warranty for tree planting?

[macrocarpa]

What are others doing for a warranty on the trees you plant for customers? 1 year seems reasonable to me. Say a tree doesn't survive transplanting within the 1st year, do you still charge labor to replace it?

 

[fireaxe]

Water is key. It won't even make it for a year if they fail to water. I warranty, but it is biting me pretty hard. Every replacement I have had to install was dead from lack of water (pretty sure). I have considered
providing warranty only if they purchase and maintain an irrigation system from me. The timers aren't that expensive and I am not paying for the water.

 

[CreTree]

I usually add the cost of a timer and drip hose into the planting set it up before I go and give them 6 mos warranty. If they want a longer warranty I provide it and charge another $60 for a monthly check in. Unless the job is beyond 20 miles then I will add for fuel. So far my customers are happy to pay the little extra to have me back checking their trees. I have also pulled in more work on these properties and from the neighbors because I am there.

 

[Adkpk]

I tell customers provided it's watered, I guarentee for a year. Then I tell them if it dies and they ask me to replace it I will come and pull it up out of the ground and dismantle the root ball and check it for moisture. If it's wet I take the blame if it's dry it's their problem. I usually charge enough to do enough check-backs to maintain it myself till it starts to live on it's own. (I am pretty local).

Back in the days of running crews I just replaced anything that died no questions asked. Back then you won some you lost some profit wise and it wasn't only do to dead plants. Bad estimating, weather conditions ect... Ahh what the hell it's only money... my reputation is still intact that's what is paying the bills now-a-days.

Guarentee your work and follow through on your word. It's a good key to staying in business.

 

[tomthetreeman]

I charge customers full retail to guarantee plants, I give them wholesale for no guarantee. I charge for time spent at nursery, delivery and planting, so giving clients wholesale is no biggie. Retail can be up to double the cost, so people rarely go for it... I try to impress upon them the importance of watering, and that they can save quite a bit of $ this way.

-Tom

 

[cerviarborist]

My planting proposals specify that drip irrigation, meeting my specifications and able to deliver the volume of water at the interval I specify, will be in place and operational at the time the trees are planted.

With that in place, I guarantee them for 2 years, no problema.

My contract excludes insects, diseases, acts of war, fire, storms and temperature extremes, since I can't do anything about that.

Some of the restoration work, for which I've planted, has county requirements that the trees be guaranteed for 2 years.

Dr. Ed Gilman has a handy-dandy establishment chart on one of his site-evaluation power points, which cross-references trunk caliper and hardiness zones to give you a figure of how much water, how frequently, and for how many months to achieve healthy establishment. I just specify the correct amount for the trees, and haven't had a problem