Pruning Warranty?

Treebeard68

Treebeard68

Location
Wisconsin
I just got a call from a client that I worked for 9 months ago who is claiming we didn’t do a good enough job clearing her tree away from her neighbors house. She waits 9 months to determine she wants more off the tree?? And she wants us to return to take more off as part of the original “arrangement”!

Has this ever happened to anyone? Thoughts on how to handle it?

Thank you in advance!

Treebeard68
 
It’s so nice when the client is home so we can make sure everyone is happy before wrapping up the job. Doesn’t always work out that way though. Revisiting previous pruning jobs is occasionally part of the business.
Nine months is a long time, but if it’s something that grows fast and it’s encroaching the neighbor’s house again, can’t really blame them.
I’d still go see what they want done and try to make them happy, it might be a little pole saw work or a couple cuts. If that’s what it takes to get them to sing your praises to the friends and family, it’d likely be worth it.
 
I agree...go have a look planning to prune a little more off. If new growth is the culprit, prune that back and sell a growth regulator treatment.
 
What was the original specs on the work?
8' of clearance, 2', 15'?

Who is responsible for trees, the people who's property its on, or where its trunk is located at ground level?

Here, I'd be trespassing to cross a property line, and the neighbor is responsible for their own property. Not necessarily the case, here. How close are the houses, what is the situation on the tree.


Does the lawn only get a paid pruning once, and the rest is warranty work?




I got asked about a 'guarantee' or 'warranty' for some storm work. The climber missed a freshly broken branch, which browned out over time. We didn't complete the work of removing broken branches. Not a problem. No charge.
 
Treebeard68 said:
Thank you Bango, she was home and paid us upon completion of our work. She even stepped outside to take a look.
Click to expand...
I'd certainly make that part of the conversation. If it is a major process to prune more off I'd probably lead with something like: "we would have been happy to address that if you had brought up the concern when you inspected the job before we left last time. Now I have to block a part of the day for a whole crew..." We can take care of it for $xyz (I would discount the price, but not take a loss IF the original specs were met...).

If it is something you can take care of with a pole, just do it and thank her for the opportunity to make things right.
 
What species of tree was it? Around this time of year many trees get tip heavy with fruit. Around here this is particularly noticeable with Ash, walnut, and some maples. Since you trimmed it 9 months ago it likely had the necessary clearance and now that the limbs are heavy its getting too close to the home. The only remedy for this is to either prune it back again or to point this out to the homeowner and let them know that in a month or two the limbs will bounce back up.
 
Hindsight is always 20/20, but this may help going forward.
1. Customer goals define the scope. (Client wants to achieve foliage clearance x feet from y structure with clearance to remain for z months/years)
2. Scope defines the work. (Given the three foot (3') annual shoot growth rate of Quercus mcgurkus in this area, branches should be pruned back to appropriate pruning points equal or greater than x+6 feet...so that anticipated growth over a two-year period will not place new foliage in areas where it is not desired.)
3. Items 1 & 2 are annotated in the work proposal, which is submitted to the client to approve. After approval, it goes on the work orders for the crew, so that everyone is literally on the same page.
 
Thank you Cerviarborist, in our area I have always used 10 ft. as a standard for building clearance. I guess going forward I should write a spec so this doesn’t happen again. My biggest heartburn is the fact she waited 9 months to raise a concern. Seems like she wants some free tree work done to me.
 
As a professional who performs this kind of work repeatedly on a daily basis, it's easy to look at a clients tree and know what needs to be done. I try always to first have a conversation with the client to ask them straight up "What are the assets and benefits you want this tree to deliver to you, and what are the liabilities and detriments you'd like to mitigate or eliminate. Make note of it, because now you can see the tree through their lens rather than your own. This will insure that you know what their goals are, and can incorporate them into the scope of the project.

As to your current predicament, it might be a good idea to ask some non confrontational probing questions. Your client may be suddenly catching flack from her neighbor, and depending upon neighbor tree law in that state, it may be her neighbors responsibility to clear branches that are over their property and near their home. Let your client feel that they've been heard without interruption, then reflect back what they've told you so that they know you've picked up what they're putting down...Only then offer a professional perspective on the problem and possible solutions. For all you know, your client may have neighbors from hell, putting pressure on her, and you're the only one she can think of who can offer a solution. Most upset clients, by the time they've entirely aired their grievance and confirmed that you listened and understand....aren't nearly as mad anymore.
 
Start by playing it backwards from way been looking.
Can you walk neighbor roof with pole lopper and resolve in few cuts?
Or 6 super low, leave for city in 10mins with a15yr. old helper
>>or minimize in other fashion
Redefine:what really drives CX request:
Is the neighbor the actual complainant?
Is cx just trying to be overly dutiful community wise and feels must do this(or actually trying to put light on ground)?
Will requested action(s) off balance or present other reason for not going forward?
Is cx target reasonable expectation of outcome or chasing windmill?
.
Is this to direct, Sun side ravenously feeding growth as witness in most Nature?
Every cut in green is a wound.
.
Can you agree to work plus some other element that converts this into a sale, even if just lunch money?
.
Mostly hope not just dealing with greed of squeezing more work in power play, but rather something you can make sense of and run with.
Like martial art move , seem to throw with cx and then curve to more amicable target once in motion without fight! Kinda look at StepDutchman as similar fake out of get moving and turn. If not so easy just to do and get past.
 
s
Treebeard68 said:
...I have always used 10 ft. as a standard for building clearance. I guess going forward I should write a spec so this doesn’t happen again. My biggest heartburn is the fact she waited 9 months to raise a concern. Seems like she wants some free tree work done to me.
Click to expand...

Measured distances can lead to problems. Every region has trees like live oaks, burr/white oaks with super strong horizontal limbs. The woody part doesn't move much in the wind so it can stay but the smaller branches could touch the building. My discussion was to provideäæ years growth clearance. I'd find a low branch and show a client where the annual terminal bud scar was and walk them backa few years. Esay for them to visualize how much volume needs to come off.

There are chislers though. all they want is what they want. Nothing will make them happy. Most people will cooperate. It's hard, was for me, to take a breath and find a good solution.

Listen more than talk...LOL...I wish I would have learned that a long time ago.
 
Might cut more and have same response of tree fighting back,
Fed by more light , especially on sun side over 9mos.
.
Healthy competing tree as king of the jungle imagery, teased suddenly with the light it seeks. It wants to shade ground from competitors and better chance leaves don't blow away.
Also, low weight CoG is more stable, downward slant of branches to serve water wider away from trunk for roots to chase to wider heavier, more leveraged support base. Many functions served, in thrive to survive, Naturally expected in this view of almost animal survival, by inanimate that has figured out how to about live the longest, heavier, most rigid, tallest etc. top places so much as to set off sometimes own 'bio-sphere' of interwoven life orchestrations. Rich foliage and grass under spreading tree is more of people than tree idea(l).
.
Find and treat root cause, perspective driving CX view and request. Maybe even show to view tree in wonder, not doubt. I found older people just see branch and fear will fall on head or house. Worser is if upper branch that gets more wind fails and nothing below to stop it....
.
FWIW:
Mychor is so evolved an interconnected network of routing, fail over and sustainability of shared resources that computer network folk are studying it for structural clues!
 
cerviarborist said:
Hindsight is always 20/20, but this may help going forward.
1. Customer goals define the scope. (Client wants to achieve foliage clearance x feet from y structure with clearance to remain for z months/years)
2. Scope defines the work. (Given the three foot (3') annual shoot growth rate of Quercus mcgurkus in this area, branches should be pruned back to appropriate pruning points equal or greater than x+6 feet...so that anticipated growth over a two-year period will not place new foliage in areas where it is not desired.)
3. Items 1 & 2 are annotated in the work proposal, which is submitted to the client to approve. After approval, it goes on the work orders for the crew, so that everyone is literally on the same page.
Click to expand...

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