Paid Job turned into donated work

[PTS]

Twice this week while on two different job sites for crown cleaning it was determined after getting up in the tree that the tree was much worse than it appeared from the ground. On one site the tree had several main leaders that were cracked and hollow on the top side of the limb and several were being used as nests by the squirrels. The limbs were not safe to be out on and after checking the entire tree I exited the tree and went to find the customer. Customer say don't do anything with it if it is unsafe. I recommended removal 1/2 block away from school over sidewalk, driveway, multiple powerlines and neighbors house. Customer said they don't have the money for removal. So we packed up and left.

Now I still sent her a bill for the hour that I was up in her tree. I did remove some dead and did a full aerial inspection.

Right or Wrong. Too many times I have just said oh well but that don't pay the bills.

On one hand you don't want to piss the customer off but the same time you can't go broke either.

 

[treeseer]

Now I still sent her a bill for the hour that I was up in her tree. I did remove some dead and did a full aerial inspection.
Right or Wrong.

Right to get paid for your time. Posssibly wrong to offer a full-blown risk assessment with recommendations without getting paid. Possibly wrong to recommend removal without looking at all the options to lessen risk. It may be a bad idea to make recommendations on high-risk trees.

An experienced arborist can inspect a tree, assess in relative terms the risk of failure and the risk of harm, and describe reasonable actions that can lower those risks. Finally, make it clear that risk is always present, and it is the owners of the tree who are responsible for the decisions affecting the tree.

If they don't want to pay for your time, go back and perform the original cleaning contract as well as you can under the circumstances.

Pictures would have helped on this.

 

[jmack]

Twice this week while on two different job sites for crown cleaning it was determined after getting up in the tree that the tree was much worse than it appeared from the ground. On one site the tree had several main leaders that were cracked and hollow on the top side of the limb and several were being used as nests by the squirrels. The limbs were not safe to be out on and after checking the entire tree I exited the tree and went to find the customer. Customer say don't do anything with it if it is unsafe. I recommended removal 1/2 block away from school over sidewalk, driveway, multiple powerlines and neighbors house. Customer said they don't have the money for removal. So we packed up and left.

Now I still sent her a bill for the hour that I was up in her tree. I did remove some dead and did a full aerial inspection.

Right or Wrong. Too many times I have just said oh well but that don't pay the bills.

On one hand you don't want to piss the customer off but the same time you can't go broke either.

i would be worried about failure and you being last in the tree, i recommend putting in writing that its a hazard and you recommend removal they sign, it goes in your file and after xmas call again either way your covered, offer to reduce da price for your time in the tree toward removal cost

 

[Manco]

Personally, I wouldn't send a bill if I didn't complete the job. I've wanted to add more to a few bills, but I win some and lose some. Apparently, you weren't hired to do an "aerial inspection."

 

[PTS]

No we weren't hired for the aerial inspection but to do a crown cleaning. We completed everything that was safe to do, the remaining is up at the tip or out on far limb unsafe to get to without a truck. She did get a good portion of the cleaning done.

 

[NYCHA FORESTER]

I'm a tad confused here; I consider "crown cleaning" as being nothing more than "Lion's tailing".

If thats the case then do the job you have a contract for and then advise them that their tree has some more serious issues (document it... certified mail if need be)

I would also have reduced the "load" on some of the branches that posed a potential (short term) danger to pedestrians since you are a "professional" and are obligated to a point to remedy an immediate hazard.


If you were performing a "Hazard reduction" prune...... well... thats another can of worms I guess

 

[NYCHA FORESTER]

Crown cleaning and lion's tailing are not the same thing!

What is your "crown cleaning spec?" Please tell me it does not involve soap and water!

The "Crown cleaners" around here remove every minor branch and twig on the interior of the tree. Some other folks have called it "Bee Hive Pruning".

 

[Climb020]

Crown cleaning to me means removing:
1" and large dead wood,
Conflicting limbs,
water sprouts,
and about 50% or so of sucker growth.

And in removing the suckers I don;t mean the closest ones to the trunk but alternating ones on a branch to give a good and health look to the tree.

 

[John464]

Twice this week while on two different job sites for crown cleaning it was determined after getting up in the tree that the tree was much worse than it appeared from the ground. On one site the tree had several main leaders that were cracked and hollow on the top side of the limb and several were being used as nests by the squirrels. The limbs were not safe to be out on and after checking the entire tree I exited the tree and went to find the customer. Customer say don't do anything with it if it is unsafe. I recommended removal 1/2 block away from school over sidewalk, driveway, multiple powerlines and neighbors house. Customer said they don't have the money for removal. So we packed up and left.

Now I still sent her a bill for the hour that I was up in her tree. I did remove some dead and did a full aerial inspection.

Right or Wrong. Too many times I have just said oh well but that don't pay the bills.

On one hand you don't want to piss the customer off but the same time you can't go broke either.

I also would be hesitant to bill a customer for an unfinished job.

the job you bid was for crown cleaning and specified only what can be gotten to by a climber or was it just generally explained as crown cleaning. If I was customer I would have expected you to do the job as stated.
If you werent able to complete the job because of lack of equipment, i.e bucket truck or aerial lift, it may be a good idea to line up a friend who will rent something of the sort to you or purchasing the equipment yourself. Aerial lifts are absoultely necessary to be able to provide total tree care.

 

[PTS]

I am having second thoughts about the billing also.... Luckily the office hasn't mailed this yet.

Equipment isn't a problem, the customer would rather let mother nature take the tree down on all the power lines and drop the tree on her vehicles and her neighbors house to save them some money because it is tight for them right now.

I just wish I had noticed the problems before I had as much done as I did.

And as far as the Crown Cleaning, Climb020 is correct. But because it is oak it mainly consists of Dead wood and crossing limbs, and we don't mess with anything smaller then an inch unless I am right there type thing.