ARBOR TECH

His cutting down the branches was like a ballet. He gave instructions to his assistants for ropes, ladders, etc. But now I am afraid that the new sprouts will start and the tree will grow. There is still about 2 feet of trunk still left in the ground. I bought concentrated Roundup ($41) as Richard said. But the trunk needs to have holes drilled to pour the poison into. It needs to be a fresh cut and, after fooling around for a week, this cut is no longer "Fresh." Comments: Two reasons I hired Arbor Tech to cut down my Tree from Heaven (evil, invasive species) is: I liked Richard as he is an Army vet, seemed honest and hard working. Also he gave me a very good price. He asked $450 to take the tree down to a stump. We bargained and settled on $350 for the complete job, including clearing dry grass in the backyard with the Weed-Eater. He started cutting the tree on Sunday 29 August 2010 (along with 2 helpers) starting at 9 AM. He was very prompt in starting. He worked very fast and didn't crash the branches through the roof, although when I was in the house, the noise seemed like branches may appear in my bedroom any time. THE STRANGNESS STARTED: After working until 11:30, he said he was going to the dump. When he first appeared at 9, his truck was pulling a trailer that was alread laiden with somebody else's tree branches; therefore, he had to get rid of the load at the dump or recycling place. MORE STRANGNESS: He and his 2 helpers left and my daughter and I figured they were also going to get their lunch. They returned at 1 PM and started again. The helpers cleaned the branches, taking them to the front of the driveway. I mentioned to Richard that the debris should also be removed from the roof and he said that of course, he would take care of it. The Helpers seem to work just as "Spotters" for him, fetching ropes and tools from the truck, as well as cleaning up debris. There is still the trunk (about 14 feet high) left and a couple of large branches. He told my daughter that the saw that he needed for this last part had been broken the previous day by his other employees. STILL STRANGE: It is now after 2 on Tuesday, and Richard has not shown up to complete the job. I finally called him and, like other contractors, they start a job and then abandon you so that they can snag another new job. I sure am sorry that I already paid him the whole amount. After I left message on his cell, he called and made the excuse that a tree had fallen on a house (emergency) and it had taken him longer than he thought at the V.A. this morning. Very courteous except that Richard keeps repeating the same old war stories over and over; i.e., "I had to call the paramedics because my guy passed out up in a tree and he was too heavy for me to get down." "My people" are dropping like flies." "It is 98 degrees in my trailer." I have to go to the VA for rehab on Monday." I reminded him that it is a holiday and VA

I still have a lot of raking and sweeping to do to clean up after him. I don't know what to do about the roof debris, as I am too old to climb up there on a ladder. Richard wanted $200, including cleanup. I agreed but admonished him that he is not getting a dime until all is complete. This was on Saturday that we talked. He never signs a contract. He was to show up on Monday )Labor Day) and did not. He showed up on Tuesday (promised 9). Showed up after I left to go to post office after 10:30. Worked for 1-1/2 hours with one helper. They use a chainsaw which drips the fuel all over (mixture of oil and gasoline, I understand). I pointed to the oil drips all over my cement driveway and said, "What do you use to remove this fuel?" He replied, "Muriatic acid." He seemed oblivious to the fact that he was making this mess with his equipment. He cleaned up only one spot, pouring on a liquid and rubbing it with his leather glove, which he had lost on my front porch and I returned to him. OMG - he doesn't even have rags for clean-up. He wanted to "Mulch" the remaining small pieces littering the entire backyard, patio, and driveway. I reminded him of our previous conversation, in which he promised to "rake the whole yard and haul away all the debris." Then he wanted $52 of the $200 to pay for the dump and he had to go pick up his trailer. I think he was mad about this. He spends more time chatting than trimming. The "clean-up" took as long as the trimming (1-1/2 hours). Although his knowledge and care of trees seems professional and fast, he is very lacking in: Timliness and completion of cleanup. (1) There are still branches and leaves resting on my roof. (2) There is still oil (fuel) on my cement drieway and porch. (3) Lots of leaves all over. When I told him that the gas blower he uses is illegal, he was unaware of this. I had researched this when I bought my electric blower, which is the only one that is legal in L.A. I know that most of the illegal and legal gardeners use them. They are still illegal. The operators of this equipment: chainsaws, blowers, mulchers, etc. should know to protect themseles and their employees with the mouth-nose filters as well as ear protection. Richard provided neither protection for him nor employees. Not going to tell OSHA.

Can't say enough about this guy. He gave a free, fair estimate. He confirmed why the job was needed, what was going to be done, and how long it was going to take. He couldn't have been more polite or hard working. The job he did was beautiful.