won't pay until the driveway is fixed. Don't want the insurance premium going up so trying to fix this problem without any claim.

The lady(owner) got very upset and called up her husband, a lawyer at a law firm. A snobby douche.

I told the husband that we will be able to fix it.

So I got some driveway sealer and compacted it down in the hole. Got paid $500 and left.







A day after, He tells me he's not satisfied with it and he removed all the cold asphalt from the damaged spot.






so then I called up a small paving company for a repair (cut out the damaged part in square and pour new asphalt for $175) they are supposed to come down next week for repair and I let him know.

Meanwhile he's got different estimates from larger companies with better reputation for redoing the whole driveway with new sealing (it's a semi detached house that share driveway with neighbour). $850. He tells me 'I don't think you can find a reputable company yourself'.

And now he's asking for part of the money I was paid which is $350

Anyone has experience like this?

This guy claims that this chain oil mark is LACERATION.






I don't know what to tell this guy.






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## squad143 (Aug 22, 2014)

Pretty simple.

His driveway was fine before you showed up. Now it has a hole that you made. You have to satisfy your customer. If his demands are too big for your pocket, use your insurance.


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## HuskStihl (Aug 22, 2014)

Hey *******. That's my driveway you ****ed up, and I'd like to see you call me a douche to my face!


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## KenJax Tree (Aug 22, 2014)

HuskStihl said:


> Hey *******. That's my driveway you ****ed up, and I'd like to see you call me a douche to my face!



Will CAPS LOCK work?


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## sac-climber (Aug 22, 2014)

One of those things that you wont ever repeat probably.

My advice, take a shower, shave, put on some nice clothes and set up a time to meet face to face and discuss the damage. Dealing with things like this over the phone is a no-no. Tell him you want to make it right and his satisfaction is more important than cost to you. As much as it hurts, it's not up to you to find the contractor for repairs. This is why we carry insurance. 

Next time bring some tires along


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## Pelorus (Aug 22, 2014)

I don't know what you can tell this guy either, but I doubt you will ever see another nickel in payment from him.
Thus is a game to him. He is a lawyer. He has lots more experience in screwing people than you.
The last custy that ripped me off was about 6 years ago.
In that situation (he was not home when I saw the work, or did the job) a Cambodian jungle of saplings surrounded a couple of poplars which were to get removed. A number of those saplings (wind seeded, bush property; rural, trees/saplings were on the side of the property) got schmucked. Inevitable. Couldn't even get to the poplars because of the impenetrable jungle. Chipped them, finished job, nice clean up, etc.
He left a testy message on our answering machine a day or two later when we were out (phoned from a pay phone, lol). Loud, obnoxious, profane.....supposedly cause those saplings were gonzo. Perhaps in hindsight I should have realized that for the princely sum of $900 he expected me to rent a crane or Heli to pluck the poplars from the ground. Anyway, I dropped off an invoice for around $500 with him at his workplace. He didn't say anything, and I said very little. I figured losing $400 was better than losing $900.
But it was not to be.
Cause I got a nasty letter from him in the mail about a week later. He threatened to take me to court over the destruction of several thousand dollars worth of small trees. 
I thought: "Bring it on, you S.O.B."
But that was the end of it. I got screwed out of a full days work, and the money I paid my son for helping me that day.
The prick eventually got fired from his job, and I don't know what he is up to nowadays. 
Weird thing was, he happened to be the manager of the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore at the time I did the job for him. Figured he was a good guy. Always seemed pretty friendly when we would chat back and forth at the store. Guess he also knew how to play the game of screwing contractors, and I wasn't the first one.


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## SlickerThanMost (Aug 23, 2014)

HuskStihl said:


> Hey *******. That's my driveway you ****ed up, and I'd like to see you call me a douche to my face!


HAHA


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## imagineero (Aug 23, 2014)

You've always got to feel out clients for the level of property damage they're willing to accept, and price the job accordingly. I find most folks in average neighborhoods are ok with some lawn damage if they get a reasonable price on the tree work, and dont mind small shrubs around the target being damaged either. Always verify this when giving the price though. People with real nice lawns and manicured gardens generally are gonna be fussier, and I'll ask about that before giving them a price and specify what the result will be on the quote. It gives me a competitive advantage too - some guys might quote low but if I've educated them a little about lawn damage and protecting their nice hedge they're going to ask the other bidders on the job. That will set off alarm bells for those guys who are going to quote higher as a result and the quotes can be more favorably compared.

I've not yet found a client who is ok with concrete/asphalt damage except in cases where they were planning to demolish the site and start again. People don't like that stuff, and if you want to take the risk then you've got to pay the price if it goes wrong. Personally, I'd be expecting to pay for that damage, and honestly the guys expectation that it should be repaired to the condition it was in previously is not unreasonable if his property is in a generally good condition. I leave people's houses in a substatntially similar condition as how I found them. I'm not going to do a super cleanup in a shitty yard, or be super careful on a drive that's already cracked to hell and potholed. However if they've got a nice yard and clean drive it stands to reason I have to protect those surfaces unless I've come to an agreement about that before hand.

Stuff goes wrong form time to time. Last year we had a hose pop off the chipper and it spilled its guts all over this guys drive. There was no way to shut it off, it puked everything. We had a bag of kitty littler in the truck for spills but it didn't even begin to mop up the sea of hydraulic fluid. Went and bought heaps of kitty littler, rags, newspapers, degreaser, scrubbing brushes, whole crew spent the rest of the day cleaning the drive. We couldn't even finish the job. All on my dime. It was a mess! We got most of it but the drive was stained. Came back with a very expensive super high pressure petrol powered blaster and spent a whole day there again with another guy. Came up pretty good but you could still tell. Ended up paying a guy to come and re-seal it on top of that. In the end cost me more than double what I got for the job. It was the right thing to do.


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## Toddppm (Aug 23, 2014)

Guys a slimeball lawyer, you're screwed. I'd send it to insurance and be done with it. He just wants to get as much out of this as possible, let it be on the insurance co's dime. (which will be yours eventually) and don't drop trees on driveways anymore


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## jefflovstrom (Aug 23, 2014)

So what are you 'slicker than most' at? 
Jeff


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## DR. P. Proteus (Aug 23, 2014)

imagineero said:


> You've always got to feel out clients for the level of property damage they're willing to accept, and price the job accordingly. I find most folks in average neighborhoods are ok with some lawn damage if they get a reasonable price on the tree work, and dont mind small shrubs around the target being damaged either. Always verify this when giving the price though. People with real nice lawns and manicured gardens generally are gonna be fussier, and I'll ask about that before giving them a price and specify what the result will be on the quote. It gives me a competitive advantage too - some guys might quote low but if I've educated them a little about lawn damage and protecting their nice hedge they're going to ask the other bidders on the job. That will set off alarm bells for those guys who are going to quote higher as a result and the quotes can be more favorably compared.
> 
> I've not yet found a client who is ok with concrete/asphalt damage except in cases where they were planning to demolish the site and start again. People don't like that stuff, and if you want to take the risk then you've got to pay the price if it goes wrong. Personally, I'd be expecting to pay for that damage, and honestly the guys expectation that it should be repaired to the condition it was in previously is not unreasonable if his property is in a generally good condition. I leave people's houses in a substatntially similar condition as how I found them. I'm not going to do a super cleanup in a shitty yard, or be super careful on a drive that's already cracked to hell and potholed. However if they've got a nice yard and clean drive it stands to reason I have to protect those surfaces unless I've come to an agreement about that before hand.
> 
> Stuff goes wrong form time to time. Last year we had a hose pop off the chipper and it spilled its guts all over this guys drive. There was no way to shut it off, it puked everything. We had a bag of kitty littler in the truck for spills but it didn't even begin to mop up the sea of hydraulic fluid. Went and bought heaps of kitty littler, rags, newspapers, degreaser, scrubbing brushes, whole crew spent the rest of the day cleaning the drive. We couldn't even finish the job. All on my dime. It was a mess! We got most of it but the drive was stained. Came back with a very expensive super high pressure petrol powered blaster and spent a whole day there again with another guy. Came up pretty good but you could still tell. Ended up paying a guy to come and re-seal it on top of that. In the end cost me more than double what I got for the job. It was the right thing to do.




Yeah, "how much damage they are willing to except". They don't teach that in arbo school and what other business is that thinking a strategy?


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## DR. P. Proteus (Aug 23, 2014)

Oh so anyway ,yeah, fix the drive, there ya go.


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## treeseer (Aug 23, 2014)

"so then I called up a small paving company for a repair (cut out the damaged part in square and pour new asphalt for $175) they are supposed to come down next week for repair and I let him know.
Meanwhile he's got different estimates from larger companies with better reputation for redoing the whole driveway with new sealing (it's a semi detached house that share driveway with neighbour)."

Not unreasonable that he would not be satisfied with a patch job.

"And now he's asking for part of the money I was paid which is $350."

How big a part? You screwed up; you're gonna pay; deal with it. Where's the rest of the $850 coming from? Not your dad I hope.

"Anyone has experience like this?"

yes many years ago i cracked a small corner of a big concrete driveway. Owner insisted on replacing the whole thing (to fix preexisting issues) and my ins co agreed. The claim did not raise my rates, nor did a second one ~20 years later. I'm guessing anything <$5-10K is peanuts to them.
Your dad should check with his agent on these options. Internet advice is often worth what it costs.

"This guy claims that this chain oil mark is LACERATION." Well it kinda looks that way. Why did you make those marks? Why didn't you clean them up? Sorry but ya gotta take responsibility for your actions.


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## treeclimber101 (Aug 23, 2014)

You ****ed up the driveway .... HE has the choice to have it fixed his way , plain and simple , next time stay off the driveway or tell them that's they need to assume the risk of driveway damage . Anything short of that .... Your wrong , thankfully in 13 years only 2 insurance claims and one I still argue to this day I had nothing to do with


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## imagineero (Aug 23, 2014)

DR. P. Proteus said:


> Yeah, "how much damage they are willing to except". They don't teach that in arbo school and what other business is that thinking a strategy?



Even the very best and most careful tree company is going to do 'damage'. Odds are you can't get a job done without leaving one speck of sawdust, one blade of grass bent etc. Call it damage, wear or whatever you like, but it's part of the job and it's a factor that ought to be discussed and agreed upon at the time of quoting. Some companies specialize in high end low impact work and go to all kinds of lengths to satisfy the client (with associated costs!). Mats, protection for pavers, painted surfaces, tarps, blowers and even vacs after the work is done. I just don't have the patience for that level of detail myself, so I tend to not quote that sort of work the few times it gets offered to me. We do a good medium to low upper end quality job which to me means no damage to structures, fences, pavers, drives, garden edging and similar semi permanent fixtures but generally means you are going to end up with some small amount of lawn damage, possibly small plant damage if close to tree and possibly some scrape marks in your drive if we have to drag over it. 

I got burnt a couple times in past with marks to property so I'm super cautious quoting work near stone which just marks so easy. Sandstone and sandstone pavers mark very easy and are hard to clean just from brush getting dragged over them. Same story with dragging brush up alongside very narrow passages between house and fence, you can spend a bunch of time trying to cover both with ply and/or cardboard or you can just drag and pray but if you do you'll end up with some scrape/scratch marks. Some folks are real fussy about that. I've got a section on my quote sheet that prompts me to tick off those kinds of things to save me some grief.


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## Zale (Aug 23, 2014)

Judging from your description of your clients, they probably picked up your attitude real quick while you tried to discuss this with them. You broke it , you bought it. Call your insurance company and move on. Whenever I have broken something, I will always repair it to the customers satisfaction and not get in a pissing match about it.


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## SlickerThanMost (Aug 23, 2014)

Tru


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## gorman (Aug 23, 2014)

You screwed the pooch and messed up the driveway. You're getting off kinda easy compared to stuff that can happen to property. Septics systems, roofs, vintage cars (A tree guy around here has a broken 72 camarro he bought from a HO when he dropped a tree on it.). Live and learn, driveways are off limits always for damage. We sometimes lay out plywood just to pivot the front end on them. You're losing a grand at most and that's bad, but it could be waaaay worse.


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## OLD OAK (Aug 23, 2014)

Was doing a pine tree removal about 5 ft off a house few years ago, tree was about 10 ft from the neighbors driveway so i had my customer ask her neighbor if we could use his driveway. Big F-up on my part. Long story short the neighbor call me and said we damaged his driveway ( asphalt was starting to come apart ) I knew we did not hurt it but because i used it i was screwed. Guy wanted $1200.00 for a complete redo so i called my insurance company who settled with him and i paid my $1000.00 deductible. I told my insurance that i did not hurt the driveway but it did not matter, i had used it. So in your case you know you did the damage just report it to your insurance and let them handle it. This is tree work it is going to happen, that why we pay so much $$ for insurance.


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## pro94lt (Aug 23, 2014)

For me it's a no brainer. You asked and ultimately you have to decide what kind of business you want to operate. .. next did they find you on Craigslist?


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## ATH (Aug 24, 2014)

$850? You are getting off easy. Give him the full amount (or what he hasn't paid you minus the full amount) and be done with it.

If you took a chunk out of my drive way, I'd want the whole thing replaced. It will never look right, and more likely to get potholes with water between the cracks - even if you cut the section out and repave it. If he is happy with a half-way repair from the company of his choosing, pay it. Who cares if he does it cheaper and keeps a couple of hundred - if $850 is the cost of the job, that is what you should pay in my opinion.


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## jefflovstrom (Aug 24, 2014)

I think we may of scared him away,, we are mean,,,
Jeff


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## BC WetCoast (Aug 24, 2014)

If the driveway is somewhat sketchy and you get the feeling the HO is looking for a way to get a new one (or fence, lighting system etc), take a bunch of before pictures, showing the condition before work started.

Face it, you ****ed up flopping the tree on the driveway. Suck it up buttercup and pay up.


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## Stihlmadd (Aug 24, 2014)

think of this as a learning curve next time you won't be so eager to loose hard earned money cutting corners.


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## tidy (Aug 24, 2014)

the tree that made the hole did belong to the HO though, that should account for some responsibility (in my book it does)


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## mckeetree (Aug 24, 2014)

treeclimber101 said:


> You ****ed up the driveway .... HE has the choice to have it fixed his way , plain and simple , next time stay off the driveway or tell them that's they need to assume the risk of driveway damage . Anything short of that .... Your wrong , thankfully in 13 years only 2 insurance claims and one I still argue to this day I had nothing to do with



That pretty much sums it up. Going on 29 years in the tree business here and not one insurance claim for damage but you can bet if I ever get one that can't seem to go away with my efforts alone I'm going to file a claim with my ins. carrier.


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## BC WetCoast (Aug 24, 2014)

tidy said:


> the tree that made the hole did belong to the HO though, that should account for some responsibility (in my book it does)



Really?!?!?!?! Man, you need to give your head a shake. That's not the way the biz works. You're hired to be a professional and do the job without damage (unless it is inevitable and was discussed with the customer at the estimating stage). 

If you're just a craigslist hack, then fill your boots, everything is the customer's fault.


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## dieselfitter (Aug 24, 2014)

If you cannot resolve it with the HO, involve your insurance company. If you involve your insurance company, insist that you are allowed to accompany inspector. That will be your opportunity to explain that the bar oil marks are not lacerations. 
The guy had a used driveway when you damaged it. A whole new driveway would be "embetterment". Cut in a patch, sealcoat to match and the homeowner is better off than before the damage. The lawyer is no different than many homeowners who see this as an opportunity for a whole new driveway at your expense.


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## capetrees (Aug 24, 2014)

F this guy. Call your insurance company and be done with it. Let them take the headaches and maybe they will run this guy ragged before they pay. The world is FULL of douchebags and this guy is one of them. A little dent in his driveway? I assume the rest of his life is perfect too, so perfect that he has time to focus on his driveway that most likely he has never paid attention too ever before? People suck.


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## KenJax Tree (Aug 24, 2014)

tree MDS said:


> Omg... LOL!! Just please tell me you didn't find that on match.com!!!


LOL!! No it was on his website www.murphy4trees.com then click on "About Daniel"


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## mckeetree (Aug 24, 2014)

capetrees said:


> F this guy. Call your insurance company and be done with it. Let them take the headaches and maybe they will run this guy ragged before they pay. The world is FULL of douchebags and this guy is one of them. A little dent in his driveway? I assume the rest of his life is perfect too, so perfect that he has time to focus on his driveway that most likely he has never paid attention too ever before? People suck.



Well, yeah, I know...F this guy. Especially a lawyer I suppose. But on his side of it I have a lot of money in my long concrete driveway and am kinda of particular about it. I am also particular about my house. I have a lot of money in this shack and got it paid down to $34,000 after all these years of paying and have tried to keep it as "like new" as possible.


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## tidy (Aug 25, 2014)

BC WetCoast said:


> Really?!?!?!?! Man, you need to give your head a shake. That's not the way the biz works. You're hired to be a professional and do the job without damage (unless it is inevitable and was discussed with the customer at the estimating stage).
> 
> If you're just a craigslist hack, then fill your boots, everything is the customer's fault.




hook, line, sinker


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## yarightdawg (Aug 25, 2014)

Del_ said:


> I'd tell the douche no. The $480. covers the cost of repair.
> 
> He's taking advantage of you and will probably use what he can get from you to buy cases of Cheetos!


I like cheetos
I can't fault him since you put it like range that


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## yarightdawg (Aug 25, 2014)

Learning curve. ... 
Next time price in rental of a lift. ... or bringing a trailer load of used tires and some ply wood


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## treeman75 (Aug 25, 2014)




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## treecutterjr (Aug 25, 2014)

I assume mother nature put that tree inside of that shed?


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## Toddppm (Aug 25, 2014)

sneak peek of a new episode of Big Bad Wood?


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## treeman75 (Aug 26, 2014)

treecutterjr said:


> I assume mother nature put that tree inside of that shed?


Ya, it was from a storm. I was at a verizon store yesterday having a girl help me with putting pics on here so the pic was a test.


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## DR. P. Proteus (Aug 26, 2014)

tree MDS said:


> Omg... LOL!! Just please tell me you didn't find that on match.com!!!



Oh God, yer right! I never thought about but I am sure he is running rampant on there.Pretty much everybody is on them dating sites and apparently are quite successful baggin bitches. Even if I wasn't married I just don't have what it takes to go on those sites.

My one friend was something of an addict and was pulling Christian chicks off the web, said they were EASY. Just a thought if you ever do get lonely... but what with yer chipper and chainsaws I wouldn't think you would ever get lonely.


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## DR. P. Proteus (Aug 26, 2014)

Wait just one damn minute! How did Kenjax get Murph's Matchdotcom photo?


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## tree MDS (Aug 28, 2014)

DR. P. Proteus said:


> Oh God, yer right! I never thought about but I am sure he is running rampant on there.Pretty much everybody is on them dating sites and apparently are quite successful baggin bitches. Even if I wasn't married I just don't have what it takes to go on those sites.
> 
> My one friend was something of an addict and was pulling Christian chicks off the web, said they were EASY. Just a thought if you ever do get lonely... but what with yer chipper and chainsaws I wouldn't think you would ever get lonely.



Lol. Christian mingle, baby!!!


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## treeclimber101 (Aug 28, 2014)

Christian mingle ? Try tinder ..... It's pretty much off the hook


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## tidy (Sep 15, 2014)

I hate to derail this thread, but I need some advice on potential property damage issues. Here's the case in hand....


have a job which involves taking a a 16T crane into a unit complex
the unit complex driveway/concrete surfaces are riddled with cracks and hairline fractures
the crane operator uses a disclaimer form to be signed for ground damage

I forwarded the disclaimer form to the owners committee who responded by refusing to sign and threatening to take the job elsewhere...
I'm not sure if I should stand my ground and insist on a disclaimer specific to the fact that the driveway is already cracked and likely lose the job or just push ahead unprotected and hope for the best...


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## DR. P. Proteus (Sep 15, 2014)

tidy said:


> I hate to derail this thread, but I need some advice on potential property damage issues. Here's the case in hand....
> 
> 
> have a job which involves taking a a 16T crane into a unit complex
> ...



You can not operate under these conditions without a signed disclaimer. You might be able to get away with something like this somewhere else but these people seem to be jaded.


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## Pelorus (Sep 15, 2014)

If you decide to proceed with this job without getting that signed disclaimer, (insanity, imo) my $.002 worth of advice would be to first get a bunch of time-stamped photos of every inch of that driveway, perhaps by a third party such as a professional photographer.


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## TheJollyLogger (Sep 15, 2014)

Run, don't just walk, run away from that job. Thay're looking for a free driveway. Let your competition lose their ass.


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## BC WetCoast (Sep 15, 2014)

Climb it.


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## JMcC (Sep 15, 2014)

If your subbing the crane I'm sure without a signature he's not picking anything.


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## treeseer (Sep 15, 2014)

Sell them on pruning. Preservation work doesn't cost, it pays.


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## OLD OAK (Sep 15, 2014)

tidy said:


> I hate to derail this thread, but I need some advice on potential property damage issues. Here's the case in hand....
> 
> 
> have a job which involves taking a a 16T crane into a unit complex
> ...


Tell them to look for someone else because of the conditions of THEIR driveway cant proceed without a disclaimer. I have bought a driveway before and it was not a fun experience.


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## tidy (Sep 16, 2014)

Thanks for everyones' response, the answers were pretty much instep with my gut feeling but sometimes its nice to have these confirmed. I have spoken to the strata management company (my only real commercial client) and they understand the situation- offered me to adjust my bid and see what happens.


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## tidy (Sep 16, 2014)

hate to double post but I forgot some people




JMcC said:


> If your subbing the crane I'm sure without a signature he's not picking anything.



the alternative was for me to sign the disclaimer myself and take responsibility for any damage caused




treeseer said:


> Sell them on pruning. Preservation work doesn't cost, it pays.



You're 100% correct, pruning is damn lucrative, problem is there is such a limited market for it....


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## treeseer (Sep 16, 2014)

tidy said:


> You're 100% correct, pruning is damn lucrative, problem is there is such a limited market for it....



Where are the limits? Everywhere there's a tree, there's that opportunity. If you know the work you can sell it.


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## tidy (Sep 16, 2014)

It seems that maybe 5% of the customers I meet are agreeable to proper "tree care", but its a nut I will continue to try and crack-thanks for reminding me


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## treeseer (Sep 17, 2014)

Our idea of 'proper' is often way too narrow. compromise.


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## jefflovstrom (Sep 17, 2014)

treeseer said:


> Our idea of 'proper' is often way too narrow. compromise.



I was wondering,,, are you being vague to stimulate growth?
I see a pattern 
Jeff


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## Iustinian (Oct 1, 2014)

We recently had a storm damage job (on a tree we recommended them to take down two years prior); half the tree failed, we were hired to remove the damaged and remaining portions of the tree. Working there previously, the neighbor was really snooty about his grass, throwing limbs from the clients sycamore that had fallen into his yard in the weeks before we pruned the tree; his lawn is mostly covered with shade, and he kept it very very long. 

Anyhow, we do prioritize our storm damage, and got to the job within 4 days of the quote, and the night before we completed the project, the rest of the tree fell into the neighbor's yard; I knocked on his door, but he was gone, so we cleaned up the whole tree, including what was in his yard, and even used the blower to fluff his turf up. The tree had caused 3 divots which you couldn't bury an apple in, which we didn't fix because we didnt cause them during our work. 

He sent me an email and called wanting me to hire a landscape contractor to come in and repair his lawn, wanting it rolled out and overseeded etc etc, accusing us of using a skidloader or some other heavy equipment to move the tree. I explained to him that the tree had fallen into his yard, and that although the neighbor could have had us cut it off at the property line and leave it for him as an "act of God", that they wanted to be good neighbors and have us clean the whole thing up as originally planned. 

He dropped the issue with me, but wanted to know how to repair the way the grass looked "laid over" -- Mow it. lol


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## IHateTrees (Oct 2, 2014)

My policy is if customer property is damaged I ask them to get three quotes for the repair, or if they want I will. Once the repair cost is in I either cut them a check or file a claim. For the damage in the picture I would replace the whole driveway. It didn't have a patch mark in it when I started, and it will not when I leave. I don't want a dime from the customer until the customer is satisfied with both the tree work and the repair.


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## SlickerThanMost (Oct 2, 2014)

Anyhow, I was delayed the payment for these mo'pokers and they filed a claim and wrote a terrible review online. I'm cutting them a cheque. Going to get it over with. $400 isn't worth saving for my mistake. They said they will clear those review and claim once they get the payment. Lesson learned, moving on.


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## IHateTrees (Oct 2, 2014)

SlickerThanMost said:


> Anyhow, I was delayed the payment for these mo'pokers and they filed a claim and wrote a terrible review online. I'm cutting them a cheque. Going to get it over with. $400 isn't worth saving for my mistake. They said they will clear those review and claim once they get the payment. Lesson learned, moving on.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Good. you **** the bed, eat the cost, correct the issue, and drive on.


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## Knobby57 (Oct 3, 2014)

I would have been pretty upset with the patch also . I put in a 24x36 cement pad 6"a thick fiber reinforced and loaded with steal it was a single pour and was cut in 12x12 sections Cost me almost 6 k and a lot of work.Came home the one day and found the ramp off the st cracked and the pad was pushed down and cracked off in the far corner off the st and it tire marks on the cement. Checked the security camera and a triaxle loaded up backed into the drive to turn around . The driver got out and looked at the damage then left. Hour later on the vid I see a pickup pull in and the truck driver and another guy look over the drive and pointing at the damage then left .i was pretty pissed you think they would have left a note or something . Called the number off the side of the pickup a few days later and the denied they where there . Driver to ether business the next morning (a cement company ) and the owner was the guy that came to inspect my driveway with the driver . They insisted they had no trucks in the area . I called the owner a no good liar and left . Called the police and filed a report . The best estimate to repair my driveway to its original condition was 15k to remove the entire pad and ramp and redo it. Went back down to this shady cement co and showed him the video and gave him the estimates . He never apologized but said he would repair my drive himself and that he was only obligated to fix the part he damaged ( now it was one piece ) and tried to tell me that he had the first bid at repairing my drive . I gave up and called my insurance co. The other guys insurance co was at my house the next morning and cut me a check for 16k on the spot and couldn't apologize to me enough after seeing the video and hearing how I was treated . The guys that did the work told me after they finished that they way underbid the job and wanted to know what maniac put all steal in the pad[emoji6] and not long after this mess I heard that cement co was out of business I wasn't too surprised 


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## sac-climber (Oct 7, 2014)

treeseer said:


> Where are the limits? Everywhere there's a tree, there's that opportunity. If you know the work you can sell it.


I agree with treeseer on this one...we've built nearly our entire business off of pruning. The margins are huge if you know how to price a job.


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## mckenzie355 (Oct 10, 2014)

I've just told them that full payment is not an option, and use insurance.

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## DR. P. Proteus (Oct 10, 2014)

I have a disclaimer for snowplowing that states," driveways are a wearable item" and something how I am not responsible for ANY driveway damage. Shame I can't use that for tree work.


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## MasterBlaster (Oct 13, 2014)

Long story short - lawyers aren't worth a crap as a client. Let AAA Tree Service have the job!


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## tidy (Oct 17, 2014)

sac-climber said:


> I agree with treeseer on this one...we've built nearly our entire business off of pruning. The margins are huge if you know how to price a job.



Yeah its profitable there's not dispute there. I've found good pruning clients fit a certain profile that is somewhat uncommon (obviously location dependant). Ive put together some educational material about tree maintenance objectives- I haven't distributed it yet but the aim was to stir up business.


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