Bidding friends/relatives

[topnotchtree]

I would like to hear some ideas as how to quote jobs for friends and relatives. Nobody likes to do anything for free. But depending on who it is I sometimes feel guilty about charging a bunch of money.I usually come up with a figure I can be happy with, but just wondering if any of you guys have an unwritten rule-of-thumb for these situations.

 

[topnotchtree]

I got a call from my daughters best friends mom. She had a very large boxelder in her back yard with two 12 inch sections broken and laying on her roof.Her husband just split,leaving her with 4 children.I told her $75.00 to clear off her roof and chip the brush.It looked like I had a good lead to rope the limbs to, till i started up the tree. Very unhealthy tree. I had to rethink my plan cause I was afraid the lead I planned on setting lowering rope in would not hold. Let alone I had to tie in low. The tree was one of the largest boxelders I have seen, and had 3 main sections.The tree was so soft up top,and a lot of deadwood, I decided to top the tree to some healthier leaders. So, in a nutshell, I wound up roping two 12 inch sections off her house,and topping the entire tree, chipped all the brush, and tossed the wood in a pile for her. She furnished the pizza and beer for us after the job was done.When we were done eating she asked me how much. I told her $40.00. $20 for me, and $20 for my brother who helped me that day. My brother would not accept the $20, but I did.I figured I would just recoup fuel costs for the day. This woman broke into tears and my bro and I got a great big hug and a thank you.

 

[topnotchtree]

Fair price or free. That sounds like great logic to me. And no, she was not a hot babe, just a struggling single mother.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Sounds like you like what you got paid.

It all depends on who what when where and why. No hard and fast rule.

I do small maintinance work on the weekends for all my neighbors at $15/hr, they cleanup.

If the job is big I will charge more.

I have one neighbor at who's table I ate ate regularly as a kid, I do regular work there for nothing. little jobs, shear the hedge, thin/raise the small silver maple and pear...

How they treat me has a lot to do about it. If they think I'm an oncall handyman, then the prices are more in line with industry standards.

 

[NeTree]

They pay the same as anybody else. Business IS business. And I've never had a complaint... they know I'm charging a fair price.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Originally posted by RockyJSquirrel
I decided a while back to either charge a fair price or work for free. If you work for half price, that is all they think you are worth.

I let them know that they are getting a deep discount whenever I do something. I f they are not appreciative, then it never happens again.

Though since i don't have amny friends outside of the industry, it really does not happen often.

I'm doing a white poplar soon, get it on the ground. A former buddy who's so far in the bottle now that he does not have much of anything anymore, $500 pay me when you can.

 

[Lumberjack]

Originally posted by John Paul Sanborn
How they treat me has a lot to do about it. If they think I'm an oncall handyman, then the prices are more in line with industry standards.

That is how i am. For true friends of mine, and their family, I will do about anything for free (but I expect for them to offer my something, like a true friend). For people that are just friends, I charge lower than normal, but I still break even.

If it is a friend of a friend, then they get the goin rate.

 

[YUKON 659]

Bidding for friends and relatives is tough. You want to give them a break but like netree says...business is business. I have expenses that go along with the business. I try to give some kind of a break but I also look at it like this...they will be paying someone to do the job, it might as well be me

Jeff

 

[Greg]

I've told myself this more than once, "there are no friends in tree work". I can give you 100 stories about how I've taken on work for friends and family and have regretted not getting the money I deserved for the job. What I hate most is when you are giving someone a huge break and they then treat you like the hired help, not someone doing them a huge favor.
Charge a fair price and tell them that you are giving them a family/firends rate, truth is they usually have no idea what the job should cost unless they get other quotes (and then they can't fall into the good friend catagory).
Today I did a $3000 removal for my dads cousin (never met her). This was a very large water oak (50" dbh) that was over the house. $3000.00 was good to get for this job, I would have quoted about $3500. for anyone else, and would have been under bid by about 5 guys who would do it for $2500. We brought it down in one day (thank you bobcat and GRCS winch). I've got about 2 loads of wood to get out tomorrow and I made out pretty good on this job.
Charge what you deserve to get.. after all you deserve it!
Greg

 

[treeman82]

Family and GOOD friends are done at cost. If I have to rent a piece of machinery, or buy materials, they pay for it. If I get people to work with me on the job, they pay for the laborers. I don't want to make money off of it, just cover my major costs. There is of course an exception to that rule; if you are making money on the deal (I don't care who you are) then I want to make money on the deal. My family is pretty close, and not many of them live within a reasonable working distance. However, I have done stuff for them in the past. For example, I pruned a couple of shrubs for a cousin a while back. That same cousin took care of our dog for us at cost, and we go there for family get togethers several times a year. The friends who I will do work for free for, are the same ones who if I need their help with something at 10:00 at night, all I have to do is call.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I haven't done any MAJOR treework for my friends, but I have a lot of minor/moderate stuff over the years.
My fee is usually a feast of grog and and brisket.
And they do the clean up.

 

[Lumberjack]

Originally posted by MasterBlaster
I haven't done any MAJOR treework for my friends, but I have a lot of minor/moderate stuff over the years.
My fee is usually a feast of grog and and brisket.
And they do the clean up.

A true Prima Donna climber.



Just kidding

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I guess the major work falls my "what" catagory.

Simple stuff for free or deep discount, if i have to exert myself then it's a different stroy. Usually normal rates to get it on the ground for them to cleanup.

That's still saves them a bunch.

 

[NeTree]

Butch? Prima-donna?

NAHHH

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

very simple stuff ill do for free ,but enything involving ,over 3 hours and my staff and equipment i charge my usual rate,im fair on price anyway
you can soon get into the trap of working for friends and relatives all the time and not earning a bean,
shouldnt friends and relatives be doing you the favor of hiring you,it works both ways

 

[TREETX]

Free

Maybe the term "friend" needs to be defined.

Always free.

If you charge just a little, then they think they paid you and all is even. I always say invite me over for dinner sometime or buy me a beer sometime and leave it at that.

An honest day's work in exchange for a free beer/meal with a friend. Great deal.

Plus they owe you - never know when you might need a favor.

If I have labor or rental equipment involved, I let them pay for the cost of the rental or labor.

Money comes and goes, I can always get more. Good friends are hard to find. Plus haven't you heard that friends and money don't mix?

Family is always a PITA to work for. I usually get them to help that way I get the added bonus of working with my father, grandfather or uncles. You can learn more about your dad, grandfather, or uncle in one afternoon of working together than you can in a life time of Thanksgiving dinners that are always dominated by superficial conversation.

My elderly neighbors are never free. They have to give me milk and cookies or coffee and good conversation. Old people like old trees are a living link to our history. Go spend some time with them both, it is better than reading about it.

 

[hooks]

Answer to friends; If your going to paint house / furnish pizza and beer if your going to move/ furnish pizza and beer. ill be there. If you want treework I have to charge cause thats how I make a living

 

[wiley_p]

It depends on the freind/relative. If it was any of my relatives I would charge 60% over the highest bid. Rightn now I,m removing 3 Lombardi poplars (tall, close to houses) for 800.00 Thats about 25% of the median bid they got I could have let a local company take the job but the owner is an ex-smokejumper, and my rule of thumb is to cut off, cork, beat a jumper at all opportunities regardless of my own suffering, They are lazy loft lizards and must be put in their place always.

 

[MidwestTree]

As a guy told me once "the definition of character is what a person does when nobody is looking." If you can give a friend or a person in need a good deal then it it is sign of good character, something that seems to be in abundance on this site. I think it is due to the fact that the members here want to do what is right to the trees as well as fellow man. It is not what you have when you die but how you are remembered as a person.

Dana

 

[Curtis James]

Well said! We all know the money trully isn't in this line of work anyway. The manufacturers of the things we need have it all. It is something much more. If it was money we'd be engineers and doctors, not sweaty arborists. I just shoot from the hip. What kills me are freinds of freinds that want somthing for nothing. I will quote one for your pleasure. She is an under paid teacher. "Tie a rope to me and give me the chain saw for that price." This gal was totally slamming my profession right in front of me! Then when she got real quotes. They ended up only having one limb cut from the monster sweet gum. A guy with a rebuilt poulan standin on the top step of a folding ladder! Why did their arbor and trellis get smashed I wonder?