get a lot of complaints, that's for sure. In my case, these weren't trees I wanted in the first place. They're seedlings that I've neglected and that grew behind my garage at the lot line. No trimming was needed. They needed to be gone. The utility only pays the crews to remove stuff that is actually a danger to the power lines, so the result is often not all that aesthetic. That wasn't an issue for me at all.
My issues was that if they did that, I'd have to cut the rest down myself. I could do that, of course. I have a chain saw and know how to do the work. And then there's the brush and limbs. I could haul them to the city's chipping yard, but I'd have to rent a truck to do it, since I don't have a truck any more.
The crew that showed up could have just whacked these big saplings off under the power lines. They could have left the debris for me to deal with. They didn't do that. Why? Because I went out when they arrived and met the crew leader. I was pleasant and discussed the job with him. He could see that I had been in there trimming stuff myself. He could also see that I'm an old fart. He had four other guys with him and a chipping truck.
So, he decided to do a complete job, rather than the easiest thing that only met the contract requirements. His option. He did a lot more than I expected, and I would have been OK with the minimum, since it was the power lines I was concerned about. A power outage in Minnesota in the winter time is an emergency. Still, I was very appreciative of the crew clearing the whole line of saplings and chipping everything up. They did not have to do that. Maybe I was just lucky and got a good crew. I don't know, but I think there's more to it than that.
They get a lot of people coming out and being assholes about what they're hired to do. When that happens, they do a crappy job. Why would they do more than the contract required. This crew did more than required. I hoped they would. I made it clear that I appreciated the extra effort.
It's all in the approach and attitude. It's often all about the approach and attitude.
= new reply since forum marked as read