Navigating the Complexities of Hiring a Trustworthy Tree Care Company: Tips for Finding Local Tree Service in Parker
Hiring a reputable tree care company that you as the consumer can trust can be complex. Searching google for tree trimming, tree pruning, tree removal, or tree care populates a list of companies that are the closest to the radius of your pinpointed location at that very moment in time. So, if you are someone searching for tree services near me and you live in Parker, but you are having lunch at that very moment in Centennial, the AI that the Google algorithms run is zeroing in on your current location in Centennial. This means that the companies that pop up on your screen are most likely not local to Parker.
We, all of us, currently search the same way. For example: Restaurants near me, salon near me, mechanic near me, tree services near me, etc. By clicking the “near me” option that populates first typically, makes it an easy choice. The reality however, it is not your choice. Google knows how you think, how I think, and they push data through a series of servers and GPS coordinates to control what possible candidates pop up on your search engine based on where you are at that very moment, and “near me” seems like the logical choice. We are all creatures of convenience.
This is fascinating to me, it’s pure genius on Google’s part.
Finding Qualified Companies for Your Trees
But this where us as the searchers need to be careful, especially when trying to find qualified companies to hire. The tree industry is incredibly specialized, and the workers that comprise it are highly trained, or at least they should be. Climbing and removing a 90’ Cottonwood where large portions of the tree are over top of a home, fences, power lines, or beautiful landscapes takes a lot of specialized skill. If you’ve ever witnessed skilled professionals remove a large tree, then you know it’s pretty darn cool to watch. Pruning on the other hand is artwork and skilled pruners paint their masterpieces daily. Plant Health Care technicians search for clues of biological, environmental, and cultural issues that damage and sometimes kill trees and attempt to fix those issues. Also, tree planting, lawn care, and the lonely salesman that comprise professional tree care companies are highly trained and specialized in their own right.
This brings to question, are the companies that populated when and where you searched “tree company near me” the best tree companies in the area where you live? I believe that Googles intentions are good and they want them to be, but unfortunately, this not always true. I know of one tree company that doesn’t even exist anymore, and yet they still show up on the front page of google two years after they closed their doors.
The bottom line is do your homework. Read their google reviews, scroll through their website, and get a feel for their customer service in the initial phone call. If they didn’t answer their phone allow them a maximum of 24 hours to call you back. If it takes longer than that, their most likely not very serious. It’s very important to ask them to provide proof of insurance and workman’s compensation. This is easy for a company to provide you if they carry them. If they don’t, they will most likely give you push back, and you should run, quickly. It’s true that if you hire a tree company that is uninsured or doesn’t carry workman’s compensation and something happens during the job, either property damage or bodily injury you will most likely be the one held responsible. And lastly, if the salesman hands you or leaves an understated piece of paper on your doorstep for your proposal, they are probably not a good fit.
To ensure that you are speaking to or hiring a qualified company make sure that either the owner or someone on staff is a Certified Arborist. To become a Certified Arborist an individual must pass an extremely difficult test given by the International Society of Arboriculture that is comprised of all facets of tree care operations. In order for Arborists to keep their certification they have to earn 30 Continuing education credits every 3 years. Through my experience over the past 20 years, those that become Arborists and keep their certification are serious about the industry and staff qualified professionals.
It is common that a tree service company will claim to be Arborists but they are not. There is a great tool that you as the consumer can use to make sure. Go to the website trees are good and search in their “find an arborist” database. You can search by name, city, or zip code. If they don’t show up, they are not being truthful with you and likely not qualified to your tree arborist near me.
Written by: Chad Szpunar, owner of Great Western Tree Care