PIA customer, do you take the job?

[glenn31792]

My friend owns a campground. I get called out to help with storm damage.

This guy just says “do what ya gotta do, this thing is totaled”

I talk with this guy.

5” branch pierced his trailers roof. I tell him its totaled.
Insurance does not mess with these. I also tell him his truck is totaled. I
explain how I will cut the tree and slide it off of his truck for X $.
He tells me “ don’t scratch my truck, if you cant get it off of my truck with out
doing anymore damage don’t do anything”.
I get the feeling this guy will be a complete PIA and not worth the trouble so I say
“Ok looks like you are going to have to call a crane”.
The guy calls a crane pays a 2 hour minimum of $300 an hour. The insurance
guy comes around the next morning and totals his truck. I think the guy was out the $600.

 

[ASD]

If the customer starts out as a Pia or has un reasonable ideas of how a job is going to be done or come out we pass !! As more often then not it goes down hill from their.

 

[reachtreeservi]

If you can't do it without scratching his truck...... LOL

Yeah, I'd take a pass on this guy. For sure !

 

[custom8726]

There are quite a few other options then using a crane to remove the tree from his truck without any additional damage but if the guy was going to be a bug about it you were probably better off walking away from it.

 

[treemandan]

Don't scratch the truck? Don't scratch the truck? Don't scratch the truck?
Bill Cosby ain't got nothing on this guy. People do say the darnest things. Don't scratch the truck? Maybe he should sue the campground for having trees like that so close to where he parks it, get his 600 back poor guy.

 

[(WLL)]

you scrached my friggin truck!!!!!!!!hone::bang:

 

[reachtreeservi]

you scrached my friggin truck!!!!!!!!hone::bang:

LOL

 

[lxt]

LOL....dont scratch my truck....Id ask him if he could move it outta the way?


LXT.........

 

[glenn31792]

There are quite a few other options then using a crane to remove the tree from his truck



No the crane was the way to go. I got to see the PIA pay $600.
It was fun watching the crane and the crane operator was really cool. He
asked me if there was anything he could do for us because he had been paid
for 2 hours and didn't mind sticking around a little while. He made 2 lifts
for us and split. He wasn't even on the property 50 minutes.

The hood has a crease in it. Not as bad as I was expecting.

To be fair, I understand the guy was having a bad day.
I would have been pissed for a bit but in the end nobody
was hurt and insurance will pay for the truck and trailer.

 

[custom8726]

There are quite a few other options then using a crane to remove the tree from his truck



No the crane was the way to go. I got to see the PIA pay $600.
It was fun watching the crane and the crane operator was really cool. He
asked me if there was anything he could do for us because he had been paid
for 2 hours and didn't mind sticking around a little while. He made 2 lifts
for us and split. He wasn't even on the property 50 minutes.

The hood has a crease in it. Not as bad as I was expecting.

I am not dis-agreeing with the crane being the way to go but if you have to rent or lease one it is not always the most cost effective way to go. I would have utilized my knuckle boom or skidsteer in that situation to safley remove the tree off of the truck without any further damage. If that was not an option for you, you could have utilized one of the other surrounding trees and a pulley with some simple rigging to accomplish a similar result that you got with the crane. But if money was not an object then by all means a crane was the way to go.

 

[glenn31792]

I'm not a tree co. Just answering a call for help from a friend.
All I had was a stihl 290.
I posted this because I can imagine some of the PIA people you
guys must have to deal with everyday. Its amazing how difficult
it is dealing with the public. I have all the respect for you guys
and the difficult jobs you do.

 

[treemandan]

I am not dis-agreeing with the crane being the way to go but if you have to rent or lease one it is not always the most cost effective way to go. I would have utilized my knuckle boom or skidsteer in that situation to safley remove the tree off of the truck without any further damage. If that was not an option for you, you could have utilized one of the other surrounding trees and a pulley with some simple rigging to accomplish a similar result that you got with the crane. But if money was not an object then by all means a crane was the way to go.

I would have piled rocks under the trunk to hold it while I let the air out of the tires.

 

[custom8726]

I would have piled rocks under the trunk to hold it while I let the air out of the tires.

I hope you are kidding!!

 

[treemandan]

I hope you are kidding!!

That is exactly what I would have said to the guy with the truck.

 

[windthrown]

Sounds all too... real! I have run ads like, "Have Chainsaws, will travel," after big storms where I have lived. You get all kinds. Some nice, some dumb, some still in shock. Cut a few cars out, and trees out of garages and off of roofs. Most are cool about it. The ones that are not? Hey, just walk away. No problemo. Must have been fun to watch the guy shell out the dough for the crane job on his nice truck though. He should have left it as it was for the insurance man (I would have). Its not like its was going anywhere.

But cool post. Nice photos. Good to see a 290 getting used to make some coin. Better reality than that crappy boring stuff that they show on American Idol. Or Dancing with the Stars.

 

[TDunk]

:

I would have piled rocks under the trunk to hold it while I let the air out of the tires.

:monkey: