Homeowner gets taken advantage of

[jrider]

Guys read the OP,s reply's and see that he does not care about getting paid for the wood. He has since stated this on more than 1 occasion.You guys know a lot more about arbourist/firewood activities than he does, and surely would be better to offer advice than to throw him under the first passing bus.

That seems to be the general nature of this place. Many internet tough guys jumping all over people. Sad, because there is a lot of knowledge to be gained here, you just have to swim through an awful lot of crap to obtain it.

 

[macattack_ga]

He's 20min from me. I'll be there Sunday and get it taken care of. It'll be a win-win for both of us.

 

[blackdogon57]

Here's what your ad might look like if you really want to give away the wood.

FREE FIREWOOD!FREE FREE FREE (Riverdale, MD)

I have plenty of firewood available for free. You may need a chainsaw to cut the larger pieces. Maple. Thanks!

Here's what yours looks like on CL right now:
Beech firewood (Annandale Va)

I had a HUGE beech tree cut down. There is TONS of wood available. You will need a big truck and a chainsaw to cut the pieces to length. Beech is a GREAT wood for burning. The pieces are up to 24" in dia. Give me a call or email me and we can work something out. Alex

Maybe you should call someone like this guy:

Looking for free firewood

Looking for free firewood , I heat with wood and need to start getting it for next year. I'm in the Laytonsville , MD area.. Please email me if you have any downed trees you would like cut up and hauled off your property !!!
Thank you

 

[Deleted member 116684]

I wish I lived closer. I would love some wood to cut and split, though I don't need any

 

[Sawyer Rob]

If I lived closer I would be there in a heartbeat just so you could use your driveway!

Ted

Me too!

Sometimes I can't believe the rude replies I read on this site...

SR

 

[NSMaple1]

I would definitely not say that wood is not worth anything.

Or are all the guys saying that it isn't really giving their worthless trees away for nothing? Stumpage prices are not zero - and that stuff is already cut down, partly cut up, and roadside. Pretty hard to beat beech for firewood too.

 

[luckydozenfarm]

It's worth something to someone for sure. But he has a few issues working against him:
1) it's not cut to a consistent length
2) it's blocking his driveway.
3) It's only ONE tree, most firewood dealers prob wouldn't be interested unless they happen to be in the area.
4) It's April not December..not many are looking to buy firewood right now.
5) He has MS which probably prevents him from splitting/stacking it to sell it.

I would suggest he let macattack take care of it this weekend and call it a day. He's in the area and is willing to move it for him.

 

[old_soul]

Ronnyb. At first I thought you meant the person that I paid in full to do a job and then not only didn't finish the job by hauling the wood away but won't return my phone calls was a ********** but upon reading your comment again it appears you are calling ME the **********. I don't understand. I paid someone thousands of dollars to do this job. I'm not familiar with the firewood buying/selling process but I thought that now that I have tons of beach wood in my driveway that it would be worth money. I see 7 pieces of firewood for sale at the local 7-11 for $10. My understanding is that beach is as good as oak for burning. I thought that maybe someone would be willing to buy the wood from me and I guessed at a price. I did not find this guy on craigslist. I also don't understand your "Good job Walmartian" comment. Would you please be so kind as to explain that to me?
Thank you

Sorry to hear about your situation, having said that, I cannot believe you paid the guy "thousands" for that tree.

For thousands he should have showed up with the proper equipment to load out the wood (meaning crane, loader, wood truck, etc etc) Look at those cuts! All those little pieces, now it's twice as much work to load by hand.

That tree is not even that big, should have been loaded up and gone by noon. Most companies I know will not take payment until the job is done, that is a BIG mistake to pay ahead with an unknown operation.

If you were close by, I would help ya out just because I hate to hear about "companies" who do this kind of work. And even worse to screw someone who has a disability.

 

[Toddppm]

If everybody is looking for someone to pound on, lets get the guys name and information. These jackasses are a dime a dozen. They swarm in everyday from Culpeper, Winchester, WV etc. and dump on the side of the road somewhere on the way back. It's really hard to believe people consistently fall for this **** over and over and over. I guess a good deal is too hard to pass up....
Here's what should be done to every one of these "companies" that do this type of **** http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/38/425805.html
With the internets the way it is now all it takes is a quick search to see who you're dealing with.

 

[jimmycrackcorn]

If everybody is looking for someone to pound on, lets get the guys name and information. These jackasses are a dime a dozen. They swarm in everyday from Culpeper, Winchester, WV etc. and dump on the side of the road somewhere on the way back. It's really hard to believe people consistently fall for this **** over and over and over. I guess a good deal is too hard to pass up....
Here's what should be done to every one of these "companies" that do this type of **** http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/38/425805.html
With the internets the way it is now all it takes is a quick search to see who you're dealing with.

Is it that bad down your way? That's nuts, just dumped on the side of the road?

We all know how they get away with it.. It's obviously because the homeowners let uninsured, unlicensed, un-comped, low ballers do the work. Let's face it, times are tough, PPL want/need services done that they can't afford. They either get 20 bids & go with the cheapest or go with the first guy they talk to without doing there homework.. Always do your homework! The internet is a plethora of information at your fingertips like Todd mentioned. If you never heard of the guy or he can't provide proof of insurance walk away.. Also, a simple way to avoid getting burned is to never pay upfront. When ppl in this line of work ask for a deposit it is a total red flag because there is no material to be out on the cuff. In my experience the ones who ask for deposits around here are either drunks/drug addicts, fly by nights, or business owners who can't make payroll or put fuel in the trucks usually because the of a shady habit. That may sound harsh to some of my fellow AS members, chances are some do ask, but that's just my experience around here, not looking for a debate. We don't take payment until the property is walked by the homeowner & everything is kosh, if they're not home at the time we will bill or wait. So most of the time we bear the risk of being burned, not the other way around, that's just how legitimate business works IMO. As a homeowner you just have to be smart, if your crazy enough to pay it, ask what the deposit covers & get a legal documented receipt with it all broken down. It's just common sense. I'm not speaking to the OP, just in general.

 

[old_soul]

Is it that bad down your way? That's nuts, just dumped on the side of the road?

We all know how they get away with it.. It's obviously because the homeowners let uninsured, unlicensed, un-comped, low ballers do the work. Let's face it, times are tough, PPL want/need services done that they can't afford. They either get 20 bids & go with the cheapest or go with the first guy they talk to without doing there homework.. Always do your homework! The internet is a plethora of information at your fingertips like Todd mentioned. If you never heard of the guy or he can't provide proof of insurance walk away.. Also, a simple way to avoid getting burned is to never pay upfront. When ppl in this line of work ask for a deposit it is a total red flag because there is no material to be out on the cuff. In my experience the ones who ask for deposits around here are either drunks/drug addicts, fly by nights, or business owners who can't make payroll or put fuel in the trucks usually because the of a shady habit. That may sound harsh to some of my fellow AS members, chances are some do ask, but that's just my experience around here, not looking for a debate. We don't take payment until the property is walked by the homeowner & everything is kosh, if they're not home at the time we will bill or wait. So most of the time we bear the risk of being burned, not the other way around, that's just how legitimate business works IMO. As a homeowner you just have to be smart, if your crazy enough to pay it, ask what the deposit covers & get a legal documented receipt with it all broken down. It's just common sense. I'm not speaking to the OP, just in general.

Doesn't sound harsh to me. I agree with you.

That's why I hate the craigs list crap so much, it just spreads this kind of shoddy work around even more.

I waste more time looking at jobs now than ever, people actually hire these clowns and this thread is what you get.

Lowest bid is not always best bid if only half the work gets done.

Written estimate should always be sent ahead of time. Even if homeowner doesn't ask for one. Details what is expected for the job and the price.

Sorry I don't mean to derail this guy's thread but I see this kind of thing more and more and more lately.

 

[Toddppm]

Is it that bad down your way? That's nuts, just dumped on the side of the road?

We all know how they get away with it.. It's obviously because the homeowners let uninsured, unlicensed, un-comped, low ballers do the work. Let's face it, times are tough, PPL want/need services done that they can't afford. They either get 20 bids & go with the cheapest or go with the first guy they talk to without doing there homework.. Always do your homework! The internet is a plethora of information at your fingertips like Todd mentioned. If you never heard of the guy or he can't provide proof of insurance walk away.. Also, a simple way to avoid getting burned is to never pay upfront. When ppl in this line of work ask for a deposit it is a total red flag because there is no material to be out on the cuff. In my experience the ones who ask for deposits around here are either drunks/drug addicts, fly by nights, or business owners who can't make payroll or put fuel in the trucks usually because the of a shady habit. That may sound harsh to some of my fellow AS members, chances are some do ask, but that's just my experience around here, not looking for a debate. We don't take payment until the property is walked by the homeowner & everything is kosh, if they're not home at the time we will bill or wait. So most of the time we bear the risk of being burned, not the other way around, that's just how legitimate business works IMO. As a homeowner you just have to be smart, if your crazy enough to pay it, ask what the deposit covers & get a legal documented receipt with it all broken down. It's just common sense. I'm not speaking to the OP, just in general.

Funny thing is, this is a very wealthy area with just the 1 largest county about 1.5 million people. These guys do best I think in the middle class neighborhoods because they seem like down to earth nice guys. In the mega rich hoods they do well too though, especially the newest arrivals of illegal, unlicensed Jose's because the mega rich are all about saving a precious dollar.

 

[Alex Kriss]

First of all I want to thank everyone for all the information you have provided over the past 2 days. I was a little bummed last night by some comments by a very small minority of people but after reading more comments today I am reassured in my belief that most people in the United States are still very good people. With people like MacAttack_ga, LuckyDozenFarm, Jrider, bert the turtle and so many more I can hold on to my slight optimism that my grandchildren will enjoy living in the US. Enough said about that.
Second I would like to give a little more history regarding the situation I ended up in.
Old_Soul, I have to admit that I did exaggerate a bit when I said I paid thousands of dollars for this job. The exact amount was $1,860. I wish you did live close by.
I didn't find this person on Craigs List. He had done a tree removal for my next door neighbor and he did a good, complete job. He showed up with 2 helpers and a big mulching machine. I didn't see his insurance certificate but he did say he was insured. I will say they did do a good job in cutting my tree down. The tree trunk is 15 feet from my house and there is a wooden deck next to it. There was no damage done to either one.
I brain stormed the problem with my wife and she said that maybe his phone got broken and he doesn't know my number (I didn't mention 411) or worse yet he got hurt on a job and is in the hospital. I sure hope not.
l
So if you look at this picture of the "not so big tree" I'm curious as to how much you all
feel would be a reasonable amount for him to have charged? I live 10 miles south of our nations capital and things cost too much here.
Again in closing thank you very much for all the great posts. 73 as of a few moments ago. I have learned a lot about the tree business

 

[TreePointer]

I'd say that it's not an unreasonable price considering its size, proximity to structures, and the DC Metro market. (Yes, I have lived there and still visit many times per year.)

 

[Zale]

Looking at your picture, that is a fair price for the removal. In all honesty, I would have charged you more.

 

[woodsplitta]

I think you did ok with that price, that thing was a monster, what made you decide to take it down?

 

[blackdogon57]

Alex, take your advice and flee. Just stop posting

Who pissed in your corn flakes this morning ? This is one of the better threads that I have seen for a while. Curious to see if someone shows up to clean up the mess

 

[cantoo]

Where is all the brush? Is mcattack going to be in for a surprise? Tune in Sunday afternoon for the exciting conclusion.
People here sometimes ask for deposits because customers also can be deadbeats. We ask for deposits sometimes just to see the customers reaction.

 

[Alex Kriss]

Alex, take your advice and flee. Just stop posting

OK wahoowad. I'll stop posting

 

[Alex Kriss]

I think you did ok with that price, that thing was a monster, what made you decide to take it down?

I have 2 collies and the burs from the tree kept getting in their paws plus it shaded the house so much moss is growing on the roof and siding. This tree is always dropping something