$175 ANY tree??

[JC Tree]

Sounds like the same "cheapo-depot" tree guy in my area.

Heres another good one. Last year, a client of ours got a bid from a tree company. It was a few large oak removals, around the house. Not difficult, but definately technical. I figured it would take almost a full day with a 3 man crew (even the fastest would have taken that long) unless a crane was on sight...well, this guy has a 120 ft crane. He gave her a price of $500 for the whole thing including moving all the oak wood to the back yard and cutting up 16".
again...WTF!!!!!

So...we told her that if she showed us the written estimate that we would match the price!
This "other company" has a nice website, new looking equipment and experienced staff. The guy has more than a half hour drive from his shop.

I matched his price just to keep that a#$hole out of my area... going that cheap with that kind of overhead...is he insane????
Guess he is just trying make himself known...I fixed him though....I figure that I can afford to do a "charity" job once a year or so....

 

[Treecutr]

Lol Nice. The same lady I mentioned abouve works for a chiropractor donw the street from me. He has 3 trees that are rediculously dead, fungus all over, conk's hangers, branches fall every time the wind kicks up. I approached the Doctor when he was out picking up branches. I gave him a quote of $850, I could also sell the firewood for at least $300. not tall trees at all. Fence underneath thats not his, cable and phone lines needed to come down. Some chance of hitting power lines too. He said he was just going to cut them down whole. I felt obligated to explain all the reasons why that was a bad idea, and what was going to happen if he wasn't dead nuts perfect. He re thought and said let me run it by his wife ( gutless ) We have talked 3 times since ( that was June ) I drive by EVERY day and shake my head. His customers park under these trees. LAst time I talked to his wife, last week, she said they had a customer who said he felt he could do it just for the wood. Trees are still up, I came down to $650, still no call. This guy says it's too much money. I saw his rate schedule while in his office, roughly works out to $200/HR, he owns the whole building with 3 rental appartments in it, and he hold the patent for the Red Sox rally glasses sold all over our are, and Boston. Cheap prick. Hope no one gets hurt when they fall.

 

[fishercat]

a lot of that cut throat stuff going on here too.

I got a call this morning from a nitwit wanting to know if I wanted to take down a nice silver maple in his yard for the wood.Went on and on about how much wood was in the tree.I told him it doesn't work like that.He asks if I knew anyone who did.I told him I used to but they went out of business.

I give him kudos for having the balls to ask a question like that but if it was in person I would have chained him to my splitter until every last piece of wood in my yard was split.

 

[Bermie]

I get ticked off when the joe maintenance landscapers get in on the tree work, charge a lot less, don't know what the ---- they are doing. Thing is they are making their money on their maintenance contracts so are not bothered to properly price tree work, never mind do it properly, ladders, topping...!

 

[rarefish383]

Guys, I'm with ya on this one. I'm retired and really don't do any work any more. If a close friend or relative asks I hook them up with some one I know.

This subject drives me off a high limb. The grass cutters who try to do tree work drive me nuts too. I can name several times we were called to fix what lawn guys had screwed up. One of our old customers called crying that the lawn guy had cut down a big dead Oak in her back yard. These were high end town houses in Georgtown in DC. The guy stood at the bottom and notched the tree and dropped it across her flower beds and 2 neighbors fences. When we got there the police were there and the guy was trying to explain how it couldn't be done any other way. He never thought about actually climbing the tree. She went on and on how she should have called us first and she was so sorry. She said he told her he was a pro and said he would do it cheap if he could do it now, while he was there. She said she trusted him, like she would have trusted us, and left for a while. We wound up having to jack her good on the clean up. All of these town houses had back yards that backed up to 15 foot retaining walls. If we had of done the job we would have used a crain to pick every thing up and set it in the alley. As it was we had to cut every thing into tiny pieces and carry it through the houses.

I've really enjoyed this site since I found it. It gives me a chance to BS with guys that know what I'm BS'n about. But this subject still ticks me off, Joe.

 

[fishercat]

In a way,Ilke it.

I get ticked off when the joe maintenance landscapers get in on the tree work, charge a lot less, don't know what the ---- they are doing. Thing is they are making their money on their maintenance contracts so are not bothered to properly price tree work, never mind do it properly, ladders, topping...!

the look on their face when I give them the price to bail them out is priceless.I alway seem to charge more than what they are getting to do the job.

HMMMMMMMMMM,you don't say.

 

[Greenthorn]

I actually believe this is the same company that offers to mow yer yard all summer for the $249 special.They must

 

[rwbinbc]

I did the same Till My father-in-law Showed Me different

Me and My friend where taking trees down for $50 to a $100 just to get the firewood for us to burn, I was climbing with a craftman electric saw and no ropes. Did that for about 5 or 6 year to get firewood for us to burn. Now My new wife, Her dad has been doing this for the past 35+ years. I worked with him for the the last 18 months and He showed Me what I was missing out on. The work was easier and paid alot better. Trees I took down for $50 He would get $800 all day. Now I starting My own Tree Service, I Buying My truck and chipper within the next two weeks. I will never go back to the low prices but, There are trees I would take down for $175 all day long. It might 6 or 8 of them for Me to get a rick of wood out of but, $175 x 6 = a good 8 hours of pay for Me.

It is this or stand in line at the wellfare office

 

[Treecutr]

I have one regular customer, not sure if this actually fits here, but....who absoloutley doesn't get the flat rate charge. I tell him $800 for tree " X " and he asks how long, I tell him " X " amount of time. I do the tree in less time so he says what do you want for your work, I tell him $800 like we agreed. He says, but you did it 2 hours faster than you said. So he insists on hourly. I explain that I don't like hourly because I don't want anyone thinking I'm milking them for more money. He says, I trust you. So he again asks what do I want an hour. So I tell him $125/hr. So he adds it up,..... $800. LOL He pays me, and I have been back there 3-4 times, not alyaws to trim or remove trees. I have planted a few shrubs, done some minor wiring, and changed some 8' long light bulbs. Its a RICH couple's summer home that is probably a $500,000 home ( average for that area ) Awesome house. HO is a HUGE tree lover, and only wants dead stuff removed, fine with that. However he wants more light on his deck, and asked me back to trim away branches to open up area over deck. I tell him it will ONLY help when sun is directly overhead, and after an hour or so it'd be shade again. Only way he can get lots of light like he wants is to remove several large trees from behind house. He insists trimming will work. I do the trim, he calls a few days laterto tell me that it's not enough. He is going to call me when they come back in the spring to discuss options. He's always a pain in the ass, and you can count on AT LEAST 2 hours of walking around and talking, etc.... Hey he's paying for me to be there.

 

[lxt]

Looks like the above post is in reference to this outfit http://www.markthetreesurgeon.com/

check out the 'in the news' section where he describes the best time to lionstail.

He is actually a competitor, he doesnt do "bad" work.....but he doesnt do "good" work either!! I know most of the guys he mentioned in his "news" page, well atleast know of them!! Funny Mark & his boys couldnt make it through the apprenticeship for the Line clearance trimmers.

I love those types they get hired by BS`ing the GF, they can do this & are masters of that, they come out all cocky, tough & full of knowledge(not), the problem is they dont like being told how to do something & their way will kill everyone!!

They think they know more than what they do, funny 50ft up & over the lines then they want help (what do I do?) where did all your knowledge go? they last 2wks to a month & then leave....cuz by now everyone knows they`re full of it & treat them as the non wanting to learn joke they are!!

Then these types go out & start a tree biz claiming to be the best! LMFAO, this trade is in a sorry state!!!!


LXT...............

 

[fishercat]

as long as they are paying

I have one regular customer, not sure if this actually fits here, but....who absoloutley doesn't get the flat rate charge. I tell him $800 for tree " X " and he asks how long, I tell him " X " amount of time. I do the tree in less time so he says what do you want for your work, I tell him $800 like we agreed. He says, but you did it 2 hours faster than you said. So he insists on hourly. I explain that I don't like hourly because I don't want anyone thinking I'm milking them for more money. He says, I trust you. So he again asks what do I want an hour. So I tell him $125/hr. So he adds it up,..... $800. LOL He pays me, and I have been back there 3-4 times, not alyaws to trim or remove trees. I have planted a few shrubs, done some minor wiring, and changed some 8' long light bulbs. Its a RICH couple's summer home that is probably a $500,000 home ( average for that area ) Awesome house. HO is a HUGE tree lover, and only wants dead stuff removed, fine with that. However he wants more light on his deck, and asked me back to trim away branches to open up area over deck. I tell him it will ONLY help when sun is directly overhead, and after an hour or so it'd be shade again. Only way he can get lots of light like he wants is to remove several large trees from behind house. He insists trimming will work. I do the trim, he calls a few days laterto tell me that it's not enough. He is going to call me when they come back in the spring to discuss options. He's always a pain in the ass, and you can count on AT LEAST 2 hours of walking around and talking, etc.... Hey he's paying for me to be there.

they can be a PITA all they want.

Here,they are a PITA and they don't pay either.

 

[Dale]

Son, I wish you all the luck in your new business endeavor. You seem to have the fortitude to succeed, and I commend you. But, I just got done getting rheemed by all the PERFESSIONAL arborists on this site on another post, and even called a Troll, then come across this and just had to laugh. I reckon that I'm stunned they didn't admonish you and chide you off their professional forum with your tail betwixt yer legs. HAHA !!!

Me and My friend where taking trees down for $50 to a $100 just to get the firewood for us to burn, I was climbing with a craftman electric saw and no ropes. Did that for about 5 or 6 year to get firewood for us to burn.

Be safe son.

 

[pdqdl]

...There are trees I would take down for $175 all day long. It might 6 or 8 of them for Me to get a rick of wood out of but, $175 x 6 = a good 8 hours of pay for Me.

That just doesn't make any sense. You will get a rick of wood out almost any single $175 tree around here. Maybe two trees if they are a bit overpriced.

6 trees for $1050 to make ONE rick of firewood? Sign me up! I'll throw all of it in my chipper, and I won't bother with the firewood.

 

[rwbinbc]

Maybe off abit, We take down ash and cherry in a yards and charge 4 to 7hundred to do the job. We might get a rick, rick and a half out of it. I was trying to say tree for 175 I would do but they wouldn't be very big or just big one cut and drop.

Sorry