SadRant: Stonehedge Tree Service

[Irukandji]

After a good experience with Stonehedge where they came to trim a eucalyptus, we had to call them back again to cut the whole tree down to stump. I received a quote for the job and asked, both in person and in writing, that they work with my landscape guy regarding the cut and removal.

I’ve been told they TRIED to call the landscaper but didn’t get right thru to him, so they just came by and cut down the tree. They also took out another shrub without talking with me or the landscaper, so removed the wrong shrub (the one a builder had mentioned that we took down ourselves without any discussion with Stonehenge).

The cut on the eucalyptus was not what the landscaper wanted done, and all branches were hauled away – many of which we wanted to keep for other projects. In their haste to do the job, it got done but not as we had intended. Had Stonehenge talked with the landscaper first I’m sure things would have gone much differently.

Stonehenge never even offered an apology when approached with the errors. They simply had time to cut the tree and did so. Here’s the bill. A disappointing outcome from a local company I formerly trusted.

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[JanS]

I’m so sorry to hear this. Your landscaper works hard on your yard, and this should never happen. :( Boo hiss!

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[Irukandji]

Thanks JanS. The landscaper’s phone registers all calls even if no message is left. Had they made the effort instead of just quickly doing a job at will, we’d have some great wood to work with and a great review to post.

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[jwws]

Guess your landscaper should have coordinated a little better for you – sounds like he copped out – you can’t expect a subcontractor (Stonehenge) to coordinate this for you. Mark and his guys are great – your landscaper may have dropped the ball on this one and perhaps you are asking too much of a busy tree service that was just trying to fit you in their schedule???

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[anonyme]

jwws, I agree. Stonehedge is a great company, and a very, very busy one. It’s rather unusual for several different people (landscaper, homeowner) to be giving instructions to arborists. Did you give specific instructions that they were to do no work without consulting your landscaper? You say that they did the job in haste, yet I can attest to the fact that Stonehedge (as well as most qualified arborists) is usually booked weeks, if not months, in advance. They were clearly doing you a favor and treating you as a preferential customer by showing up so quickly.

As for the eucalyptus, I wonder if there was a disconnect not only in communication, but in what the tree needed from a professional viewpoint. A licensed arborist is better qualified to make that judgment than a landscaper.

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[Irukandji]

VERY specific instructions were given and I was clear this was not a rush job. The landscaper was housesitting for me for a two-week period, and there is no evidence that Stonehenge made ANY effort to contact him to say when they would come by. Not by phone, not by e-mail, not even a knock at the door. They had an opening and cut the tree, completely disregarding my request.

I had a great experience with the younger guys who came from Stonehenge the first time through, and expected the same attention and care this time (they talked with the landscaper during the first job with no trouble – no reason to believe they’d just go ahead without doing so this time as requested).

“We had time, so we cut the tree” was the only explanation. No message, no note, nothing. I was assured that they would contact the landscape/housesitter so he would be here when they came by. They did not do this.

I’m sure they have mad skills, and I’ve seen them in action doing good work before. This is why I hired them. Had I not trusted them to make contact (as they did before) I would not have given the go-ahead to do the job while I was away. There was plenty of communication, just none of it seemed to make any difference to the gentlemen in charge of this particular job.

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[shed22]

Truly sorry to hear about your tree. Out of curiosity, what did they charge for the work? Reason I ask, I had someone (not Stonehenge) quote me for the removal of two maples. I was shocked at the cost and was curious if that is the standard rate for tree removal. Of course, I recognize each tree and situation is different, I just want to know if 2k is a reasonable tree removal cost. Thanks!

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[Irukandji]

$250 for the six-year-old eucalyptus in an easy-to-reach area of the yard.

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