How busy are you this year compared to other years?

[Nutball]

Why doesn't he pay you on time?

Don't get rusty or out of climbing shape, maybe race him up one at no extra charge, just once.

 

[Kaveman]

Oh I could make excuses, but mostly it's because I've allowed it. That's gonna change. Little brown stain owes me way too much money for me to keep playing nice while I'm wading through my own shit.

 

[Mick!]

Before I did tree work I worked for a landscaper who ran a shitshow.
Lying to clients, crap machinery, late paying etc.
He played for the same football team as me. He owed me money so after the game I told him I needed it for the evenings drinking (the whole team more or less were heavy weekend drinkers)
So off he goes to the ATM in the next town.
I said to the others ‘he’s not coming back’ and of course he didn’t. I actually had money, but didn’t see why he should stand there enjoying the evening whilst owing me money.

When you work for someone there’s a contract (not an actual contract but you know what I mean)
The biz owner gets the work, the hassle and all that goes with it, but he gets the big money, he may have to wait for it, but he will make the big bucks
You as a worker get paid a lot less, but you get paid, on time, every time, that’s the deal.
People who renege on that deal are shitheads.
Reading your story brings it back, which is why I seem disproportionately annoyed about it.

My experience with the landscaper actually taught me a lot about how not to run a business, so there’s that.

 

[biggun]

My area is very suburban so everything is close. I only work in the town I live in and the adjacent town. My average travel speed with the convoy is 23-25 mph and 15 or 20 minute door to door is the norm. Close range saves on appt time too which is big. We aren't real busy but things are picking up a bit with improved weather.

Gotta love this one:

I hear the call of the wild (chainsaws) a few Saturdays ago, so I hop on bicycle to check it out, turns out to be my neighbor more or less across the street; a big leader fell off a huge dead maple, landed in driveway, he was sawing it up with a POS saw, I offered to cut it up for him to be neighborly. A couple years earlier the same tree dropped a big leader on his volvo and crushed it, we cleaned up that mess and all went well.

So I spent 10 minutes cutting and we were both happy that I saved him alot of work. He cleared the driveway making brush piles and log piles. We agreed I'd send him an estimate for the tree removal; one price for crane and therefore no lawn divots, a lower price for no crane and lawn divots. A week or 2 later he brought over a box of chocolates to my wife as a thank you for the cutting; nice gesture but unnecessary. A week or 2 after that, I drive by and see the tree is now a stump. A no namer who is a fireman on the side used a crane to do it and left the place looking clean.

Business: The Ultimate Adventure.

Wouldn't ya think that he might have said to me, 'hey I got another estimate and it was lower, I'd love to use you if you can do any better'. Then the ball would be in my court and he's off the douche hook. Oh well!!

I went round to a friends house to drop the youngest kid off a few weeks ago. It is one of the best friends of Torstein, I have done work for them a couple of times and we usually get along pretty well. In fact Stine is really close with the mum.

Anyway, I digress. There was a pile of branches in the garden and quite a few pruning cuts on the various trees around the garden. So I asked if Manola, (the husband) had been doing some work. The wife replies that he saw an advert and answered and then got the person to do the work.

Nothing wrong with that, competition is healthy, I also know the girl who did the work. She is the sister of a friends wife.

The thing that pissed me off a bit was Manola used to run his own business which went bust. He is aware of the high levels of tax in Norway and how difficult it can be to run a business successfully. In a way it is nice to have support from friends and family and as I saiid I have worked for them before. I even did an emergency job for them when they were stationed in Cuba for 2 years when a storm damaged and broke limbs on the trees.


So with all the history, personal friendships of the kids and being pretty close to them as a family, it would have been nice if they had actually asked for a price to compare. Totally over looked. No problem for me if I was too expensive, that's business and life.

I explained my thoughts to Anna.

I bumped into them both at the kids last day of school this week. Polite and courteous I spoke to Anna, her husband didn't even look me in the eye. So I basically ignored him for the evening and probably won't have much to do with him from here on in.

It isn't bitterness, or childishness, I just can't get my head round some peoples actions and then the lack of backbone to discuss it (basically the ostrich technique, head in a bucket of sand).

So that is that, if they ever call me again I will quote for work but I won't be doing them any favours.

 

[lxskllr]

Do you have a history of lowballing work with them? If I had a friend that did work really cheap, I could see me going to someone else due to feeling like I was taking advantage of the friend, and the friend feeling "obligated" to do bottom dollar work.

 

[biggun]

I don't do mates rates. I charge a fair price for a high level of work, so I definitely haven't low balled them on the prices.

They are not short of a few quid, she works for the government and when they were in Cuba she ran the Norwegian Embassy out there, not the Ambassador but managed everything else.

I think the husband is just a strange guy. Not a lot of backbone, beta male and his missus definitely wears the trousers. I have no idea what goes through his head and has always come across as a bit odd. This is something I have just ignored as we all have our idiosyncrasies.

I think it in a way, it was his way of trying to be assertive and not thinking. Maybe I am reading too much into it, but have noticed over the years we have known them, he does do some strange things.

Either way, as I previously said. I will be polite and courteous but no favours.

 

[Kaveman]

Where I come from, we call that a "Dick Move". Some people are just born assholes. I'm offended for you.

 

[96coal449]

Oh I could make excuses, but mostly it's because I've allowed it. That's gonna change. Little brown stain owes me way too much money for me to keep playing nice while I'm wading through my own shit.

His production will come to a crawl when he realizes you're not there and he owes ya coin.

 

[Nutball]

I've had a friends brother, who knows I cut trees, twice not ask me and hire someone else for some simple fells. Even neighbors do that.

 

[cory]

mates rates.

Good term!

 

[Mick!]

I don't do mates rates. I charge a fair price for a high level of work, so I definitely haven't low balled them on the prices.

They are not short of a few quid, she works for the government and when they were in Cuba she ran the Norwegian Embassy out there, not the Ambassador but managed everything else.

I think the husband is just a strange guy. Not a lot of backbone, beta male and his missus definitely wears the trousers. I have no idea what goes through his head and has always come across as a bit odd. This is something I have just ignored as we all have our idiosyncrasies.

I think it in a way, it was his way of trying to be assertive and not thinking. Maybe I am reading too much into it, but have noticed over the years we have known them, he does do some strange things.

Either way, as I previously said. I will be polite and courteous but no favours.

I agree, you’re reading too much into it.
Just forget about it, it’s only a slap in the face if you deem it as such.

 

[biggun]

It is pretty much forgotten Mick.

I’ve made my mind up how I will proceed in the future.

Onto the next 👍🏾

 

[Naturarbo]

Summer is here work slows down, turists are to many.

 

[SeanKroll]

How are your phones, etc doing?


It was slow for a bit... thankfully able to do some repairs.

New projects rolling in.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Finally the fall calls are coming in, slowly. And of course I cant do anything with it.
Getting some work for Rob and Frank. But hit and miss.

 

[Burnham]

Bring Kave up for a spell?...might be worth it to you both.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

That has been on my mind. But there is still not enough work/income on the books to put enough money on the table for him to be here.
Example. I would fly Dave " thattreeguy" out here round trip. House him, feed him and pay him. The work I have right now would barely justify the air fare or drive.
A lot to ask of someone to step away from his kids for not enough work to justify. Gone are the big jobs now that justified the larger crews. Unless I dump a ton of effort and money into doing grants. And that is slow money to contract hire.

 

[cory]

Dave " thattreeguy"

I always liked that guy, say hi will ya?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Will do.

 

[cory]

I haven't had a single call since election day??!!??

Previously we've been quite busy

 

[Mick!]

Been nose to the grindstone here, lots of good weather has helped.

Starting to thin out a bit in the diary, no rhyme or reason, no need to panic yet though.

 

[treesmith]

Busy, busy, busy here.

 

[SeanKroll]

Slow here.

Staying at a low simmer, a bit below where I like it at a steady simmer.

Friday, started cutting in some trails for an existing customer on the back 4 acres. Only 'dirt work' will be popping out some ferns.

Nice change of pace. I used to dig out new trail in the Sierras and Nevada high desert. This is light and easy work that is a good change of pace.

After that, back to some tree work, more maintenance and repair. Bunch of stacked, milled slabs to move.

 

[cory]

Been nose to the grindstone here, lots of good weather has helped.

Indeed! We are in a serious drought and the dry ground has been a major plus for production (and for dead trees next year)

 

[BIGTWIG]

This year was slow on the tree side, work picked up in the fall a little, but not enough to make up for the whole season. Logging has been consistent.