AMERICAN ARBORIST/Sabia Landscape

<p> <br /> <br /></p> <p>First I was given a high estimate that included much more work than I wanted done.  We spoke on the phone and agreed to a lower price with just the work I wanted.  They were supposed to remove all the dead wood plus a few long branches that stuck out past the rest of the tree.  Also they were supposed to trim a few that were too close to the second floor windows.  They did not remove all the dead wood and did not trim back all the branches that were close to the window.  They were supposed to leave a bill on the door but did not do so.  I called them and they said that they would drop off a bill.  When I asked how much, they quoted a figure that didn?t include the Angie?s List deal.  I was told I would have to talk to their accountant and after several weeks of trying, I finally was able to contact him and I explained about not including the Angie?s List deal and about the work that wasn?t done.  He told me that he would look into it and get back to me, (that was sometime in 2014).  I heard nothing until 2015 Oct 13 when I got a call from Sabia Landscaping asking when I was going to pay the bill.  I replied that I would when I received one.  They said that they left a bill on my door several times.  I told them that I would have contacted them if I had received a bill.  I told them that it could have fallen off one time and blown away, but not several times and that they must have put it on the wrong door and should try sending it by US mail.  I finally got a bill on 2015 Oct 16. <strong> <em>It was reduced from $700.00 to $450</em></strong> and even though I think it still is a little high for the amount of work they performed, I will now pay them.  The work that they did complete was ok, but was overpriced and not all that we agreed.  For those reasons, I would not recommend them to anyone else.</p> <p> <br /> <br /></p> <br />

Very professional company! My tree never looked better! <br />

<p>Three   trees were trimmed and one bush removed.</p> <p> They did not shape two of my specimen  trees correctly  I would say stay away from this business, as they do not have aesthetic ability to shape trees.   The blue spruce was trimmed to high on the bottom, and the other attractive tree is now unattractive, because they simply cut off the top and ruined the best part of the tree. Did not shape the sides as promised.  . </p> <p>I called and noted my complaints, and was promised a response, but never heard from them again. I definitely would stay away from these folks </p> <br />

unknown

They did a great job. The only problem was that it was very difficult to reach the contractor and schedule a time. <br />

unknown

When I first called, the call was forwarded to a voice mail with just a message the number you were calling (which was different than Company number listed). I wasn't sure the number was right since the number didn't identify itself as American Arborist. I took a chance and left a message and was called back the next day. Bill arrived on time the day it was scheduled. His professionalism and compassion for his job was very evident. He discussed some things that others who came out did not. Other places told me I could save some branches that were split from the rough winter by using a bolt and cable system, but also cost more to have done. Bill could've played the same song as them to make more money, but he didn't. He explained the splits were too deep for such a thing and that they would have to be cut down. He was able to schedule me within days of hiring his services. When the day came, Bill did call prior to the scheduled time to let me know they would be late due to the customer they were with requested some additional work. Bill still arrived at my house around the time we were scheduled to wait for the crew to arrive. We were scheduled for 2pm, but the crew didn't arrive until around 3:30. I had nothing else planned, so it wasn't too big of a deal. I appreciate people who don't rush out of one job to get to their next appointment and wind up not doing the job right. Once the crew showed up, Mark took over the operation and the whole process went great. They never cut too much off, always asking if it I was fine with it or wanted more off. The company is also combined with Sabia Landscape and Tree Service. The final thing that impressed me about the company is they give discounts to Veterans. One last thing, their price was $200 less (with Veterans discount), than the others I had come out that wanted to use the bolt/cable system. <br />

I think it was okay. I kind of felt like he was a little expensive. I've had arborists many times and I didn't think I was asking for very much. It was a $200 service and I wound up paying a total of about $498 and there wasn't very much trimmed. It's disappointing. You kind of feel like, "Well did he just like double up the price to make up the difference?" I have had tons of arbory work done. I've had scads of trees removed out of my backyard. I've had whole trees removed. I've had stumps ground and trees trimmed repeatedly in the front of my yard. I won't have him back. He was nice but I won't have him back. He came out very fast. He was out the next week to do the trimming.

They had to cancel once because of bad weather, which was understandable. They were courteous and did more than the job that was promised. <br />

<strong>The owner came out as scheduled to give an estimate. The person doing the trimming had to reschedule once because an earlier job took longer than originally expected. In this type of work, I can understand how difficult it can be to give a precise date and time for the work. Since no one had to be at home when the actual work was done, it did not inconvenience us.</strong> <br />

I have used them a couple of times, and they respond quickly as well as do good work.

Overall experience with American Arborists went very well! <br />

I purchased the Angie's List special of $100.00 for $200.00 of tree service. I originally had a quote to remove a large Spruce tree that fell during Hurricane Sandy but was able to cut the tree up myself and the township took it away for nothing. Still having the and quot;couponand quot; I called American Arborist again to have them grind the stump. Charlie answered the phone and said he would honor the coupon and grind the stump for that price. They were out early the next week and did exactly that. <br />

Very good experience overall. Prompt return phone call to schedule an estimate. Bill arrived on time and handed me an estimate after thoroughly explaining what needed to be done. The job was performed less than a week later and was the 3rd job of the day on an unusually warm March day. The guys were very polite and professional and hustled as if my job was the first job of the day. Clean-up was done well. I will be contacting Bill at American Arborist for additional tree work needed at our home.

The pricing was fair. I would recommend them. The gentleman who came out was very professional and very knowledgeable about what I needed. Their level of expertise was very good. I am a little particular and I had spoken to a few others that I didn't really feel comfortable with. They talked the talk and walked the walk. I was pretty happy with everything overall. They were great and did a great job. I was very happy. The quality was exceptional. They were there pretty quick. I called one day and had a proposal the next day. Two days later they were there doing the job. I couldn't beat that. I had a very good experience. I would absolutely use them again.

I saw an advertisement on random lawn in Abington, called American Arborist. Within a day I had a quote and within 2 days my tree was gone. Beautiful job done!

My house is currently undergoing major renovation. My usual arborist was not available when the construction schedule required so I selected AA from Angie's list based on Joe Corner's price quote and his stated ability to work with the construction schedule. I was also very favorably impressed by Joe's responsiveness and enthusiasm for my sustainability renovation project. <br /> <br /> <em><strong> Chronology of events: </strong></em> <br /> <br /> The work was initially scheduled for Thursday 25 August but had to be postponed because of rain. I spoke to a woman in the office on Friday 26 August and confirmed that the work would definitely be done the following Thursday, 1 September, to fit the construction schedule. That weekend we experienced hurricane Irene, so I called the office on Tuesday, 30 August to reconfirm that the work would be done as scheduled. After multiple attempts, I finally reached the woman who answered the phone previously; she assured me that the work was definitely scheduled for 1 September, so my contractor then arranged his construction activities around it. <br /> <br /> <strong>Thursday, 1 September 2011</strong> <br /> Mid-morning: My contractor was calling and emailing me to find out why no tree work was being done. I left multiple voice messages at the AA office, and tried Joe's cellphone repeatedly, with no answer but a message to leave a voice mail in a mailbox that was full and unable to accept messages. <br /> Approx. 1145h: When the office phone was eventually answered, the female answerer assured me that the crew should arrive within an hour. However, they did not arrive for at least 3 hours. <br /> Afternoon: I went to the site to emphasize to Joe the critical timing of the work he had contracted to do. We reviewed what was to be done, and I stressed several times that by far the highest priority was the removal to ground level of the large black locust to allow foundations to be laid the following day. Joe assured me that it would definitely be done by that evening, and based on his assurance and stated urgent need for payment, I gave him a check for $1700 as partial payment for the work so far and left for the day (1630-1700h). <br /> <br /> <strong>Friday, 2 September 2011</strong> <br /> 0800: Email from my contractor, stating: “I am very upset with your tree guy – They did not show up until after 2:30 – maybe 3:00 pm and they were still using chain saws and the grinder until 8:00 pm. Furthermore and most importantly, they did not finish bringing down the main tree which means they are going to have to come back again today. I am not really sure what this means other than it effects [the mason], his schedule, the inspectors schedule, pouring concrete, and equipment rental fees. As such, please call the tree guy to verify what time he will be there today and how long he will need to get rid of the tree – I don’t care about the remainder of the work – I need the tree gone and full access to this area.” <br /> 0830: I received an angry phone call from the neighbor who co-owned the dead tree stump with me, followed by an email from him stating: “As you know seven huge pieces of tree trunk have been dropped on my property by your tree workers who were working late hours, (after 8 PM last night), completely unsupervised. When they fell they may have damaged the stone steps and wall that they landed on. I will know more after they are removed and I can examine the stonework underneath. I am asking you to have them carefully lifted and removed under competent arboreal supervision, so as to cause no further damage to my property.” <br /> 0845h: I immediately began trying unsuccessfully to find out where they were and when they would be continuing the work. I went to the site around 1015h. <br /> 1100h: by the time I left the site, AA had not yet arrived. Trying to contact AA was tremendously frustrating; there was never any answer from Joe's cellphone, his mailbox was full, the office phone was unanswered almost every time I called, and the repeated messages I left there were not returned. <br /> Approximately 1300h: I went to the construction site to find out when the tree work would be completed and ensure that the wood that had been dumped on my neighbor's property was removed. I was surprised and annoyed that much of the low-priority work (cutting down the dead stump, trimming small branches) had been done, despite my multiple repetitions emphasizing how essential it was for the locust to be removed before anything else was done. Joe was verbally aggressive and tried to tell me that he could dump the wood on my neighbor's property because the stump was not on mine. When I tried to explain that the site survey clearly showed the stump straddling the property line, which I had told him at the very outset, he refused to listen and drove off in his fork lift to continue removing logs. I then tried talking to Joe's brother, who was also unhelpful. I felt very uncomfortable around them and left the site for the day. <br /> 1900-1930h: I sent Joe a detailed email describing the reasons for my dissatisfaction with his service and informing him of the actions I was taking, including: <br /> <ul> <li>stopping the $1700 partial payment check to ensure that he completed the work quoted for before receiving payment, as specified on his quote and quot;payable upon completion of workand quot; </li> <li>my visiting the site over the weekend to ensure that all the work had been completed and all the debris removed </li> <li> confirming with my neighbor that the large pieces of tree trunk were removed from his property and that no damage was done </li> <li> upon satisfactory completion, I would mail a check for the agreed price less my cost for stopping the check </li> <li> submitting a report to Angie's List describing my experience with AA </li> </ul> <strong>Saturday, 3 September 2011 <br /> </strong>1830h: I found that the large overhanging trunk had simply had its top branches lopped off, leaving a very long bare trunk. There were also several large pieces of log left on the ground. Since the quote stated that all debris would be removed and quot;meticulouslyand quot;, I assumed that the work was not yet completed and that AA would return to finish it. <br /> Approx 1900h: I received a call from Joe demanding payment that night, in a tone that I found very unprofessional and unpleasant, for the work that I had already told him I considered unfinished. He also stated that if I did not pay him immediately, he would go to my contractor's house, adjacent to mine, and demand payment from him. He refused to discuss why I considered the work unfinished and hung up on me instead. <br /> Immediately after that call, I sent the following email: <br /> “Mr Corner, I strongly object to your calling me on my cellphone a few minutes ago to demand payment for your unfinished work. I stopped at my house around 6.30 this evening, Saturday, and saw that the large lateral trunk of the tulip poplar, which you had contracted to remove at the main trunk, had simply had its top lopped off, leaving a very long bare trunk. I also saw many large pieces of wood on the ground near the fence, which your quote indicated you would remove and quot;meticulouslyand quot;, and so assumed that you would let me know when you would be returning to complete the remaining work. I found your tone on the phone to be extremely unprofessional, and actually quite threatening and quot;you don't want to go thereand quot; or words to that effect. You refused to engage in a discussion of why I consider the work unfinished and therefore why I am unwilling to pay immediately what I owe you, choosing to hang up on me instead. I am very willing to discuss with you what my issues are with your work and what needs to be done to fix them before I pay you, but I cannot do that if you refuse to listen to me. My neighbor/contractor has no part of this agreement, so your stated intent to go to his house tonight to try to obtain payment from him is entirely inappropriate. As I stated in my previous message, and to

As reported before- quick and efficent-- workis on property adjoining our house which is an apartment building which my husband manages.

They were efficent, very polite and cleaned up all residue from the work they performed. <br /> We got an bid last year for the same amount of work and the bid from the other company was totally way over priced. They wanted $8000.00 for the same amount of work. I will use Joe again and refer him to friends. He and is crew are great <br />

The actualworkwasperformedby a crewthatwas very professional and cleaned up the property after they were finished. The owner howevermadepromises he did not keep. Could not complete the joband tried to do a complicatedtree bracing in the dark because he had overbooked himself. Hetold us he would call us aboutwork he promised to doand never did.We were not happy with his unprofessionalism.

Overall I am very pleased and would use them again and also recommend to my friends. During the estimate and consulation, Joe was very focused on providing exactly want we wanted. He spent a lot of time with me and my mother discussing the exact look that we wanted. He also took the time to explain the recommended pruning and other care. We were specific that we didn't want the tree line elevated too high but that we wanted the deadwood removed as well as the broken branches. Joe also recommended that we selectively prune a few branches to make sure that wind could flow through the trees. This seemed like a good idea and we agreed. On the day of the work Joe carefully reviewed the details with the crew. During the work the crew was attentive to our questions and was interested in making us happy. The two large trees were pruned extremely well and to our specific request. The crew did a really nice job in finding and removing all deadwood and the broken branches. They also trimmed our hedge for no charge. It may apppear that we paid a lot for the work but it took the crew about 5-6 hours to complete all the work (there was a lot) and do a good job. Joe made a thorough inspection of the completed work and personally performed additional work to further aerate the ground around the trees.

Very well.

They took care of everything and I don’t have any complaints. They came and did it right away which is probably the best part; they came the same day I called them. They price was a little high but they got the job done and they picked up the debris.

They stayed within the estimate they gave me before they did the work. They did a good clean up job. They were difficult to schedule, but overall the work that was done was satisfactory and professional. They showed up when they said they would and they were knowledgeable.

The project took over two days. Joe was prompt each day and kept me up-to-date on the progress. Joe and his teamed work very hard and long hours. Joe was on-site at all times and lead the work himself. I was very impressed with the outcome. Joe was helpful in offering suggestions on the landscaping. He was always polite and professional. The neighbors were so impressed with how he transformed our yard that many of them hired him to do work in their yards. I would highly recommend his services.