Yeah, like I'd take this gig---

[Sunrise Guy]

I get this call, yesterday, from a guy: "Hi, I need to have a tree trimmed." "OK, give me some information on it. Where is it located on your property?" "Well, it's between this house I'm buying and the neighbor, next door." "OK, is it extending over your roof?" "Well, it actually is, but it's also going into the neighbor's yard and she's not happy about my having it trimmed." "Uh, can you tell me a bit more?" "Well, I actually had this other tree guy out here, but he quit after a few hours, so I need another guy." "Why did he quit?" "Well, the neighbor was hassling him and they had words." "They had words?" "Yeah, she's a community activist. I entered her name on the internet and there's a lot about her. She's into a lot of stuff. She actually called the cops and the city arborist, to complain. The cops came out and so did the arborist. I had to file a permit." "To do some minor trimming, you had to file a permit?" "Well, the woman wanted to make sure that everything was done perfectly so the tree would be OK." "This tree is on your property, right?" "Yeah, but she's on my HOA's board, and she oversees everything she can." "So, what's the current situation?" "Well, she wants the city arborist to oversee everything that's done and I'll be there, too, as she will, when you're doing the work." "This woman is an arborist? You're an arborist?" "No, but she wants to watch everything, and the city said that was cool with them." "Uh, do you live in one of Austin's tawny neighborhoods, like A or B, where everybody is an expert on everything?" "Yeah, I'm in B" "Look man, with all due respect, no offense intended, I'm going to pass on this gig. I don't need the money that bad. You're calling on my 4-hour special, and it's not worth it, to me, for the $325 I'll get on a simple trim job." "Look, I really need you to come out. Since you're a Certified Arborist the city will be happy and so will the woman. Can I pay you more? Please, I'll pay you double." "Sorry, man, I'm passing. Hope you find someone."

I actually felt bad, because the guy was needing to close on the house, and the present owner was willing to pay for the tree work, but I know of the woman he was talking about. She's a huge pain the the butt to so many folks who simply are trying to get a job done, in her neighborhood. She also regularly addresses the city council about every damn issue under the sun. She's an expert on everything, just ask her! If I had taken the gig, it could have gotten real ugly, real quick. Sometimes, it really is better to take a pass.

 

[SquirrelMan]

I have had a neighbor next to a job I was doing come out and demand a copy of my insurance. (10 in pine.. so far from her house that I would of had to knotch it at the bottom toward her house.. have someone stand pulling the rope towards her house.. and then place bets whether the tip top of the tree would even brush her house.) I personally told her to call the number on my flier and ask them.. never told her it was my cell number. Tree done by the time she came back. what a pita

 

[treeclimber101]

I deal with HOA every week , the common area trees are the only trees they (the association) can oversee unless the owner signed something otherwise , so tell that nuzey ##### to take a hike , and believe me when I have unwanted onlookers to tend to always put them downwind of the saw so they get a nice eye full and hair full of what I am doing . Man they really burn my ass , I don't even wanna get started on them , they are the worst in the snow . I piled a entire street worth of snow on a board members front lawn just so she couldn't see out her front window , and basically just to be a #### , granted I was yelled at for doing it and had to work a bit longer moving it 2xs on my own time , BUT DAMN IT WAS WORTH IT :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Dannicus]

That woman be shot......twice!

 

[arborealbuffoon]

Everyone's smarter than everyone else

I live in an entire TOWN full of experts. This place wouldn't even exist without the diploma factory we call the University of Iowa. After over 20 years in the business, I have had real problems only a handful of times.

One of the universal truths that apply to climbing around in a tree with a chainsaw is that people tend to shut the f#ck up and get out of the way. Then, there's always the "hearing protection excuse": I'm sorry, but I can't hear you..........

Now days, I have less than zero tolerance for some intellectual desk jockey hassling me while I am busting my butt to make a dollar. I guarantee that (if I even acknowledge their presence at all) I will tell them to get away from my job site. Failing that, I will invite them to call the cops if they really feel they have a legitimate gripe. But it never gets that far. These people here (members of the Wealthy Ruling Class) are self-important pompous pricks, but most are not completely stupid. The natural scowl on my face and the glint in my eye suffices to get these folks to go back inside.

Iowa City: Where everyone's smarter than everyone else

 

[Swamp Man]

i just tell people like that that i am the pro and they are not and they can kiss my ass about something that is NONE OF THEIR DAMN BUSINESS.

 

[l2edneck]

Some years back i had a similar experience.I was removing a orchid that had a branch come out and destroy the shed.The neighbor came out and demanded i stopped. They said "We bought this house because of those trees".But the are not on yer property,why would you do that.Anyway the called the police and they were told nothing they could do.The next day i came back to do some other work to find out they had trimmed the homeowners hedges over his fence.(Bounganvillea haha)I had him call the police and the were citing for destruction of property. Just another sweet justice story for stupid people of the world.

 

[Swamp Man]

IMO, HOAs are a joke. if i lived in a neighborhood that had one i would do things just to piss them off

 

[Sunrise Guy]

IMO, HOAs are a joke. if i lived in a neighborhood that had one i would do things just to piss them off

The absolute truth is, and you can do an internet search on this, HOA's can make your life hell, legally. They can seize your house if you miss a payment to them, they can impose heavy fines, that you must pay or face losing your house, if you violate any one of their rules, and they can make you miserable in the process.

I once was interested in a house, in a new development, here in Austin. The price was right, and the agent/development rep and I got down to drawing up the papers. Then I asked a few questions about the HOA and, for me, the floodgates opened! I couldn't do this, I couldn't do that, I had to do this but that way, etc., etc. The final straw was when he told me that all signage on my work truck had to be removed if my truck was going to sit in my driveway. MY DAMN DRIVEWAY! I literally reached across the desk, grabbed the forms I had filled out, got up, crumpling up the papers as I threw them in the trash can, and told the guy to have a nice day. To this day, I assure you, I will NEVER buy a property in an HOA area. NEVER!

 

[SquirrelMan]

The absolute truth is, and you can do an internet search on this, HOA's can make your life hell, legally. They can seize your house if you miss a payment to them, they can impose heavy fines, that you must pay or face losing your house, if you violate any one of their rules, and they can make you miserable in the process.

I once was interested in a house, in a new development, here in Austin. The price was right, and the agent/development rep and I got down to drawing up the papers. Then I asked a few questions about the HOA and, for me, the floodgates opened! I couldn't do this, I couldn't do that, I had to do this but that way, etc., etc. The final straw was when he told me that all signage on my work truck had to be removed if my truck was going to sit in my driveway. MY DAMN DRIVEWAY! I literally reached across the desk, grabbed the forms I had filled out, got up, crumpling up the papers as I threw them in the trash can, and told the guy to have a nice day. To this day, I assure you, I will NEVER buy a property in an HOA area. NEVER!

got a 5x8 trailer that was in my backyard, code enforcement says it has to be on cement surface. HOA is complaining its in my driveway, suggested i rent a parking spot at a uhaul. said yeah, can you send me $80 a month for storing a $400 trailer. What tards. they work in a office environment and look at everything as "on paper" I looked over all the paperwork and my trailer is not in violation btw so they can ####. When i buy a house though it will definitely not have neighbors within a footballs throw.

 

[Walt41]

I built a house in a HOA community for my MIL a few years ago, the next door neighbor is a retired building inspector and a know it all. It didn't take long for him to start with me, from complaining about the sprinkler system to water runoff and everything in between, he and the HOA have barked up the wrong tree however because one of my old pals is an attorney that let's me pay in trade. To date we have jammed them up at every turn and papered them to death, I figure we have cost them thousands in legal fees with no end in sight, sometimes you just have to play their game until they give up.

 

[Grouchy old man]

I figure we have cost them thousands in legal fees with no end in sight...

Only thing is the pricks will assess those charges to the people who live there.

 

[NCSteveH]

Only thing is the pricks will assess those charges to the people who live there.

Till said MIL shows up at the annual election meeting and brings along everybody that lives in the hood, and goes into detail about how their actions are causing her unreasonable legal fees and that they are just passing the HOA's legal fees onto the residents.

 

[RAG66]

First and hopefully the last. Two years back or so a repeat customer called me to remove some Thundercloud plums in the back yard. Great I'll schedule it. Upon arrival we set up and go to work, neighbor comes out and starts telling me "DON'T BREAK MY TREES" in her yard. I told her not to worry, everything would be fine. She would not let up and began to significantly raise her tone with me. I looked at her and told her to "SHUT UP and GO BACK IN YOUR HOUSE" "IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT CALL THE POLICE"!!! She did just that and they came to make sure I did not break anything. The officer was kind and said be sure to clean up any mess, nothing he could do unless we did something wrong. I find it funny in a way because normally I would never dream of doing anything to enrage a client or their neighbors. I was doing everything possible to get these trees down without doing any damage and she caught me at the wrong moment, I had a good grouch on...:msp_smile: