Fallen tree being covered by Home Owner's Insurance, underpaid?

[Jakers]

to add to the "bad word of mouth" discussion, you have to consider the source too. if you took on a job for a guy that is known to be the neighborhood P.I.T.A. and he gives you bad word of mouth, most that hear it will say "well hes full of sh*t and complains about everything anyway so who knows" or something similar. now, if you drop a tree on the mayors house and tuck tail and run, thats a different story all together. all depends on the situation and the source. i do agree with the others that have stated taking one in the shorts to maintain dignity and pride can save a reputation. ive underbid jobs by $1000 and still did them to completion just to learn me a thing or two.

Edit: i also dont do "bids". my jobs are "estimates" but i still refuse to raise the price. i estimate a bit high and reserve the right to adjust the price in their favor if the job goes well and they were pleasant to work for. but asking for an extra amount is never good so i learned that lesson very early on

 

[xavier847]

Edit: i also dont do "bids". my jobs are "estimates" but i still refuse to raise the price. i estimate a bit high and reserve the right to adjust the price in their favor if the job goes well and they were pleasant to work for. but asking for an extra amount is never good so i learned that lesson very early on

That's an awesome approach, as I have been trying hard to figure out how to work with clients to alleviate tension as jobs don't go as I had planned them to. It's hard to know for sure how work will play out exactly, and when most of my business comes from neighbors who see me in action, my estimates are usually at the end of a long day and in haste. Clients, and even myself to this day, are surprised when the limbs we discussed trimming are on the ground in front of them and are much bigger than they appear in the trees. So, convincing the client of the labor costs upfront may be stifling, but at the end of it all they're usually in awe of what we have to go through.

Also, I have an 036 and am wondering what Masterminded means? Is that a set of modification to improve performance?

 

[Brian72]

Mastermind is a well respected saw builder. He does a lot of porting and performance saw mods. I've never dealt with him personally but he's got a great reputation. When they say it's Masterminded, it means he did the performance mods on the saw. Check his builds out on YouTube.

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[no tree to big]

Why not drag the car out from under the tree?

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[jefflovstrom]

That's an awesome approach, as I have been trying hard to figure out how to work with clients to alleviate tension as jobs don't go as I had planned them to. It's hard to know for sure how work will play out exactly, and when most of my business comes from neighbors who see me in action, my estimates are usually at the end of a long day and in haste. Clients, and even myself to this day, are surprised when the limbs we discussed trimming are on the ground in front of them and are much bigger than they appear in the trees. So, convincing the client of the labor costs upfront may be stifling, but at the end of it all they're usually in awe of what we have to go through.

We do many jobs like that where you try to give a price, but you need to think it out , but you gotta give a 'bid', estimate',etc,,
Have you tried going with and hourly rate with 'Not to exceed $****,?
Jeff

 

[xavier847]

Mastermind is a well respected saw builder.

Awesome, will do.

Why not drag the car out from under the tree?

If you look at the pictures it was fairly close to the base of the tree, after freeing it from being pinned, I did have it moved, making the rest of the removal a bit easier.

Have you tried going with and hourly rate with 'Not to exceed $****,?

With me and 1 other guy, I'm usually averaging $100/hr, but I've mostly been quoting competitively against what I believe the other businesses I know would quote. This is because I know I don't move as quickly as a crew with a full setup(eg bucket, skid loader, chipper). I'm still hauling material away on a trailer.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Awesome, will do.


If you look at the pictures it was fairly close to the base of the tree, after freeing it from being pinned, I did have it moved, making the rest of the removal a bit easier.


With me and 1 other guy, I'm usually averaging $100/hr, but I've mostly been quoting competitively against what I believe the other businesses I know would quote. This is because I know I don't move as quickly as a crew with a full setup(eg bucket, skid loader, chipper). I'm still hauling material away on a trailer.

Ah, so basically, a big crew with chip trucks and chippers ,etc,, they can out bid you, be in and out in 3-4 hours. Yeah, you are competitively bidding against those guy's. Like I said, that big company puts 5 guys there for 4 hours,,at your rate that would be $200 per man hour at $2000,
You said you bid it at $2000, so you actually bid it as if you were equal to the big company, just saying,
Jeff

 

[Jakers]

a tree should cost the same to remove whether you take it down leaf by leaf, in cookies, or with a crane. the price is for the tree. the time you spend on it depends on you

 

[Jakers]

We do many jobs like that where you try to give a price, but you need to think it out , but you gotta give a 'bid', estimate',etc,,
Have you tried going with and hourly rate with 'Not to exceed $****,?
Jeff

Done that many times but I only do that for people that are used to hearing big numbers up front. doctors, lawyers, or the big one in my area, FARMERS

 

[jefflovstrom]

Done that many times but I only do that for people that are used to hearing big numbers up front. doctors, lawyers, or the big one in my area, FARMERS

Yup, almost always an emergency job and the client usually understands,
Jeff

 

[no tree to big]

If you look at the pictures it was fairly close to the base of the tree, after freeing it from being pinned, I did have it moved, making the rest of the removal a bit

Looks like you removed the entire crown and the car was still under the tree.. I would have found a way to get that thing out of there asap looks like the tree is still halfway supporting itself. Cut that limb out from underneath that is on the car get it out. Orr let the air out of the tires drag it sideways or prop the tree next to the car and we have a few big badass bottle Jacks take a little weight and presto.

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[climbhightree]

So my question is was your original bid for 2000 include removing the trunk...were you originally planning too?

If so, you did not provide 2000 dollars worth of work for 1500. You only did 1500 worth of work, period. It just took you 2 grand worth of time for it, cause you under bid it.

I can understand leaving the trunk if only paid 1500, and customer agrees that is worth 500 to not remove it...but don't play it off as if you did 2 grand, if you originally were going to get it all and then ran out of time cause you bid low.

But maybe I am reading this wrong.

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[OLD OAK]

Why would take on a job and not be equiped to do it? = the trunk of the tree. If the customer agrees to the price and signs the contract then that's what they owe you. The insurance is their problem, the contract is between you and the customer. So I guess, no contract, no equipment, no insurance?? Great job, keep biding low

 

[hseII]

That's an awesome approach, as I have been trying hard to figure out how to work with clients to alleviate tension as jobs don't go as I had planned them to. It's hard to know for sure how work will play out exactly, and when most of my business comes from neighbors who see me in action, my estimates are usually at the end of a long day and in haste. Clients, and even myself to this day, are surprised when the limbs we discussed trimming are on the ground in front of them and are much bigger than they appear in the trees. So, convincing the client of the labor costs upfront may be stifling, but at the end of it all they're usually in awe of what we have to go through.

Also, I have an 036 and am wondering what Masterminded means? Is that a set of modification to improve performance?

Mastermind is a well respected saw builder. He does a lot of porting and performance saw mods. I've never dealt with him personally but he's got a great reputation. When they say it's Masterminded, it means he did the performance mods on the saw. Check his builds out on YouTube.

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Yes.

If you want something done by him, I recommend getting in touch with him now.










For work in 2021. [emoji38]