The Mafia?

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

This might sound like sour grapes and probably annoy a lot of you out there, but i have had a gut full of the way the arb association and their affiliates are trying to force the smaller companies out of the industry.

I looked at a job a few weeks ago for a land owner looking to thin out a small plantation of ash and oak, leaving the better specimens in place. He was told by the relevant council department that this would not be possible unless he used a 'legitimate arborist', and then proceeded to point him in the direction of a much larger local company that happen to be arb association approved. This stinks of nepotism to me! This is the 5th time in the last few months that this kind of thing has happened, and not just to me, to a few other guys I know.

I understand that local authorities are going to use arb association contractors for their own works, but to refuse consent for private works on the grounds of non arb association approval seems wrong to me.

I would love to be able to join and get in on the act, but cannot afford the fees involved, even at their new, reduced rate.

 

My thoughts exactly. AA should butt out of forestry contracting. There's already an association for them called the FCA.

 

The Blue & White gang down here as many people know are well into killing off the small contractors. Get them in, muddle the agreements verbally, don't pay them and bang, another small caring firm out of business.

[Dean Lofthouse]

And you sir, craft such elegant sentences - you operate at the zenith of wit. I am, inevitably, humbled by the keen force of your retort.

 

I,m not pretending I,m something I,m not Tony, your talking to tree workers, not word smiths.

 

I would just like to know a bit more of your background, because your coming across to me as young, naive and having worked in an office environment all your life with a dictionary by your side and very few friends

 

I,d like to think otherwise

[Amelanchier]

I still think there is a likely hood of misinterpretation, either by the OP's client of what the LA told him, or more likely a misinterpretation of what the client told the OP.

 

He didnt get the job, and the client siad some stuff to try and placate him which has been misinterpretated into the LA saying only AAACs can do the work which we all know is not true.

 

People misinterpretate all the time. Folk are being told they cant get a job without tickets, and they misinterpretate that to mean that they would get a job if they had tickets, whereas what it really means is that they cant get a job cos there arnt any or because they are not the person that a company would employ.

 

So, I think the OP didnt get the work for whatever reason, the client said something like "it has to be an AAAC" even though he was probably only told to look at AAAC as a recomendation, and the OP has taken that as a definitive reason why he is not getting work.

 

Hang on Rupe. That seems plausible but doesn't involve an evil job killing empire hell bent on intergalactic domination but fronted by a small UK charity so it can't be right.

[Dean Lofthouse]

Hang on Rupe. That seems plausible but doesn't involve an evil job killing empire hell bent on intergalactic domination but fronted by a small UK charity so it can't be right.

 

...and childish

[Amelanchier]

I would just like to know a bit more of your background, because your coming across to me as young, naive and having worked in an office environment all your life with a dictionary by your side and very few friends

 

I like the 'very few friends' bit, very playground. You'll understand if I don't rush to post my life history - suffice it to say that I'm younger than you, have done my time dragging leylandii in the sleet and haven't needed to cohabit with a dictionary because I read books.

 

As to my naivety and my friends, I'll let others judge that. There is nothing more stupid, arrogant and boorish than someone defining themselves as worldly or popular.

 

I guess you'll just have to see me as you want to see me. It doesn't change the validity of my point.

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

Are we seriously having this debate again? Bottom line - people see consipracy everywhere, it's human psychology to ascribe motive to a chain of events and to see patterns where there aren't any (or even to berate inanimate objects for their malevolance). More often than not, your suspicions are wrong.

 

If you had ever worked with the people that are accused of being in the old boys club, the Masons or the Mafia (really?) you'd realise that none of them has the time, inclination or the individual power to make the kind of impact needed to swing a decision. And that's leaving aside the obvious allegations of dishonesty which quite frankly are insulting. I wonder how they'd be taken if the shoe were on the other foot?

 

Anyway must be on my way now so I can beat all the old ladies in micras and tractor / combine drivers who wait for me to drive down the road so that they can pull out in front of me and make me late. I swear they communicate.

 

What a load of rot!

 

Tony, you,ve led a very sheltered life my friend.

 

I very nearly lost everything I had because of corrupt councillors and the planning process. It wasn't just one, it was a whole bunch of them, one even told me to my face he was going to ruin me and there would be nothing I could do about it.

For revenge, I reported him for drink driving, he was caught red handed and even got away with that with a slapped wrist

So please don't insult me by telling me

There's no corruption, to believe there isn't, your either stupid, brain dead or corrupt yourself

 

You do talk bollox sometimes

 

Second that lot.

[Amelanchier]

Second that lot.

 

Tedious but inevitable I suppose. Bit like an echo, only more boring.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

ha ha ha ha

 

glad it aint just me that likes a good old red flag!

[eddiegts]

When I have an application returned to me it never mentions having a approved contractor to carry out the work and this is not just from the Norfolk area it been the same across about 11 LA's I have work in! It is only says that the work should be carried out to BS5837 and gives a link to the LA website for more advice also I've work for worked 7 different LAs and never been ask to be AAAC!

 

On the bit about the LA's being Bent I can see both sides of the story there is always a rotten apple in most organisations and I have seen this first hand. Also there are some really nice and professional people in said organisations.

 

What I feel saddened by is the fact a few of you have turned this into a personal slagging match. I feel that we should rise above the fact that some people are bent corrupt and start being the professionals that we keep calling ourselves.

[Dean Lofthouse]

 

I,d like to think otherwise

 

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