Best Comebacks

[clearance]

Summer is here soon and the dogooders who want the power to stay on but the hazard trees left alone will be out whining and snivelling. How do you repond to abuse with without telling people to f-off, I have to stop doing that cause it really stresses out my boss. The best one I ever heard is when a guy was removing hazard trees and a woman started yelling at him, went something like this "you ass^&%*, you are a scumbag cutting down these trees, why don't you get a real job...." To which the man said "why don't you get a job at the airport sniffing luggage?" What would you say in this case, please don't say stuff about don' be a hack, blah blah...we get a list, the trees on that list get removed, not our call, we just do the work.

 

[Stumper]

"Ma'am, I'm just doing my job. We try to keep the power flowing to every home." Having said that drop your earmuff back in place and get back to work.

 

[kf_tree]

just keep running the saw and ignore it. the more you respond the more fustrated you will get. if it really upsets you have some well written letters printed up explaining why you do line clearance work and have the groundie hand them out.

believe me. i kind of thrive on conflict, but it's just not worth it.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Yup! Ignore the fool! That usually pisses em off.

 

[hobby climber]

Argument with out a positive outcome is an exercise in the waisting of energy thats better spent on something productive. My .02 , HC

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

If only the people at the end of these wires didn't need the electricity, I wouldn't have to cut these poor trees. You don't use any electricity do you?

Then once she says yes, go on the offensive. Yell at her and tell her what she is doing to the poor trees and the environment.
Then when she starts to climb back into her SUV, really give it to her for causing a need to go to war to fuel her gas guzzling pig of a truck. And if she has a baby car seat, yell at her for over populating the planet...

 

[begleytree]

We used to have a power co forester in cincy who would go out and pull the meter on refusals. He'd tell them when they were ready for electric again, we'd come trim the trees, and then he'd replace the meter.

You can always offer to let them pay to put it underground, but a study done by edison in chicago showed that it was on the order of 3s, 3x more expensive to install underground, 3x more likely to experience an outage, and 3x longer to repair said outage. That was the report, I don't know about the 3x more likely to experience an outage part, but I see the other 2.
It basically comes down to easements, the pwr co essentially ownes the ROW, and has the right to maintain it. Offer to remove all encroaching trees, or threaten them that you have the right to, but are merely trimming a few problem limbs, but if they don't want you doing them any favors.............
-Ralph

 

[xander9727]

Never argue with a fool.........it's hard for bystanders to tell the difference.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

You can always offer to let them pay to put it underground, but a study done by edison in chicago showed that it was on the order of 3s, 3x more expensive to install underground, 3x more likely to experience an outage, and 3x longer to repair said outage. That was the report, I don't know about the 3x more likely to experience an outage part, but I see the other 2.

-Ralph

I assume by the underground comments you think that running wires under ground there would be less damage to trees. Somehow, I don't see that.

 

[begleytree]

Mike, I didn't say that, nor do I believe it, unless the lines predate the tree such as in a new subdivision.
I was alluding to the common misconception the most homeowners have that underground would not harm trees.
-Ralph

 

[Thor's Hammer]

I usually just ask them 'how many trees have you planted this year?' that soon shuts them up.
Always take the moral highground!

 

[jamie]

we were felling a big old copper beech, some woman pushed her kid in the buggy towards us and asked what we were doing, felling this tree. she asked why. we replied with 'its old its got large cavities near the base its dropping big limbs' she interupetd at this point and told us in a matter of fact way that branches dont drop off trees.....i then interupted her by saying so what do you call that, and pointed to the 2 large limbs lying beside her.... she then piped up that we need permission to fell trees and she was off to report us to the council. as she stormed off we shouted over say hi to xxxx the tree officer from us then...

another case was when we were called out on a sunday as the head of some beech had snapped off and was resting over a foot path in the head of another tree. i climbed it and sorted it out, the local councillor turned up and started screaming blue murder at us.....why wasnt he informed. its a weekend and its a dangerous tree, over a footpath by a primary school, its under the urgent works catagory....he then started asking why we cant just pollard it. there was a strip right up the full length of the tree where i wanted to put my spikes that was mush, i cold punch a 3" deep pocket in it. the saw tore through the the first half of the stem it wa s that soft. but this guy new best of course.

we get loads of people who know what they are talking about. nad we are just ruthless tree killers

jamie

 

[tophopper]

If you really wanna piss em off...

after they are done yelling at you, look at them as if you have no idea what they said, then, with your biggest ear to ear smile say " thank you, have a nice day" and continue with eye contact and that sheet eatin grin.
Ive done this and people do not like it, because you dont even aknowledge their frustation.

 

[treeseer]

.we get a list, the trees on that list get removed, not our call, we just do the work.

The people doing the work should just do the work. A brief comment before puuting the earmuffs back on at most. Just point ot your muffs and shrug. The people who make these lists should be accessible and able to explain their decisions to stakeholders.

"the saw tore through the the first half of the stem it wa s that soft. but this guy new best of course."

How about saving a slice of the stump and taking it to a council meeting? A great visual aid to support putting more $ into tree maintenace so hazards do not develop.

 

[tinman44]

If only the people at the end of these wires didn't need the electricity, I wouldn't have to cut these poor trees. You don't use any electricity do you?

Then once she says yes, go on the offensive. Yell at her and tell her what she is doing to the poor trees and the environment.
Then when she starts to climb back into her SUV, really give it to her for causing a need to go to war to fuel her gas guzzling pig of a truck. And if she has a baby car seat, yell at her for over populating the planet...

rofl

 

[tinman44]

We used to have a power co forester in cincy who would go out and pull the meter on refusals. He'd tell them when they were ready for electric again, we'd come trim the trees, and then he'd replace the meter.

You can always offer to let them pay to put it underground, but a study done by edison in chicago showed that it was on the order of 3s, 3x more expensive to install underground, 3x more likely to experience an outage, and 3x longer to repair said outage. That was the report, I don't know about the 3x more likely to experience an outage part, but I see the other 2.
It basically comes down to easements, the pwr co essentially ownes the ROW, and has the right to maintain it. Offer to remove all encroaching trees, or threaten them that you have the right to, but are merely trimming a few problem limbs, but if they don't want you doing them any favors.............
-Ralph

i would say 3x the cost and 3x the amount of time for repair but 3x as likely to experience an outage has been proven incorrect. when i get a customer call on an underground service its almost 90% of the time partial power and we restore quickly, course it takes several hours in the next week or so to dig up and replace wire, at any rate underground does not experience many outages and i would say does experience 3x as less outages as overhead.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

From up in a tree i have mouthed like i'm responding, talking graciously with hands motions lightly and happily too, like they can hear me talking to them. Then kinda mime to never mind i got my earplugs in and so they can't hear me. So, then of course all ya can do is good naturedly go back to work'n i guess.

Once i had to tell someone if he went any closer to the truck while i was away from it working in yard; that when 'they' came; i would swear up and down i thought he was trying to steal said truck.

Of course; there are the great words of Danny Partridge(Danny Bonaduce),
to brother Keith(David Cassidy):
"i refuse to engage in a battle of wits,
with one i have come to find,
to be so feudally armed"

Works even if ya don't say it outloud and keep on going. Well, tests show, that it works if ya say it out loud too; but ya should try it as a mantra first!

Oncet we were taking out an overly mature water oak that was falling apart being riddled with mistletoe. This couple out of a B movie come out of the neighboring house all messed up, all bikered out; cussing about us taking out the tree, hurting Nature's creatures. i tried to be nice and explain it was coming apart and an infectious hazard to the rest of the trees on the block. He still grumbled, she was shocked anyone would dare talk to them i think; well i never did turn off the saw... Took about 2 minutes kicking the starter over till bike started, but of course he'd rather push a Harley than... Finally the noisebox started, choking and spitting, fogging all around black smoke. At first i thought it was payback,and he was trying to choke us out, but he really fought for another 3-4 minutes to keep it going. And it did seem like it was almost expected, but he really didn't want to continue the Nature conversation with all that smoke, and not being able to escape his own words. Finally they left; we laughed, elderly Lady we were working for came out, seems those 2 keep everyone walking on eggshells around them parts....

 

[jamie]

tree seer in response to your

How about saving a slice of the stump and taking it to a council meeting? A great visual aid to support putting more $ into tree maintenace so hazards do not develop.

. we did take a stump cut, he claimed that we took a random cut off of a random tree. the guy was a complete fruit. obviously he knows more than our company and the council arb officers

jamie

 

[Al Smith]

I'm not a pro tree man,but 2 years ago I took down a 65 ft soft maple,in my step sons yard that had been hit by lighting 3 times.I was working the tree by myself,with my nervous wife as a groundy.It drew quite a crowd and a few snide comments,until I dropped the last of it,a 30 ft spar.When some of the onlookers saw the nest of carpenter ants,one of them nearly kissed me,her house was in line for the fall of the tree,if it had happened.

 

[begleytree]

Tinman, I'm sure that with a little searching, you could find the study online. I didn't conduct it, I just read the results, and passed them on. Believe it or not.

-Ralph