price gouging? Charley...

[rmihalek]

Here's a snip of a lead article on cnn.com

ORLANDO, Fla. — The oak tree in Ilyse Kusnetz's back yard caused one headache when it crashed into her house during Hurricane Charley (search). Now the tree is sprouting a second worry: price gouging.

Kusnetz, 38, said Wednesday that she didn't have enough time to get several estimates from companies willing to cut it down and haul it away, so she's paying an Ohio-based crew $2,400.

"That might be reasonable and that might not, but there's no way of knowing," she said. The price could drop after a wait, Kusnetz acknowledges, yet a delay could bring more damage to her house.

I don't think $2400 is unreasonable at all for an emergency removal!

 

[Newfie]

Yeah, but the media will run a splashy article about, without any investigation.

 

[seanlarkin]

Write a letter to the editor to explain pricing structure. Chances are they'll run it in the Letters to Editor section.

-Sean

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Come on, people are suposed to travel across half the country and charge just slightly above market rates!

If the tree was big enough to cause damage then it sounds to me like 2400 is a very good deal.

 

[rb_in_va]

Rocky,
Is Stumper going back to FL with you to work?

 

[fmueller]

A tree company around here quoted $2600.00 to take down a big walnut next to a house, no emergency. Sounds like that lady is getting a deal fer cryin out loud!

 

[taznleo1]

When Izabell hit here last year, we had the same thing happen here. I have a different opinion that some of you guys. If someone is in need, don't try and rape them. We had homeowners here last year that had alot of trees down on houses, blocking their driveways. They get prices from tree companies and they would be outrageous, so instead of paying these outrageous fees, they try and do it themselves. There were reports on the news last year, that people were getting hurt or killed trying to do it themselves.
I tried to help out as many as I could last year. Some I even did for free, just to bring some relief to these people. They have their lives upside down and don't know what to do.
I have always believed, what comes around, goes around.
I understand your point of view, that tree companies are traveling miles to help these people out, but if you are going to rape them. It isn't helping.
I know the work that we do is dangerous and that we should be compensated for the work. But I much rather do the work and be safe, then have someone try and do it themselves and get hurt. I wish I could go down and help out...

 

[rb_in_va]

I heard that guys were driving around really nice neighborhoods in Williamsburg offering to cut people out of their driveways for $10k or more. Not to remove the whole tree or anything, just two cuts so they back their cars out. But the situation with the $2600 tree sounds different. Compared to the prices around here last year, that is quite a bargain.

 

[rmihalek]

Yeah, that was the reason I posted the clip from cnn. I thought the price sounded very reasonable even for a non-emergency removal, but here they're talking about an emergency removal of a fallen tree that is probably very unstable and requires much more effort than a standard take-down.

 

[NeTree]

one thing I try to keep in mind (and the very reason I started accepting credit cards) is that unlike the customers who look at their trees and decide to have something done and then budget accordingly, the storm customers weren't expecting to have to spend any money at all and probably are in a tight financial situation.

Price gougers are a$$holes, plain and simple. Charge a fair rate, not just what you can soak 'em for. I think we can all agree on that, at least.

I also don't believe in chasing storms. I'll go if I'm called in to assist another company, but otherwise I let the locals get the work.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

When the last storm came through here years back; it did not pick the best neighbor-hoods to frequent....

Old people in crumbling houses, some renters trapped, many no insurance, subsidized housing etc. Din't make much money that round as Taznleo quips about those in need....


But, then there are people, that call crying about tree on house, power won't be restored untill tree is off, demand a rush over there as it is sliding, this is an emergency.........my buddy comes gets me; they are praising us for the only ones to show in 2 days of calling; it is fixing to storm soon, and this situation is going from bad to worse; but they want a written estimate; to talk and hang out; with 4 men in truck that should be digging someone out. The best help we could give them was to let everyone know they needed a written estimate, so the quote man and not crew will come out.......................yeah right, when they have time!

Another emergency was to be a jr. high yard pickup of moss, pine cones etc., and raked on an estate; by a very demanding party, that were not even given a bid, another storm was coming and it woulda been ridiculous witht he present state of affairs (which now has subsided here somewhat); and we jsut played that stuff at the previous stop described above.

Some down here are hitting people for $400+/hr. for 2-3 men cutting small stuff with junk saws and dragging 15' etc. that don't have any tree experience to draw from, just have an old trimming saw!

 

[taznleo1]

I can understand why they would need a quote for insurance purposes. And I thought about it after I posted my reply last. I can understand why tree services charge so high, especally when they have traveled from another state. They need the money for hotel rooms, food, etc.
I haven't seen a picture of the $2400 tree on the house. It maybe a $2400 job. I just read the price gouging part. And kinda turned red in the face.
Like I said, we had it bad here last year. And the next morning after the storm, my wife and I went out. I had my saws, climbing gear, etc. In the back of the truck. That morning, I spend all day just helping out the state clear the roads. I didn't ask for any money, I just felt that I had to do my part.
Now the next couple of days that came after, my phone, cell phone rang off the hook. My wife just pulled out a note pad and took names and numbers. I treated it like a supermarket. First come, first served. No matter what the price differed from job to job. If there was a price at all..... Treated the Emergencies first. Hole in the roof, elderly, etc. I lost a few jobs along the way. But it didn't matter to me.
For the little rich lady that had a tree in her flower bed demanded that I had to do it right then and there. Yeah, the price was higher than normal.
But I priced jobs here that I could do in 1 hour, charge a couple of hundered dollars and they had gotten a quote from some tree company or a couple of guys that called themselves tree services, that charged a couple of thousands. Now that is price gouging!!!!

 

[MasterBlaster]

The company I was working for during Andrew's clean-up had a simple formula - threes times normal prices.

 

[wiley_p]

I got pissed when I read a similar article in the Seattle paper, the price you quoted sounds reasnable to me. There should be a little higher rate for storm work, also insurance is paying sometimes, not the customer, and a final point I stopped being a public servant 10+ years ago so the cheap work is a thing og the past, don't like the price don't have people do the work.

 

[wiley_p]

An intereesting point, were they paying you three times the normal rate for climbing?

 

[MasterBlaster]

We were on OT, and got a nice bonus when the job was through. I made some good coin, but after Uncle Sam and with all the headache of storm work, it just wasn't worth it for me.

Rocky was right, for sure. Storm work bites it, hard!

 

[wiley_p]

I've come to the same conclusion, the money isn't there for the extra exposure, I'm not in this work for the glory, and 9 out of 10 people don't posess the ability to breath thru their nose and see the big picture, kind of a potential recipe for disaster. I'll still work storms on occasion, But after the good blow we had here dutring the day last Dec. I realized that people don't a;ways think clearly and money should not be the primary reason to get into a hazardous environment. At least not until a good assessment has been done.

 

[glens]

Originally posted by netree
I also don't believe in chasing storms. I'll go if I'm called in to assist another company, but otherwise I let the locals get the work.

Somebody give the man a gold star!

Make the connection:<blockquote>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; A grade school teacher was asking students what their parents did
for a living.&nbsp; "Tim, you be first," she said.&nbsp; "What does your mother do
all day?"
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tim stood up and proudly said, "She's a doctor."
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; "That's wonderful.&nbsp; How about you, Amie?"
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Amie shyly stood up, scuffed her feet and said, "My father is a
mailman."
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; "Thank you, Amie," said the teacher.&nbsp; "What about your father, Billy?"
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Billy proudly stood up and announced, "My daddy plays piano in a
whorehouse."
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The teacher was aghast and promptly changed the subject to geography.
Later that day she went to Billy's house and rang the bell.&nbsp; Billy's father
answered the door.&nbsp; The teacher explained what his son had said and demanded
an explanation.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Billy's father replied, "Well, I'm really an attorney.&nbsp; But how do
you explain a thing like that to a seven-year-old child?"</blockquote>

 

[NeTree]

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

There is actually a local story about someone enforcing a contract that could be claimed to have been made under duress of a storm situation.

The contract was for $10,000 to get off house; took less than a day to get it barely off for sure. Insurance would only give 10k total, no money left for house; people actually had to move out and gave property to church across road; it kinda seems that the turned over root ball still stands high. But, honestly local lore has it that this party doesn't need a storm to smell blood in the water; and always has that contract and sales close.....