Gentle Bens Tree Service Inc

The quoted price was low ($350) I felt, so I actually offered and agreed with the owner to pay about 40% more because I knew it would be hard work. The two guys who came out about a week later got the tree down safely in several hours on a VERY hot day. The deal did not include removal of the branches, etc. due to them not offering a chipper though I would have preferred that. I disposed of these over several weeks via the garden recycle service, but also did a side deal with one of the workers to remove the cut up trunk however he left a few b/c his truck was full.

This is the best tree company I've worked with, excellent!

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Other neighbors had used them before. They were very honest.

Bill (the owner) came out to do the estimate, then returned the next week to do the work. Although he wasn't present the whole time, he was there enough to effectively supervise each day. The main tree work took two days, then it took two additional days to finish the chipping and splitting, and to haul everything away.

Bill is friendly and knowledgeable. He discussed my options with me and we arrived at a good approach to meet my concerns. He explained what would happen so there would be no surprises. In terms of price, he was the middle of three bidders (all were pretty close together once adjusted for differences in scope of work), but we selected him mainly based on his ability to handle all of our concerns, including hauling everything away and cleaning up.

When I called Bill to schedule the work, I asked for insurance documentation. He cheerfully arranged for his insurer to fax it to me. Everything was in order.

Bill and crew arrived right on time the following Wednesday. Two climbers went to work right away. It is fascinating to watch them walk up the tree and start to lower the branches by rope. A crew on the ground retrieved the branches and ran them through the chipper, which deposited the chips in the back of a truck. It took one day to selectively prune the four trees, to remove vulnerable branches and reduce wind load. At the end the trees looked very nice, and they made it through the following week's ice storm very well.

On the second day the crew removed the three trees. This consisted of climbing up each tree, taking off all the branches; then working back down the tree, slicing off 16-inch segments one by one all the way down. He protected the slope near the tree to prevent any segments from rolling downhill and striking the house.

Once the climbers were done, a second crew came in to retrieve the segments and split them into firewood. There were three truckloads of firewood to haul away.

Both crews were very polite and friendly, as well as safety-conscious. They did a nice job of cleaning up each day before leaving. They even cleaned the needles from the street in front of our house. I think they left it cleaner than they found it.

There was one scare in the middle of the project when a neighbor complained to the city about something, we are not sure what, maybe the noise of the chainsaws or working close to the city park, which is right behind our lot. We are sure it wasn't one of our nearby neighbors, but probably someone walking through the park who complained. Anyway, the city sent someone out, who ordered the crew to stop work and forced us to drive our paperwork into Bellevue City Hall to prove that it was in order. The crew cleaned up and left as ordered. But within an hour we had the city's blessing to continue. Bill cheerfully sent his crew back, and finished the day's work successfully as though nothing had happened.

By Saturday the firewood crew was finished and everything was all cleaned up. The final cost was exactly what Bill had proposed. This was a good experience and we'll definitely use this company again next time.

The work went quite well. They took down a couple of trees for us and trimmed some of them. This is the second time I am using them. Their quality of work is good. They are punctual and professional.

Well priced, services went well, and they did what they said they would do.

They are excellent and have always done a great job. They clean up everything when they leave.

Bill is great to work with. He works with the crew, is safety conscious, and has years of experience. Bill and his crew did a quality job, in a timely manner, with a full clean up. Great company to work with.

They took down two Firs and did not disturb even a flower. The wind was blowing up to about 30 MPH. Their clean up was fantastic. Very customer service oriented and courteous.