Licenced small arb contractors?

[bumble B]

As Adrian said, there is already is a system in place that has been suitable for small (and large) traders for a number of years now... I am sure Paul will be on to promote the scheme, contact him and go along to an ArbAC Preparation Workshop. They are free I believe.

 

Took some time though and does it really help the sole trader?

[richy_B]

I am not necessarily a fan of trade associations/schemes but i am sure we can all appreciate that customers often want reassurance. This is often in the form of 'being able to look you up'.

 

You may be an excellent arborist but if you a sole trader without a commercial facility perhaps not VAT registered then a customer can't really independly verify who you are. You could just be a name, mobile phone number and word press website. If your competitor is a LTD company with VAT number, AA registered, business address, etc then a customer can see how long you have been trading, that tax is being paid and so on and so forth. Its makes them feel safer/more confidemt in their purchase.

 

If i am spending £500+ I have quick look at the supplier. 30 seconds and you can see company records, directors details and check a VAT number is legit.

 

Its not any criticism of ability, its just outward appearance/perception.

 

If you feel you are losing business because you aren't AA approved then the answer is to invest in gaining membership. Hoops to jump through but thats business.

[benedmonds]

The more of us who are Arb Ac Approved the better IMO. When a customer tells me they are getting multiple quotes I will always advise they get AAAC, I can be pretty sure that anyone who has jumped through the hoops is going to have similar costs as me, therefore the quotes are far more likely to be comparable, unlike the guy down the pub with no training, insurance, waste disposal etc...

 

We are never going to make it mandatory like gas safe as allot of what we do is pretty simple and doesn't need regulation, but the more well known the scheme the better for those of us who are in it.. Mostly.. The last thing we need is another unknown organisation licencing small contractors for a fee..

[roseyweb]

I'm just about to start the aaac process in my view if you're doing everything right it's not going to be hard

[benedmonds]

I'm just about to start the aaac process in my view if you're doing everything right it's not going to be hard

 

There are a lot of hoops to jump through, the bigger company the more hoops... We used an external consultant first time we did it to ensure we had everything in place and our initial inspection was fine.

 

Our second inspection was a bit mauling as we had expanded and we went into it thinking we were fine. From and outsiders view however you could see that things had changed and the oversight and the qualifications of the guys was perhaps not as good as it should have been.. It has cost us a small fortune in certifying our guys, but I can see it is valid, and if ever anything were to go wrong I feel we would be in a better place..

[aspenarb]

 

Our second inspection was a bit mauling as we had expanded and we went into it thinking we were fine. From and outsiders view however you could see that things had changed and the oversight and the qualifications of the guys was perhaps not as good as it should have been.. It has cost us a small fortune in certifying our guys, but I can see it is valid, and if ever anything were to go wrong I feel we would be in a better place..

 

I have done 3k this month in certs with the relevant lost wages:thumbdown: I find it quite hard to keep track of employees`s and subby`s certificate expiry dates, some of the lads have over ten tickets a piece between chainsaw,fmoc, citb cscs ,spraying,first aid and others of which none run concurrently. In an attempt to avoid that "ohshit" moment we are entering them all up on the computer so they flag up on calender three months prior to expiry with weekly reminders thereafter. With luck that will give us a bit more time to arrange or even group together refresher courses.

 

Bob

[benedmonds]

I find it quite hard to keep track of employees`s and subby`s certificate expiry dates,.. In an attempt to avoid that "ohshit" moment we are entering them all up on the computer

Bob

 

Everything goes on google calendar.... colour coded and reminders for everything.....

[petestarbuck]

My thinking is that sole traders and smaller outfits be recognised as safe, qualified and competent without going through the bank breaking hoops to.be A A affiliated. Bigger jobs will always go.to.bigger outfits that can absorb such costs, but why can't there be a trade organisation for us lesser mortals which recognises our commitment to doing the job properly? We don't all have financial backing or good credit scores, does this make us lesser arborists?

 

Sent from my E5823 using Arbtalk mobile app

[Jake Andrews]

My thinking is that sole traders and smaller outfits be recognised as safe, qualified and competent without going through the bank breaking hoops to.be A A affiliated. Bigger jobs will always go.to.bigger outfits that can absorb such costs, but why can't there be a trade organisation for us lesser mortals which recognises our commitment to doing the job properly? We don't all have financial backing or good credit scores, does this make us lesser arborists?

 

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Sorry but I disagree. The bigger jobs go to the people who have the right contacts and are able to do them with the right kit. I'm not saying AA approved won't help make contacts but you don't need it to do the jobs. On saying that I think the accreditation is worth while doing and we are going for it this year I hope. The AA is not just for the big firms anymore, any outfit can do it if they have the right procedures in place.

 

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[john p]

My thinking is that sole traders and smaller outfits be recognised as safe, qualified and competent without going through the bank breaking hoops to.be A A affiliated. Bigger jobs will always go.to.bigger outfits that can absorb such costs, but why can't there be a trade organisation for us lesser mortals which recognises our commitment to doing the job properly? We don't all have financial backing or good credit scores, does this make us lesser arborists?

 

Sent from my E5823 using Arbtalk mobile app

 

 

Some good points, I'm a sole trader/small business and like to think my tree work is of a very good standard, however the paperwork/business side is not my strong point, I'm fully insured and offer as good (I hope) a service as most aaac. I joined Checkatrade as this enables potential customers to have a look at references and feedback as well as photos which provides peace of mind. Yes ideally I'd be aaac but realistically I wouldn't pass the officey side of it, and tbh it comes across almost like a franchise?