another good one

[treeman82]

A few months ago this guy found me online, had a big white oak that had to come down. Didn't want any damage to the surrounding landscape. He had a few other bids, but I was the only one who had a crane factored in. Did the job a few weeks ago, he wanted to be there for it. Didn't break a single twig on any of the mature shrubs below. Even did a hickory tree by the wires as part of the deal. Guy wanted to do a bunch of other work after that... get a day in here and there. Well I went to speak with him about the other work, gave the day rate, and tried to get him to allow for a little bit of damage... nothing major... but just enough so I could make some time. We agreed to a date, and then he backed out... got some other prices. Got an e-mail from him the other day... he says that with the easy nature of the work he has planned, he is bringing in a different company who will do that work for a lower day rate... but he will be calling me back later in the year for the hard trees.

I know the company which he has called in. Guy is an idiot... but he said nice things about me to the client. I told the client that he isn't licensed or properly insured... and that I hope the moron has nice things to say about the client after he trashes the property and doesn't pay to repair the damage. Oh, and BTW the client is an attorney.

Figures... do a hard tree for the guy no problems... calls in a cheap moron for the "Easy stuff" and then wants me back for the other hard ones... he can get bent.

 

[RVALUE]

No advice from here. These things boggle my mind too. I have a list of very expensive similar occurrances.

I fight the 'rate vs production' daily.

 

[mckeetree]

Figures... do a hard tree for the guy no problems... calls in a cheap moron for the "Easy stuff" and then wants me back for the other hard ones... he can get bent.

Exactly. I "fired" more than 50 clients within the last two years because I just got tired of their jackass ways.

 

[Grace Tree]

Exactly. I "fired" more than 50 clients within the last two years because I just got tired of their jackass ways.

You bet! Feels good too. Almost like we have some control over the chaos. I had a woman who stiffed me on a large job actually recommend me to one of her colleagues. I gave the guy a very calm and complete reason why I not only wouldn't work for anyone connected to her but wouldn't work for anyone in the subdivision. Unbelievable.
Phil

 

[mckeetree]

You bet! Feels good too. Almost like we have some control over the chaos. I had a woman who stiffed me on a large job actually recommend me to one of her colleagues. I gave the guy a very calm and complete reason why I not only wouldn't work for anyone connected to her but wouldn't work for anyone in the subdivision. Unbelievable.
Phil

Most all of the ones we gave the boot were customers we had been struggling along with for five, ten, a few of them as long as fifteen years that were always a problem and we never really made any money off of them. I decided in 2008 I was crazy to keep fooling with those GD jackass bastards any longer. A couple of them were commercial accounts I stayed with for a while in an effort to get as much as I could of what they owed us collected. One was another tree service.

 

[teamtree]

So are you saying you won't go in and charge him an arm and a leg for the next hard one?

This business would be great if there were no pricks and everyone saw us for what we can do.

Just yesterday, a lady chewed me out because I destroyed about $25 of flowers taking down a nasty dead pin oak that about killed me in the process....i looked at the next two to come down in the future and told her to save her money becuase the only way I am doing the next ones, is with a crane and she can add about $1000 to the price of each tree. BTW, the plants weren't there when I gave the estimate.

Sounds like there is a problem of selling the customer on your service. If he is a cheap bastard then let it be what it is. The next time charge him out the ass and hire another attorney to draw up an ironclad contract to piss him off.

I am starting to sell to clients and not customers, which I believe your guy is a customer and not a client.

At any rate, don't worry too much about it.

BTW, for what it is worth, this is our american society....quality is rarely looked at today and you have to look no further than Wal Mart to see what we are talking about....Do you care how they treat their employees, suppliers, etc......no....you like the low price

Look at our fast food society.....look what you can get for a buck.....wow...that is alot of food.....but do you say man that was a good burger for the buck?

I try to look for value when I buy things as well as quality but also what I am supporting behind the scenes. I like to give my money to people who own a business like me, then they in turn support me.

 

[RVALUE]

So are you saying you won't go in and charge him an arm and a leg for the next hard one?

This business would be great if there were no pricks and everyone saw us for what we can do.

Just yesterday, a lady chewed me out because I destroyed about $25 of flowers taking down a nasty dead pin oak that about killed me in the process....i looked at the next two to come down in the future and told her to save her money becuase the only way I am doing the next ones, is with a crane and she can add about $1000 to the price of each tree. BTW, the plants weren't there when I gave the estimate.

Sounds like there is a problem of selling the customer on your service. If he is a cheap bastard then let it be what it is. The next time charge him out the ass and hire another attorney to draw up an ironclad contract to piss him off.

I am starting to sell to clients and not customers, which I believe your guy is a customer and not a client.

At any rate, don't worry too much about it.

BTW, for what it is worth, this is our american society....quality is rarely looked at today and you have to look no further than Wal Mart to see what we are talking about....Do you care how they treat their employees, suppliers, etc......no....you like the low price

Look at our fast food society.....look what you can get for a buck.....wow...that is alot of food.....but do you say man that was a good burger for the buck?

I try to look for value when I buy things as well as quality but also what I am supporting behind the scenes. I like to give my money to people who own a business like me, then they in turn support me.

Really? You are unique. I haven't found that too common. Those locals I support go out of town more often than not.

 

[fishercat]

i just double the price on a lady....

because she had non English speaking roofers working at her house.

I'm getting fed up with political correctness.not that i ever used it before,LOL

a lesbo called me the other day.i have given here an estimate for lawn service and trees.never a word.her neighbor is a regular of mine.always pays extra.i took two walnut trees down for her this spring and the lesbo has another tree company come in while I am working.I know they charge more than me.

she has the nerve to call me this week and ask me to mow for two weeks while her mower is in for repairs. Told her I would take care of it. I'm chaining a goat to her tree and leaving.

 

[The Lawn Shark]

because she had non English speaking roofers working at her house.

I'm getting fed up with political correctness.not that i ever used it before,LOL

a lesbo called me the other day.i have given here an estimate for lawn service and trees.never a word.her neighbor is a regular of mine.always pays extra.i took two walnut trees down for her this spring and the lesbo has another tree company come in while I am working.I know they charge more than me.

she has the nerve to call me this week and ask me to mow for two weeks while her mower is in for repairs. Told her I would take care of it. I'm chaining a goat to her tree and leaving.

"I'm chaining a goat to her tree and leaving."

Now that is ####ing funny lol lol lol lol.....I think I spit half my beer on my keyboard

 

[mckeetree]

a lesbo called me the other day.i have given here an estimate for lawn service and trees.never a word.her neighbor is a regular of mine.always pays extra.i took two walnut trees down for her this spring and the lesbo has another tree company come in while I am working.I know they charge more than me.

I hate GD lesbos and I hate it when they call me. People think it is the GD queers that are tough to work for and they are bad enough but those GD lesbos are the worst. I ####ing hate working for them.

 

[treeman82]

I've worked for gay and lesbian couples before... one of the couples actually had a lawyer in the mix... paid right away, wish I had more like them actually.

I don't mind paying a bit more for quality, but I don't want to get screwed either... because we all know that there is that fine line.

Yesterday I was chipping some brush for a friend, when the neighbor came over to speak with me about 4 trees that he wanted to take down, along with some large branches on an oak tree, and some other BS. Told him the price... guy cried poverty... while driving a nice new beamer. He says well I got a price of X to do the hardest tree, plus some other work... the guy who was supposed to do the job never showed... I get him a lot of work blah blah blah. I said to him that's great, but you haven't got me a dime of work, and the price is the price.

 

[fishercat]

i actually went and mowed it.

she is cute and she paid me even though i didn't trim.someone swiped the trimmer string out of my truck but she said it still looked beautiful.one of her hot friends showed up as i was getting ready to leave. she had that " I should switch back for a piece of him" look in her eye.

 

[Josh777]

I'm chaining a goat to her tree and leaving.

Watch out! You may lose the goat to those roofers, lol!

-Josh

 

[tree md]

Too funny Fishercat. I'm dieing here, lol.

I actually don't mind working for the gays at all. I always end up making more money, they never question my price and usually tip well and try to find more work around the place for you to do. It is a little uncomfortable when they are standing back watching you with a lecherous grin as you ascend the tree but hey, money is money.

I have had good and negative experiences with the lesbos. Watch out if it is a couple and one is insanely jealous of the other. Of course the same is true of a strait couple as well. I did a job for an elderly lesbian couple and they were great to work for. They really enjoyed watching the take down and wanted to try to help with removing the debris. Good people and quite interesting actually.

 

[JCONN]

Have to say I usually have no prob working for gay people. I used to bar tend down the street from a gay bar and one of the guys that I worked with worked at the gay bar also. He would go to the gay bar and tell everyone that I their was a hot guy working down the street and he thought he was gay (he thought it was a good joke). Was weird at first when groups of gay men would come in and always want something on the bottom shelf to watch you bend over, But a 10 dollar tip for a 3 dollar beer is fine with me. I made great money till the bar closed down. Also they usually have hot straight girlfriends that they will put the good word in for you.

 

[JCONN]

about 2 years ago I did an estimate to remove a large tree in a guys front yard, but he said the price was to high. Then he wanted the landscaping changed under the tree because he was sick of looking at the same crap. Wrote up an estimate using all shade tolerant plants and he went for it.

Last week he calls and wants a garden weeded and 10 flats of pacasandras planted at his other house.
Jump ahead to this week he calls and says that everything is dieing and I need to come over.

The first house he got some hack to take the tree down smashed half the plants and part of the house. So now the landscape design around shade is getting a full dose of sun and everything is dying. Takes me to his other house and the pacs are all wilting. So I ask the question of have you been watering these like I directed you, of course the answer was no. So now he thinks I should replace his shade garden at my own cost cause it doesn't look good. And for the watering he thinks I should drive their 25 min every day water them for free because he is to busy. People suck