MTS Tree and Landscape

These guys are the WORST -- unresponsive, unprofessional and the most frustrating company I've ever dealt with. Avoid them like the plague.

I had a very disappointing experience with MTS Tree and Landscape. Their lack of communication and professionalism has been extremely frustrating and a nightmare. I would not recommend MTS Tree and Landscape to anyone looking for reliable and professional tree removal services. Here is my case. I signed a contract for the removal of three holly trees, two additional holly trees in a different spot, and a dead poplar tree. The main reason for hiring them was to remove the dead poplar tree, but I thought it would be a good idea to clean up my backyard by removing the holly trees as well. On August 2nd, the tree removal team came and said that they needed a spider lift to remove the poplar tree. I was frustrated that the company’s arborist, who came to my home for the estimate, didn’t inform the team about the tree’s condition and prepare the necessary equipment. However, since they were already there, they decided to remove the holly trees first and then schedule the poplar tree removal. They also forced me to pay for the holly tree removal, even though I preferred to pay the full amount after all the work was completed. I paid and requested that they schedule the poplar tree removal as soon as possible. Despite multiple calls, text messages, and emails from me, and even a few calls from my neighbor who referred this company, there has been no progress. As of today, August 28th, I visited their listed address to arrange an appointment in person, but it turned out to be just a mailbox address with no actual company there. I tried and waited for as much as I can to keep the contract completed, and if this last tree is unable to be cut for whatever reason, this would be a breach of the contract by the company.

No show. Made the appt almost 2 weeks ago with Alex. Austin called 45 min prior to the appt & said "Kent is too far", its "the end of his day" & hes "going home". I could "send a video" instead. Nevermind that I sent Alex photos when I made the appt. If you don't want to come out to Kent, then why make the appt??? I did what I needed to do to make the appt.

A McMansion is being built next door that looms over my yard and has destroyed the privacy I previously had. I specifically attended the Seattle Flower and Garden Show to find landscaping companies who might be able to help me with this situation by redesigning a portion of my backyard and installing tall trees. I met two reps at the show who work with MTS and set up an appointment with Austin on Friday, Feb. 23 at 3 PM. Long story short, I raced home from the office to meet with him that day so that I could explore possible solutions with him (I called to see I might be about 5 minutes late and I'd meet him in the back yard) ... and then waited. After 4 PM, I called to find out what had happened to him since he never showed up only to learn that Austin had showed up EARLY, taken some measurements, and left BEFORE my appointment window (he later said he'd arrived at 2:40 PM, taken measurements, and left). The office said that he'd send an estimate early the following week. I was frustrated since I never had a chance to meet with him in the yard to talk through options, issues, concerns, etc. On Tuesday, Feb. 27, I receive a text stating that Jessica would be at my house on Friday, March 3 in the early afternoon for an estimate. MTS initiated the reach out, so I assumed it was a replacement estimate visit since I never met with Austine and was glad b/c it would give me a chance to talk through options with her. I stayed home from work that day to meet with her; she canceled before arriving. We subsequently set a new appointment time with Jessica for Friday, March 10th. In the meantime, I asked whatever had happened to Austin's initial estimate. I received it a couple of days later and it included no design at all, just two cost options depending on how large trees were (i.e., "if the tree is X high, it will cost this, if it's Y tall it will cost that") but said nothing (of course) about any of the other work that needed to be done (since he never actually met with me), like tree removal, access issues, etc. On the morning of the Friday appointment (March 10), Robert texts me to say that he sees I already have an estimate from Austin and questioned whether he needed to come or there were OTHER projects to look. I first asked what the heck had happened to Jessica (she was on another appointment) and then explained that Austin had never actually met with me to talk through some of the challenges of the project (including the likelihood that large trees might need to be craned over my yard) and that I DID want to meet with him. He arrived and I found it frustrating since I raised all the issues, pointed out challenges and concerns, and asking all the questions, with him providing me little to no real advise (and incorrectly suggesting that the proposed trees would grow 4 to 5-feet a year, which they don't). We discussed the importance of putting together a landscaping plan because we were talking about taking out existing trees, removing a concrete pad to enhance the design, and the need to consider shade issues created by the new structure next door. He said that his boss loves a challenge and that he'd send me an estimate early the following week (Monday or Tuesday). That was over two weeks ago and I've lost all confidence in them. In the meantime, I've received THREE follow up (presumably automated) emails repeatedly reminding me to sign the original estimate.

We had a tree that needed to be removed, and a couple of stumps ground. This was all we were going to do, however we ended up hiring them to landscape the front yard. Jessica and her team did such a fantastic job, you can not tell there were trees there to begin with. Jennifer and her crew were fast, efficient and were excellent at communicating the timeline. They were on time, professional, and exceeded our expectations in every way. When they were here for the appraisal, I told Jessica my husband purchased lavender for me and I cut it back too much over the winter and it did not recover. Jessica and her team had some lavender bushes, and when I said something, Jessica stated she remembered my story and added it in. I would highly recommend Matt's tree and landscape!

The arborist showed up on time, was able to give me quotes for several options within 24 hours. I used their website to select the options I wanted and scheduled the service date. We had to reschedule due to the very large number of power outages the week of 1/18, which was a totally reasonable request. They showed up on the re-scheduled date as promised. The crew practiced good safety measure, was professional and accommodated my need to retain my internet connection so I could continue to work. Would absolutely recommend MTS for tree services, and will have them at the top of my list when it comes time for landscape work.

The work went well. Friendly staff and family atmosphere. They had a large enough crew to work safely and with efficiency. Took care of a neighbor's tree as well. Fair pricing.

They never showed for the appointment.

They did an amazing job. I’ve used several tree services and none of them compare to the quality of Matt’s or the professionalism of their people.

Alex, the owner, was quick to respond every time we contacted him. He personally surveyed our situation after 2 trees fell onto our house during a windstorm and gave us an estimate right away. The crew he hired were polite, efficient, experienced and thorough. We appreciated having Alex supervise the job and help us navigate the insurance protocol and also his willingness to work with a utility company that allowed his crew to have access to a privately owned water pipeline trail behind our home. Our trees were removed quickly and safely. We are hiring Alex and his crew to help us on another landscaping project this spring. We highly recommend his company. Thank you, Matt’s Tree Service and Alex!

Matt's did a great job. I called Matt's and scheduled an appointment for a quote. Alex was prompt and he emailed a quote with supporting documentation that evening. Four "tree guys" arrived to cut down the tree, chip and clean up. The guys were at our property for about 1.5 hours. They did an excellent job cleaning up.

I highly rec omens Alex and his company. Their services were performed excellently, on time and the pricing was extremely reasonable. We will be using their services again.

Job well done! We've used Matt's Tree Service several times since moving here and they've always done great work. Very professional, on time, reasonable rates and excellent clean up. They respected our property and strived to protect nearby trees and landscaping. A bunch of very nice guys working out of family run business. Will use them again!

Upon calling Matt's, a representative got back to me promptly and provided me with a very competitive estimate the following day. The work was scheduled for the following week. The crew was pleasant and courteous, and performed the work quoted. What I especially appreciated was the cleanup. The yard was immaculate when the crew left.

They showed up for eval, we accepted their offer, they came back for the work as scheduled. They did quick efficient work and cleared up all the mess and hauled it away. We've tried different tree services over the years and Matt's was by far the most professional.

Perfect. They were great. Timely, professional, and friendly.

Called for an estimate. The office said they would have the estimater call me. Two days later I was left a voice mail and asked to call a number. The number was the office. The office lady was confused as to why the estimater did not leave his number. She said she whould call him and have him call me back. Two days late he called and we agreed to meet at 1 PM that day. He never showed or called. I placed the order with another company. Two days after that, the office called to see if I had received an estimate. I said no and explained my frustration. She was very apoligetic. Obviously they were having issues.

The job got done and the price seemed reasonable. However communication, responsiveness and figuring out their processes to get there was a huge challenge. It seemed to take a lot of effort to work with them. They are scattered and unorganized. Ultimately they did a good job on removing the trees and grinding some stumps but I think in the future we'd try someone else.

The job lead arrived on time and introduced himself then asked to walk the property with me to ensure he had all the information about what we wanted to be done. We had a dead tree removed. An old pine pruned. A birch tree was canopied. The arborvitae hedge was topped and made manageable. One of the men had to rappel down our hillside to top the alder trees. They cleaned up all the branches and debris when finished and left our property in good order. Very professional. Highly recommended.

Went great. The team was patient with me directing them exactly which trees I wanted cut and how high up on each one. They also made suggestions of their own on what looked good but deferred to my picky tastes without complaint! They cleaned up well also.

My experience with Matt’s Tree Service • The initial arborist that came to do our bid was very friendly and knowledgeable but from there everything went downhill. • Once we signed their contract, the customer service was rude and unhelpful throughout the rest of the process. • We were charged extra to remove a tree near a power line because Matt’s Trees stated that they start work at 8:30am before PUD can drop lines (PUD starts dropping lines at 8am) • At 11:00 am on the day or work, when Matt’s Trees had yet to show up we called them; o The Supervisor was very aggressive towards us. o We were called liars and told that they don’t start at 8:30am and no one would have told us that, and that we were scheduled for 1:00pm o We offered to give them the voicemail we had saying 8:30 am but they just said that we must be mistaken • At 1:30, 30 minutes after they said they were supposed to start they cancelled service and rescheduled. (in their contract if a customer cancels day of, they forfeit 50% of the total cost of services). • Matt’s Trees was quite rude about the reschedule, saying that we were lucky they could even return the following week, as some teams are booked out a month. It felt like they thought we should be thankful and appreciative. • Finally the contract was very deceptive, each tree had a line item that said all debris would be chipped and removed, except one random tree had a line item that stated no trees would be removed. Matt’s Tree service refused to chip or remove any of our tree based on this. Except one of the workers took some wood that he liked without asking. • During the job the rested a log against one of our windows. • One of the workers slept in his car for a majority of the job. • One stump was left 24” high and none of them were cut close to grade at all. • Matt’s Tree service did a poor job cleaning up, they left sawdust, junk and debris everywhere. I would never recommend or use Matt’s Tree Service again.

We can't remove any mature trees from our property without either a city permit, or an arborist's report stating the trees are unhealthy. We had hired Matt's last year to remove a hazardous tree and had a very good experience. We wanted to hire them again. I called Matt’s to send an arborist to tell us if the sick birch trees on our property could be saved or if we had to cut them down. The company sent Aaron, who immediately said there was no way to save them; they'd been infested by a bug that's destroying most of the birches in our region. He was punctual, very nice and seemed quite knowledgeable. He also gave us a cost estimate for removing the trees. When I asked him to email me his findings so I could submit them to the city, he said we wouldn't need a report - just bring some pictures and they might even give permission on the spot, because the staff are very familiar with this widespread infestation and the trees are obviously dying. I went to City Hall and was told we must have an arborist's report after all. I immediately emailed the customer rep at Matt's, asking for Aaron's assessment in writing. The rep said if we wanted a report, we should have hired another arborist. I was incredulous. How could I possibly have known that Aaron wouldn’t document his findings, or that Matt’s uses a different arborist to write reports? I tried to call the rep, who'd said she was new on the job, to talk about the misunderstanding. She did not return my call. She emailed, without any apology for the mixup, that the $150 we paid was for "a consultation for the tree risk assessment form that the city needs." Meanwhile, we had asked Matt’s to add stump removal costs to their bid. Never got any response. We called the arborist Matt's referred us to three times and never got a response from him, either. We figured to write off the $150 as a waste of money, and hired another arborist to write the report. We also scheduled another company to remove the trees. Updated to add that two days after I posted the above review, I received a call from Alex (owner or manager). He apologized for the misunderstanding - which the customer rep we’d dealt with never did! - and offered to refund our money. He also offered to have their arborist contact us right away. When told we already had another arborist, Alex offered to repay that cost as well (which I chose not to pursue, because I don’t think it’s fair). In exchange, Alex asked me to change or delete my original review. Two weeks after his phone call, we received a check refunding the $150. I’m happy with the follow-up call, apology and refund, and Alex did try to make it right. But I also think potential customers should know what happened so they can be VERY clear on needing an arborist’s report vs. a “consultation” if they hire this company.

Overall, they did a decent job - they removed the three trees and came back later to grind the stumps down. However, there was a huge crew out and they were scattered all over our yard. Much of our yard was trampled in the process and we were left with mature plants that were trampled and huge gouges in our lawn. There were so many workers running around, cutting through our landscaping, etc. and it was not ever clear who was in charge. In addition, we asked them in advance to save us an 8 foot section of a cut tree. One of the workers was running around with a chain saw and he cut into the 8 foot section on the ground and started to saw it for firewood. We managed to save about 5 feet of it, but were hugely disappointed at the loss as we had a project planned for the 8 foot piece. They got the job done at a fair price, but were not as professional as we had hoped.

Great attitude from all of the workers. Had to work in some tight spaces (wires) and did great. Cleaned up the yard and the public road beautifully. I will be using them for an even bigger job next year.

Both times Matt's responded quickly. Their arborist came out and evaluated the trees involved, providing a digital estimate within 24hrs. The arborist (Alex) was friendly and answered all my questions. They were equally responsive to questions and adjustments from the office in regards to the estimate and scheduling. Their crew was friendly and did an excellent job both times. I would definitely use these guys again.