JoeBeezy123 t1_ivja1kq wrote on November 8, 2022 at 11:29 AM

As someone who does tree work for a living this is kind of an unfair generalization considering some of us actually try to do the right thing. Tree work in general is incredibly dangerous and while yes there are a lot of sketchy people who charge sketchy prices, that’s not fair to assume that all of us do. That’s on the consumer to know what the tree value is worth if they don’t know they should shop around and compare.

Browley09 OP t1_ivjijmh wrote on November 8, 2022 at 12:59 PM

The difference between someone who clearly does the work themselves and approaches the situation asking if any tree work needs to be done, and the dude that clearly doesn't have a chainsaw and starts the conversation with the sales pitch of I'll cut that tree for $$$ tomorrow when my guys are in the neighborhood.

I installed garage doors for 12 years and after 6 years of working for a company went out on my own. I know how hard it is to get started but in those 6 years I had developed some contacts and clients. Word of mouth was a powerful tool for me. I could offer cheaper prices and make more money for myself because I had less overhead. I clearly did the work myself, dressed clean and professional for a blue collar worker, was honest with pricing and scope of work, carried my proof of insurance (from a reputable company), and had a good record of solid work.

Putting on the consumer to know the value is kind of my point. If you have already gotten pricing for tree work or any other project then it's unlikely you'll be using the Dorr to door guy, but not impossible.

JoeBeezy123 t1_ivkf6dx wrote on November 8, 2022 at 4:52 PM

Okay so yes there is obviously a distinct difference in your point of view, but to a lot of us going door to door to offer a “free estimate” or “hand business cards” is the only way to market ourselves more easily. It’s the only way I have been able to market myself especially because I don’t have the resources to put an ad in a newspaper or make an commercial. The big con in the tree industry is it is not safety enforced and highly regulated like other trades and any moron can pick up a chainsaw and start cutting. That is not how I was trained at all during my 5 years as a professional tree climber. Many people do not ask enough questions or look around, which to me is absolutely absurd. Some guys undersell and some guys oversell. I personally tell everyone that if they don’t feel that the price I’m risking my life for is worth it that they can always give a call to another local Arborist so that I can give an honest and compared rate. I don’t agree with many of the obscene prices that some horrible people charge at all, but at the same time why didn’t anyone question the trimmer or call another tree company? I apologize if this is coming off as aggressive but the title and context of your statement triggers me just because of a bad experience with scammers, but I am sorry that you had to deal with that.