Had a rough day last Tuesday but it turned into a good one

I was scheduled to prune a big old oak in a backyard near Ann Arbor. Got there and the homeowner said the tree had a split crotch that looked sketchy. I had to rope it down piece by piece over their garage. Took me 7 hours when I budgeted for 4. But the homeowner was watching from the window and came out with a hundred dollar tip. He said he appreciated me not taking shortcuts. Made up for the lost time and then some. Anyone else have a tip that turned out way more complicated than it looked?

2 comments

2 Comments

charlesanderson2d ago

That split crotch over a garage sounds like a nightmare you don't fully grasp until you're up there. I'm curious though, did you charge him extra for the hours past what you quoted, or did you just eat the time and hope for a tip? I've had mixed results with that gamble myself. The guy watching from the window the whole time usually means they're either nervous or impressed, sounds like he was the latter.

alicec862d ago

Yeah I always eat the time, just build it into the quote next time.