Matthews Tree Care LLC

I went through the whole yard with Matthew and pointed out the work I hoped to have done. His guys did a masterful job - especially in trimming a large pine in back and an overgrown apple tree in front. All the work was done as I had asked. I asked for them to chip the wood and leave it, because I use it as mulch, and they did that. They cleaned up everything before they left. The yard looks so much better. And I thought the price was very reasonable.

Matt had removed several trees for us a few years ago and we were very happy with his the work he did. I emailed him and he responded within a few hours, and he came out to take a look at the situation that same day. As before, he took time with us and answered all our questions. He sent us a bid that same evening; as promised, the bid gave us several options (with different pricing). We appreciated this flexibility and his understanding that price can affect how much work people want done. Matt moved some things around in his schedule and was able to remove the tree that week. The crew worked one full day and followed the agreed-upon work (rounds left on site, chip branches, etc.). We are once again happy with the service Matt provided and his excellent communication and flexibility. We will absolutely contact him again when we need tree care and we were were grateful that he could get the job done for us so quickly.

Wow, I thought I had written a review about these fine folks already.  I contacted Matthews Tree Care 2 years ago because the beautiful Lace Leaf Maple in front of my house was looking oddly mis-shapen because my Yard Guy (who is not an Arborist) keeps trimming it.  
Matthew sent out a very talented young man to fix it (a certified Arborist), he did a great job trimming it up and setting it on the path back to normalcy.  I had him look at a year old Maple we planted in the back and he fixed it as well.  It had a limb where it should not be, so he trimmed it off so it would grow normally.
I am very pleased with their work and dedication, if you have doubts, check out the Ink on his arm, beautiful and tree related, it is his life's dedication

I paid Matthews Tree Care $150 in December 2011 to do an arborist report about eight trees. Getting the report and paying for it went without any problem. I asked Matt if I could record his comments about the trees. Matt said no. That was disappointing to me because I knew I wouldn't be able to remember all the tree related details since I am not very familiar with tree problems. A lot of details he said never made it into the written report.
Fast forward to year 2015. We needed an arborist report again due to the homeowners association bosses announcing two trees would be removed August 17. We wanted an arborist report rather than a free estimate from a guy who only makes money by cutting trees. So on  July 18, 2015 I left a message for Matthews Tree Care to call me. I didn't get a call back so I called again July 21. Matt said he had gotten my message and he was planning to call me later that day. We made an appointment for Tuesday July 28. Matt's minimum charge for an arborist report was now $300. I did not bicker about the price because it was more important to get a report without delay before those trees were removed. Four days after making the appointment, Matt emailed to"postpone" the appointment. I figure email is used to break up, while telephone is for getting together, so I got another arborist due to the urgency of the scheduled tree removals. Two weeks after Matt postponed, I emailed him back asking why he canceled. Our email exchange is included below. I don't like how he left me waiting indefinitely and I don't like his attitude, so I won't be calling him again.
Date: Saturday, July 25, 2015, 7:51 PM
From: Matthews Tree Care
I'm going to have to postpone at this time. Other obligations have taken precedence.
Date: Saturday, August 8, 2015, 6:04 PM
To: Matthews Tree Care
Why did you cancel our appointment and not attempt to reschedule? It's been three weeks since I called your number and left a message to make an appointment. Did you have any trouble dealing with me back in December 2011? What will you reply if I explain on Yelp or Angie's List exactly how you handled our appointment? 
Date: Sunday, August 9, 2015, 9:38 AM
From: Matthews Tree Care
I have not attempted to reschedule due to personal concerns that have taken much of my time and efforts; and that are more important than our appointment and frankly none of your business.
If you'd like to be presumptuous and assume things out of context that is your choice. If you'd like to threaten me with a poor review on social media without understanding my situation then so be it.
You've evidently now proven to be someone I don't want to work with.

We like them very much.  We had two giant Doug Firs cut down last year.  It was excellent.  They were reasonably priced.  They were very good.  The workers were excellent.  He didn’t have a very big crew.  It was just he and one more.  When they took down the big tree, it was just himself and one or two other people.  He was by himself for the tree trimming.  His price was very competitive and he had good references.

The larger job of trimming the dead branches seems to have gone well.  So, that safety hazard was taken care of.  This poor review has more to do with the unending issue of trying to get the tree swing installation completed satisfactorily. 

The tree swing installation has proven to be a fiasco.  First, it took many weeks and many reminders by me to get someone out to install the swing following the tree trimming job.  Second, the person sent out to do the job did not know how to adequately install the swing.  The first attempt failed and the swing broke off from the tree.  The failure occurred in front of the mother of the child who was trying it out.  It was also witnessed by me and occurred in front of the man who installed it.  We could have had a problem as an HOA from that incident, but fortunately nothing came of it. 

The second attempt to install the swing seems to be holding fine.  The problem we have been having with Matthews Tree Care is that the man who installed it did not finish the job.  He left a second rope used to install the swing hanging next to the main rope.  This secondary rope reaches almost to the seat of the swing and is a temptation to the children, some in their pre-teens, to swing from that rope at the same time as another child swings on the official swing.  The extra weight on the tree limb, and thus the hazard threatening our neighborhood children, is a great concern to the HOA board.  Why he didn't trim it back in the first place is a mystery to the whole HOA board.  What this has caused is more trouble/hazard than the original swing was causing.

I have repeatedly asked Matthews to return to trim the rope.  They offered to do the job, so I expect them to finish it.  I have had notes back saying that they consider the job done and that they wash their hands of the job.  I have persisted in trying to get them to come back as the job is not done to our satisfaction.  

The latest note I have received claims that it is not their problem and that if we want to remove the risk to the children, they will gladly return to take down the swing.  How hard would it be for them to still come out and just finish the original job?  It would take the same ladder and same amount of time that removing the swing would take.  I don't see the logic in the offer.

I am deeply unsatisfied with the lack of professionalism I have received in dealing with this company.  From the start I have been lenient and understanding as I was told that the owner was going through some personal difficulties with his family. This resulted in multiple delayed job dates and still is being used as an excuse for the lack of attention to my job.  My reminders were sent every other week and were friendly as I didn't want to get to where we currently are on the issue.  After two months, we are at a standstill.

If Matthews did not want to do the swing installation job, they should not have included it in the bid and we would not have bothered to hire them.  A promise is a promise and they are not keeping their side of the bargain.  I had hoped to have avoided this type of review.  I will amend it if the job is finished to our satisfaction, but for now, I am forced to report things as they stand. 

A few years ago, Matthew transplanted a Japanese Maple from its location too close to the house, to a new location with room to spread out.  He recommended at that time that we wait at least a year before trimming the tree, so it had time to adjust to its new location.  We waited a year, then spent a year overseas, so the time had come to trim this tree.  I called Matthew again to arrange for a visit.  He came to the house and provided a free estimate to trim this Japanese Maple, plus a 3-year old Pink Dogwood that was not growing straight, and a mature Cherry tree that was growing over the roof of the house.  Matthew is very knowledgeable, with 18 years of experience in tree care which was important to me, to ensure the trees were trimmed properly and in a way that would promote their growth and health.  We had some scheduling challenges, but Matthew arrived on time on the day the work was scheduled, and went right to work.  I was interested in how he trimmed the Japanese Maple, and while he worked, he explained to me what he was doing and why - very interesting!  The Pink Dogwood was developing without a straight main trunk, so Matthew trimmed it to promote growth and re-shaped it for future growth.  After watching Matthew maneuver himself through the mature Cherry tree with ease, I asked him if he had climbed trees as a child, and he had - no surprise to me.  He expertly selected and trimmed the branches away from the roof, and in a way which will promote growth to fill in other areas.  The trees look beautiful, and I was very pleased with the service I received from Matthew.  If you are looking for someone who will take proper care, who is a certified arborist, has a reasonable cost, and is very personal as well, you won't go wrong in calling on Matthew.  I will definitely use him in the future.  On top of all this, I had forgotten to add the Magnolia tree to my list, but Matthew offered to take a look at it and did some minor correction trimming at no additional charge, in exchange for the scheduling challenges that we faced.  He definitely aims for quality work and customer satisfaction.

Matthew came out for the quote and took pictures of all the trees I wanted to trim/remove. He later emailed me a very competitive quote with pictures attached describing in detail what would be done (A+). This small act gave me reassurance that he knew exactly what I wanted done - especially since I I would not be on site during the entire job. The crew that came out was professional, hardworking, and efficient. During the middle of the job, they ran into a yellow jacket nest that put a stop to everything, but Matthew promptly drove out and offered to get call a pest control person. Matthew handled everything and kept me in the loop. I would definitely hire again. In fact, I have several other jobs I will be calling him on for next spring. I will definitely be referring him to friends and family. Thank you Matthews Tree Care!

My experience has went very well with this cop many. I have used them about 3 or 4 times. The pricing is reasonable. The staff is very friendly and professional. They are great with the clean up afterwards. I would recommend this company to others.

Matt's crew arrived on time and immediately got to work. They worked safely, efficiently and with obvious expertise. The equipment was in great shape. I have used Matthews before and I highly recommend this company. Matthew always spends enough time to fully capture the scope of work.

This company was excellent, on-time, honest, competitive in price, and very personable. I would definitely use them again.

Excellent. They are prompt, careful, and very honest. Matthew gives lots of options and clearly outlines the ramifications of choices.
We will continue using them.

All went as planned.  The only thing I would change is that items that were moved for access were not put back in place.

Two workers arrived on time. One was experienced, the other appeared to be a new worker requiring much supervision. The inexperienced worker started pruning the Arborvitae with a hand shear and was very slow. When they first arrived, I offered the use of my electric hedge trimmer and/or anything else of my tools as needed. The worker trimming the Arborvitae soon asked if they could borrow my hedge trimmer as their's was in repair. He worked much faster after that. When finished, the lead worker commented that my job was supposed to be a quick job but ended up taking most of the day. I had not watched cleanup, but after they left, I did find Arborvitae needles blown over the front steps and some on the patio. Obviously, cleanup was hurried with blower at extra speed. My wife was disappointed that the trees were not cut shorter, as I usually did, but I suggested that this being the first time we'd hired any tree service, perhaps what was done was healthier for the trees. We will see.

I would recommend the. They had to bring crane in to take down a huge tree. They're good people. I thought they were very reasonable. They were very personable young men. He is an urban forester.  They are very qualified and do good work. They clean up their mess too.

Matt and team did a great job. Showed up on time. Trees nicely pruned. Cleaned up well. Very personable.

Matt and Jack arrived when they said they would and were immediately ready to get started.  The wind had been blowing all morning and we were not sure if the work on the tree could be completed, but Matt assured us that it would not be a problem.  While Jack started on the hedge, Matt prepared to climb the tree.  He was very thorough in preparing for the work insuring his own safetly and the safety of our home and yard.  After climbing up to the level of the branches he took them down one at a time and dropped them into the small area confined by the fences and the house.  He would wait for a gust of wind to pass before dropping them to the ground to make sure that they landed where he intended.  When he got to the portion where he would actually "top" the tree, he waited until the wind had quit before cutting that part and put it on the ground in the exact spot intended.  As he descended he cut 16" sections for us to use as firewood and dropped them on top of the branches. When he cut the tree trunk off at the trunk it fell in the perfect spot beweeen the fence and the house.  The hedge was trimmed to perfection as well.  When they finished they hauled the branches and limbs to their chipper and cleaned the area.  We asked if we could retain some of the chips to fill in a muddy spot in our yard and they put down just what was needed.  The job was finished in the time frame they had indicated.  This was a professional job in every way.  Both men are wonderful to work with and the work was done to our complete satisfaction. The pictures show the before and after of both projects.  

Matt is very prompt, courteous and communicates very well. He always made appointments and arrived on time. When there were weather delays, he was prompt to communicate with us, so we could reschedule. We will be using Matt for future projects.

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We got three estimates from highly-rated Angie's List tree service companies.  Prices were very similar.  During the estimate, Matthew obviously had much knowledge about different kinds of trees in our yard.  (We didn't know we had several different types of pines among the three target trees.)  We had a need to have the work done within a few days, which they were able to accommodate.  The workers introduced themselves, and did a great job with the trees.  Their methods made them always look very safe to us, despite being up in trees using chainsaws.  Highly recommended.

Received estimate for removal of large alder, work was completed very quickly and cost was less than other estimates.  Very professional crew.  Would use again for arborist or tree removal work.  Highly recommend.

They really did an excellent job overall! I had three different companies come out to provide me with an estimate. The first person to contact me was Matt, of Matthew’s Tree Care. While he was giving me an estimate for the dying tree, he mentioned to me a problem that I had with a maple tree located right next to my home. I wasn’t living at the home, so I didn’t notice the fungus. The initial company that removed the dying tree didn’t think the tree needed to be removed, but I ended up doing some research and found out that the tree needed to be removed. If that wasn't done, there was potential of the tree breaking, falling over right on top of the roof in my home. Their estimate was considerably less than another company’s estimate, which was twice as much as Matthew’s.  I was surprised that the cost of the work didn’t go up, since it took a lot of effort to remove that tree.  They worked all day to remove the tree; they asked me about an apple tree that was right underneath the maple tree (which was about 80 feet tall). They ended up knocking three apples on the tree off, but no branches were broken. They cleaned up after themselves, and were lovely to work with overall. I would recommend them to others (and already have)!

Due to the fact that 4 very tall black pines restricted our neighbor's view, we decided to have the trees taken down.  They were near our house anyways and were very messy.  We also, for the same reason, wanted the blue spruce reduced in height. I called Matthew's Tree Care at the recommendation of a friend.  I talked to Amy in the office and scheduled a time for a walk-around with Matt.  He came out and looked at what I needed done...took about an hour.  I was very pleased with his knowledge and overall attitude about trees (It kind of bothered me to take down trees but he said that people are more important than trees and that the trees weren't a native species, so I felt a little better after that).  I called back later to actually schedule the work and talked to Anne.
He came out as scheduled and took care of everything.  As requested, he chipped the branches and cut the trunks to a manageable 16" in length.  His clean-up was great!  His service did not include stump grinding but he recommended a company called Chip-Away, who we went with (who also did a great job).
It's a small company and he did all of the work with a couple of helpers.  His communication was awesome, as were the gals in the office (his wife and sister-in-law). We have a few more trees that will need to be removed and we will definately be calling Matt!

I enjoyed reading his contract "Terms".  He enjoys what he does and takes pride in what he does.

Very well done.  They were on time, they understood what I wanted, they made sure that they did the requested things.  Particularly, I wanted one difficult to identify branch removed and they correctly located it.  The job looks good, they hauled away all of the trimmings, and they provided a pleasing shape to all of the trimmed trees.  They were on time and even finished a bit early.

This company has done tree removal for us before, so when I needed a tree removed that was growing right next to the house, they were my first choice again. The only glitch was a delay to the work because of some equipment problems, but once they came, they worked quickly, did everything I asked (including leaving wood chips behind) and cleaned up carefully. The workers were friendly and careful (working right next to the house). Once again I was very pleased.