Clients Says Her Trees Are Too Big

[daltontrees]

On 09/08/2024 at 11:29, peds said:

 

You generally give top quality advice, but the feelings of the person expected to carry out the work are always to be taken into account as well.

 

Let's rephrase the question:

"A customer has asked me to pumice her bunions and stir the resulting scrapings into my cup-a-soup. I don't think the job is up my street, and advised her as such."

 

Walk away, let her find someone else, don't undertake any work that you wouldn't be happy doing.

 

Personally, I'll do any dirty little thing you want to a sycamore, but some other poor fella can butcher her oak trees for her. 

The bunion analogy doesn't hold up. But I think we are agreed that it is always an option to decline to do the work. But it's the customer's decision to ask.

[peds]

Yeah, it was a bit rushed. I'll try harder next time 🙂

[daltontrees]

22 hours ago, tree-fancier123 said:

There is a difference between legal ownership and moral responsibility - you could argue she has become a custodian of the land

You could argue that. She could also (politely or impolitely) tell you to mind your own business. She lives there, she paid for the property, the public authorities haven't decided the tree is special enough for a TPO. Not every tree (or oak) is sacred. I understand the 'custodian' thing but most people in modern life want to be able to customise their living arrangements. In the end, the legal/illegal test trumps the moral/immoral one.

[maybelateron]

On 07/07/2024 at 11:39, Gordon S said:

My most common frustration is when a customer thinks a 70% reduction will benefit the tree and allow it to come back rejuvenated! Trying to explain that topping the crap out of it will look awful and if it survives will look shocking and not just a smaller version of what they have at the moment as they expect.

On one occasion I tried suggesting that if they had been in a bad RTA, and had broken both legs, that offering to crush their arm would not really help the recovery. The customer (not client) took this comment very well and it helped them understand the tree's situation better, and we did some sensible pruning.