arbor pro
Addicted to ArboristSite
It's not my living so I would be curious if I lost a big tree and needed a service.
What I would be thinking is: "Could I buy a bigger saw and cut it all myself for less than a service?" Assuming there was no danger factor, widow-makers etc. That's what might tip the scales for some...
My question though; is: "Could some of these callers be trying decide if they need to put in an insurance claim with their homeowners policy?" vs. trying to pay it out of their own pocket; or doing their own cutting..
Just curious - be gentle.
-br
It's very likely that a large number of folks call just to get 'rough' estimates for insurance or just for budgeting in the future. I regularly get calls from folks who are buying properties (with or w/out homes) and need a general idea of what it will cost to do certain tree work or stump grinding so they can work the cost into their offer or consider it when applying for financing with the bank. I'm happly to obligue so long as they know a site visit and contract are necessary before any price is binding.
Often, I never hear from those callers again - they either do the work themselves or hire someone else and that's fine with me. But, sometimes, I get return calls after they close on the property and end up doing work with them just because I was courteous and professional the first time they called just looking for information.
I don't know about any of you but, I have to budget ahead of time for any significant home or property repairs. So, I try to call service companies several months before I plan to have any foreseen work done so I can find out how much to budget for it. I can tell you, it's tough to get an exterior painter to give you an estimate for painting your house when it's mid-January and 20 below outside! Nobody wants to show up for an estimate when they're booked up during the busy season or out ice fishing during the off-season. I ask for rough 'estimates' over the phone but, they won't give. So, I ask for a site visit but, no show. I keep going down the phone list until somebody responds professionally. Cost usually becomes less of an issue as finding someone who doesn't act uninterested or like an a$$ becomes more and more difficult.
I think the reason so many people like to get 'rough estimates' over the phone is because they've had bad luck in the past getting blokes to show up for a site estimate. They just want a rough number to know whether they can afford it or not and whether it's worth the effort of setting up the actual site visit.
I choose to be polite to inquiring callers in hope that some of them will give me their business sometime in the future. I know that if I speak rudely to them, I can be assured that none of them will be calling...
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