So what is the right price?

[easy-lift guy]

I believe the number of schools teaching Arborculture in the UK far exceeds the number of trained personnel in the field needed to maintain the market much less this industry as a whole. The end result IMHO is a viscous circle of students fresh out of school either trying to start out on their own with only Three things going for themselves, price, youth, and relatively low over head. The last item can disappear soon enough with mismanagement of funds and no business plan or model. Having a set price for performing a certain task or job would be nice, however with the shear volume of new folks coming into this industry every year, I do not see that happening. Having a union or some way of fixing the price based on what some organization dictates is also a non starter simply because unions can and will destroy a free market economy if given a chance for their sole existence only.

Solution. Less government regulation,supports for tuition funded education could reduce the number of students and lessen the impact low ballers have on this industry. In time prices could go up with less competition, back to supply and demand. My two cents

from the other side of the pond looking thru my telescope.

easy-lift guy

Edited June 29, 2013 by easy-lift guy
Spelling

[Mike Hill]

Is it a chicken & egg thing that we want to get paid top dollar, at the same time we want to pay bottom dollar for top dollar supplies

 

Absolutely:

 

We want to spend as little as possible to make as much as we can.

 

Just like most of our clients want the most for their money,money that they like us have earned.

 

The influx of new personal into the industry is a windfall for training and equipment suppliers,the amount of Arb gear sold in the last 5 to 10 years,in conjunction with the number of students at training centers must add up to tens of millions of Pounds in revenue.

 

Just like a huge Storm would be huge benefit to us financially,now is the time for equipment and training Schools to harvest the good times.

 

What I think I am worth:

 

I am worth exactly as much as my company can earn.If market conditions mean that my services don't make the profit I require,then I will go and do something else.

[bumble B]

Top climber who can do anything £180-£200 a day or however much I can realistically pay. The way I see it is if plumbers etc can charge up to £300 a day so can I and our work is by far harder and dangerous.

[Gray git]

Iv said it before what pushes down the price in my area is the amount off utility workers with all gear provided doing sideline work for peanuts, the council only wants a cheep price and not after any form off quality work, I have lost quite a few pruning jobs to peoples attitude off its just cutting a few branches so im not paying much then I see the job later and think yes I could have done such a **** job for that price. As said a 2 man team with chipper needs 350 a day but 400+ would be nice but last week heard off a 3man team, transit, chipper, l200 and trailer good size dismantle all for 325quid and the logs, now if thats not Devaluing the industry I dont know what is?

[Rhino1bam]

I have been self-employed tree surgeon for seven years and spent thousands of pounds on training insurance getting the right certificates etc etc in the belief it would tighten up the industry and give a level playing field

However not oncee in those seven years I've been asked to produce anything ,from relevant governing body thousands of pounds well spent I think!!

 

😄😃😀

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

I have been self-employed tree surgeon for seven years and spent thousands of pounds on training insurance getting the right certificates etc etc in the belief it would tighten up the industry and give a level playing field

However not oncee in those seven years I've been asked to produce anything ,from relevant governing body thousands of pounds well spent I think!!

 

😄😃😀

 

Feel your pain!

 

It's disheartening when potential customers show no interest in your qual's. I have mine in a folder with insurance cert. On arrival to scope a job I hand over the folder and say "have a flip through that while I look at the job" Then I emphasise that anyone else looking at the job should present a similar portfolio (and be proud to do so!) At least then if they decide to "go cheap" they know what the standard SHOULD have been. I also tend to go for the more challenging tasks, you know you'll be beaten on price by a muppet if it's a straight forward simple job. I think Traffic management is another area worth emphasising (where required), if you've got Signing / Lighting / Guarding ticket you're a step ahead of the shed dragger!

[Le Sanglier]

I think a lot of the problems we have pricing are self-inflicted. Undercutting in my area has got so extreme that many firms work uninsured and used unqualified staff who claim benefits as the norm. There will always be discerning customers who want quality work carried out by bona fide arborist companies, but 75% of them want a cheap price, no questions asked. Local authorities are just as bad, I know one which has contractors who don't even have their CS39 tickets!. All this just lowers standards and prices reflect that. All trades get undercut in a recession, but treework is very much open to it. Be thankful that we don't have to compete with some of our Eastern European guests like the building and agricultural sectors do!

 

That last part about the building trade and Eastern Europeans is very true, bricklayers etc had their pay slashed because more reasonable priced skilled workers came over, it could be worse!!!!

[Le Sanglier]

Feel your pain!

 

It's disheartening when potential customers show no interest in your qual's. I have mine in a folder with insurance cert. On arrival to scope a job I hand over the folder and say "have a flip through that while I look at the job" Then I emphasise that anyone else looking at the job should present a similar portfolio (and be proud to do so!) At least then if they decide to "go cheap" they know what the standard SHOULD have been. I also tend to go for the more challenging tasks, you know you'll be beaten on price by a muppet if it's a straight forward simple job. I think Traffic management is another area worth emphasising (where required), if you've got Signing / Lighting / Guarding ticket you're a step ahead of the shed dragger!

 

Like has been said I've been doing the job 20odd years, never been asked.

However handing over a portfolio with qualifications and memberships of various organizations is a bit much. of course they're not interested who would be?

put it on the van and ads don't ram it down their throats.

it's just trimming and felling trees not rocket science.

[Rhino1bam]

Thanks However We want the same thing a level playing field and I fear this will never happen unless we can all agree(In the industry) Who is at fault.

 

No disrespect to Please You have read what I put down in your opinion is slightly towards customer at fault. Someone else might read it and put down to it being The men is doing it for see money

We are paying thousands of pounds In training kit certificates waste carrying licenses etc etc for what My gripe is at the governing body where are all the inspectors ?they will turn up after the event and go You should have used somebody with all the right training By which time Mr cheaper Is nowhere to be found

And you see what I mean we all need to agree who really is at fault.

And then we can attack 💣💣💣 In a very polite way 😄

[Le Sanglier]

Thanks However We want the same thing a level playing field and I fear this will never happen unless we can all agree(In the industry) Who is at fault.

 

No disrespect to Please You have read what I put down in your opinion is slightly towards customer at fault. Someone else might read it and put down to it being The men is doing it for see money

We are paying thousands of pounds In training kit certificates waste carrying licenses etc etc for what My gripe is at the governing body where are all the inspectors ?they will turn up after the event and go You should have used somebody with all the right training By which time Mr cheaper Is nowhere to be found

And you see what I mean we all need to agree who really is at fault.

And then we can attack 💣💣💣 In a very polite way 😄

I think to use someone else's phrase; Your looking for a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. There is no fault, what's the worst that can happen? A poorly trimmed tree. (Huck's phrase that second one)

Tree surgery will always be unregulated and long may it continue.

Who wants some bloke following you round telling you what to do and then you have to pay him for the privilege.