C & J Tree Service

This small local tree service (a family operation) has been leaving cards on my door for the past year and last week knocked on my door to see if they could pick up some work that afternoon. I've lived in the house for a year and need some tree work done on the whole property, but the front was looking like a bit of an eyesore with well-overgrown crapemyrtles and photinia, and a dead cedar tree, plus a storm-damaged bradford pear that was cut down but had been growing from suckers that I could not keep down and could not mow over because there were three boulders blocking access to the suckers. I called them on a Sunday and they were there by the afternoon (an hour later than promised, after a bit of confusion on my location, probably because of the cell phone connection.) They estimated four hours to do the work. They quoted $400 for the whole thing and said they could do it right then. They did not expect payment until they completed. The work was done in 3 hours (maybe a little less) and they were enthusiastic and quick. That they got a lot of the overgrowth cut back was a good thing. However, the quality of their cutting was somewhat rushed, so there are some ragged edges on the cuts they made to the shrubs. Fortunately they didn't cut them back severely and they are now in reach so that I can clean up the cuts myself. I would call them again if I needed brush cleared or shrubs removed, but would hesitate to call them for difficult or complicated bigger jobs, or tree work that would be better done by a certified arborist. I appreciate their friendliness and enthusiasm, and will update this review once the debris pile is gone. (we all thought that big junk day was coming up AND that the city of Norman would pick up the wood, neither of which are the case, we missed big junk day by a week AND big trash day pickup doesn't include brush or limbs. They said they'd be back to haul the debris away tomorrow...UPDATE: (That was about the 2nd of November... It's now the 11th. They never came for the debris. I should have been more cautious after they went for twine (on a Sunday afternoon when LOWEs HD and WalMart were open and all would have had twine) and came back empty-handed. I called twice after they did not show up with "the trailer" ... I have since called another contractor. Again, enthusiasm and friendliness (and a bit of overselling their qualifications) make them pleasant to work with, if you are willing to come behind them and tidy up and have arranged for pickup of the debris by another service or are willing to haul it yourself. I think that for a $400 trim and removal job for non-risky tree work, it was an okay deal. They cleaned up the look of the front of my house and are "enthusiastic amateurs" who will do well if they improve the quality of their work. I did appreciate that they were careful in moving the boulders to where they would look nice from the street, and that they cut a heart-shaped piece of the aromatic cedar tree for me as a "souvenir." I did NOT appreciate the fact that they did not finish the job but that's down to my not withholding part of the payment until they came good on their word. Never pay for a service until it is completely DONE, that I should have remembered but ... did not. I am also going to have a certified arborist clean up some of the messy cutting that was done on the bradford pear and on the photinia, as they did not have the technical skills to do that job right. Again: If you are looking for brush removal and do not need technically perfect work done, and if you don't pay them until they are done with the work, they are enthusiastic and quick. Otherwise, call a professional.