The Mafia?

[Peter]

Besides 75% of the AAAC requirements are legal minimum requirements anyway, and the other 25% are industry best practice. So there shouldn't be anything preventing any contractor going down that route.

[Dean Lofthouse]

The upper Echelon of the council is about as corrupt as you can get, there is an old boys club and that is fact, if anyone in the upper echelon of the LA wants to take proceeding against me for liable, they are welcome I have plenty of material in my defence.

[Dean Lofthouse]

Besides 75% of the AAAC requirements are legal minimum requirements anyway, and the other 25% are industry best practice. So there shouldn't be anything preventing any contractor going down that route.

 

It's all bollox Peter.

 

I could attain aaac status then send out a brand new employee that knows naff all to prune and ruin a tree

[Andy Collins]

Of course the "Old Boys Club" exists, I've seen it myself. The secret is to use it to your advantage, not fight it. I'm not AAAC, but I get work for LA in woodland management, in fact I don't think they even consider AAACs for woodland work around here, and why would they?

But the breakfast clubs exist to connect business with LA personnel, pub lunches exist between LA and businessmen, then there are the connections with Masonic Lodges, Church groups and so on, it is a fact of life.

Is it a bad thing? By association with the right people, you get work, I don't mean you have to butter them up, but make the effort to know them. This is first and foremost a business we are supposed to be in, like it or lump it, business ticks in a certain way.

[WorcsWuss]

Presumably if the permission has been granted it's just a case of searching for the approval on the council's website and reading the conditions.... soon find out whether he's pulling your leg or otherwise...

[Old Mill Tree Care]

The upper Echelon of the council is about as corrupt as you can get, there is an old boys club and that is fact, if anyone in the upper echelon of the LA wants to take proceeding against me for liable, they are welcome I have plenty of material in my defence.

 

Absolutely agreed and that's a fact with a few of the LA's in my area. But I won't name them.

 

I have a friend who owns a large company based in a nearby city that deals with LA contracts and contractors. He says it's defo 'an old boys club' and back handers are the only language used! :thumbdown:

[Old Mill Tree Care]

It's all bollox Peter.

 

I could attain aaac status then send out a brand new employee that knows naff all to prune and ruin a tree

 

I think you're misinterpreting Peter's post. I think what he's referring to is that if a company fulfils the criteria to comply with AAAC status then they are eligible.

 

I think what you are referring to Dean is that there is no quality control by the AA, despite what they say. We only need to drive around towns and cities to see the hammered trees.

[Dean Lofthouse]

 

I think what you are referring to Dean is that there is no quality control by the AA, despite what they say. We only need to drive around towns and cities to see the hammered trees.

 

It is what I,m referring to.

 

In my opinion the only thing that counts is qualifications and reputation, not being members of an association.

 

It's no good a company holding AAAC status and employing a load of numpties, I,m sure it happens that they make sure some of their staff are on annual leave when their assessments take place.

 

This is the whole reason I stay as a one man band with one employee, it takes years to earn a good reputation but only one bad job to ruin it.

 

You also find with most of the bigger companies, that they cannot afford to spend time doing a quality job because they have tendered for it and the job then becomes money orientated rather than quality orientated

[Paul Jenks]

I agree with a lot of the posts. We are AAAC and it was a decision I took as soon as I started this venture, (yes, I know one has to be trading for 2 years before application). I think it took us 3-4 years after that to get it and now we have it we endeavour to live and work by it's ideals.

Anyone who is AAAC and thinks it's cheap is either deluding themselves or they are not doing it right.

It's very expensive to fulfil the ongoing training, auditing and compliance duties. Given the economy at the moment it's easy to understand why some of these functions take a bit of a back seat though the underlining culture should be there. I take the point that some AAAC's employ one or two capable staff and the rest are not so flash. We don't align with that model.

Before we were AAAC we believed we carried out works far better than some of the existing AAAC companies. This was true up to a point and the AAAC process was a very valuable learning platform for us.

The point has been made, that for private clients, the LA cannot impose the type of tree company used or it's accreditation, only the standards to which they are to work.

Stepping into the AAAC arena opens the doors to some opportunities and it also starts the process of closing others. Being seen as a more professional, bigger, more expensive puts off some clients and not just the smaller ones.

I think the key beefs alluded to on here are the AA quality control, the markets' lack of awareness of what AAAC means and backhanders.

Does anyone know the code words for 'I take backhanders in return for work'?

[Dean Lofthouse]

Does anyone know the code words for 'I take backhanders in return for work'?

 

It's in the handshake Paul...

 

When you are about to shake hands.....lift your right leg as high as you can, put your right arm under your raised leg from behind and offer the hand shake.

 

Problem is, if the recipient is not familiar with this code, you may get a funny look