PRICHARD TREE SERVICE

Waiting to see if tree survives

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Key differentiator for this company versus other company's estimates we obtained at the same time was the knowledge level. Charles Prichard immediately identified cause of magnolia tree problems, diagnosing them differently than 2 other companies' arborists. Hence, he was able to provide specific treatment needed to address problem. It was clear in the subsequent months that the yellow leaf coloring prevalent on 2 of the trees went away and the magnolias have never looked better.
The pruning job was above average as well. In previous years, we had the same trees pruned, but Prichard Tree Service took a different approach, by avoiding excessive pruning and leaving the shape of the trees more natural. This was especially important for the crepe myrtles.
Price was higher than 2 other companies we talked to, but it was clear that he knew what he was doing, while the others did not have anywhere near the same level of expertise. And the company's work borne that out, with both the pruning and the health of our trees.

Perfectly

Charles came out Saturday May 3, 2014 to give a quote. We agreed on the price and he said he would come out the next Saturday. I gave a B for responsiveness only because I had no idea what time they were coming over on May 10, 2014. They did however show up at 7:30 AM and worked until about 1PM. It was first three workers then as the day went on two more showed up (I guess they woke up late). They cleaned up very well.The yard looks wonderful.

Prichard Tree Service is family owned and operated, which is a big plus for me. Most of the local tree services utilize work crews who are a little sketchy, at best. Prichard's work crews usually have one family member or a long time employee supervising the crew, which ensures a high level of quality in their work.
They provided an estimate for the services I needed early in the week and said they would be out Thursday to do the work. They actually showed up on Friday and did not call to tell me it was going to be Friday. Because I work out of my home office, this isn't a major problem, but it was unexpected and could have been handled better. Charles, if you're reading this, you missed out on straight A's because you didn't call to tell me about the schedule change.
Once on site, they did a very good job and cleaned up after themselves, as they have always done in the past. They are about 10-15% more expensive than their competition, but the quality of the work and the fact that they are a local family and long-term member of the community more than compensates for the slightly higher price.

Interestingly, this incident occurred while I was out of town. My house sitter called and reported a massive infestation of bugs on my crepe myrtle and that the tree looked stressed - the vegetation was wilting despite abundant water and temperate Spring weather. I had used Prichard before for and decided to contact them again and see if they could address the issue even though I was out of town. Charles and his wife made it very easy for me - the sitter provided them access to the yard, they treated the bug issue and pruned the tree at an agreed price. By time I got home, the tree was healthy looking, properly pruned, and there wasn't any mess in the yard.
This level of service and convenience should be and quot;par for the courseand quot;, but these days - and especially with tree services - it is not. A great many tree services in the Mid Cities areas are owned or staffed by ethnic Tongans. Not to pick on Tongans, but they don't seem to make very good tree service providers - my neighbors who have used Tongan-owned or operated tree services were always happy with the price, but horrified with the results. Damaged trees, damaged yard furniture or sprinkler heads, grown men urinating in their yards, issues with what appeared to be and quot;stagedand quot; job site injuries with requests to file a claim on the liability coverage of the homeowner's insurance policy. Charles Prichard and his employees show up on time, do a great job, clean up after themselves, and treat the homeowner and their property with respect and dignity. I highly recommend them and will use them any time I need a tree service.

They were very responsive. I called and they were here within 30 minutes to give me an estimate. They came with their crew the next morning at the time they said they would arrive and cleaned up when they were finished. This was the 2nd time I've used their services.

The workers were very professional and prompt. The job was finished in a little more than a hour and a half and they did a great job of cleanup. No complaints!