Homeowner gets taken advantage of

[Alex Kriss]

TreePointer, Thank you very much for your comment and the information. As stated, I am only a home owner, Not someone involved in tree trimming and firewood sales. Having said that, if I was a firewood retailer and could buy tons of wood for a small amount of money I think it would peak my interest.

 

[Alex Kriss]

Blackdogon57. Unfortunately I wouldn't be able to help anyone load the truck. I'm 60 years old, can hardly walk because of MS and am recovering from a bout of cancer. If someone wants to haul it away for free that's ok with me

 

[Zale]

Alex Kriss- did the guy's phone number who took the tree down start with 540-?

 

[Alex Kriss]

Alex Kriss- did the guy's phone number who took the tree down start with 540-?

Yes it does. Does that mean it's a burner or a Obama phone?

 

[lfnh]

There was a contract for this takedown you paid a professional to complete, correct ?
What did the contract specify ?
Down, bucked, chip brush, haulaway rounds, sweep up etc or something less than that ?
What was the payment schedule ?

 

[Zale]

Yes it does. Does that mean it's a burner or a Obama phone?

No, it means you will never see the guy again. He lives out west in the Winchester area. Consider yourself fortunate nothing was damaged and he actually cut the whole tree down before running of. You got off lucky.

 

[Alex Kriss]

lfnh. Unfortunately I didn't have a written contract. I've always had a problem in that I trust people and take them at their word. You would think at 60 years old I would be smarter than that. I also paid him in cash. I'm bad

 

[discounthunter]

friendly word of advice. give it away. this wood as is has NO value. it is green,unsplit,odd sized, and faily large. some one could eventually use it as firewood but they have to drive out there,load it ,unload it,split it and sit on it for 9 months to a year.

 

[Alex Kriss]

Zale. Thanks for letting me know that. I guess I am lucky after all. Do you know the guy?

 

[Alex Kriss]

discountthunder. Thank you for the advice

 

[lfnh]

lfnh. Unfortunately I didn't have a written contract. I've always had a problem in that I trust people and take them at their word. You would think at 60 years old I would be smarter than that. I also paid him in cash. I'm bad

Not hardly. Most have been there, just need to let someone who is interested what the situation at this point, so there's no messy stuff with a contract unfulfilled.
discounthunter has good suggestion there.
Good luck

 

[TreePointer]

TreePointer, Thank you very much for your comment and the information. As stated, I am only a home owner, Not someone involved in tree trimming and firewood sales. Having said that, if I was a firewood retailer and could buy tons of wood for a small amount of money I think it would peak my interest.

Happy to help. I sincerely feel bad for anyone who is a victim of dishonest dealings. Actually, I'm also angry that these things happen and give the rest of us firewooders and even professional arborists a bad name.

Lots of "firewood retailers" are tree service professionals who have to pay a dump/landfill to take their brush, logs, and stumps, so they take some of it back to their processing yards for c/s/s (cutting/splitting/stacking) and later selling as firewood. They certainly are not going to pay to take wood.

The rest of the firewood scroungers won't pay for wood unless they are desperate. This usually means that they burn wood to heat their homes and have run out before the end of heating season. Only then will they pay to get processed and seasoned firewood. Some will pay $10-20 per pickup truck load to cut treetops from a timber harvest, but that is also rare.

Another thing working against your getting any money out of your tree is the season. There are plenty of other homeowners who have winter/spring blow downs that are willing to give the wood away just to get it off their lawn. You are competing against them in the marketplace.

 

[Alex Kriss]

Happy to help. I sincerely feel bad for anyone who is a victim of dishonest dealings. Actually, I'm also angry that these things happen and give the rest of us firewooders and even professional arborists a bad name.

Lots of "firewood retailers" are tree service professionals who have to pay a dump/landfill to take their brush, logs, and stumps, so they take some of it back to their processing yards for c/s/s (cutting/splitting/stacking) and later selling as firewood. They certainly are not going to pay to take wood.

The rest of the firewood scroungers won't pay for wood unless they are desperate. This usually means that they burn wood to heat their homes and have run out before the end of heating season. Only then will they pay to get processed and seasoned firewood. Some will pay $10-20 per pickup truck load to cut treetops from a timber harvest, but that is also rare.

Another thing working against your getting any money out of your tree is the season. There are plenty of other homeowners who have winter/spring blow downs that are willing to give the wood away just to get it off their lawn. You are competing against them in the marketplace.

Treepointer. This has been a very informative 12 hours on this web site and I appreciate your time

 

[zogger]

If it was me, and I didn't burn wood, and wanted to recoup costs, I would finish cutting it to size, split it, stack it up on pallets and sell it next fall at full local retail price.

And in the meantime, just drag it off into the yard and outta the driveway.

 

[UpOnTheHill]

Alex - sorry for your being taken advantage of. It makes it hard to trust people - even those of us that are trustworthy. Do you know anyone that burns firewood? Start asking friends and relatives. I imagine there has to be someone local that is an average joe like me and heats his house with wood. If one of my neighbors asked me if I would take care of that for free, I'd be tripping over my own feet loading the saws into the truck. Now you might have to help out with cleanup even if its hiring a neighborhood kid looking to make $20. If it were me, I'd bring help with me and do it no charge, but thats how I operate and how I was raised up. Good luck, I'm sure it will work out. Figure out how to move the logs off the driveway and go from there.

 

[jimmycrackcorn]

Sounds like you're selling the wood to break even on the removal? For $600 your driveway might stay blocked for a while


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That's what it sounds like to me.. The guy keeps talking about his "loss"... Now, If someone comes & takes it away for free the job is now completed at a price point he agreed to pay for to begin with.. At that point there is no loss besides the aggravation & having to park outside your driveway.

I'm not promoting the a$$ who burned him but $600 & you will allow someone to do you a favor? With that attitude no wonder this guy got burned..

 

[Alex Kriss]

That's what it sounds like to me.. The guy keeps talking about his "loss"... Now, If someone comes & takes it away for free the job is now completed at a price point he agreed to pay for to begin with.. At that point there is no loss besides the aggravation & having to park outside your driveway.

I'm not promoting the a$$ who burned him but $600 & you will allow someone to do you a favor? With that attitude no wonder this guy got burned..

Zogger and UpOnTheHill, Thank you. I am hoping to resolve this problem on Sunday
.
jimmycrackcorn, If you pay for something you don't get would you consider it a loss? I paid to have the tree cut down, cut up and removed. It didn't get removed and that is the "loss" I was referring to. It is true that if someone comes to my house and removes this tree for free than I have not occurred that loss. What do you think the odds are of that happening? I feel it is slim since UponTheHill doesn't live near me. (He sounds like a very nice person)

 

[Zale]

Zale. Thanks for letting me know that. I guess I am lucky after all. Do you know the guy?

No I don't know the guy but I know the type. Guys like him come into the Washington, DC. area every day and just cruise the neighborhoods. Once the pickup is full, they head back home. They always ask for cash and will talk you into paying them before the job is done. Consider it a learning experience and move on.

 

[bert the turtle]

Alex, in my opinion some of the guys are being a bit harsh on you. It sounds like you got shafted on this job and unfortunately that happens. If you have a truck and a saw, there will always be people to take advantage of if that is your game. It happened to me after an ice storm 10 years ago or so. Live and learn.

Anyway, the bottom line on this wood is that you want/need the firewood gone. It sounds like you made the $600 Craigslist offer on the assumption that $600 is a fair or even bargain price, based on your assessment of the retail value of firewood. The wood really isn't worth very much, it is the labor that gets it into burning condition (cutting, splitting, stacking, and then waiting) that adds the value. Offer it free on Craigslist. It really isn't free- the guy picking it up is doing the work that the person you paid should have done and is getting paid in firewood.

It will be a fair deal for the guy getting the wood and it will be gone. Gone is the outcome you are trying to achieve. You got screwed and the best you can do now it is give the wood away. You'll end up with the outcome you wanted (tree gone) and while you will know that one guy gave you a raw deal, you will sleep well at night knowing you gave somebody a fair deal. That is worth more than the few $$ you might eventually get selling the wood to somebody. In all likelihood, it will rot in the driveway before someone will pay you to take it off your hands, especially after the winter weather we've had with trees down everywhere.

 

[Alex Kriss]

No I don't know the guy but I know the type. Guys like him come into the Washington, DC. area every day and just cruise the neighborhoods. Once the pickup is full, they head back home. They always ask for cash and will talk you into paying them before the job is done. Consider it a learning experience and move on.

Zale, That I shall. Thanks