K & J Tree Service

Jerry Cook was called by my neighbor to evaluate some trees in his yard early in the week and I had him take a look at trees in my yard as well. At that time he didn't have an estimate, but came back another day with an estimate of $1,400 to trim up some trees. He at least recommended cutting down 1 tree (no stump removal) and cutting part of 1 tree that was hanging over the house. Those 2 trees alone would have been $1,000. He explained in detail about how he would cut the tree at the fork, since that was the part that was leaning over the house. He said that it would be more expensive if he wanted us to have the wood removed. It was an oak tree and burns well, so I wanted to make sure it wasn't going to be too much wood if we kept the wood for firewood. He stated it would be about a pickup truck worth. He even explained what size he would cut the wood and how we should split it, making sure to mention that it is easier to cut while it is still fresh instead of waiting until later. I spoke to my wife and we decided that was a little out of our price range. He just happened to be in the neighborhood later that Saturday and stopped by while I was working in the front yard. After explaining to him it was out of our price range, he asked to take a look again to see if he could do us a better deal. I told him our main concern was the one tree hanging over the house. After giving us a price of $450 for the one tree, I decided we could afford that. He and his team went to work on the tree in the back yard while I was working on the front yard projects. I assumed incorrectly that since my neighbor was happy with the job they did for him, that I could trust them to do a good job. At one point they did get me to see what they were doing to make sure I was happy with it. Little did I know, that was all they were doing. They did a great job of cleaning up afterwards. Cleaned the gutters and roof, swept the driveway and even stacked the wood for me (more on that later). I unfortunately paid them before I saw the finished project. I was at a stopping point in the project in the front yard, so I paid them at that point instead of having to stop later to pay them. After they left I finally got a chance to take a look at the tree and it looks like they only cut one limb off the tree instead of cutting the tree at the fork. The amount of wood is about 10 pieces and none of them look big enough to split. I called his company on Sunday to say I wasn't happy with the job and thought they were supposed to cut more of the tree. I spoke with Kimberly Clark about the issue and she said she'd have him call me. He called later on that night and said he'd be in the area on Monday and Tuesday and said that he would stop by one of those days. On Wednesday, after he didn't show up or even call, I called him and left a message. It's been a week since I first called him about not being satisfied and he hasn't returned my call. I'm afraid that since the check cleared (on Tuesday), I'm not going to be hearing from him again. Also, they asked for payment in cash. The reasoning was because it was Saturday afternoon and he wanted to pay his team. I was able to give him $100 in cash and paid the remaining $350 by check. After that check cleared, I haven't heard from him or anyone on his team. The invoice states "Remove 1 side of oak tree over hanging over house. Leave wood - Remove brush." They didn't remove the entire side of the tree they mentioned in the invoice. Even if they meant not the entire side, but just the part hanging over the tree, there is still part of the tree hanging over the house. They didn't match up to what the invoice says they did on either account. Part of the reason the $450 was affordable because we figured we wouldn't have to buy firewood this winter due to the remaining wood from the tree. Now we still need to purchase firewood, so that didn't save us any money. I can't seem to find any address or information on this company on the internet. An alternative number for them is 434-218-9967 and the check was made out to Kimberly Clark. As a side note, my wife told me after the fact that one of them went behind our shed and urinated. Not a very classy move, especially since it's visible from multiple neighbors. Overall, I'm very disappointed with this company. I'm actually afraid it's not a legitimate company and that they basically scammed me. Looking back, I'm so disappointed with the many mistakes I made. I definitely will not be making these mistakes again, even if they are recommended by a friend.