Frustrating things people do on a job......

[Mark Chisholm]

This thread may go on indefinitely lol.

To start, I hate watching people try to cut with a dull saw. How can a professional not notice how slow the saw is cutting when it is dull? Take a minute, maintenance your saw and get back at it. It's also dangerous in that cuts are sloppy and then corners are cut.

 

[VenasNursery]

This thread may go on indefinitely lol.

To start, I hate watching people try to cut with a dull saw. How can a professional not notice how slow the saw is cutting when it is dull? Take a minute, maintenance your saw and get back at it. It's also dangerous in that cuts are sloppy and then corners are cut.

Can’t agree more! Dull saw has to work a lot harder which leads to overheating and destroying the saw
Clean and sharp saws last almost forever!
And yes just like a saw is like a knife
Dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one

 

[Mick Dempsey]

I hate clients that come out and talk to you when you’re sitting down having a break and a cuppa.

 

[Simpleiowaguy]

My biggest gripes are ground guys not keeping the ropes free of branches and debris when climbing. A close second would be guys leaving the side box doors open on the bucket truck open. Im not a huge fan of advertising all of the equipment actually in the truck.

 

[oldoakman]

People always checking their phone and walking on ropes, especially my climbing line.

 

[Neill]

Letting the chipper or mini run wide open when there’s a lull

 

[MA Arborist]

People playing with their phones on the job. I consider it a major distraction It’s gotten out of control…

 

[RyanCafferky]

You are right on with that dull saw thing @Mark Chisholm. Definitely the worst. You can just hear how it sounds not biting into the wood and most often running at full RPMs. I’m just picturing a saw with a short lifespan as it is occurring.

One of the things that always bugs me is when someone grabs the blower and starts blowing before the cleanup (or the job) is done. Then they are just blowing dust in everyone’s faces who is actually doing something productive. Usually it is someone relatively new or someone who will do anything to look productive without doing something involving much actual work.

 

[Fivepoints]

People racing past your jobsite. We had tree work ahead signs up and had to cone off a lane this week. Working on a dead end road thats 30 mph. We had folks doing 50 plus two feet from our cones.

 

[SeanRuel]

I'm with mick on the chatty customer on break time!

Ground people raking in several directions when all debris needs to go one way!

 

[Mick Dempsey]

I'm with mick on the chatty customer on break time!

Ground people raking in several directions when all debris needs to go one way!

The raking thing is an obsession with me, as it was for my old boss back in the 90s, he used to get furious if I argued with him about it or deviated from the rules.
I’m pleased to say my nephew who worked with me for a year recently is fully on board with the program and loses his rag if anyone on his firm starts little piles or aimlessly rakes in every direction.

 

[Dan Cobb]

I work solo, though on occasion may have a little help from a client moving brush, so I rarely have someone to get frustrated with (other than myself.)

What I do hate is a job site covered in dog poo. I guess some people are down with having a yard covered with poo. But I'm not having it all over my gear, boots, floorboard, etc. I think that's worse than having glass/broken glass in the work area.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Over the years I shifted from just doing the non-tree related things silently to just telling client they were expected to to them. Most times nothing was done so it cost me time/money. The final shift was to list the Billable Extras on the estimate sheet. If the client didn’t do them I had the option of billing them.

Some of those BE’s were:

Cleaning up dog bombs
Coiling hoses out it work zone
Move patio/deck furniture
Keep vehicles out of drive and curb area
In the fall remove deep layers of leaves…we’re not a lawn service, read the company name

Once I listed like this I never had problems doing skut work for free

 

[Njdelaney]

You are right on with that dull saw thing @Mark Chisholm. Definitely the worst. You can just hear how it sounds not biting into the wood and most often running at full RPMs. I’m just picturing a saw with a short lifespan as it is occurring.

One of the things that always bugs me is when someone grabs the blower and starts blowing before the cleanup (or the job) is done. Then they are just blowing dust in everyone’s faces who is actually doing something productive. Usually it is someone relatively new or someone who will do anything to look productive without doing something involving much actual work.

I had an uncle that used to do this. He'd grab the blower halfway through the day and get that look of fake concentration on his face while the rest of us did the hard stuff.

 

[Mark Chisholm]

Letting the chipper or mini run wide open when there’s a lull

Or any machines really now that fuel is ridiculous

 

[Mark Chisholm]

Usually it is someone relatively new or someone who will do anything to look productive without doing something involving much actual work.

We all have that "guy or gal" lol

 

[Mark Chisholm]

I can write a book about this stuff. How about people not putting gear back where they got it from. This is especially frustrating when it ends up in the "closest" truck. Then you roll up to a job the next day without that truck and don't have any rakes or maybe a rigging line .....

 

[Jehinten]

Homeowners signing the approval of a quote then complaining about the price after completion of the job.

Homeowners signing the approval of a quote, then saying "I don't want to spend X more dollars on stump grinding" that was a part of the quote. (Luckily they spoke up before the grinding was completed)

Homeowners who place large sandstone rocks next to the stump of a tree then let ivy grow over them.



That's all from this past week and I'm probably forgetting some.

This post might belong in the homeowner thread...

 

[Stumpsprouts]

I can write a book about this stuff. How about people not putting gear back where they got it from. This is especially frustrating when it ends up in the "closest" truck. Then you roll up to a job the next day without that truck and don't have any rakes or maybe a rigging line .....

…the boss who has a tiny, tiny climb bag and a giant harness and you’re always the one trying to shove it in there because he leaves the job site at 2.

 

[Jonny]

Kind of task specific situation here. When I’m climbing and we rig a piece down, very often we’ll be rigging another piece right after. So when that first piece gets landed, I hate when the ground folks do anything other than immediately untie it and flick the rope back to me, if needed. I want to tie the next piece and reposition myself to make the next cut. I really hate when they untie it and just drop it when I obviously can’t reach it. I’m cool with waiting a few for them to get the piece taken care of and disappeared, so long as I got my next piece tied and I’m in position for the next cut.