Cardinal Tree Care, LLC

We recently bought a new house that needed a lot of tree removal and maintenance. Cardinal Tree service came through with flying colors. They are professional and highly skilled. I would recommend them without reservations.

We had a fantastic experience working with this company. They trimmed four mature trees and removed a large Silver Maple for us, and we couldn't be happier with the results. We're pretty particular, but their work exceeded our expectations. Even the stump grinding was completed within just a few days. They are reliable, show up on time, and work hard. We're located in Upper Arlington, OH, and they've worked on six houses in our neighborhood. Every one of our neighbors has been just as satisfied as we are. Highly recommended!

It was excellent. I've used several service and they were the best.

They left all the wood behind that they said they were going to take. I found it all hidden in the woods around my house. After confronting the owner, he indicated that his son said he didn't do that. Thankfully, I took a picture before the job. Note they never came back to correct their errors. I also read another review that said a large tree needed to be cut down when it didn't need to be. They might have done the same thing with me. Do not use this company. No honor.

unknown

DON'T USE THESE GUYS!
We hired them to trim a bunch of trees on our property. When they were done trimming, they "noticed" that one of the trees looked like it needed to go. They offered to discount the price of the trimming from the price of removal. Of course, since they conveniently didn't notice the problem until after they had trimmed, we were effectively forced to use their service or waste the money spent on trimming.
I didn't think the tree looked like it had a problem, but I didn't want to send them away and then have some accident - the tree was huge and over the house. So we OK'd the work.
Every piece of wood I saw come off that tree was solid. And the stump was in perfect shape, so I'm pretty sure we were ripped off on that one.
When they were selling us on cutting down that tree, I made the mistake of saying I was surprised that it wasn't another tree they were worried about, and pointed it out. Sure enough, the next day they "noticed" a problem with it too, even though they had told us the day before it was fine. We OK'd this one as well because we were worried about it. That one DID need removing - it was just an eaten-out shell. So at least we avoided a disaster there. But why didn't the "experts" notice this before we pointed it out?
So yeah, we weren't happy with the work. They also ripped up the yard by dropping huge limbs onto it, and didn't clean it up. Also, when they were selling us on the tree removal, they said they could remove the stumps (which was done) and level the ground properly afterwards. What they did NOT mention was that they wanted still more money for the leveling. After getting so much money out of us already, and most of it for a tree that didn't need to go!
The first time I called about repairing the lawn, they didn't bother to call back. The second time they left a messaging saying we didn't agree to pay for the yard work.
All in all, I'm glad the diseased tree was removed, but I very much resent being manipulated into getting a healthy tree removed and misled about what services were being provided.

Cardinal was working next door, and the Lead Man, Matt Shirk, gave us a price to remove our dying Maple.  The price was about $200 less than we expected based on a quote from another company.  He also offered to completely deadwood and raise the canopy of our very large and beautiful Oak, plus remove some limbs from a pine tree that had been cut at the fence line by a neighbor.  We agreed on a price, and they went to work when done next door.  The removal of the maple went ok, but I was concerned about the safety of groundsmen who did not wear hard hats when under the cutter, and muscled very heavy pieces of wood to the curb when they could/should have used a dolly that they had.  
It went down hill from there.  The cutter climbed our specimen Oak with the Lineman spurs that should only be used on trees that are being removed.  He only removed deadwood that was on or near the trunk, and then called it a day (it was getting close to dusk)..  I called Mr. Shirk, to arrange for them to finish the job.  I was out of town when they came back, but I left a specific list of issues for them.  When I got home there was still plenty of deadwood in the tree, trimmings on the ground, and more spur holes in the bark of the tree.  I called Mr. Shirk and he said he would come out and look.  He eventually did come out when it was convenient for him, but it was later in the fall and by then there were so few leaves left on the tree it was hard to see which limbs were dead.
I called Mr. Shirk this spring when it was obvious which limbs were dead, and he agreed to have another look.  He did not give me a day or time, but he and a crew showed up last week when they were in the neighborhood.  While I was talking with Mr. Shirk, the cutter climbed the tree with spurs again.  When I pointed out that he had done so, he said that's how you climb a tree that doesn't have low limbs.  Obviously he is not familiar with a tool called a ladder, that professional arborists use to get up into nice trees.  And when I pointed out that there was still a lot of deadwood in the tree when he was finished, he claimed that was all "new" deadwood, it has to be new because he is too much of a professional to have left it there previously.  When I begged to differ he then claimed that the remaining deadwood was either too far up or too far out on the limbs to cut in less than two or three days of work.  When i differed again, he said the tree must have a disease or iron deficiency since it is continuing to produce a lot of deadwood. 
The next day I called a real tree expert who knows our trees and has given iron to the Oak in the past on an as needed basis.  He came out, looked at the tree, said it is not diseased.  He noticed the spur holes right off, and said that was a very unprofessional thing for someone to do to such a nice tree.  He said that all the deadwood could be removed by walking the limbs with safety ropes.  He also said that his company could finish the job for about $300 (not in 2 or 3 days).

If you are a woman then beware.  These are exactly the kind of guys that will try to take advantage of you because they are assuming you will not know anything about the trees in your yard as female.  Bryan and his crony Matt showed up at our door.  My wife spoke to them.  Matt proceeded to tell my wife that we have a large amount of "dead" ash trees in our yard.  She explained some were not in our yard.  He then pointed out several nearer to our house and tried to say they were dead.  He then proceeded to point out one tree in particular and proclaimed it is so dead the bark is falling off!  Well,  that tree was alive at the end of last season when a car hit it scraping an area of bark off at the base and is still alive as it was showing good signs of healing from the car damage.  All the trees pointed out by Matt have been treated for Ash borer for years and have not shown any signs of failure.  She brought up that the trees were treated.  Matt then tried to tell her that you can not actually treat these trees.  Explaining "that such a small plug couldn't possibly treat a big tree".  Then as they were leaving Bryan hit one of our trees with his car and also ran over one  of our landscape lights.  I'm sure if my wife had not run out to them they would have just driven off.
Stay away from these people.  They are obviously the kind to try and take advantage of a customer.

unknown

We have used this company before.  They came to the door and advised thinning and re-cabling the limbs of a silver maple in our back yard (they had placed the cables two years before, and they had broken).  When one of the workers got into the tree, he said that the limbs were spongy and rotten.  One of the co-owners, who also quotes the prices, aid that he could "guarantee" that the trunk was also rotten.  He warned that in a big wind the limbs would come down on our wires and on the neighbor's garage because of the degree of rot.

I had planned only to thin and cable, but reluctantly agreed to have the whole tree taken down (our last mature tree) because of the warning that it was rotten.  When I returned home the day they were taking it down, all of the large limbs were lying on the front lawn and they were all perfectly good, strong wood.  There was still about 8 feet of trunk in the back, also completely healthy. The next morning I spoke to the other co-owner and said "Show me where this is spongy and/or rotten" but of course he could not. But he "guaranteed' me again that when the trunk was taken down the base of it would be "all honeycombed with rot".  Which it was not. 

So I feel that I was pressured into taking down a perfectly healthy tree, whose wood they will sell, and it has changed the whole eco-system in my back yard.  They came and asked for payment before the trunk was ground and hauled away, but we said we would not pay until everything was done.  When I expressed my displeasure about the misleading information, no offer was made to reduce the price or make any amends. 

They also did an inadequate job of cleaning up, and dropped limbs on a wood fence, breaking off parts of it without pointing it out or offering to pay for it or fix it.  Since I live in UA, all the clean-up I had to do of limbs and branches has to be paid for to haul away, when they were supposed to take it.

I would never use this company again and feel that they pressured us into doing this with incorrect assessment of the tree. 

I would have withheld payment, at least some of it, but they came for payment when I was away and they were paid in full.

They took down the tree, but they didn't grind down the stump. I called and called for seven weeks, with no calls back. Eventually, a tech showed up with a stump grinder and ground it down, but they didn't haul away the chips. They claimed that wasn't part of my contract, but when they came out to review the chips and contract, they found that it did include chip removal. They were supposed to come by today to remove the chips, but I have yet to see them, nor have they returned any of my three phone calls. They did a good job doing the tree removal, but the follow-up left something to be desired.

They also gave me quotes for more work which we elected not to do at this time. They performed most of the work that day except for the stump grinding which they needed the specific machinery to do it. They said the stump grinder would be back within a week and he was back 2 days later

They did a great job and really made sure our birch trees were secure and they did a great job trimming my fir tree and magnolia tree. We are really pleased with the service.

My wife had been wanting to have the tree removed from our yard for a few years. Branches would keep dying and dropping off, she was growing concerned they would fall on our house. Cardinal was actually doing some work on my neighbor's yard when I had them come over to do an estimate. The tree was surrounded by electrical lines and they were very meticulous on removing the tree, being careful not to touch the lines. They reinstalled the cable and tv plugs when they were finished. They cleaned up and raked the yard when they were done leaving it meticulously clean. They sent out someone who does stump grinding and removed the stump that was left behind.

Excellent service and professionalism.  Cleaned up everything very
fast.  Stomps were ground down immediately (within minutes!) by a
sub-contractor hired by Cardinal Tree Care.  Less than a week from quote,to inspection (with crane to take picture of damaged area high up...), to finished job.
Pricing was excellent.  I would recommend this company any time.

Yesterday afternoon our cat got stuck on the transformer of an electrical pole in the neighbor's yard. She refused to come down and remained there overnight. We called AEP, the fire department, and a critter control company. No one would help us rescue our cat. Finally, I decided to call a tree removal service and see if they'd help us. I happened to have Cardinal's card and remembered a friendly representative who'd given us a quote on tree removal several months ago. Not only was Matt, the representative I'd met in the fall, open to helping us with our cat, he was over in under ten minutes with his men. Our cat was rescued within fifteen minutes from a very precarious situation by Matt and his crew who appeared to be genuinely eager to help. We were so grateful and impressed with Matt and his crew's attitude and willingness to help that we decided to have them remove a few trees and trim some dead limbs while they were here. Within three and a half hours five trees were removed, limbs were trimmed, firewood (which we requested) was stacked neatly, and our yard was free of debris. The workers were pleasant, fast, and appeared to take pride in their work. The price was also very reasonable for the amount of work that was done. We are very relieved to have our kitty home safely and we're thrilled with the work Cardinal did on our trees! Thank you Cardinal for going above and beyond!

This is one of the best businesses by far that we have ever worked with in the 25 years we have been in our home  - the men that came to our  house were friendly and polite and very professional.  They were also the cleanest tree service that we have ever used  - they cleaned up every day.  I would highly recommend this company without any doubts.

They are very courteous. They explained everything they were going to do, and we didn't have any surprises. They were reasonable and did it in the time frame I needed it to be done. They were efficient. They were just excellent all around.

Contracted to do some tree removal (2) and trim deadwood out of about 12 other trees.  Did a decent job but left a large stump to be removed by someone they contracted with.  Stump was ground out several days after when it was promised but they did not remove the stump grindings and was left with a pile of wood chips mixed with dirt.  As per our agreement, these wood chips etc were also to have been removed.   Made the mistake of paying them for the entire job before they removed the stump grindings.  Grindings still there -- they wouold not return phone calls.  Will have to have someone else finish the job.  Would never use them again.

I primarily asked them about a tree that needed to be cut down but all I wanted was the stump removed. They trimmed some trees and even took down the tree but they left the stump. It’s been three weeks and they are not returning phone calls. I have left multiple phone calls and continuing to get their voicemail or a message that says their voicemail is too full.

We've used the company before (2011) and had a good experience.  a tree was taken down, we paid in full before they left knowing that another crew would be out the following day to grind the stump. All was great. this time, however, they took down the trees and sent someone to the door a few hours later looking for payment. the kid had no info as to when the stumps would be taken care of. nonetheless we paid in good faith knowing they came through last time.  It is now over a month later and we've yet to have anyone come out to take care of them.  in the first couple weeks our phone calls were returned and we were told they are backed up but will get to it.  now we leave messages every week and hear nothing. they do the job quick and at a good price.  the crew is totally unprofessional, messy and at times lazy (one guy took a nap on our patio furniture for about 45 minutes), but their price is good. If you decide to use them...I highly recommend holding out on paying until the entire job is completed despite their insistence.  At this point we are assuming it is a lost cause.

The trees that were thinned were done so much that they took off more than the dead wood. The trees look like broccoli now. One of the trees they removed from outside of my sunroom, the trunk was damaged so much that it will not grow. They allowed parts of the tree to fall on the stone walkway, causing damage to some tiles.  They so severely pruned the trees that it was reduced to a 4ft level, and they left it that way. They said that if I was not satisfied I could call them to come back out, but they do not return phone calls. From what I could tell hey damaged and removed a dogwood tree while working on another tree near my neighbors yard, without me knowing.

Great, they were fast and efficient. They took out a big tree damaged due to the ice storm. It overhung our fence and our neighbors house. No damage was done to the house or the fence. They cleaned up afterward you'd never know the tree or they were ever here.

Climbed trees using spikes.

This is the second time I've had them do work. They are very knowlegable about trees. They've helped improved the health of my trees.