Jul 26 2019
Must Knows Before Hiring a Tree Service
Choosing a Professional Tree Service
When it comes to working with a professional tree service, there are a few key points to be aware of. Make sure you get value for your money by hiring someone that is fully qualified, has the right credentials and training and most importantly is insured.
If you have been following our blogs, you would have recently seen our article on ‘the importance of working with a Qualified Arborist’.
In this article, we are focusing on other aspects that people who are not in the industry may not be aware of presuming the tree contractor you have engaged is already a known operator with a sound reputation.
Credentials
There are a range of people that operate in our industry that perform different tasks and have different specialties. There are also operators who may be able to do general work but are not skilled or trained which could cause more damage.
There are licenses and registrations that only a proper professional tree service provider would hold. For example, some registrations and certifications that we hold include:
- License to perform High Risk Tree Work with Worksafe.
- Western Power License – this allows us to work around power lines.
- Certificate 3 in Arboriculture.
There are other certifications that also bring comfort to our customers such as First Aid.
Memberships
There are industry organisations that a good tree specialist belongs to. For example, in Western Australia, we have the Western Australia Tree Guild which not just anyone can be a member. All new members must meet industry standards and supply insurances before they can become a member. Williams Tree Pro has been a W.A Tree Guild member for 13 Years.
Insurance
It can’t be stressed how important it is that the tree professional you approach is insured. In any tree lopping, tree removal or tree pruning job, there is always the potential of something unexpected happening. In the unlikely but possible chance of something happening, imagine if some severe damage was caused by a job to you, the tree or even your home and it was not covered.
Get a Quote & Understand What You Are Getting
Getting a quote will help you gain an understanding of the cost of your job. It’s very common to get a couple of quotes but it’s also extremely important to know what you are really getting quoted for. We have seen people quoted high premiums from others who aren’t even adequately insured. Also how many times have you been quoted on a job but the actual job has seen cost overruns or has not been completed on time?
Another example worth mentioning. When we quote for land clearing, we can also root rake to have the property ready for sale or construction. There are providers that may clear the land but not undertake root raking. If it’s not clear up front, this could cause delays or budget overruns when another contractor is called to further clear the land for preparation of construction.
Enquire about the Equipment
Like any professional service provider, we take great pride in our tools and look after our plant and equipment. Making sure plant and equipment is looked after means less potential operating issues. Even more importantly so, having the right equipment for the job also means that the job will get done properly and on time.
Training
Is the person that you’re talking to trained in the field of arboriculture? You can always ask if there is a fully qualified arborist in the team. Anyone can grab a chainsaw or climb a ladder. Some may be able to perform the physical tasks if they had access to equipment. However, a qualified arborist is also trained in arboriculture which means that they are also thinking of the long term effects of how a tree is pruned back and where the branches should be cut.
It’s important to know this type of information especially when comparing quotes and services to understand exactly what you are getting.
A successful tree removal job
We recently had a job where we were called to remove some trees and the project manager was so impressed compared to their old contractor that had let them down. They were impressed not only with our pricing, but the ability to complete the job efficiently, on time, within budget and our overall professional approach. Not only were we efficient, we were also given the feedback that we had removed more trees in less time than their usual contractor.
It’s these little things that can make a big difference when working with a tree professional. If you are running a large project, jobs not completed on time can cause issues for other major stages down the line which is not good especially when on a schedule. For our residential customers, a lot of time is spent considering the cost of getting the job done and it can be a shock to receive an invoice for higher amounts than anticipated.
If you are in the Perth area and need to talk to a tree professional or you are not sure what you need for your project big or small, then reach out and talk to us. Williams Tree Pro have been removing, lopping, servicing and maintaining trees in Perth since 2005 and have a great team together.