Questions to ask an arborist: http://home.ccil.org/~treeman/quiz.html

To ask an so-called expert: http://home.ccil.org/~treeman/quiz-ma100.html

Would you go to a doctor who flunked anatomy?

Sincerely,

John A. Keslick, Jr.
Beware of so-called TREE EXPERTS who do not understand TREE BIOLOGY!
www.treedictionary.com

http://mercury.ccil.org/~treeman/
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.
Some people will buy products they do not understand and not buy books that
will give them understanding.


"miamicuse" wrote in message
...
I need some tree service done to a property. Two black olive trees need
pruning/trimming/cleaning, one mango tree and oak tree was severly damaged
by hurricane Wilma to the point they are beyond recovery need to be cut
down
and removed. A bottle brush that toppled need to be removed also.

I looked up three companies in the yellow pages and asked them to provide
a
free estimate.

Company 1:
Clean/prune black olive tree: $450 per tree
Cut down damaged oak: $350
Cut down mango: $350
Cut down bottle brush: $200
Haul & disposal: $800
Total: $2600

Company 2:
Mango cut and haul: $850
Oak cut and haul: $150
Black olives trim: $750 each
Bottle brush cut and haul: $150
Total: $2650

Company 3:
Quoted me a lump sum of $1000 to do everything include hauling away.

Company 1 and 2 have pretty close bottom line. But look at the trim fee
for
the black olives, $450 vs $850 each, why such drastic difference?

and company 3? So much cheaper?

How do I make comparisons? I have no knowledge of any of these companies?
Don't know if they are reputable or not.

Any advise on questions to ask them?

MC - location in Miami, FL zone 10