the ''No Insurance Blues''

[monkeypuzzle]

Who remembers the thread(2001) with the "cowboy hat'' treeguy and his hacking web site?

I tried to find it but geeezzz, anyway I just wanted to add this duke to the list.

www.therockwells.net

 

[xander9727]

Please don't get the impression I'm defending this hack. Like Rocky said the homeowner is obviously clueless. I believe he is also over inflating the value of his porch, or should I saw Pourch. While I can understand his frustration I wonder what he expects to achieve by sueing someone who can't even afford insurance. These things always end up bad. Then again I know what it's like to think your insured.

 

[Stumper]

Hmm..... Brian, I NEVER want money in advance but I request partial payment for work completed on jobs that go over $1200. That protects ME from getting soaked for multiple days of work.


The aggrieved homeowner is interesting. I sympathize but can't help noticing that he took pictures all the way through the job. Obviously the chunk ON the roof isn't the one that went through it. Did they lose two pieces? The concrete cracks in the pics do not look fresh to me.

 

[Stumper]

Good point Xander, Also----What about his(homeowner's) ins.? If He had his home insured they should pay and then they will decide whether or not to try to recover from the tree guy. Joe Homeowner is out the deductible but he has the $ he didn't pay to the hackster.

 

[mikecross23]

Sucks for that guy!!!

Just today I received a notice of cancelation of liability insurance effective Dec. 2003. Reason. . . "Broker no longer writes tree services."

I was going to up my coverage at renewal anyway, but what a pain to find a new company. Oh well, suck it up.

-Mike-

 

[geofore]

bogus?

I look at the pictures and wonder, sliding glass door off the second floor and no deck, just a railing very close to the door. This is small claims court stuff if they want to sue but homeowners insurance less deductable is not going to build a new deck up to building code. Even if the homeowner sues the tree service it won't pay for a deck up to code. He has a good case with all the pics but I'm a bit leery of what he may be trying for here, that railing doesn't look like it meets the building code either. Maybe that's why he is reluctant to notify his ins. they may come out and cancel his ins. for the not up to code railing. How did it get past the building inspector?

If the tree guy signed a contract saying he had ins. and he didn't that still doesn't pay for a new deck off the second floor or make the railing meet code. JMHO The concrete cracked and you have to wonder if that concrete "pourch" is up to code or is it sitting on the ground and heaving in the winter because it has no footer.

The tree guy is at fault for the roof but I have issues with the homeowner's construction meeting the building codes.

Worst case, the homeowner sues and wins and then his house is condemned for not beening built to code in the first place. IMHO

 

[TREETX]

You have no materials, thus no reason to get a deposit. Maybe a small deposit as a retainer ($50). I have done a few $20K jobs where I wished I had a deposit. Puts a dent in cashflow.

What were these guys thinking?? Reminds me a bit of my earlier days. If these guys knew they knew nothing, then they would know something. Shirts off and all on the job site - looks like a bunch of druggie ex-con hacks.

Does the climber have a mullet?? That is a crime itself. That should have been their fist tip.



What is a mullet?

This truly is a gem. Where did they think that chunk was going to go??

 

[monkeypuzzle]

Ashplund trained marlbro climber Most of the mullets I see now are being sported by a strange bunch of females that go around acting as men. Don't laugh at the ones riding Hogs, they will fight.


Fishy allright.

 

[TREETX]

This guy was a hack and it is an unfortunate incident.

Sounds like it couldn't have happened to a more deserving customer.

Here's the pricing:
Roof: Unknown damage yet
Porch roof: $400
Cement Patio: $2,000-$10,000
Pain and suffering: Unknown!

There is no friggin way that patio is 10K. I think the half they kept was fair.

Pain and suffering Ok, now I think the half they kept is way too much.

The kind of people that would demand the entire yard be re-landscaped if one tulip was scratched.

It would be easier for all tree workers if insurance varied depending on experience, education, and certifications.

 

[Menchhofer]

If it is the same guy I am thinking abut Tom Dunlap will remember his name. At the moment I cannot think of it

 

[Greg]

I'd like to hear the bedroom conversation at that house that night. Wife to husband---- You are so ???? cheap! I told you we should have gone with the other company but you just had to save the extra $300. yada yada yada....... No coochie for you!!

I agree that crack does not look like a result of the tree. The customer knew he hired a bunch of hacks that is why he was taking pics every 5 seconds, why would you have some one do that kind of work and not be confident that they can do it correctly? He got what he deserved. I'd love to know how many estimates he got and how much the average was.
Greg

 

[Acer]

I, for one, have absolutely no sympathy for this customer whatsoever. I'm just pleased that no-one got killed. If these people would check tree companies' credentials before taking them on, there would be fewer cowboys like these, and our insurance premiums wouldn't be going up by an order of magnitude every year. This subject's particularly close to my heart at the moment, as I've just received my insurance renewal notice. I've had to increase the public liability, but the annual premium has jumped from £1,150 to £4,770. After around 4 year's (accident and claim free) self employment in the UK, and the drain that has put on my savings, I couldn't raise that sort of money even if I sold everything I owned. So, that's the end of any more climbing for me

PS It would be quite ironic if this homeowner was beefing up the figures for a potential claim, given what else is on his website..pain and suffering, indeed!!

Two faced b*st*rd