Cut wrong tree??

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climberjones

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Just wondering if anyone has ever had a ho ask you to take down a tree over the phone or miscomunicated and you cut down the wrong tree? Ive just about had it happen so i was wondering!
 
Yup.

Realtor needed a tree cut down for the impending sale. Had to be done right away. Described the tree over the phone, a cherry tree with a pink flag in it on a gravel driveway on a particular road. Pretty specific. Went there, saw what I thought was the tree, a small cherry with a pink flag, and cut it down. Called her back to ask if the other tree with the other pink flag should come down right behind it. "What second pink flag?" she said. :eek:

Turns out it was on the OTHER gravel driveway on the same street. What are the odds of pink flags on two different cherrys on the same street, both gravel driveways????

Cut down the right tree right away and got out of the neighborhood quick. Never sent a bill for the correct tree and ironically, worked for the homeowner of the wrong tree on a different project. Never knew and to this day, still doesn't know, who cut the tree down.;)
 
Yes. A lady stopped me and said she wanted to pay for taking down a tree in her son's backyard. Can't miss it. So I went in the backyard and there was a stone dead cottonwood in the septic leach field. It wasn't big, maybe 40 ft. and I could wedge it over away from the leach field. But that tree stunk worse than any tree I've ever cut. The saws stunk, all my clothes stunk, the truck stunk. The lady came over when I was almost done. Wrong tree. There was a sugar maple with the good side on the side I was working and a very bad side which was away from me. She paid for the maple and kicked in a little for the cottonwood. It was a good lesson in communication and taught me to always have the HO mark the tree if I'm going in blind.
Phil
 
capetrees said:
Yup.

Realtor needed a tree cut down for the impending sale. Had to be done right away. Described the tree over the phone, a cherry tree with a pink flag in it on a gravel driveway on a particular road. Pretty specific. Went there, saw what I thought was the tree, a small cherry with a pink flag, and cut it down. Called her back to ask if the other tree with the other pink flag should come down right behind it. "What second pink flag?" she said. :eek:

Turns out it was on the OTHER gravel driveway on the same street. What are the odds of pink flags on two different cherrys on the same street, both gravel driveways????

Cut down the right tree right away and got out of the neighborhood quick. Never sent a bill for the correct tree and ironically, worked for the homeowner of the wrong tree on a different project. Never knew and to this day, still doesn't know, who cut the tree down.;)
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Well he is gonna now!;)

Dam! How would you like to take that to the grave with ya?
 
Once a foreman got me to cut down a tree that was just supposed to have the deadwood taken out off. The tree was like half dead.

Once a lady tried to fool me into taking down another tree by saying I cut down the wrong tree.

I tell ya I have always been very careful , its taken extra time, sometime a 2 trips back to double check everything but I never have cut the wrong tree down.

Capes must have been in some kind of time/space continuem. I was almost in one just like it but got out before anything happened.
 
Almost. Not only was it the wrong tree it was the wrong house too. We got an invoice for a maple removal in the front yard but the address on the invoice had 2 numbers switched. So we get everything all set to go i just climbed up to my TIP and tied in dropped 1 limb and the HO pulled up and jumped outta the car like a mad man but he understood the mistake and we laughed about it. But the stupid part is that the HO where we were supposed to be stood in her yard and watched us...you would think it might click in her head..."hey wait a minute this company is supposed to be cutting my tree today not that one"...
 
Yep, friend of my dad's called me to remove a cedar that was near his eaves last year, said just go take care of it. Got there, his wife was home, she said yep there it is, growing into the and pushing the eaves in (really bad) cut it down, chip it all, wife pays us, even gives a good tip. Later that night the husband calls all in a huff, said it was the wrong tree, it was another cedar on the other side of the house he wanted removed! (it was a really big home) Said oh? Then I explained that his wife was the one that pointed it out to us! Told him why would you want a tree that big growing into the eaves like that anyways?>He says well yeah, anyways, went back the next day and took care of the original! Funny now, but I thought he was pulling my chain when he originally called me that night! (he wasn't) Now I clarify everything and have people sign off no matter how small. Thank goodness he was understanding and a friend of my dad's:msp_smile:
 
deevo said:
Yep, friend of my dad's called me to remove a cedar that was near his eaves last year, said just go take care of it. Got there, his wife was home, she said yep there it is, growing into the and pushing the eaves in (really bad) cut it down, chip it all, wife pays us, even gives a good tip. Later that night the husband calls all in a huff, said it was the wrong tree, it was another cedar on the other side of the house he wanted removed! (it was a really big home) Said oh? Then I explained that his wife was the one that pointed it out to us! Told him why would you want a tree that big growing into the eaves like that anyways?>He says well yeah, anyways, went back the next day and took care of the original! Funny now, but I thought he was pulling my chain when he originally called me that night! (he wasn't) Now I clarify everything and have people sign off no matter how small. Thank goodness he was understanding and a friend of my dad's:msp_smile:
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What do you mean " thank goodness he was understanding"? Dam dude, you didn't cut the wrong tree. Judgement in favor of you. I hope you charged for both.
 
treemandan said:
What do you mean " thank goodness he was understanding"? Dam dude, you didn't cut the wrong tree. Judgement in favor of you. I hope you charged for both.
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+1 Wife pointed the tree out to you then paid you for it after seeing which one was cut. You did the right job, end of story. The communication break down there was husband/wife...not contractor/client.

It is one thing to miss communicate over the phone, but to have it actually pointed out to you by the homeowner (assuming they both own it...), that is not a miss on your part.
 
ATH said:
+1 Wife pointed the tree out to you then paid you for it after seeing which one was cut. You did the right job, end of story. The communication break down there was husband/wife...not contractor/client.

It is one thing to miss communicate over the phone, but to have it actually pointed out to you by the homeowner (assuming they both own it...), that is not a miss on your part.
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I know, he was over at my Dads place for drinks when we were in Florida in March and we had a good laugh about it! It's all good now! Think he has small mans syndrome!:laugh:
 
A co worked had a mountain property and went to visit it and there was a new well drilled on his property. A realator had showed the well driller where to drill, but had not checked the property lines. The realator was selling the lot next door and was telling the buyer that some of my friends land was in the property that he was buying. The realator ate it big time. It pays to check twice.
 
Almost happened to me this week. Looked at a removal for a little chinese dude who couldn't speek much english so was communicating through his daughter who spoke a little "better" you could say... Said wanted dying tree removed at a rental property. Looked at the tree (so I thought) a maple thats been hacked away from the primaries for years, was in serious decline. Not too big of deal, a bit of travel time - I bid it at 900$.

So she saise the price was a bit high, but her dad wants it done and wants to meet me there to show me more work. Cool.. I met him there and he walks me into the back yard to show me the biggest silver maple I've ever seen. This had to be the biggest silver in Ohio, I should have taken pics.. Had to be 120ft in height and damn near as wide maybe 8- 10 ft at the base. Not a dead limb in this tree, just a glorious specimen. He saise " you cut this tree for 900 dollas and clean up rest of backyard".. I said um...."no, I cut this tree for 6 thousand dollas"... Would have taken 2 crane crews two days to remove this monster and about 20 miles away..

Thought this dude was gonna pull some Bruce Lee s##t on me as he started yelling "six thousen dolla - you crazy - too much!!" Damn removal was worth more then this condemned crack house looking rental... I just got in my truck and left LOL...
 
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Frank Boyers story reminds me of something I went through last summer. I went to help a friend of mine install a sign at a mexican resturaunt ( he owns a sign company ). For what ever reason he starts telling me this story about a guy he new that had a paving company in California. Apparantly, the guy took his crew to do the job and spent all day re-paving the parking lot of the Wendys resturaunt. As they were finishing up the owner showed up and told him " no its the back parking lot that was supposed to be re-paved". We were laughing at how could anyone not double check on a big job like that. As we were laughing and finishing setting the posts for the sign in concrete the owner of the mexican resturaunt comes out and says no the sign was supposed to be placed at the other entrance. Doh!!! True story.
 
Yup many moons ago was sent to a job by the boss with address written down and description of what to do when we get there.
Not all seems right but we begin but stopped after 2 small limbs off all saying sumthin NQR, then up rolls a car, what the hell ya doing yells owner...
Right street, right house number, right tree species job as described. We were just in the wrong dam suburb, twas very lucky we held back.
 
Once. The boss and I were walking a new job for a HOA. We're walking by a row of townhouses and he points at a Jap. maple that needs to come out. No problem. A couple of days later, I take out the Jap. maple (specimen tree). As we are finishing, I look over my shoulder and see another Jap. maple three houses down and suddenly realize what I had done. After that, all trees get painted for removal. No paint no removal.
 
Zale said:
Once. The boss and I were walking a new job for a HOA. We're walking by a row of townhouses and he points at a Jap. maple that needs to come out. No problem. A couple of days later, I take out the Jap. maple (specimen tree). As we are finishing, I look over my shoulder and see another Jap. maple three houses down and suddenly realize what I had done. After that, all trees get painted for removal. No paint no removal.
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I like to use ribbon, at least that way if anything changes the ribbon can be removed. Just gotta watch, I've had some slick HO's add ribbon to jobs...
 
I should take pics of some of the HO marking systems. Big chains, electric cords, huge signs, trunks slathered with house paint etc. I always tell them the wrong tree story as a a lead up to asking them to mark the trees so maybe the figure I'm not to bright. Once I marked the wrong tree on a multi tree job with orange tree paint. I found a new use for wound seal. I had two different brands that were different shades and I was able to cover it pretty well.
Phil
 
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