Guy say's I need a gun and mask.

[frashdog]

Guy calls me up and leaves a curt message, don't call me back I'm too busy. Show up, look at it and call me if no one is there for the quote. All righty then.

So I show up and he's there. He's kinda rude, no time for introduction of hand shake. "oh I got a dangerous tree here" I'm brought in back to see a 80'+ tall 4'+ dbh cottonwood with an old lightning strike scar down the trunk and bark rotting and falling off all around the bottom 15' of the trunk. Remote access into a small yard with neighbors on all sides. No room for bucket truck maybe a big crane in neighbors. Very small lz, lots of this tree is going to be lowered.

I tell him $3200. He says he probably will have that after the addition is put on. The addition is right next to the tree. So he asks me "how long will it take, a week?" I say, "no at least two days." He says' "you're going to get $3200 for two days, you need a mask and a gun" He turned around and walked away shaking his head. I tried to tell him the names of other tree services in the area.

I have not delt with someone like this before. It does not leave me feeling great, but I probably don't want to work for him in the end so it's probably for the better.

 

[mckeetree]

Guy calls me up and leaves a curt message, don't call me back I'm too busy. Show up, look at it and call me if no one is there for the quote. All righty then.

So I show up and he's there. He's kinda rude, no time for introduction of hand shake. "oh I got a dangerous tree here" I'm brought in back to see a 80'+ tall 4'+ dbh cottonwood with an old lightning strike scar down the trunk and bark rotting and falling off all around the bottom 15' of the trunk. Remote access into a small yard with neighbors on all sides. No room for bucket truck maybe a big crane in neighbors. Very small lz, lots of this tree is going to be lowered.

I tell him $3200. He says he probably will have that after the addition is put on. The addition is right next to the tree. So he asks me "how long will it take, a week?" I say, "no at least two days." He says' "you're going to get $3200 for two days, you need a mask and a gun" He turned around and walked away shaking his head. I tried to tell him the names of other tree services in the area.

I have not delt with someone like this before. It does not leave me feeling great, but I probably don't want to work for him in the end so it's probably for the better.

Well I have dealt with plenty of them. You were super reasonable on the quote. I would probably been around $5,500.00 based on your description of the situation. You can't win with a guy like that and I would not worry about him. It's his loss anyway.

 

[gr8scott72]

Guy calls me up and leaves a curt message, don't call me back I'm too busy. Show up, look at it and call me if no one is there for the quote. All righty then.

So I show up and he's there. He's kinda rude, no time for introduction of hand shake. "oh I got a dangerous tree here" I'm brought in back to see a 80'+ tall 4'+ dbh cottonwood with an old lightning strike scar down the trunk and bark rotting and falling off all around the bottom 15' of the trunk. Remote access into a small yard with neighbors on all sides. No room for bucket truck maybe a big crane in neighbors. Very small lz, lots of this tree is going to be lowered.

I tell him $3200. He says he probably will have that after the addition is put on. The addition is right next to the tree. So he asks me "how long will it take, a week?" I say, "no at least two days." He says' "you're going to get $3200 for two days, you need a mask and a gun" He turned around and walked away shaking his head. I tried to tell him the names of other tree services in the area.

I have not delt with someone like this before. It does not leave me feeling great, but I probably don't want to work for him in the end so it's probably for the better.

There's only one word you can say to yourself when you get a customer like that:

Next!!!

 

[Blakesmaster]

Guy calls me up and leaves a curt message, don't call me back I'm too busy. Show up, look at it and call me if no one is there for the quote. All righty then.

So I show up and he's there. He's kinda rude, no time for introduction of hand shake. "oh I got a dangerous tree here" I'm brought in back to see a 80'+ tall 4'+ dbh cottonwood with an old lightning strike scar down the trunk and bark rotting and falling off all around the bottom 15' of the trunk. Remote access into a small yard with neighbors on all sides. No room for bucket truck maybe a big crane in neighbors. Very small lz, lots of this tree is going to be lowered.

I tell him $3200. He says he probably will have that after the addition is put on. The addition is right next to the tree. So he asks me "how long will it take, a week?" I say, "no at least two days." He says' "you're going to get $3200 for two days, you need a mask and a gun" He turned around and walked away shaking his head. I tried to tell him the names of other tree services in the area.

I have not delt with someone like this before. It does not leave me feeling great, but I probably don't want to work for him in the end so it's probably for the better.

I would have never gone to look at it. If someone refuses to set up an appointment with me so we can look at THEIR project together my time obviously means very little to them. If my time means jack #### to them how can I expect to sell the job at a reasonable price? The only time I'll look at a job w/out the potential customer present is when it's a repeat customer and they're just trying to figure out how to budget my work in.

 

[Rftreeman]

he'll find some hack to do it for $1000.00 but I'd told him to hold on let me go get my gun and mask and I'd be right back...then laughed all the way to my truck.

 

[Scottscape]

:I run into my fair share of customers like this as I do alot of quotes atleast 8-12 quotes a day if I'm lucky. Most people don't know what the cost of tree removal is and one of my first questions is usually "Have you had any quotes yet already". Sure, hes disrespectful but that can definitely be turned around with some comebacks. I had a lady 3 weeks ago tell me I was tell me I was delerious as she ask me to grind some more stumps for her after being there to ground two when I told he the pricing. Then as I was leaving she ask how much it would be to clear 150-200' 12' into her woods of saplings no bigger than 3" just for view clearance. Sold the job for alittle over 3k and did it with a skid and ambusher in 5 hours. This can give you some things to work from. She loves me and has sent me 2 more customers within those couple weeks.

I'd call the guy up to see if he got anymore quotes on the job and follow up atleast. If hes still rude oh well atleast you weren't wrong.

-Scott

 

[clearance]

My all time favorite was when this guy told my buddy his price was crazy (it was not) and said "Ill do it myself" Buddy said "Is that right, tell me when you are going to do it, and I will bring a lawn chair, case of beer and a camera"

The cheap azz didn't like that one bit, I laughed my azz off. We walked away, too funny.

 

[frashdog]

Thanks for the replies folks. I tend to let stuff like this bother me too much. Thanks for the reassurance.

Lessons learned. I did notice the guy was doing the work on his addition himself. Yard, house drive way all a mess. Probably could not stomach to pay anyone to do it for a fair price.

I was thinking about what to do if he called me back after dealing with other tree guys' prices, of course unless he found some cheep hack. I think it would be in my best interest not to even think about working for him as per his behavior.

Just to give you an idea of our area and pricing. The day before I just did two large white pines w/limited access climbing required on both. Full cleanup. Chunk was wheeled 50yrds to truck and brush was chipped into woods. Not much liability aside from the septic system and other trees in yard. Long day for me and other subbed arborist, totaled $1600 for whole job. Fair deal all the way. Other tree guys with buckets only turned down the job. The only other guy in area who said he could do it wanted $3200 PER tree!
I told the dingdong today to call him.

 

[frashdog]

My all time favorite was when this guy told my buddy his price was crazy (it was not) and said "Ill do it myself" Buddy said "Is that right, tell me when you are going to do it, and I will bring a lawn chair, case of beer and a camera"

The cheap azz didn't like that one bit, I laughed my azz off. We walked away, too funny.

Some times I feel like offering free rental on my spikes and saws so long as I can video tape. I'll even offer some non paid advice.

 

[treemandan]

I would have crapped in my hand and thrown it at him, but I am a crap thrower, that is just my thing... really and though I usually try to find some other crap than my own I will make due with what I have.

 

[treemandan]

Some times I feel like offering free rental on my spikes and saws so long as I can video tape. I'll even offer some non paid advice.

Sounds good but I wouldn't offer the advice as it seems it would be a liablity to you.

 

[frashdog]

Sounds good but I wouldn't offer the advice as it seems it would be a liablity to you.

I hear ya, that's why I said nonpaid. I'm sure I could still get in trouble.

Probably be more fun to watch some one try and figure it out themselves too.

 

[Nailsbeats]

I hear ya, that's why I said nonpaid. I'm sure I could still get in trouble.

Probably be more fun to watch some one try and figure it out themselves too.

Until you find yourself strapping on your gear to lower an unconscious victim. I suppose that could be exciting though.

 

[capetrees]

Call him back, give him the names of the other companies in the area and let him price shop. From what others have said in here, your price is reasonable, probably low. Then, after you have given him the names of the other companies, NEVER answer his calls again. Though you won't get the job, he'll have to twist even worse writing a check to someone else for even more than he complained about in the first place. Just hearing his frustration on the other end of the line will be satisfaction enough.

I had a guy one time actually laugh at me on the phone after I told him my price to remove a pile of brush I looked at while he was at work. He though I was too high. He called back about a week later after three other companies didn't show and he was about to rent the house out with the pile of brush in the driveway. He called five times in the course of three days. Best part was that I cut a couple lawns near his house so he saw me from time to time driving by. Still has the pile next to the driveway, rotting, and its been over a year. :biggrinbounce2:

 

[StihlRockin']

I almost never tell the client how long it will take. When I get the question, I purposely chuckle a bit, then proceed to tell them that it depends. Depends on the weather, how busy I am, how many people on the crew that day, if my equipment breaks down, how I decide to take it down that day, etc, etc. Usually they just laugh a little with me and are no longer concerned with how long the job takes. Ok course I have a good idea how long it will be, but from my lengthy experience, I've learned it's best not to say because of the very reason the original poster just experienced.

StihlRockin'

 

[ozarktreeman]

I would have never gone to look at it. If someone refuses to set up an appointment with me so we can look at THEIR project together my time obviously means very little to them. If my time means jack #### to them how can I expect to sell the job at a reasonable price?


:agree2:


get a lot of calls come look and cal me back.uhuh!
cant close the deal unless im face to face.not comfortable with callin back with price.And wont do it that way!I have a 97% close rate and it,s hard to do over phone.

 

[ozarktreeman]

I would have crapped in my hand and thrown it at him, but I am a crap thrower, that is just my thing... really and though I usually try to find some other crap than my own I will make due with what I have.

lmao man i got to meet u for beers one day.the shat youcome up with is to funny!

 

[yooper]

I would have crapped in my hand and thrown it at him, but I am a crap thrower, that is just my thing... really and though I usually try to find some other crap than my own I will make due with what I have.

Thanks for the small amount of pee I just left in my pants....To bad I live in such a small area, I would become a poo thrower too

 

[NCTREE]

I had a customer recently like that. He wanted me to give him a price on trimming the dead out of a mulberry. He said the tree had sentimental value. HahA! Come on it's a mulberry! I went to look at the tree and told him if I cut the dead out there would be almost nothing left of the tree. I told him the tree was on its way out. He didn't care so I quoted him $800 to trim it. His reaction was: to much can't afford it as he turned his back to me and walks away. It pissed me off because I just drove a half hour to talk to this guy. I got back in my truck and closed the door and proceed to yell and swear at him through my closed windows as I pulled out of his driveway.

 

[newb]

You will probably see this job on Craigs List. We all know how valuable Cottonwood is. If you take the tree down and do a great job, I will "let" you have the wood.