Arb Approved - is it worth it?

[chrisgilltreesurgery]

Oh yes but, when i do commercial work i am not usually pricing against 3 or 4 other contractors for the work. my commercial clients use me without other quotes most of the time, they just ring and ask us to give a price then 99% of the time we get the go ahead on reputation and previous costings. obvoiusly when we tender for new work with new clients we have to be more leniant with costs until we are in the door.

[chrisgilltreesurgery]

What stops an AA approved firm hiring some 14 year old with a ryobi to do a pruning job?

 

Granted there are still grey areas but on a whole it would sort the industry out

[chrisgilltreesurgery]

No. There are many many companies and individuals that do great work and have educated people and are well known. Why should they have to jump through even more hoops?

 

To raise the industry standard on a whole

[Sam Thompson]

on a whole it would sort the industry out

 

You couldn't be more wrong I don't think...

 

There is no way that implementing a CORGI like system would affect the industry. I think we have to just accept that like everyone else there will always be "cowboy" and always be "professional" operations.

[chrisgilltreesurgery]

Well even if it for self satiffaction and sence of achievement for my self. It just frustrates me as im sure it does eveyone seing such sub standard work being done and peole accepting it.

[skyhuck]

Chris I get the feeling you are very much a "paper work kind of guy" the fact that you have been in business for 10 years and never changed your chipper blades, choosing to get the dealer to do them amazed me, however you appear to have great business, so your clearly doing something right

 

I am much happier changing the chipper blades or fixing the mog than doing paper work, maybe my business would be better if I enjoyed paper work more.

 

It strikes me that getting AAAC status is going to be something thats well within your capabilities and something you will probably enjoy doing, so go for it!!!!

[chrisgilltreesurgery]

I dont particulaly like paper work, infact its the ball ache of the job, but on the other hand I am i bit anal about everything being in its place and filled away correctly. My wife says its an OCD, but in my personal life and business life im the same, so its a part of the job that i have come to not so much like but become more of a necessity therefore when i recieved the Arb Approved pack I have already got most things in place, just need to tweek a few things and log meetings. I ahve a secretary who comes in one day per week so she does a lot of the paperwork, we have been Chas accredited for the last 2 years and now part of construction line, the AA will be another string to my bow, not sure if it will help in getting contracts but it certainly cant harm.

 

Over the last 2 years I have seen a massive change in the industry up here with the recession and 2 local colleges churning out students each year who set up as one man bands which doesnt help with the already busy marketplace. I have found in my experience that jobs i would price once apon a time would give us the go ahead for the job, now i am finding customers are getting more and more quotes, work standard doesnt really come into it unless a company does something horrendous.

 

In my area i am quoting against 2 or 3 similar sized companies wo have been opperating approx the same length of time, so unless we price really competativly we wont get the work, and when doing this especially on larger trees if things go slightly differently to planned this eats into proffit.

 

This is the main reason im getting into commercial side of things more, it works far better for me proffit wise.

[john p]

I am also a strong believer in, if every company had to be arb approved it would help raise the standards of tree work and help educate people in our industry dont you think?

 

i have to disagree,there are a lot of small operators like myself who offer very high standard tree work and love doing it but have no intrest at all in the office side,i think customers care a lot more about a good job than if you have a vehicle check sheet signed in triplicate.

Not taking anything away from those that have done it cos its a hell of an achievement.

[chrisgilltreesurgery]

I know ther pe are alot of small contractors that do fantastic work, im one of them but there are more small contractors that do sub standard work, all i was meaning by my comments about if everyone had to be arb approved it would help raise the standard. I was by no means saying only arb approved contractors do the best work as i know this is not true, but i do still think there should be a standard to work to for everyone whether this is arb approved or someThing else, i know it will never happen, i was just mearly commenting and having a bit of a rant about bad tree work

[skyhuck]

I know ther pe are alot of small contractors that do fantastic work, im one of them but there are more small contractors that do sub standard work, all i was meaning by my comments about if everyone had to be arb approved it would help raise the standard. I was by no means saying only arb approved contractors do the best work as i know this is not true, but i do still think there should be a standard to work to for everyone whether this is arb approved or someThing else, i know it will never happen, i was just mearly commenting and having a bit of a rant about bad tree work

 

Being AAAC will increase your costs, it has to.

 

So that make you even more expensive than the cowboys, making the cowboy more attractive to many customers.

 

If your work is good and you look after your customers why add to your costs unnecessarily???

 

As others have said its a good scheme for those who like that sort of thing and is a genuine achievement for those who get it, but thinking it can change the industry or see of the cowboys is just nonsense.