# Dont be this guy



## xxl (Jul 25, 2018)

Today I saw a very unprofessional tree worker. I was talking with a friend and saw this white car drive around slowly he was writing stuff down. It was a plain white car. My friend approached him and asked what are you doing. With that he said none of you business. My friend said well how do i know your not up something shady. With that he told him go [email protected]#& your self. Then my friend called the police to have them check him out after he got hostile with him He gets out after sitting in his car for about 10 mins gives estimate and leaves. How was my friend supposed to know was a tree worker. What I do when i get people asking me what i am doing i tell them I am here at this place to give a estimate and i hand them a card. It has paid off so much doing stuff this way. The neighbors see what you did at that house then they want the same. Always keep cards hand shake and a smile in your truck. That will keep busy


----------



## northmanlogging (Sep 18, 2018)

Me being a large shady lookin dude, i absolutely have to be friendly, otherwise its real tough splainin to the police


----------



## Treebark19 (Feb 12, 2019)

Always important to look the part when on the job. Being like that guy will only put obstacles in your path.


----------



## Jared Siler (Mar 8, 2019)

I feel like this is becoming the new norm. I am having a harder and harder time winning bids because these other shady companies have less than standard safety practices which can help them sell their services for cheaper. Not sure how to get around this. But I definitely don't want to be in the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" crowd.


----------



## chipper1 (Mar 9, 2019)

Welcome to AS @Jared Siler and @Treebark19


----------



## Tenderfoot (Mar 10, 2019)

Jared Siler said:


> I feel like this is becoming the new norm. I am having a harder and harder time winning bids because these other shady companies have less than standard safety practices which can help them sell their services for cheaper. Not sure how to get around this. But I definitely don't want to be in the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" crowd.


Don't compete on price and emphasize quality. A lot of those guys don't clean up too well afterwords and leave lots of yard damage. No point in competing for the cut-rate market in a race to the bottom. Nobody wins and everybody loses.


----------



## Jared Siler (Mar 10, 2019)

Tenderfoot said:


> Don't compete on price and emphasize quality. A lot of those guys don't clean up too well afterwords and leave lots of yard damage. No point in competing for the cut-rate market in a race to the bottom. Nobody wins and everybody loses.


Thanks! That was always my feeling, but it doesn't make it any easier to see business flow towards these guys because people are cost conscious (which they should be) and very rarely do the due diligence necessary to choose a tree removal company.


----------



## Tenderfoot (Mar 16, 2019)

Jared Siler said:


> Thanks! That was always my feeling, but it doesn't make it any easier to see business flow towards these guys because people are cost conscious (which they should be) and very rarely do the due diligence necessary to choose a tree removal company.


It wont flow that way forever. As homeowners become more and more internet savvy, due diligence will be easier. By the time you account for cleanup costs (especially if you have to hire someone else after) the better crews are the same price, or cheaper. The pendulum may swing the other way soon enough.


----------



## Timbrcutr (Jul 17, 2022)

Jared Siler said:


> I feel like this is becoming the new norm. I am having a harder and harder time winning bids because these other shady companies have less than standard safety practices which can help them sell their services for cheaper. Not sure how to get around this. But I definitely don't want to be in the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" crowd.


Im feeling the same, There's also a ton of tree companies and some have 2 or 3 climbers bucket trucks so they swarm a job do it well in short time and move to the next one, I also lost out to some very good timber cutters that are sniper accurate what I would climb for 800 bucks they fell for 350 and took the wood and moved onto the next one also. There's too many variable's but if you do your clean up great be on time do what you say and deliver value that's about all you can do I suppose. Good luck and dont compromise your safety or method's a man that's beyond reproach in his business will stay busy by word of mouth.


----------



## lone wolf (Jul 17, 2022)

xxl said:


> Today I saw a very unprofessional tree worker. I was talking with a friend and saw this white car drive around slowly he was writing stuff down. It was a plain white car. My friend approached him and asked what are you doing. With that he said none of you business. My friend said well how do i know your not up something shady. With that he told him go [email protected]#& your self. Then my friend called the police to have them check him out after he got hostile with him He gets out after sitting in his car for about 10 mins gives estimate and leaves. How was my friend supposed to know was a tree worker. What I do when i get people asking me what i am doing i tell them I am here at this place to give a estimate and i hand them a card. It has paid off so much doing stuff this way. The neighbors see what you did at that house then they want the same. Always keep cards hand shake and a smile in your truck. That will keep busy


You are correct he should have stated he was doing in order to be on the up and up. It helps if you have a shirt with the Tree service on too. I can see why he was viewed as suspicious.


----------



## Del_ (Jul 17, 2022)

Nosy neighbors.

Can't even give an estimate without their nose in the way.


----------



## SCHallenger (Jul 18, 2022)

Jared Siler said:


> I feel like this is becoming the new norm. I am having a harder and harder time winning bids because these other shady companies have less than standard safety practices which can help them sell their services for cheaper. Not sure how to get around this. But I definitely don't want to be in the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" crowd.


Stay that way! Short term may be tough sledding, but it will pay off in the long haul.


----------



## ValleyForge (Jul 18, 2022)

Del_ said:


> Nosy neighbors.
> 
> Can't even give an estimate without their nose in the way.



things used to be very different…


----------



## MattRBritton (Jul 19, 2022)

Tenderfoot said:


> Don't compete on price and emphasize quality. A lot of those guys don't clean up too well afterwords and leave lots of yard damage. No point in competing for the cut-rate market in a race to the bottom. Nobody wins and everybody loses.


What do they say? 

“If you think it’s expensive getting a professional to do it, wait till you get an amateur”.


----------



## benjo75 (Jul 20, 2022)

I've watched them come and go for 30 years. There will always be the "Will beat anyone's price" tree service around. They can't last very long though. The first major breakdown or bad winter and they starve. Then the " How cheap can you do it" customers come crawling back. It's a cycle that repeats itself every 3 or 4 years. 

As far as giving estimates, look legitimate and be nice. I usually drive a truck with my name on it but I also have an unmarked estimate car. I always wear an orange company shirt and if I think there might be nosy neighbors I have been known to weat a hard hat. I also carry my estimate book and a few business cards to hand out.


----------



## sirbuildalot (Aug 11, 2022)

Del_ said:


> Nosy neighbors.
> 
> Can't even give an estimate without their nose in the way.


I can't believe I'm about to type this, but I agree with Del. Having given free estimates for many years, you just want to get in and out some times. If the guy wasn't causing any trouble and was just writing on a paper, it seems overly dramatic calling the police. He probably didn't tell them why he was there because he probably knew they'd ask a million tree questions probably even want him to go look at stuff in there yards "while he was there"

These type of people don't value your time at all. I see a lot of companies giving estimates without even looking at the jobs now. I'm not just talking tree work. That includes construction trades as well.


----------



## Lightning Performance (Aug 11, 2022)

The Wolf knows how it goes around here. **** rolls down hill and there is always a big pile at the bottom. Did I mention bottom feeders are EVERYWHERE around here?

I'm out, done, roasted, had my fill so I'll just mill. Having too many of everything is starting to come in handy. Take the cream and leave the butter for the butter-heads, slacks and cracks. Don't forget the pill heads. They are some dangerous peoples!


----------



## OM617YOTA (Aug 12, 2022)

World's too small for that kind of behavior to not get around. Hopefully that guy's either fired, or his company is out of business now. Pull that in my neighborhood, and guaranteed you won't get a dime from anyone in the neighborhood, and we'd make sure everyone else in the state knew about it too.


----------



## sirbuildalot (Aug 17, 2022)

OM617YOTA said:


> World's too small for that kind of behavior to not get around. Hopefully that guy's either fired, or his company is out of business now. Pull that in my neighborhood, and guaranteed you won't get a dime from anyone in the neighborhood, and we'd make sure everyone else in the state knew about it too.


Sorry, but I'm gonna have to disagree.

If your neighbor asks someone to give them an estimate, you feel it is that companies duty to inform you of why they are there? You didn't call them, and its not your property.

I could see him letting the property owner know who he is, but him being demanded to answer inquiries from "concerned" neighbors is a bit much.


----------



## OM617YOTA (Aug 17, 2022)

sirbuildalot said:


> Sorry, but I'm gonna have to disagree.
> 
> If your neighbor asks someone to give them an estimate, you feel it is that companies duty to inform you of why they are there? You didn't call them, and its not your property.
> 
> I could see him letting the property owner know who he is, but him being demanded to answer inquiries from "concerned" neighbors is a bit much.




This wasn't an estimate, nobody knew that's what was going on. Some random jackwagon, driving an unmarked car, casing houses, yes he's going to get attention in my neighborhood. Yes, the cops are getting called if he's shitty when people ask what he's doing there. This is 100% the correct response, and exactly why I bought a house here. We look out for each other.

If he doesn't want that response, then YES, he has a duty to inform people why he's there.

"I'm with Friendly's Tree Service, just doing estimates from my own car today. Wasn't expecting to be in the field, so I just wore office clothes, not a uniform shirt. Here's my business card, give me a call when you're ready for your own estimate."

Easy.


----------



## sirbuildalot (Aug 17, 2022)

OM617YOTA said:


> This wasn't an estimate, nobody knew that's what was going on. Some random jackwagon, driving an unmarked car, casing houses, yes he's going to get attention in my neighborhood. Yes, the cops are getting called if he's shitty when people ask what he's doing there. This is 100% the correct response, and exactly why I bought a house here. We look out for each other.
> 
> If he doesn't want that response, then YES, he has a duty to inform people why he's there.
> 
> ...


I re-read the original post. It isn't clear whether he was asked to give an estimate or not. It's possible he had nothing better to do than ride around a random residential neighborhood guessing what trees they may want cut, and giving out a random quote for a tree the owner may or may not want cut. I find it unlikely based on the fact that tree companies tend to be very busy, and this would be a waste of time, effort and fuel. Also why did he drive to this random neighborhood unannounced and only give out one estimate? If he was driving around wouldn't multiple neighbors have received estimates/quotes? If he was "casing" the place, the police would have found notes with items to steal in his car. Doesn't sound ,like that was the case. 

I think he was called and asked to look at a specific tree to give a price. Likely drove slowly to look at the tree from different sides.

Maybe the OP can verify that part of the story.


----------



## OM617YOTA (Aug 17, 2022)

My reading was that it was actually an estimate, but from the view of everyone else around, it looked like just a random jackwagon casing houses.

I'd have asked him WTF he was doing and called the cops if he responded the way he did, too.


----------



## sirbuildalot (Aug 17, 2022)

I also think you overestimate how "professional" many tree companies are. Many don't spend thousands on advertising with fancy lettered shirts and lettered trucks. Probably a young kid starting out that wanted to get back home to see his kids.


----------



## OM617YOTA (Aug 17, 2022)

Moving the goalpost. Whether he's just getting started, or has any kind of advertising budget, has nothing to do with the matter at hand.

You originally disagreed with me about why a stranger, looking like he's casing houses in a neighborhood, should notify neighbors about who he is and why he's there. I explained why he should, and why I support the cops being called on a person who looks like they're just a jackwagon casing houses.

He can get business cards for free, and pass them out with a good attitude, also for free.


----------



## sirbuildalot (Aug 17, 2022)

OM617YOTA said:


> Moving the goalpost. Whether he's just getting started, or has any kind of advertising budget, has nothing to do with the matter at hand.
> 
> You originally disagreed with me about why a stranger, looking like he's casing houses in a neighborhood, should notify neighbors about who he is and why he's there. I explained why he should, and why I support the cops being called on a person who looks like they're just a jackwagon casing houses.
> 
> He can get business cards for free, and pass them out with a good attitude, also for free.


If you say so. We had a family business for 20 years. I did many of the night time and weekend free quotes. I never felt the need to notify neighbors why I was there measuring something. Have you ever owned a business? Done free quotes?


----------



## sirbuildalot (Aug 17, 2022)

The thought of notifying a whole neighborhood in order to give out a free estimate is idiotic. Drive house to house telling them you’ll be over at the Johnson’s measuring gutters. Gtfoh


----------



## OM617YOTA (Aug 17, 2022)

That's not what I said either. When someone asks you what you're doing in their neighborhood, don't be a **** about it. Yes, wtf you're doing in their neighborhood is their business, and yes you owe them an answer when they ask.

Yes, I run a side business, and my day job is a sales rep. I do quotes all day long.


----------



## wardog (Aug 18, 2022)

If this was a kid just getting started or someone that is in the business, they would NOT last long in my part of the country. This is part of the problem of today as people have lost common curtesy as well as use language that is offensive to begin with. When anyone works for the public, they must understand they will be in the spotlight of others numerous times. If this was my neighbor and they told me this guy reacted to them that way, they would NOT get my job even if rock bottom priced with guarantees all over the place. I can get services ANYWHERE with numerous prices, guarantees, promises etc. but I can tell a lot about a person or a business they represent by their attitude. I have hired many, many businesses to do work for me in my lifetime as a homeowner that I hadn't the time or expertise to do and found that I have had to redo much of what was done even with promises and guarantees. NOW, all of my work that I cannot do is done by a guy I learned about from "WORD OF MOUTH." He doesn't advertise at all and never has but has built a reputable business that keeps his crews very busy. I started hiring him when he was doing most of the work himself and now, he has numerous crews without a single add for business. What he knows and understands is that I am the BOSS of any job that I hire him to do, and he knows I am not going to pay for a job up front and will judge the total experience when doing so. ALL service business relies a lot on the public and the word of mouth soon catches up with them BIG or small as people tell it all. This very scenario is one in which I suspect the homeowner as well as the rest of that neighborhood now knows the attitude of this business or it's employees and "IF" they actually got the job it will probably be the last in that neighborhood and others as the words of mouth travel wide and far.


----------



## OM617YOTA (Aug 18, 2022)

sirbuildalot said:


> The thought of notifying a whole neighborhood in order to give out a free estimate is idiotic. Drive house to house telling them you’ll be over at the Johnson’s measuring gutters. Gtfoh



I see the disconnect here. I didn't mean the guy giving estimates should run around, knock on everyone's door in the neighborhood, and tell them why he's there. I meant when a neighbor comes up and asks him what he's doing, tell them, and be polite about it.

"Don't be a ****" would eliminate so many issues in this world.


----------

