ComplaintsforAll Affordable Tree Service

• Initial Complaint

  11/17/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  All Affordable Tree Service (AATS) was hired to remove 8 trees, leave 0.5-1 tree's worth of firewood, and haul away all other wood. The day of the job, I verbally agreed some woodchips and a few logs (I defined as about 1-2 cut up logs) can be placed in a wooded area. I stated no woodchips should be placed along my driveway and asked they be cautious not to damage my neighbor's properties. I was left with: woodchips down my driveway, woodchips/debris/damage on 2 neighboring properties, excessive logs scattered on my property, and logs they claim are firewood but far exceed the 18" promised on the contract (some I pointed out the day of the job to be cut smaller but I later found hidden at the bottom of a plie of wood).There is a separate issue at hand being handled by one neighbor on his property as the company owner, ******, falsely claimed I had two more dead trees on my property that should be removed but turns out they were two living trees on my neighbor's property. They also damaged a third tree and now large limbs still hang.On Nov. 11, ****** of AATS came to assess the damage on mine and my neighbor's properties. During that visit she informed us that her father and owner of the business, ******, is not of sound mind and makes decisions on the job that are detrimental to their customers. She also informed us the men working the job disagreed with ******* decision to have the living black walnut tree removed but didn't stop him. She verbally took ownership of issues, admitted fault, and asked what she can do to resolve it.She agreed to my request for a refund since I don't want AATS back on my property for cleanup, but that we'd connect again after an arborists assessed my neighbor's damages. While my neighbor pursues his concerns, I requested the promised refund via 3 emails and 3 phone calls between Nov. 14-17.Given a verbal agreement was offered, I see no other option but for the refund to be granted. My neighbor was present for this agreement.

  Business response

  12/01/2022

  ******************* HAD AN ESTIMATE GIVEN BY *********************** ON 11/5/22. *** AGREED TO THE $4000 ESTIMATE AND WE SCHEDULED IT FOR 11/8/22.  AS **********, AND ***************************** (ASST. *******)

  WALKED THE PROPERTY TO SHOW WHAT ***** NEEDED TO BE CUT. AT THAT **** ****** AND ***** NOTICED 2 ***** BY DRIVEWAY WERE ON PROPERTY LINE AND INFORMED *** THAT HE NEEDED PERMISSION FROM #7 ******. ***** LEFT AND WHEN RETURNED HE SPOKE TO *** AND SAID HE HAD GOTTEN PERMISSION FROM WIFE TO CUT THE 2 ***** BY DRIVEWAY. ****** AND ****** LOOKED OVER THE 2 ***** THEY WERE HESITATE TO CUT BECAUSE THERE WAS A METAL FENCE RUNNING THROUGH THE ****** CUTTING A **** WITH METAL IS VERY DANGEROUS TO CUT. AFTER A DISCUSSION WITH ***** THEY AGREED HOW TO CUT WITH HARMING THEMSELVES.

  *** WAS PRESENT ALL *** AT HOUSE WATCHING **** ALL STEPS OF THE WAY. ****** REVIEWED WITH *** ABOUT LEAVING SOME LOGS THAT WERE FAR IN THE ***** WHERE THE ***** WERE DROPPED. ********; AGREED. 95% OF THE LOGS WERE REMOVED AND IF NOT THEY WERE LEFT CUT INTO  18" FIREWOOD LENGTH. ****** ALSO ASKED *** IF **** CHIPS CAN BE BLOW INTO THE ***** AND A SMALL AREA BY DRIVEWAY. *** AGREED. THROUGH OUT THE *** *** OBSERVED THE WHOLE **** OF 8 GUYS WORKING.  ****** TALKED *** SEVERAL ****S ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.

  7 ****** WIFE WAS IN AND OUT ALL *** WITH A GREY CAR. MY WHOLE **** SAW HER. SHE SAW THE **** WORKING ON HER PROPERTY AND NEVER APPROACHED THEM TO STOP.

  AT THE FINISH OF THE ****** *** AND ****** WALKED THE PROPERTY AND *** AGREED EVERYTHING LOOKED GOOD. EXCEPT A PILE OF WOOD CHIPS BY DRIVEWAY NEEDED TO BE BLOW OUT. AT THE **** ****** LET ONE OF THE **** TO BLOW RIGHT AWAY. *** TELLS ****** LOOKS GOOD AND GREAT JOB. WRITES CHECK OUT TO FULL AMOUNT AND ALL SMILES. WE CONTRACTED FOR 8 ***** BUT *** ADDED 3 MORE WHERE ***** DIDNT CHARGE HIM FOR BECAUSE THEY WERE SO SMALL.
  

   

  *** CALLS AND TELLS ME WE CUT 2 **** OF NEIGHBORS. I TOLD I WOULD LOOK INTO WHAT HAPPENED.

  11/10 7 ****** CALL AND TELLS ME WE CUT 2 OF HIS ***** WITH OUT PERMISSION. TOLD HIM I WILL LOOK INTO

  11/11 *** CALLED TO SEE WHEN I CAN COME TO PROPERTY. I TOLD HIM I WAS ON THE WAY TO MEET HIM. *** AND ***** WERE BOTH WAITING FOR ME. ( I HAVENT GOTTEN THE WHOLE STORY FROM MY DAD AND **** YET)  *** TELLS ME HOW UNHAPPY HE WAS WITH WORK AND WANTS A FULL REFUND. ***** TELLS ME THAT WERE TRESPASSING AND STOLE THE WALNUT ****. AT THIS POINT THERE WAS NO REASON TO STEAL THIS BECAUSE THERE WAS NO WORTH TO THE **** BECAUSE IT WAS FULL OF METAL. THE *** **** WAS DEAD.

  ***** AND *** WERE INTIMATING ME TO TAKE FAULT FOR *****. WE DISCUSSED ****** AGE BUT NOT OF BEING SOUND MIND. HE RUNS HIS COMPANY VERY WELL AND IS IN SOUND MIND EVEN IN HIS 80S. AT THIS POINT ***** AND *** TOLD ME THEY WERE HAVING ARBORISTS COMING AND WE WOULD TALK AFTER THEY DISCUSS WITH THEM. I OFFERED TO CLEAN UP BOTH PROPERTIES TO MAKE LOOK BETTER. AT THIS POINT I HAVE NO IDEA WHY AN ARBORIST IS NEEDED.
  

  ON JONS PROPERTY TO REMOVE LOGS , LARGE PIECES OF FIREWOOD AND SOME WOOD CHIPS. HE DECLINED TO ANYTHING I SAID
  

  ON KEVINS PROPERTY I OFFERED TO CLEAN UP BROKEN BRANCHES. ( BY THE WAY THE BRANCHES WERE BROKEN BUT HELD SECURELY WITH AN IVY. CAN SEE IN PICTURES)  HE REFUSED

  NEXT FEW ***S I GET HARASSING PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS FROM BOTH *** AND *****. BOTH MAKING DEMANDS TO MAKE PAYMENTS FOR THEM IN 3 ***S OR THEY WERE GOING FILE A COMPLAINTS AND POLICE REPORT.

  *** WROTE IN AN EMAIL THAT HE HAD PERMISSION FROM ****** WIFE TO CUT ****** SHE WAS OBSERVED BEING HOME AT THE **** OF WORK BY 8 **** MEMBERS.
  

   

  11/10/22 *********************** CALLED TO ADVISE WE CUT HIS ******
  

  Customer response

  12/07/2022

  
  Complaint: 18411765
  
  I am rejecting this response because: it does not address my concerns, focuses primarily on a separate (but related) issue, and includes many false claims and half-truths.
  
  There are two issues here which I will break down as follows: 1) There is an issue with the work done via our contract and the verbal promise made for a refund to be granted following many issues with the work preformed and 2) Concerns with a neighboring property who had damages.
  
  First, I will focus on my complaint. ******** law recognizes a verbal agreement as binding. Therefore, when I requested a refund in writing and asked about it when ****** visited my property and she verbally agreed to the refund, All Affordable Tree Service is obligated to follow through on their agreement.
  
  Regarding ******'s visit on November 11, the company wrongfully claims that I was intimidating. I thought the meeting would go poorly and that I'd need to *****, but the exact opposite happened to the surprise of me and my neighbor. ****** apologized for meeting under these conditions and asked to assess the damage. Both me and my neighbor pointed our our respective concerns. Immediately after pointing them out, ****** began to apologize for her father's actions. That is when she said ****** was not of sound mind and also aid that "he is not all there" which has impacted not only us but other customers. [Note: *********** lied in their response saying they never said this. Further proof of these comments can be found in ****** reviews where other customers have said ****** has called her father '******' and have asked him to retire as recently as a year ago]. She further stated that they'd like him to retire or fire him but "how can you fire your ******** She then said that she takes full responsibility and then stated, "How can I help resolve this? I would offer to clean it up, but I would imagine you don't want us back. Is there money I can throw at this problem for it to go away?" It was at that time that I reminded her of my email request for a refund, and she immediately agreed to it. My neighbor wanted to explore options for his compliant at that time.
  
  In regards to other false claims mentioned in the company's complaint, I will quote them and provide my response:
  1. "*** WAS PRESENT ALL DAY AT HOUSE WATCHING **** ALL STEPS OF THE WAY." - I work from home and came down to issue complaints when I noticed between work calls them not sticking to our agreement. Each time the staff the staff made me uncomfortable as if I as requesting something not already in the contract. All I was trying to do each time was make sure they didn't make a mess on my or my neighbor's properties.
  2. "****** REVIEWED WITH *** ABOUT LEAVING SOME LOGS THAT WERE FAR IN THE ***** WHERE THE ***** WERE DROPPED. *** AGREED. 95% OF THE LOGS WERE REMOVED AND IF NOT THEY WERE LEFT CUT INTO 18" FIREWOOD LENGTH." - This is one of the items I came out during the work day to have them fix as I had only agreed to 1-2 smaller logs to be cut up small (like firewood) to be left in one wooded area of my property. I asked them to remove everything, to which they agreed. Since this complaint was originally filed, I've started to find even more logs and large limbs scattered in more areas of my property which goes against any written or formal agreement.
  3. ****** ALSO ASKED *** IF **** CHIPS CAN BE BLOW INTO THE ***** AND A SMALL AREA BY DRIVEWAY. *** AGREED." - I only agreed to wood chips in a wooded area to the front of my house. I stated twice that no wood chips would be put in my driveway, but they did it anyway.
  4. "*** AND ****** WALKED THE PROPERTY AND *** AGREED EVERYTHING LOOKED GOOD. EXCEPT A PILE OF WOOD CHIPS BY DRIVEWAY NEEDED TO BE BLOW OUT. AT THE **** ****** LET ONE OF THE **** TO BLOW RIGHT AWAY. *** TELLS ****** LOOKS GOOD AND GREAT JOB. WRITES CHECK OUT TO FULL AMOUNT AND ALL SMILES." - By the time the job was done, it was dark out so I could not confirm if they had fixed all the issues I noted in my complaints when I came outside. This is when I saw the wood chips already in the driveway in a massive mess of a pile. I reminded him that no wood chips were to be in the driveway, but he just told me it was too late. I asked them to at least spread them out. They did not do that.
  5. "WE CONTRACTED FOR 8 ***** BUT *** ADDED 3 MORE WHERE ***** DIDNT CHARGE HIM FOR BECAUSE THEY WERE SO SMALL." - Two of these extra trees belong to my neighbor, were alive, and were very large. ***** told me during the quote and day of that the job that the cost was $4,000 no matter the number of trees that needed to be removed. This was a flat rate job from the beginning.
  
  At this point, I do not consider this matter resolved and am seeking my full refund of $4,000 to consider this matter closed.
  
  While it is not my complaint or matter to resolve, I will help correct the record regarding my neighbor's complaint by sharing what I sent to the company outlining this separate issue:
  - ****** told me during the quote phase that the two trees in question were dead and mine based on their location in relation to my driveway. He advised that I should have them removed, but I declined.
  - ****** approached me the day of the job and claimed he spoke to my neighbor's wife who gave approval for the two trees in question to be removed.
     --Note: I have since spoken to my neighbor who confirms that this conversation never happened. The wife wasn't even home at that time.
  - ****** insisted I did not need approval from the neighbor since it was my property. I went over to the neighbor's house and, as stated above, no one was home. 
  - The neighbor's wife came on a doorbell camera where I told her the tree company I hired told me there are two dead Ash trees on my property they want me to remove, but I wanted her approval since they are near her property line. She said that if they were dead and on my property, they could be removed.
  - I then confirmed with ****** that if these were two dead Ash trees and on my property, they could be removed. 
  
  Unfortunately, All Affordable continues to lie on this matter as the two trees were not on my property and both were living - one of which was a valuable black walnut tree.
  
  
  Regards,
  
  *****************************

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