ComplaintsforJakes Tree Service & Landscaping LLC

• Initial Complaint

  07/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Jakes tree had to come out 2 times to complete our contract. The 2nd time they came out there was a heavy rain and thunder storms the night before and another one a few hours before the same day they came..There was no split limb on the tree. I looked up there because of the storm before I walked over to remove a section of fence, AFTER the storm. When they came, I was occupied by the foreman what was to be cut. He had me on the phone with the estimator trying to get him to cut all that was in the contract. I had to talk in my garage because of the saw noise so I could not watch them. They finished by the time I was done speaking to the estimator. I was happy they fulfilled the contract and made sure they put a section of my neighbor's fence back up that they knocked down. Afterwards they left within minutes, I was putting back up a section of my fence and cleaned it. When I walked back to my house to look at the work, I saw the split branch on top of the tree and emailed them. Jakes Jake got back saying, must be from the storms, it wasn’t them. I emailed him a couple of times to appeal, stating I had pictures. Fortunately, I took a picture of the area of the tree to be cut to show the estimator when I was disputing with the foreman that shows the branch without a split. I never got a chance to send the owner the picture as he said I was harassing him, that he was going to file charges if I kept bothering him. I feel they split it while lowering a 10 ft. heavy section of the tree. More importantly they were right there working. Even if it were there from the storm, why did they not say anything to me. It would have taken no longer than 5 to 10 minutes to cut a roughly 4 to 5 inch branch and lower it safely to the ground. Now it is a hazard and could hurt someone if it gives loose and they are under it. It will certainly fall on the power and phone lines going to the neighbor behind me and the neighbor next to him. What a disappointment 

  Business response

  07/10/2023

  Customer hired us to trim/prune/remove limbs/branches that were overhanging his yard from his neighbors' properties.    Customer has provided the scope of the estimate agreed upon in his .pdf attachment.   

  Our crew performed services -- but on that date of service, they did not go to the lowest crotch on one tree (where the expectation of both estimator and customer was), and so we voluntarily came to correct this on an additional date of service.   That was our mistake.

  On the second date of service it was a Monday (as requested by customer) and per customer description, it was indeed following storms.  

  The branch in the photo shown as split was not a branch that was part of the contracted scope of services.  Thus, it was not cut ever by our crews -- nor should it have been. 

  Customer's provided  'before picture' is from prior to our first visit (prior to any cutting being done).   Customer 'after' picture is the same tree days after we performed initial services and just after the storm damaged his tree.
  
  Our crews were not in the canopy on the return visit -- that is where the storm damaged branch is located.  We did not see the new storm-damaged split on our return visit -- nor did customer mention it to us.  Nor would we have been looking for it, as we were only there to complete the missed lower branches.  

  Had we been aware of it, yes we may have taken it as a favor to the customer.  We often go above and beyond to help customers.  But again, it was not part of our scope -- and we were not alerted to it until after all services were rendered and paid for.

  Customer emailed us several times and we told him this.   

  Customer now says he 'feels' we must have broken a fountain.  Our crews are not aware of any fountain, nor damage to a fountain from our services.   Customer did not mention it until we told him we would not be returning to remove the storm-damaged limb that was not part of our scope.  Customer has provided no documentation of any kind to even support this libelous claim about said fountain.   There was no report of damage on dates of service.  No report of an issue lowering on dates of service.  Nothing.  Neither crew nor customer.   Now that customer has storm damage he doesn't want to pay for, he suddenly 'feels' we must have done so.
  

  Also, for our services, (as per the contract attached to this complaint) fence was taken down for access.  Customer took down one section, and our crews also manually lowered an additional section (that was later restored when they left).    Now customer is trying to position things as this fence was 'knocked down' instead of taken down purposefully and restored purposefully.  

  We have fulfilled our contract to scope and been paid for it.   We disagree that we have any involvement in customer's new storm damage, his fence, his fountain, or any other fabrication provided by customer in this complaint.  We wish this matter closed.  Thanks!
  

  Customer response

  07/14/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I have a more detailed description of events that I had to edit to fit in the character limit of the better business bureau complaint site. I also have a full description of all the details that would not sit on the original complaint But if needed I can send to the other email address Later tonight as it is on my computer at home.

  
  The second date of service was Tuesd

  ay june 27th, Shortly after 5 pm, AFTER the storm, not Monday has jake stated (not as per contract). The first time they were there on Monday was as per contract.
  
  I have a date and time stamp picture showing the time of 5:54 p m and the date of June 27th when the picture was taken with the branch intact. It was sent at 5:55 p m to jake's estimator via text while they were still working on the tree as I was on the phone with him asking to tell the foreman to follow the contract. 
  
  As already mentioned due to the chainsaw noise I had to go into the garage to hear the estimator on the phone. Doing that conversation is when I went out and took the picture of what was to be cut which shows that branch was not split and still intact. I can supply screenshots with the date and time stamps proving it.
  
  I also can supply screenshots of my conversation with the estimator showing a time stamp of 7:54 with the same date mentioning they split the tree with a picture showing the time stamp of 8:01. There were no storms in between that or after that time. The last storm was 3 o'clockish in the afternoon that day.
  
  As for the neighbours fence, once off the phone with the estimator as I walked out the garage and the first thing that caught my eye was the neighbors fence knocked over. Jake mentioned they removed that section of fence to work.The foreman must have told Jake they took the section of fence down to work on the tree but that is not true. If that were the case, the big section of tree would not be laying on top of the knocked over fence with the middle section of the three pieces of 2x3 wood that holds the slats in place would not have been cracked. I supplied them with a 1x3 to support the crack for strength because they were just going to replace it as is. I just wish I would have taken a picture of the large piece of tree laying on top of the fence while it was knocked over. However, if necessary, I can go take a picture of the fence with the mended piece of wood 
  I gave them attached showing the crack behind it.
  
  As for them saying they were not working near the canopy which is near the top of tree because if they would have seen it, they would have been nice enough to take it down, that is ridiculous. You can see clearly in the one picture that was taken were they removed the thick section of tree that had the "canopy" on it, which they did not cut the first time and had to come back the second time to cut. They were working right there where the branch is split. It is roughly six feet above where they cut that thick section of tree. 
  
  
  Ask for Jake mentioning. I paid for the services and did not say anything, They conveniently forget that I paid them in full the first time they were there which was against my better judgment as the contract says payment was do upon completion of the finished work. I paid them by check because his formam put it in writing they would have the estimator  come out the next day, which they did to verify it was okay to cut what as was in original contract and the fact that he seemed very upset if he did not collect the money that Jake would be on top of him.  I thought that if they did not come back the next day and verify the completion of the work I could have canceled the check.
  
  By the way I also have all my emails to verify my factual statements.
  
  Jake is correct stating that the branch was NOT in the contract to be cut. Anyone with common sense Can see they had to damage that while using it to lower a way too heavy section of the tree they removed. They were right there working. I even had two of the previous estimate guys come back to give me an estimate to remove that piece as they live nearby snd they both feel it was from lowering the thick heavy piece of tree.
  
  Now about the fountain, I told his foreman when they returned that it was cracked when they were there the first time and the branch rolled back and hit it. Him and I  were standing right there when it happened and he said oh crap. I did tell them I may have fixed it with roof cement. I told them that when we were going back and forth about him trying to get out of the contract again cutting the tree down to where it was supposed to be while also mentioning that I did not have to take down my section of fence that I did that to be helpful for them.
  
  In my opinion  Jake's foreman is fearful for his job and not telling the truth Jake or Jake is covering for him. (IN MY OPIOION).
  
  Regardless, I have date and time stamp pitchers sent via text to Jake's estimator showing that the branch was not damaged while they were there working.
  
  Also to mention since my original complaint with the Better Business Bureau complaint, I also contacted the Pennsylvania state Attorney General's office of consumer affairs and my state representatives office sending them all the emails, text and pictures. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** ****
   
  Additional comments from consumer sent via email : When I was first communicating with Jake via email the same evening right after they left on June 27th about the broken branch,  Jake implied it must have been from the storms. There were only two storms, one the night before and one an hour or two  before they came. Since I emailed Jake within an hour or so after they left, It's natural to assume his implication was it was from the earlier storms.
  
  After I got home, I had time to read his rebuttal clearly, he was implying that it happened AFTER they left   Because he said  my "after" picture was a few days afterwards and it must have happened then. (I guess he forgets he blamed it on the storms within an hour or so after his men left on the same evening).
  
  There were no storms for seversl days AFTER they left, not even that night. I sent you that hyperlink showing the weather for Norristown PA area where the winds and gusts were extremely low (under six miles an hour to next to nothing) and.without any heavy rain if any at all.
  
  Again. as a reminder I sent pictures to his estimator the same day, within an hour or so.
  
  In case I forgot to send that to you, I am sending you a screenshot of the text sent to **** the estimater with the picture of the broken branch.
  I copied the screenshot today so I can send it to you but you can see the original date in the details underneath.
  

  Business response

  07/21/2023

  Hello.

  We have already answered this complaint as levied by *************

  We have fulfilled our scope of services to the client and been paid by the client. 

  ************ is continuing with unsubstantiated accusations intended to injure our business. 

  We officially ask him here and now to cease and desist the libel.

  We did not damage his fountain.  We had no knowledge of a fountain while on the job.  Customer only brought up fountain to us after the job -- and only after we told him we would not come back and do additional work for free that was above and beyond the scope of the services that we already rendered. 

  ************ has provided no proof beyond his 'feelings' and speculation that we broke a fountain.  We see this as a reckless disregard for the truth aimed at defaming our business and extorting additional services and money. 

  We owe the client nothing.

  Once again  -- we do not have any responsibility for the storm damaged branch.  It was not part of scope.  

  Once again, we will often add simple items that are out of scope while on a job to help a customer. 

  Once again we did not do so for ************* 

  It does not matter if he sent the pic while we were there. 

  We are under no obligation to do out of scope services for clients.   

  We were under no obligation to assist ************ with his out of scope item  -- nor are we obligated at this time to return.

  We were contracted for a scope and that scope was fulfilled and payment received for.

  We did not cause any damage and nothing was reported. 

  ************ clearly feels that threatening our reputation with unwarranted and unsubstantiated claims is a good tactic for extorting what he wants. 

  But, we do not give into bullies.  We only care about the truth.

  We ask the BBB to please close this complaint.  Thanks!

  Customer response

  08/01/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Jakes Tree is correct that I have no proof that they cracked the cheap $90 fountain.  However, I did tell his Forman the second time they came out as I mentioned earlier, but it is my word vs. his Forman’s word which will go nowhere. My main concern was the broken branch. At this point there is really nothing else to say that hasn't been said.
  
  I was recently told by the representative from the BBB that they only post the communication between the customer and the contractor, also all the time and date stamped pictures, text messages and emails I sent to the BBB cannot be seen by others, just the BBB and the contractor. That is a shame as they would help others see who is being truthful.

   However, I will keep them for a few years as they will stand as evidence if needed.

  I am confused however as how me, the victim and little guy has now become the bully. As for who is telling the truth, we will all stand before the Fathers judgement seat one day where nothing is hidden. I will also continue to pray for those who persecute me.
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************

  Customer response

  08/02/2023

  It is evident that this is going nowhere. I do not wish to stress myself out further possibly causing further decline in my health for a couple hundred dollars.

  I never had any intention to hurt anyone or anyone's business. My only intention was to have the BBB intervene to get this corrected as I was told ahead of time that's all the BBB could do. I am always happy when people succeed in life.

  Therefore I wish to officially ask to bring this matter to a close. I wish all the best.

  *****

  Customer response

  08/17/2023

  I read the reply from jake's tree service.
  
  I believe i've sent you more than enough evidence That shows the break in the branch was done while they were there. I've sent you the pictures with the time stamps and also the Text string speaking to their estimator which shows I was speaking to him June 27. This is while they were there working.  I believe I've even sent you the hyper link that shows the weather conditions for the past thirty days, which shows there were no high winds or gusts or storms after four o'clock In the afternoon that day and  thereafter for at least a week.
  
  I am not trying to hurt anyone I just believe other people should know the business practice of these people. If he were not trying to hide anything why did he remove my ****** review. If you wish I can take a screenshot of what shows up on my ****** account and look for yourself. 
  
  Only I can see my ****** review but not others.  You can ****** it for yourself that you can pay to get bad reviews removed. I have enclosed a screenshot with with my review that only I can see because it was removed. ****** did not remove it. 
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  05/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This landscaping company came to our home without permission and is attempting to invoice us for services we did not ask for. We stopped using their services in 2022 because they charged us full price without mowing part of our yard. As a result, we never asked them to return. They believe that they left a voicemail in January, to which no one responded, and they wrongly believe that their alleged voicemail gave them the right to decide to come to our property and charge us without permission. They are now falsely claiming that my husband stated today that he had no problem with their unrequested services for the past weeks. My husband was not in town for more than 5 days in April, and he did not state today that he had no problem with their services over the past month. We can provide email correspondence as supporting documentation. This company falsely seems to believe that they have the right to come to a homeowner’s property without permission, and that they have the right to force people to pay for services unless the people call them to refuse.

  Business response

  06/01/2023

  Here is the actual truth:

  The client used us all last season until season end (November 2022).   There were no issues at the time.   

  We left a voicemail in January to confirm we would begin the annual service again on April 1, 2023.  We did not receive a call back. 

   We went out the first week and cut -- we were not turned away.  We did the same for other customers that we had last season who may have decided to not continue, and whom we had not heard from.  After the first cut they called us  -- we notated our system and we gave them that cut for free. 

   ******************* did not call after we came and cut her lawn.   So we continued regular service as per the status quo.  We gave four cuts (the first one ...plus 3 additional).  We bill monthly for services.   When we invoiced and called for payment, we were finally told that our services were not required.   We were also told, when asked, that they did not hire anybody else.   So please tell me who she thought was cutting the lawn? 

  They owe us for three cuts -- but we have already notated it as bad debt.   Outside of our normal invoicing and follow up we have not called for payment.  But certainly we did nothing wrong by billing for our work.
  
  We ask that this complaint be removed  -- as it is unnecessary -- especially since they have already decided they refuse to pay for services clearly rendered.  Thanks!

  Customer response

  06/05/2023

  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  As we noted to the BBB before, this business treated us unfairly.  In spite of what they responded here, they did not call our home to leave a voicemail. We have documentation from our phone service provider to prove that no phone call was ever made and that no voicemail was ever left on the date they claimed.
  After receiving multiple written and oral complaints about the quality of service they provided us the year prior, they wrongly assumed that we would want to do business with a company who knowingly charged us full price for a half-done service.  (Last year, they made a number of excuses for charging us full price without rendering full service.  They claimed they rang our doorbell and that we did not answer it, but they arrived at unpredictable times and did nothing to try to schedule a time that we could plan to put our labradoodles inside while they cut our dog yard.  Who would want to continue paying a company full price for half-done service, with no way to work out a regularly scheduled time?  They were wrong to assume any customer would want to continue down that path.  Why would we want to continue paying a company for their invented charge for doorbell ringing?  You will see in their recent email to us that they thought they had the right to make a unilateral decision to charge us full price for lawncare service in exchange for their pressing of our doorbell!)

  We never asked them to return to our home this year, based on their poor service last year, and the fact that they show up unannounced at other customers homes and then billed them does not make their actions legal or right.  It takes two parties to agree to do business together, not one.

  Their employee **** did call and harass us and speak rudely to us about this matter.  He called both of us less than 1 minute apart, raising his voice, and insulting me.  And they did just email a fresh invoice to us on 6/4, as if we had ever given them permission to come into our property.  We didnt.

  We do not expect to receive any further invoices from this company.  We do not expect them to trespass on our property again.  We do not expect any harassing calls.  The only bad debt they have to write off is related to their bad practice of assuming they can come on peoples property unannounced.

  This is a valid complaint that should not be removed without an apology from this business.

  Their only defense for their actions is not legally sound - that claiming to leave a voicemail gives them permission to come onto a property.  The voicemail informing us that they would come onto our property doesn't exist and would not be a legal contract even if it did.  Their defense that we did not notice their coming and stop them is also not sound.  We traveled weekly and have documentation to prove it, but we do not owe them an explanation of our whereabouts, either.  The bottom line is they came without being invited and are now trying to blame us for their assumptions.
  

  They owe us a written apology for all of the stress and rudeness.  It sounds like they are trying to blame us for their wrong actions.  

   Complaint: ********

  Business response

  06/23/2023

  Hello,

  We have previously stated the fact of this case.   Let me state them here once again.

  Customer issuing the complaint was a grass cut customer in 2022.   

  Customer did complain during this season about us not cutting their 'dog yard' (as they referred to it -- basically the area in their yard where the dogs are put outside).  We explained to the customer at that time that we will not cut around her dogs, and that if they would like that area to be cut each week, then they will need to put her dogs inside and pick up the dog feces.  Their cut day was Monday.  Every Monday, the dogs were out in the 'dog yard' -- and when our crew knocked on the door and called they were never answered.   We informed the customers issuing the complaint that this will not be cut if dogs (and feces) are present.   Customer never complied.  Customer stopped asking.   Customer continued with grass cut services for the full season.   Customer paid in full all season.  Season ended in November 2022.  Customer never informed us at end of season that they would be terminating services the next season.

  We began calling our grass cut customers list on 1/30/2023.   On 2/2/23, our staff-person left voicemail explaining that customer was still on list (as of end of 2022 season) and that we would begin services again on 4/1/2023 unless we heard back.  We asked to be contacted if they wished us to not come out. 

  We  could not find attached to this complaint the documentation that the customer claims to have from her phone carrier -- did she attach? 
  
  Meanwhile, we have attached the call log from our ONSIP service (a 3rd party service which records all meta data related to ANY call made or received in our offices).  The phone call that was left to the customer at her number on file *************), occurred on 2/2/2023. 

  We also left voicemails for other customers -- many of whom, like ************ -- did not respond before 4/1.   We then began our services -- and for grass cuts we cut weekly and bill monthly.   After that first week, several customers that had not yet responded, but were not looking to continue with service called us to cancel.  We comped them the first cut (so they did not pay).   Again, ************ did not call.   

  When we billed her in May, she called to dispute.  We explained all aforementioned at this time and per her request took her off of our cut list.   We did not charge her for the first cut, but explained on the phone that she owed us for three cuts in April since she never called to cancel.  She got angry and said she refused.   We asked her if she had hired another service, and so was maybe confused as to who had been cutting.  But she said she hired no other service.   We asked her how she thought her lawn was being cut if she hadn't intended to use us and had not booked a different service.   She had no answer, but decided to yell at us.   No staff member in this audience raised their voice to her nor her husband, but we would agree that she seemed to be insulted by us asking that question "who did you think was cutting if not us and since you hired nobody else?'   

  If she was insulted by that very logical question, then I hope that she will please accept our apology for applying logic to an illogical premise.  But just because she finds us disagreeing with her point of view insulting, does not make it willful or factual.   Clearly we believe that we should have been owed for the services rendered, but as aforementioned in our previous response, we have written it off as bad debt.   We have NOT reached out to the customer since  -- nor will we.

  And to that end, we ask the BBB to close this matter as resolved.  We are no longer asking customer to pay for the services rendered for her (despite them having been rendered without protest until time of payment). 

  We additionally ask that this customer CEASE and DESIST defaming our business, making libelous statements about our employees (as reckless disregard for the truth in writing is libel), and to please stop making demonstrably false statements -- such as  "in spite of what (we) responded here, (we) did not call (their) home to leave a voicemail" -- in order to mischaracterize the truth of what actually transpired and hurt our business with the BBB.
  
  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  04/30/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have a beautiful tulip poplar tree next to my deck. I spoke with the arborist and agreed to trim the branches that hang over my roof, but wanted the branches that were over the deck to be left alone, since they give the deck nice shade in the summer. It clearly stated in the proposal (pictures included) that the branches were to be trimmed only over the roof. Well 30 minutes after they arrived, I come out and they have taken three large and healthy limbs on the tree that hanged over the deck (pictures included). This was NOT in the proposal, and I never would have agreed to it ! They butchered the tree so bad, that I now have to keep the branches over the roof, because if they go, the deck would get no shade at all, and would be unbearable in the summer. The arborist from the company lied to me on the phone, by telling me the three large limbs would grow back. They have been cut next to the trunk of the tree, so they will NEVER grow back. Pictures of the three cut limbs are enclosed. I have woods in the back of my house that are my property. I would like a large tree transplanted from the woods to an area around the deck that would give it shade since Jake's Tree has "screwed" up the poplar tree behind the deck. I would find the company responsible for transplanting the large tree from the woods to the deck area. Jake's would pay the company directly for all costs associated with the new tree transplant.

  Business response

  06/05/2023

  Our arborist spoke to customer at time of estimate and drew up a scope of services that the client issuing the complaint agreed to and signed off on.   The scope regarding the poplar tree on the deck states: 
  

  "Poplar tree behind house directly in front of deck, Cut back off roof, remove broken limbs and thin out."

  We did that to exact scope. Customer is now claiming our contract was for ONLY the portion over the roof (despite scope of the contract).  Customer also claiming that we took "large healthy limbs" that should not have been cut.  We cut the dead limbs as per the contract, cut back off the roof per contract -- and thinned per the contract.   Customer is claiming that we "butchered" his trees -- but all of our cuts were precise/professional and in accordance with best practices in arbor care/cutting.   

  Customer has less shade than he used to because he ordered that scope of service and we performed services to scope.    There is no merit to these allegations.
  
  Furthermore, customer's wife has called numerous times to praise the work -- and has spoken to numerous staff with that message -- and to apologize that we are now receiving complaints from her husband online.

  We wish this matter closed, as we have fulfilled our scope of services as requested, and to the best practices of the industry for such a scope (and to the pleasure of one of the two homeowners).

  Customer response

  06/05/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Hello,

  Jake's tree service is claiming that the three cuts as shown in the picture of my original complaint were NOT large and healthy limbs, but were rather dead. They are also claiming that they cut the limbs back off the roof as per the contract. All this is incorrect and made up, and per my conversation with **** today, I will be sending MULTIPLE pictures to ************************* to directly contradict what they have said in writing to the BBB.
  Now as Jake's tree service states in their response the scope of the proposal regarding this tree says "Poplar tree behind house directly in front of deck, Cut back off roof, remove broken limbs and thin out". They are claiming they did that to the exact scope. They said they cut the dead limbs, and they cut back off the roof per the contract. Everything in their response is a lie. Let's first start with cutting off the roof. I enclosed a picture of the tree that was taken TODAY, June 5, 2023. You can see they did NOT cut a single branch or limb over the roof of my house that they claimed to have done in their response to the BBB. So what exactly did they cut ?  The only thing they cut was three limbs over the deck that had nothing to do with the proposal. I enclosed a picture of the three limbs during my original complaint, and I attached the same picture to this email for your reference. Now they are claiming they cut these three limbs as shown in the picture because they were quote "dead". As I explained to **** on the phone today, normally a tree company will cut tree limbs and put them in a "chipper", so any evidence on whether those limbs were dead or not would be lost. Since I have two acres of woods in the back of my house, Jake's crew dragged the limbs in the woods, and left them there, rather than drag them up the hill into the chipper. Because of this I can prove that the three limbs were completely healthy. Now because tree limbs are so large and "spread out" because there are multiple branches on each limb, it is impossible to take one complete picture of a large limb once it is removed from a tree because you can not get it all in one picture. So I had to send you several pictures. I know you are not tree arborists, and since I have so many pictures, and I am limited to how many MB of pictures I can send in an email, I sent you just a sample of what I have, but it will obviously prove my point about the limbs being healthy. I first sent some pictures of the limbs where they were directly cut off the tree. Next I took some pictures of the middle parts of the limb where the branches are attached to, and finally I took pictures of some of the branches themselves, and you can see they have complete foliage on them. Please remember Jake's is claiming these limbs were "dead". A dead limb will have no leaves or foliage on it at all. These tulip polar limbs were obviously completely healthy because as you can see in the pictures all the branches attached to the limbs have complete foliage on them.
   
  OK. I have now proved by my attached pictures Jake's Tree service did NOT cut the tree back from the roof at all as they claimed. They only cut three healthy limbs over the deck area that were not "dead" as they claimed, and had nothing to do with the proposal I had signed. So the million dollar question is "What exactly happened, and why did they screw this tree up so bad". I can only speculate, but my wife thinks because only one of the four workers spoke any English, and the arborist did NOT show up at the job at all, that the workers had no direction at all about exactly what they were supposed to do. It is really the only explanation at all that makes any sense, about how they could have "screwed" this up so badly.  Now I know people and companies are not perfect and mistakes happen. But what really "sets me off" is the company's complete lack of accountability. Rather than say to me, "We screwed up. We have many employees who do not speak English, so we should have sent our original arborist to the job site to make sure they followed the proposal. How can we make things right for you?". Rather than say something like this and take ownership of their mistakes, they just lie and say they followed the proposal to the exact scope, which is so obviously a complete lie by the pictures I attached. Since we have two younger children, my wife said this whole episode reminds her of the young child who when asked what happened to all the ice cream, says "I have no idea", while the whole time they have chocolate all over their face. In this instance Jake's Tree service is the young child who is lying. And while maybe a three year old can get away with it, a company who is a member of the BBB should not be able to without repercussions, because if that is the case, there is nothing to stop them from doing in to their future customers. If you have ANY other questions, I can be reached by email or on my cell phone which is ###-###-####. Thank you so much for your attention to this matter. This is my first time ever filing a complaint with the BBB, so it is wonderful an organization such as the BBB exists, so customers can have some recourse when there are serious mistakes made by one of your members. Thank you.
   
  Sincerely,
  *************************
  Regards,
  *******************************

  Business response

  06/06/2023

  Ok.  Here is how our process went for ******************** -- from the initial request until receipt of payment for services properly rendered.

  1) Our sales team met with the homeowner.  We always insist that the customer be present for the estimate so that the exact scope is discussed, access can be identified, etc. 

  2) Our sales team wrote up the estimate that you see in the pictures provided by the customer in this complaint.  ******************** has circled the scope performed.   He and his wife agreed to that scope and signed off on it.   

  3) Our sales team and our crew foreman spoke about the particulars of the job so that the crew would know exactly what to perform.  The job was scheduled based on its particulars and the equipment needed, as per discussion between our sales team and our field crew foreman (both of whom speak English fluently, btw -- so despite ******************' inherent bias toward our Latinx employees we disagree that a language barrier was in any way an issue here).

  4) On the day of service our crew foreman  walked around with ******************** and his wife.  His wife confirmed to several of our staff that this occurred when she called our office to apologize for her husband and his complaints over our having performed services to agreed upon scope.

  5) On the same day of service, ******************** and his wife  began to argue in front of the crew about the services being performed.  Then ******************** started yelling at the crew.   The crew finsihed the work.  Cleaned up.  Were paid for completing their scope of service and left.

  6) The following week ******************** began to defame us on social media.  his wife called at least twenty times to refute his complaints and apologize to us for him.  Now he is extending the defamation to the BBB forum. 

  We have fulfilled our contract to scope.  We disagree with the accusations levied in this complaint.  We wish this matter closed as both defamatory and egregious.   Thank you!

  Customer response

  06/07/2023

  First off I do not know if this company is delusional or just the biggest liars in the world, but their response is ridiculous. Rather than address my pictures that show they did NOT do the work they claimed to do, they are still staying they fulfilled the contract to scope, and they are making stuff up about my wife. It is almost like they want the BBB to ignore the evidence (my pictures), and just believe them, because they keep saying they did nothing wrong.
   
  I do not want to keep going back and forth with everything because this company by it's responses is totally untrustworthy. The BBB should only care about the FACTS of the case, nothing else. If this case were before a judge, he or she would ONLY care about the facts. So here are the facts. Any email or statement that does not address these facts is just a smokescreen to get you to look the other way.
   
  FACT ONE. The contact said "Poplar tree behind house directly in front of deck, Cut back off roof, remove broken limbs and thin out."
   
  FACT TWO. Jakes tree service in their initial response to the BBB said we followed that contract to quote "exact scope". They denied they cut large healthy limbs, and said "we cut the dead limbs as per the contract, cut back off the roof per contract-and thinned out per contract". This is what they claimed to the BBB in writing.
   
  FACT THREE. I responded to their initial response. In my response I sent a picture of the tree that I took yesterday (6/5/23), that CLEARLY showed that no branches or limbs were EVER cut off the roof, despite them claiming they did just that. I sent a picture that showed the only thing they cut was three limbs over the deck that were not part of the proposal. They claimed they cut these limbs because they were "dead". The limbs were left in the woods behind my house, and I sent pictures with the branches of these limbs having complete foliage on them, thus PROVING these limbs were not dead, but were completely healthy, and cut down due to the company's mistake.
   
  Now Jake's tree service is trying to get you to ignore the FACTS of the case (and your own eyes from the pictures I sent), by saying over and over they did everything to the scope of the contract. It is quite frankly delusional. It is almost like they believe if they keep saying 2+2 =5 enough times you will believe them even though it is obviously false. They are doing the same thing with the tree. It seems no matter what evidence I send you to show they "screwed up", they will say they did nothing wrong and fulfilled the exact scope of the contract. They basically want you to disregard your own eyes, and the facts of the case, and just believe them because "they said so".  As I said earlier, I am not sure if they are delusional or just the biggest liars in the world, but I am leaning towards the later.
   
  One other quick thing for the record. I was not going to address this, because it has nothing to do with the FACTS of the case, and like I said earlier, the facts are the ONLY things that matter in this case, but my wife is so upset about what they wrote about her, that she asked (actually more likely demanded !) that I set the record straight about her involvement since they keep bringing her up in their responses as a smokescreen to try not to address the pertinent facts of the case.
   
  So for the record. Jake's tree service did work for us personally, and our homeowners association (which consists of six houses) on the same day. Their job for our association was to cut down a dead tree that was a danger to our mailboxes at the top of the road. They did that perfectly and without any problems. My wife called them up, and commented they did a good job taking down that tree. They are twisting that to try and say she is happy with the work they did personally for us. She and my kids loved the tulip poplar tree over the deck, and she is extremely upset the deck is basically unusable when the outside temperature gets above 90 degrees because they mistakenly cut the three healthy limbs over the deck.
  One other thing that really bothers her is they are saying she kept calling to refute my complaints on social media (****). After I posted my review on social media and gave them one star, the owner's wife called my wife, and threatened to take us to court for defamation because of my review. My wife got scared, and actually asked me to take it down, I refused and told her I will not take the review down, and you can not sue anyone for writing the exact truth in a review. My wife still believed Jake's wife that they were going to sue us, and told Jake's wife she kept asking me to take the review down but I refused. They are now saying because she asked me to take the review down multiple times (because Jake's wife tried to bully her by saying they were going to sue us), that this is same as refuting my claim on ****. My wife has never refuted anything I have claimed Jake's tree service did to our property ! The only thing she did was ask me to take the review down because Jake's wife tried to bully her by saying we were going to get sued, and that scared her. 
   
  I know everything about my wife that I mentioned above has nothing to do with the facts of the case, but she is horrified about the way she is portrayed in their responses, and asked me to "set the record straight ".
   
  I hope this is the last response I have to write regarding this complaint.  I have presented my case in a clear manner. I have presented overwhelming physical evidence (the pictures) that show Jake's tree service did NOT follow the proposal, and that they LIED about cutting the tree back from the roof, and about the three limbs they mistakenly cut being "dead".  They can claim all day they followed the proposal exactly, but we all know that is not the case. As I said earlier they want you to believe 2+2 =5 if they say it enough times, and they want you to ignore your own eyes and believe they did nothing wrong because they "say so". None of their clear disregard for the truth would work before a judge in a court of law, and the BBB hopefully will not put up with it as well.
   
  Sincerely,
  *************************

  Business response

  06/12/2023

  Not sure how to address this any differently than we have.  The customer issuing complaint (and his wife) agreed to a scope of services that we then came to perform (and first went over with them on date of service), and completed per the contract, and were paid for per the contract. 

  Customer now wishes to have more shade than he currently does, and thus expects us to give him a new tree and/or additional services to plant a new tree...despite our having performed services to the scope written in the signed/executed contract.

  We understand that the customer is unhappy, but we do not see how we have created the situation since we were contracted to perform a scope of services, and we performed that scope of services, and that scope requested is what customer is now upset about. 

  As such, we have repeatedly said no for his request to give him a new tree and/or additional services at our expense.   And per our experience of the customer (and per the descriptions of him offered by his wife), he is clearly the type of person that does not like to hear 'no' as an answer when he aggressively wants something.   

  As previously stated, we have phone calls that have been documented for quality and assurance purposes from wife of the customer issuing the complaint stating just how 'perfect' our work looks -- and apologizing for her husband being upset with the result (among other more concerning statements about her husband and his anger).   

  Customer has demonstrated through his correspondence an approach which seems to favor aggression, spite, personal threats, libel and vitriol.   

  Customer has made racially-motivated statements about our personnel in order to justify his position.   

  Customer has created fantasies  that the "owner's wife threatened his wife."   This is demonstrably false, as are the other libelous statements made in the customer's defamatory and egregious complaint. 
  
  We cannot resolve this complaint as requested by customer because we feel it to be egregious and defamatory.  Thank you.  

  Customer response

  06/14/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  

  This is totally unbelievable.  Now I officially feel like ********************* in the movie "Groundhog Day" !   Jake's Tree service is again ignoring the evidence (my pictures) that they LIED about cutting the branches over the roof, and about the three limbs they mistakenly cut being dead. I sent the pictures to the BBB on June 5th. They have now responded THREE times since the pictures were posted, and have NEVER once addressed the evidence against them. They just keep saying customer's wife was happy and we did everything to the scope of the contract. It is like the bank robber who is caught red handed on VIDEO holding up the bank, saying forget what the evidence (video) shows it "wasn't me".  They are doing the EXACT same thing.  By refusing to address the pictures that show they did NOT follow the contract at all, and by always saying they did everything to the scope of the contract  because they "say so", they are in fact behaving like the bank robber who proclaims his innocence even after being shown the bank's surveillance video showing him robing the bank.
  
  ****, as per our conversation today on the phone, you are "closing" the case after my response. You said no matter how much evidence I post to prove my case the only thing the BBB can do is to lower a company's rating, but has no authority to order a company to "do something" like pay monetary damages, etc.  That is only reserved for a court of law. To that end, my lawyer will be filing a lawsuit against them. My lawyer has read through all the correspondence with the BBB, and would like to use Jake's tree statements to the BBB as evidence. You said you had no objections, because this whole back and forth conversation with the BBB is actually public, and will be posted on your site for three years. You actually mentioned to me that  lawyers in the past have contacted you to provide them with these back and forth responses to the BBB. They are most helpful as Jake's tree service is on record as saying they performed the contract to the "exact scope". They said they "cut the dead limbs as per the contract , cut back off the roof per contract-and thinned per the contract".  Since they have refused to respond to the evidence (the pictures) in any correspondence with the BBB, my lawyer is looking forward to presenting it to a judge. While they can refuse to respond to you, they can NOT do that in a court of law. It will certainly be interesting watching them trying to convince a judge to not believe his or her own eyes regarding the evidence. It is just like the bank robber telling the police and the judge do not believe the bank's surveillance video, I did not do it ! 
  
  One more thing, since you are closing this case, I would like to comment on two more things that while they have nothing to do with the FACTS of the case, I feel I must comment on to set the record straight, and also to show how DISHONEST this company is, and how they "lie and twist" facts.
  
  The first thing is Jake's tree service just said "Customer has made racially-motivated statements about our personnel in order to justify his position". This is absolutely ridiculous !  In my first response to the BBB, I speculated about what happened , and how could they have screwed the tree up since the proposal was so clear. I mentioned that my wife thought there was a language issue since only ONE of the four workers spoke any English. This has NOTHING to do with race. The workers could have been French, Mexican, German, Italian, Russian, it does not matter. My wife only thought there was a language barrier, and Jake's tree service is twisting that by saying she made racially motivated statements ! That is absurd. It is like me going to Italy, and an Italian man saying I think the American (me) went to to the wrong hotel because he hardly understood anything I said. Is that a racially motivated statement ? Of course not, the Italian is just speculating that language may have been an issue about why I went to the wrong hotel. You can see how Jake's Tree service "LIES AND TWISTS" everything to get the BBB to look away from the FACTS and the evidence in the case.
  
  The last thing is this issue regarding my wife. While I love my wife she has NOTHING to do with this case, and as I said in my last response she is very upset that they keep trying to "bring her in the case", as a way to make you "look away" from the FACTS in the case. All she did was call Jake's tree service to make the initial apt with the arborist.  I went over the proposal with the arborist, and I am the one who signed the contract. As my lawyer explained to me, and as we discussed on the phone today, this is a simple CONTRACT issue, and no one's thoughts or feelings matter except was the work done exactly as the contract specified. In the example he gave me that you and I discussed on the phone today, let's pretend Jake's is a painting company. We have a signed contract that the outside of my house is to be painted the color blue. I come home, and they painted it yellow instead. My wife and kids say the house looks great in yellow. Does that mean they fulfilled the contract to it's exact scope ? Of course it does not. I hired them to paint it blue, and they are liable for messing it up and painting it yellow. My lawyer's point is even if my wife thought they did a great job (and she did not), it does not matter because they did not follow the contract I signed, and I have ACTUAL PHYSICAL EVIDENCE that the contract was not only not followed, but they lied to you (the BBB) about cutting the tree back from the roof, and about the branches they mistakenly cut being dead.
  
  Mary, you have been wonderful in helping me understand how the BBB complaint system works, and while I did not get the result I was hoping for due to Jake's dishonestly, we are looking forward to presenting our case in court where Jake's Tree service will have to address the physical evidence (pictures), and not ignore it like they did in all their responses to the BBB. Thank you again !
  
  Sincerely,
  *************************

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