Economy Tree Services

These people remind me of traveling gypsies.  They blanket the neighborhood knocking on doors soliciting their services.  I sent them away, but they got my dad for $500.00 to remove a 30 foot dead maple tree with one branch and to grind stump.  It took them 20 minutes to do the whole job.  They did a good job, but that price was not fair and I feel they took advantage of him because of his age. 

On July 29th an estimator from Economy Tree Service came to
my house to look at two trees in my back yard and give me a price on what it
would cost to have them removed. We talked about what was involved and we
negotiated to a price of $800. I did not have all the money together that day
and I apologized for not being able to offer the job that very minute, but I
told him I would be in touch as soon as I was able to commit to payment.
On August 6th I called the same estimator and told him I had
the $800 if he still wanted to do the job. I specifically said that if he
couldn't or was unwilling to do the job at this point that it would be
perfectly fine and that I would understand. He said he could do the job for
$800. He then asked if I wanted the stumps removed as well. I said that it
wasn't necessary at this time, that it was only the trees that I needed removed
right now. He then offered to remove the stumps for an additional $100. Given
that that was less than I could rent the stump grinder for to do it myself, I
agreed.
About 40 minutes after our phone call he stopped at my house
to deliver the written estimate. I let him into the backyard and he starts
looking at the trees again. He then tries to negotiate for more money, but I
decline to pay any more for the job than we had already agreed to over the
phone. He writes the job up for $900 for two trees taken down, debris removed,
and stumps grinded. He says the crew will be by at around 8:30 am the next
morning to start the work. I gave him $100 in cash as a deposit on the job.
At 7:30 am the next day the owner came by my house and starts
saying he would need more money in order to do the job. I cut him off and say
no. At this point I was very aggravated that every single time after I think we
have an agreement someone from this company keeps trying to pressure more money
out of me. I decline to pay any more money for the job (which I didn't have
anyways even if I wanted to) and the owner gave me my deposit back and left.
My problem with this entire experience is two-fold:
1) The estimator was, in my opinion, an extremely pushy and
abrasive person. The first time he was out at my house he seemed as if he was
offended that I was even negotiating on the price, he almost seemed as if he was
trying to bully or intimidate me into paying more by raising his voice and
getting loud, and then continued to act as if he was doing me a favor by even
taking the job. I want to point out that the estimator had two opportunities to
inspect the trees for as long as he wanted to. If he honestly felt it was not a
job worth what I was willing to pay, he had ample opportunity to say so and
decline to take it in a polite manner. Raising his voice at me was unnecessary.
2) I rearranged my entire schedule on less than a day's
notice to make sure I was home to let the crew into the yard to start the job.
If they didn't want to do the job for $900, they should have said so before I
went through the trouble of changing around meetings. I do not want any
business to do a job if they feel it is not worth their time or that they will
lose money on it. However, that doesn't mean that I can magically afford to pay
more than the price we negotiated to, and I do not have such copious amounts of
money that I can take a day away from my work for absolutely no reason.
 
If the estimator screwed up by taking a job that was less
than profitable, the business should have still upheld the commitment they gave
me. Sometimes employees screw up and cost businesses money. That's the price of
doing business. You do not then purposely inconvenience someone else because
your employee made a mistake.
Overall I found the employees and the owner of Economy Tree
Service to be very unprofessional and not a company I would recommend doing
business with. I am very sad that instead of writing a stellar review of how
well I was treated by Economy Tree Service, how affordable they were, and what
an awesome job they did, I instead had to write this very negative review.

The only complaint I have is about the brush they left in the grass.  Everything else was good.