pruning ?

[treeman82]

I did a job over the winter... some removal work, and then some pruning. The pruning consisted of a few branches on a sugar maple to let in more light for the vegetable garden, and then reducing 2 crab apples which were overgrown. I did the job, and got paid. The customer calls me up a few weeks back.. saying that I missed some branches. I told him that I had not. Well I get over there, he cut them down to the ground. WTF did I bother to reduce them for if he's gonna cut them down??? Made no sense to me. Now he wants me to come back and dispose of the branches... he's willing to pay for it, but not what it's worth.

I just don't understand people sometimes.

 

[BluestemTree]

I hate those customers. I did a similar job on a silver maple in a back yard last year and three days after the job was done, I heard that the customer fell 20 feet from his deck. He was standing on the railing, turning one of the branches into a big ugly stub with a pole saw. He was miraculously unhurt.

 

[af7850]

I'm not surprised. I say that you have to stand your ground. If you had a good reason not to remove those limbs, you ought to let him know.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I'm not surprised. I say that you have to stand your ground. If you had a good reason not to remove those limbs, you ought to let him know.

Many people do not care, you explain CODIT, proximity of leafmass to wounds, slow closure of large wounds... I don't care, cut it off.

More often then not I can convince people to go slow and remove large limbs as an evolution, thin it back, thin it back, then they may start to listen and not want it off "hey, your right, that is good enough."

Then you get the few who say, "you're the expert, do what is needed." I still try get an Idea of what they want to see though, so they are not disappointed.

 

[Dadatwins]

If I could figure people out, I sure as he!! would not be in this business, I would write a book, sell it on Oprah, and retire to paradise.

 

[BarkingMad]

Customer relations! Ah, the joy. Sure, there are some winners out there, but you've got to take the sweethearts and the idiots in stride. Look at them as a personal challenge: can you make peace and turn them into a decent client for future work? can you find out what you missed in your original discussion that might have led to a more successful outcome? Sometimes approaching them with humble curiosity can get a different spin on the deal. "Gee, what did I miss that you felt the need to go back and do all this work?" instead of ?WTF!!! Good luck!