Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

thomasvista t1_ivg37z5 wrote

A lot of tree companies hire sketchy people in general - ex-criminals, folks that just got out of jail, etc.

1

kempff t1_ivg5zmg wrote

Which is not a bad thing. Those guys need a foot up.

17

Bridledbronco t1_ivgjhug wrote

And probably some of the only work they can muster. I’m sure the job ad reads “masters degree required, 10 years of sales experience”. When the convict shows up with none of that and says he will go knock doors all day in the heat for 10 bucks an hour, they say, yeah ok.

6

osten205 t1_ivh0yo9 wrote

When I worked in tree work I was a “valuable employee” because I had a valid driver’s license. This is not a joke.

10

TheW83 t1_ivhfxqn wrote

I was trying to trim a tree in my front yard and a guy came by and said he'd take down the tree for me for $300. I said sure and he grabbed gear from the back of his truck and climbed up and trimmed the entire thing quite well. I threw in another $50 to trim a large branch from a nearby tree. I was able to find his mugshot online. Armed robbery.

7

Kidnovatex t1_ivhktzz wrote

Yup, we found our tree trimmer the same way, he came by when we were outside and offered to trim at a very reasonable price. He did a perfectly good job and we've had him come back a few times since then. I get the OP's point, but you can often find people that will do a good job even if they don't have an office and 100 employees.

5

Hecking_Walnut t1_ivhwbqe wrote

When I was between jobs, I ran into a guy who was a regular at my old job. He ran his own tree trimming business and asked if I wanted to do some work with him (I assume 90% of the reason was that I had a truck, and he didn't even have a car). He was definitely kind of a sketchy dude, and the other guys he had working for him were twice as sketchy. But at the end of the day, he was super knowledgeable about what he was doing, enough to be able to competently run a crew that was usually made up of different random desperate people every few weeks. He was amazing at talking to people he'd never met and most of the work we got while I was with him was by talking to surrounding neighbors on the jobs we were doing. The most I ever saw him charge someone was $500, but that included hauling the lumber off the property. Most of the jobs he did only ran about $200-$300 for a day or two of work. We always left properties looking how they did when we got there and never half-assed a job. If I ever owned a property with trees that needed trimming, I know exactly who I'm gonna call. Sometimes the door to door guys are just as good as the professionals. Suffice to say, if you're gonna get a service like that done, always get quotes from competitors in the area, and never pay for it all up front.

5

evileclipse t1_ivjixfp wrote

Please don't use that as a reason to not employ someone? What he did in the past isn't what he is today. It sounds like you were impressed and it worked out fine. I don't see how the rest is relevant

1

TheW83 t1_ivjkidp wrote

I was acknowledging the previous comment in saying I had hired somebody for work that just got out of prison and he was a fine. I never got his information but I'd certainly hire him again.

1

Ownza t1_ivi6ic6 wrote

> Armed robbery.

Turns out that you uno reversed him on that price. AMIRITE?

0