bad neighborhoods.......

Riggs

Riggs

Participating member
Location
Bryn Mawr , Pa.
Oh, here we go! Show up on a job and all the neighbors think your there for them. Sorry to disappoint you, you are not on the agenda. Smash job, a just bought home that was run down, over grown and unloved. The one neighbor with the most “jerk off of the year awards “wants to know how much free work he can get done on their dime. Like I always say “it’s Tree Work, not Free Work! “
Long story short, I had one huge Norway Spruce to take down. In most cases I would do the right thing. I was threatened, yelled at and, told I would be sued.( not because of the tree but because of what I wouldn't do for them ) So I took the only weapon I had, My Stihl 046, sharp 28 inch bar. Placed A line in the Spruce( ¾ dblbraid), took some back weight off, tied the head to a pickup truck( Dodge 350), and pulled till head had the lean I wanted, looked at all the neighbors and smiled. 120 foot Spruce, cut it forty feet off ground. Lot of wind( today Neast Philly), but I only took the chance because I WAS SURROUNDED BY AHOLES. They knew it was bada** but they wouldn’t admit it, I’d smash all their homes if I was a jerk off like them. I’m glad it went the right way but, I wouldn’t be sorry if I fkd up either. Does that make me a bad person? They just didn’t realize, that if I was anything like them, they be in a hotel room tonight. I’d still be home in my bed, don’t mess with a tree man and his o46, or you just might end up HOMELESS. HOTEL BOUND .
 
Riggs that really is a hilarious story, you had a bit of action then. Can't say I get that shite down here, must be our culture we are quick to tell ya where to get off. Take a hike is my motto let me get some fukkin work done. Gave me a good laugh this morning way to go dude keep them HO's in check. Gotta love a 460.
 
Sounds like fun...

I love those people - I just have a "higher" class asking me to clean up their trees or remove their brush pile when they see me working in the parks. I get the usual "I know the Mayor" and "I pay your salary" - but they all get the same response - "sorry, if I do it for you, I'd have to do it for everyone". Unless of course it's hot outside and the lady asking is even hotter and wearing close to nothing while sitting next to her pool! That clean up usually helps the crews morale.
 
Man I hate working around A-hole neighbors like that. We have a lot of them up here as well in the NorthEast. Usually people are good, but man sometimes you sure get a bad one!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I’m glad it went the right way but, I wouldn’t be sorry if I fkd up either. Does that make me a bad person?

[/ QUOTE ]

No. They might have learned something either way, but ultimately they are doomed. At least they'll have something to talk about at the proctologist.


And people around parks - how about the a-holes who dump in the park, and then hammer on workers to clean it up? They are also in the club.

It is raining and I have to work anyway but now I don't feel so bad. Thank you.
 
We get that all the time when we do the odd street tree pruning, we'll cut everything and chip at once, you get the odd house where they start throwing brush in our piles. In the end, they end up with more brush in the yard then they started with. Then they think WE'RE the bad people for not taking it!
 
Screw that bollocks I love treating a-holes like a-holes, I ALWAYS talk the language that people speak. Kindness for kindness, bullshite with bullshite ( I am stubborn what can I say ). Maybe an arsehole too though. Did I say I like ice cream?
 
I think what Marc is getting at is being the better person. I've been very fortunate not to run into such behavior as described. For the most part people ask if they can add to the pile or if we can do something for them as a favor. I politely but firmly say no with an explanation or give them a price for the "favor". Either way most people either pay up or walk away.
 
Riggs, are you really willing to risk a major claim against your commercial liability just to f**k with some douchebags? I can think of lots of ways to make them feel like worms without involving my insurance company.

-Tom
 
Treehumper I gotcha I was just having some fun. Here people refrain from asking too much as " freeness " never goes down well. Pay or hit the highway. This is not a charity. However if a nice old lady wants a little help well I don't see why not.
 
Yep Swing, it's a matter of reading the person and gauging the impact on your business either in PR or the actual time the favor will take. Sometimes that bit of charity is rewarded with an solicited offer to pay you for your generosity. Yesterday as an example, a neighbor asked if he could throw a few branches in with our stuff to chip. It didn't involve us going to get it or really much else since it was pulled in with the piles. After he finished he came over and flipped us $10. Not much but he still showed his appreciation.

As a very successful collections agent told me, "You get more with honey than vinegar".
 
A Saturday. Commerial shopping center in Bonita. Big nasty euc removal in the courtyard of a bank. Caution tape galore closing off the courtyard, plywood galore over the ATM machine, signs at each entrance saying closed to pedestrian traffic. Groundmen guarding each entrance, me in the tree roping down brush and wood.

Big black 260 pound jock pulls up to the bank in a swanky sports car and heads to an entrance demanding access to the ATM now. Groundman politely informs him that the courtyard's closed due to tree removal in progress, and that there's another BofA bank a few miles up on Telegraph Canyon RD.

Homey gets ticked off, yells at groundie, brushes him aside ducks under tape, tears plywood off ATM jusy as I land next to him in full gear, unclip and start 020 SuperAV walk toward him yelling the damn ATM is closed MoFo!

Homey gets bigeyed, runs back to his car, peels rubber to the nearest phone and calls the cops. Cops eventually arrive with homey behind them. I come back down tree again to speak with them. All caution tape, signs and plywood are back in place. I calmly explain to the cops that the gentleman ignored our signs, tore through our tape, and attempted to move the plywood from the ATM when I approached him in full gear as I am now and insisted the gentleman respect our safety signs caution tape and leave the courtyard, which the gentleman did rather than try and push me around in full gear as he had my groundman. They asked me if I had menaced the gentleman with a running chainsaw? I said I had a chainsaw clipped to my belt at the time, but that it most certainly hadn't been running. The cops questioned each of my four groundies, who ofcourse backed my version of events completely in every detail. The cops then informed homey he'd have to leave and find another ATM or face arrest. Homey exited the scene cursing. The cops wished me and my crew a good day, and smiled at me quite knowingly.

Back up the tree I went with thanks the cops had respect for other men at work in a dangerous profession using dangerous tools.

jomoco
 
I love working in nasty Neighborhoods! MOST OF THE TIME (not 100%) with a little TLC, and some good laughs/humor I can end up getting someone to put on a pot of coffee for the crew. I get a lot of satisfaction when walls and judgments come crashing down (on both ends!) and everyone walks away happy. We reap what we sow.
 
one act does not make you a bad person...but you definately have an attitude problem. just keeping it real bro...
Working for or around "a"holes is a real problem and can provoke one to anger....but if you allow them to make you act the same ,what have you become?
 
I had a lovely conversation with an angry, irrational, and selfish neighor (to an HOA we were working for) last week.

It must be Spring. All of the nutty people blooming right now.
smirk.gif
 
"Homey gets ticked off, yells at groundie, brushes him aside ducks under tape, tears plywood off ATM jusy as I land next to him in full gear, unclip and start 020 SuperAV walk toward him yelling the damn ATM is closed MoFo!"

Quite possibly the best thing I've seen on the web in quite some time, KUDOS!
 
I had a buddy of mine tell a neighbor one time "if you dont get off my jobsite im gonna Billy Jack your a$$!" The look on the neighbors face was priceless when he realized he was gonna take his right foot and whop him on that side of his face.

I later asked my buddy about loosing a potential customer and he said he was more worried about getting sued for him getting hurt on his site. He said besides would you want to work for him? Good point!
 
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