Customers

[Husky288XP]

Today I went to bid on a small Silver Maple that was growing about 12 feet from a Blue Spruce. The bid was to take the Silver Maple's branches back to laterals, to get the Maple's canopy away from the Spruce's canopy. So I get done checking out the job and go to talk to the customer about it. This older lady, around the mid 60's, tells me that she doesn't have a Silver Maple in her back yard, nor would she ever plant one back there. So after trying to nicely tell her that the Maple tree in her backyard is a Silver Maple, she still did not believe me.

What really pisses me off is not the fact of her ignorance, but the fact that she questions me. Me, a Tree Care Worker, she called me for the job. I did not call her for the job or for her "superior intellect".

 

[NickfromWI]

Though I don't doubt your tree ID skills, especially on such a basic tree, it's important to see things from her perspective.

For all you know, her grandpa could've been calling sugar maples silver maples since 1842. For whatever reason, the tree in the back yard was NOT a silver maple...at least in her mind.

You coulda just called it an Acer saccharinum and avoided the whole issue.

Sounded like a decent job. If she's so set on it not being a silver maple, does that change what you're going to do to the tree?

in reply to...

The overwhelming majority of property owners have made up their minds exactly which limbs they want removed before they ever pick up the phone to call the tree service.

Few people ever say, "Gee, honey. Don't you think we need to have our trees trimmed by an arborist who knows what's best for our trees?"

They say, "That limb is in my way, I need to find some one to cut it."

It bothers me when I'm told to remove a limb that is doing to harm. I guess it all ties in to education. And this is the responsibility of who ever is selling the jobs. By the time the crew shows up to the job site, it's too late to mention the benefits of keeping lower limbs on the tree.



love
nick

 

[MasterBlaster]

Most customers pretty much listen to what I have to say, and wind up agreeing with me - after I've a'splained things to em.

There is allways that occasional wacko, though.

 

[coffeecraver]

[ This older lady, around the mid 60's, tells me that she doesn't have a Silver Maple in her back yard, nor would she ever plant one back there. So after trying to nicely tell her that the Maple tree in her backyard is a Silver Maple, she still did not believe me.

A red maple is 800.00 and a Silver is 500.00 are you sure you have a Red?

 

[NickfromWI]

Re: Re: Customers

Originally posted by coffeecraver
A red maple is 800.00 and a Silver is 500.00 are you sure you have a Red?

Nice!

 

[Lumberjack]

Yesterday I had to go look at a tree, and the lady told me that she needed me to trim the tree.

So I get there, and I see the tree. (I will post the pics when I do it.) The tree is a live oak, and it has been severly storm damaged. The storm came through and broke the entire crown out. Then the limbs on the rest of it are broken over, and are hung up over a ragged out shop. I told her that the tree needs to be removed, but what do I know. So I will remove the remaining broken limbs and go from there. I told her that the tree will die more than likely, but it is what she wants.

Then today I got another job trimmin dead wood, and some vista prunning so that the man can grow a garden. I have to remove like 4 limbs (per his orders), but it is gonna be fun, easy money.

Carl

 

[Lumberjack]

Re: Re: Customers

Originally posted by coffeecraver
A red maple is 800.00 and a Silver is 500.00 are you sure you have a Red?
[/B]

Priceless!!

Carl

 

[treeman82]

This is why I think its a good idea to keep a tree ID book with you when you go on an estimate. Like that, if you are uncertain about exactly what a tree is, or if the client doesn't think you are right you can just open up the book and show them what the tree is exactly.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Carl, Live Oaks are the toughest, most resiliant trees around. They can survive and recover from the most radical attempts man or nature can throw at them.
Removal should be a last option. Do whatever you have to do to repair the damage, and the tree WILL recover.
Follow up maintence will be required .

 

[NickfromWI]

Originally posted by Lumberjack
...and some vista pruning so that the man can grow a garden.

Vista pruning is to allow the client to see something (a nice view, lake, etc). Is this what you are doing? If not, then you are doing something else (letting in the sun to the garden by raising, thinning, sidetrimming, etc).

love
nick

 

[Lumberjack]

Originally posted by MasterBlaster
Carl, Live Oaks are the toughest, most resiliant trees around. They can survive and recover from the most radical attempts man or nature can throw at them.
Removal should be a last option. Do whatever you have to do to repair the damage, and the tree WILL recover.
Follow up maintence will be required .

It is gonna be a short trunk with maybe 2 limbs on it. One has to be shortened because they are adding on to the house. It is gonna be an ugly tree. Better to replace IMO.


I guess it would be side prunning and thinning. I am to make a "window" for the sun to come through. I just called it vista prunning, thanks for correcting my word usage.

Carl

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Re: Re: Customers

Originally posted by coffeecraver
A red maple is 800.00 and a Silver is 500.00 are you sure you have a Red?

No it's a swamp maple!

also called soft maple, river maple, silverleaf maple, water maple, and white maple

 

[NickfromWI]

Re: Re: Re: Customers

Originally posted by John Paul Sanborn
...also called soft maple, river maple, silverleaf maple, water maple, and white maple

Which is why I wouldn't get worked up about disagreements in common names.

love
nick

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Most of the time people think I'm wrong on an ID, they have it memorized by the cv.

It's an autumn blaze, or a fall purple....

 

[NeTree]

Re: Re: Customers

Originally posted by coffeecraver


A red maple is 800.00 and a Silver is 500.00 are you sure you have a Red?

I like that approach!

Hey, whaddayagonnado, eh?

 

[geofore]

it's a tree

Husky, why get upset, she knew it was a tree and at 60+ years old you're not going to change her mind on what to call it. As long as she pays for the work that you do leave her be, in her world it's not a silver maple. It reflexs poorly on you that you can't tolorate the public as you need to be able to deal with them every day. Don't expect the public to know much about trees or you will be disappointed. If it really upsets you, cut the RED Maple and use the some of the extra money to buy her a tree identification book to read after you're paid. Have amozon.com mail it to her, she'll think how thoughtful that young man was till she gets to the part about identifying maples, by then she'll have forgotten your name and call some other tree service to complain about the cost of removing that (RED) silver maple. She'll be educated, your paid and the world goes on from there.
Getting upset is a way to give yourself ulcers, be creative and give yourself something to smile about for years to come. Cut the RED maple and send her the book. You can look back on it and smile. Don't expect her to be a repeat customer unless she has a sense of humor and can remember your name, after all you did cut the RED Maple.

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Originally posted by Husky288XP
What really pisses me off is not the fact of her ignorance, but the fact that she questions me. Me, a Tree Care Worker, she called me for the job.

Husky, you seem to have missed the recent "Latin" thread, in which the folly of putting uncommon weight on common names was pretty much blasted.

I agree with all the responses here except one. A gifted climber is a big liability on jobs if he disses customers and acts like an insensitive knowitall.

Even after you rack up a ton of credentials and become an RCA, you still will be questioned, rightly or wrongly. If you don't know how to answer sensibly and sensitively, all your brilliance will be wasted. Authority is not built with Attitude, but is torn down by it.

As far as the $800/$500 deal goes, ?That was just Attitude with style. It's good for a laugh but will lose you the job.

 

[coffeecraver]

It was just for fun.

To lighten a persons outlook.

 

[Husky288XP]

I kept a good positive attitude with the woman, but it seemed that she just wanted to argue with me over the issue. I have no problem with people that are or are not receptive to what I tell them. She was the one that started to cop the attitude, that's what will send me over the edge. I will try to educate anyone on arboriculture matters, but if they start with an attitude and will argue with me. I tend not to take it well. I deal with this all the time but it seemed that she just really bothered me. I don't know may it was just bad timing.

 

[NeTree]

I think the problem is that people hire a professional, and then place no value on your opinion as such. It used to bother be a little, but now i don't care. Either they'll listen or they won't.

The ones that are especially irritating are the ones that aren't subjective to opinion... many professionals may argue over whether a particular limb needs to be removed or not, but whether or not a tree is a particular species is pretty much matter-of-fact.

Know what I mean?