How to Avoid Dodgy Tree Services – Quick Guide in 6 Steps

Have you ever been done by a trades person, when they promised the world and delivered very little or maybe it’s all been smoke and mirrors. They were quick to take the job, quick to take your money upfront then disappear without trace, becoming virtually impossible to contact.

It doesn’t have to be like that!

 

We are on A Crusade Alongside Derbyshire Trading Standards

Derbyshire Trusted Trader was set up to give Rogue Traders the red card and we’re proud to be members.

This involves bringing Trust and Integrity to all tree services (members) in Derby and Derbyshire whether they are carried out by companies or individuals.

Trust your Gut Instinct

• If a situation doesn’t feel right then it probably won’t turn out too well
• If you feel pressured – Take a step back, take back control
• If the price seems too good to be true, ask yourself the following questions

(1) What corners are being cut

(2) Will the job be done properly, or could you be paying someone else to pick up the pieces

(3) Are your trees and property at risk?

(4) Where is the waste being dumped?

 

QUICK GUIDE IN 6 STEPS

If you ask the following 6 Questions, you could save yourself a lot of Hassle!

 

1. ARE YOU INSURED?

Companies or individuals will often say that they are insured but bear in mind things may not be as they seem

• Are they actually insured at all? – Ask to see their insurance documents
• If a job goes wrong, i.e. accidents or damage to your property and the company you’ve hired has no insurance or inadequate insurance this could leave you with major problems and big bills

Thankfully if you’re a member of Derbyshire Trusted Trader you have to provide up to date insurance documents every year and much more besides. If you don’t provide the required information your membership is terminated

 

2. ARE YOU QUALIFIED?

• Are the tree surgeons qualified to do the job
• Handle the equipment
• Maintain the equipment
• Are they following Health & Safety Guidelines
• Could your trees and property be risk?

 

 

3. CAN I HAVE A WRITTEN QUOTE?

Verbal promises, assurances or estimates can be problematic but a written quote provides protection for all parties because everyone knows where they stand.

The Importance of a Written Quote

• Don’t rely on a verbal quote always get it in writing, it’s a promise that the company or individual will carry out the work at a fixed cost, bear in mind some will charge for this service
• The company can’t charge you more than the price agreed unless the following happens: (1) You ask for extra work that wasn’t included in the quote (2) Due to unforeseen circumstances or issues extra work has to be done and you agree to pay (3) The company made a genuine mistake when calculating or writing down the price, they have the legal right to charge you what the price should have been
• If a company, contractor or individual are reluctant to give you a written quote, the alarm bells should be ringing because without such protection you don’t really know what you’re getting or you can’t compare like for like

 

BEWARE – An Estimate is a Rough Guess – You Could End Up Paying More!

 

 

4. Can I Trust You?

Do some research it could save you a whole lot of hassle and heartache further down the line

Look for the following evidence:

• The company exists
• They are fully insured
• Are they members of schemes like Derbyshire Trusted Trader, the fsb or other trusted 3rd party organisations. It’s great news for you if they are because they tend to do the hard work for you and carry out the necessary due diligence work on your behalf
• Is there a company website you can look at?

 

 

5. ARE YOU LOCAL?

 

• Companies who are local are more likely to know the area, the people and want to provide the outstanding service you deserve
• Money stays in the local economy, local people are employed meaning local people can continue to be served by local companies who tend to understand your needs better

 

 

6. CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT TYPE OF TREE THIS IS?

Quite a clever way of testing how professional and capable a tree services company are likely to be because if they don’t know what type of tree you’ve got this raises a few concerns:

• If they can’t answer a fairly routine question, for the most part, how are they going to deal with your tree in the proper manner, if they don’t know it’s limitations or the potential issues that may be related to that particular tree
• If they can’t answer the previous question, what else don’t they know?

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

 

Trees are very precious because they absorb odours and pollutant gases, they can create boundaries, structure and beauty in our gardens. It’s therefore really important that whether they need to be pruned, shaped or dead wood removal is required, it’s done by a professional tree surgeon who knows exactly how to handle a particular tree or to best maintain it so that it thrives.

This is why the above 6 step guide is so important because it makes it less likely that you’ll be subject to the nightmare scenario of your tree being butchered by someone who is unqualified or barely qualified. The damage caused could take years to rectify or lead to the untimely death of your tree.

So do yourself a favour and follow this guide

REMINDER OF THE MAIN POINTS, ENSURE:

 

 

• Tree company is fully Insured
• Tree surgeon is qualified
• Insist on a written quote
• Do your research to ensure you can trust the business concerned
• Wherever possible try and use companies that are local to you
• Don’t be afraid to ask other questions that you feel would put your mind at rest

Full Blog Post including a more detailed explanation of all the above section above

 

Attribution

 

 

Image References

Author: Paul. At wts wikivoya

Title: Derbyshire Map

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Derbyshire_map.png?uselang=en-gb

License: This file is licenced under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 1.0 Generic licence.

 

Image References

Author: By Gabriele Kothe-Heinrich

Title: Hippomane mancinella, manchineel tree

License: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Attribution

 

Author: Alli Caulfield

Title: Coast Redwood Sequoia sempervirens forest

License: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Take the Blog Quiz Challenge

What did you learn from our blog post?

 

Take the Blog Quiz Challenge, without referring back to the above article and see if you can get 100%

 

Amazing Tree Facts!

Most Dangerous Tree

The Manchineel tree (Hippomane Mancinella) can be found in southern Florida, the Carribean, also Central & northern America. It was dubbed “The Apple of death” by the Conquistadors.

The sap causes blistering & burning of the skin and when the bark is burning it could cause blindness.

 

Tallest Tree

These are Redwoods (Sequoia Sempervirens) in California, the tallest being the Hyperion at approximately 115.8 metres

 

What do You Think?

 

1. Did you find this blog post and our hints and tips useful, is there anything that you could add or you believe is missing?
2. Do you have any stories or experiences you want to share in connection with what we’ve been talking about?