Arboricultural Association

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

:confused1:Do you not read posts before you quote them????????

 

do you know what huck, im pretty darn sure right now you deliberatley hunt me down!

 

If you READ my reply, quoting jonty, who IS going for approval youll get that I am talking to the guy that IS.

 

stop busting my balls huck

[Johny Walker]

i dont think huckys that way out !!

[john dawson]

Kudos????????????

 

How so???

 

Any one can join, does "Kudos" not come from an accomplishment of some kind?

 

yep!! your "kudos" comes from the acomplishment of joining!!

[benedmonds]

If you have a level 3 qualification you can join as a Technical member and add Tech.Arbor.A after your name!!! Does cost more however.

[Doug Blease]

The publications are good. The discount on insurance/products is better than nothing. The training is good, if you live in England. Not so good up here. The staff are good, the AAAC isnt for everyone, but it is a positive thing in our industry.

 

Membership advertising is very strict though. Normal membership wont win you any work/contracts. But the added benefits/publications may give you the knowledge required to improve your service.

 

I want to do ISA cert or RFS cert later this year. John Dawson, why is the ISA membership not as good?

[Robert_S]

i was in the AA but dropped it as i felt it was not worth the money, i prefer the ISA.

[monkeybusiness]

I suppose this little rant is more relevant to those that are approved contractors but...

 

... until any of the 'Associations' start promoting themselves and our industry to the general public I really cannot see the point in signing up to them. As far as our industry is concerned, I would stick my neck out and say that the majority of customers (with the exception of most LAs, but including a great deal of commercial customers) look at us as relatively unskilled labour, and will buy according to price. Nobody broadcasts the training/ qualifications/ risks/ insurance etc inherent within our industry to those outside it, so the general public remain (at large) ignorant to the fact that there are big differences between those that do the job properly (and legally) and those that don't.

 

Until an 'Association' steps up and offers something akin to CORGI, I personally won't bother paying any of their subs.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I suppose this little rant is more relevant to those that are approved contractors but...

 

... until any of the 'Associations' start promoting themselves and our industry to the general public I really cannot see the point in signing up to them. As far as our industry is concerned, I would stick my neck out and say that the majority of customers (with the exception of most LAs, but including a great deal of commercial customers) look at us as relatively unskilled labour, and will buy according to price. Nobody broadcasts the training/ qualifications/ risks/ insurance etc inherent within our industry to those outside it, so the general public remain (at large) ignorant to the fact that there are big differences between those that do the job properly (and legally) and those that don't.

 

Until an 'Association' steps up and offers something akin to CORGI, I personally won't bother paying any of their subs.

 

well this is kind of where you would score if you was an aa approved contractor, on quoting a job you suply them with the information leaflets produced by the aa, in this way YOU assit in educating the public buyers of services and give them the oportunity to buy cheep, or buy dear!