When it comes to hiring a service-type business, the consumer is well-advised to collect a certain number of bids before choosing a company to go with. Woodchuck Forestry fully expects you to get other companies involved in the bidding process. What we ask, though, is that when you get your bids, please make sure you are comparing bids for the exact same services to be offered by each company. Time and again we have heard horror stories from friends in our business about being underbid by a given company that did not even come close to providing the same services their bid covered. The client went with the lower bid, but got far less than what the original company was proposing to do.

To give a few examples of where problems might arise with bids:

If a company is going to cut down your tree, is it going to haul the wood off, or leave it in place? If the company is leaving it, is it going to neatly stack it in your yard or leave it all over your grounds for you to gather and stack?  Is the company going to chip everything and leave the mess to choke out future growth or haul it away and dispose of it responsibly?   How long will the job take, does the company get your deposit and then go secure other jobs leaving yours incomplete but ½ paid for?   All of the preceeding has actually occured at different times when it came to companies not being clear on exactly what they were proposing to do. If a company isn't clear on what it's going to do, how can a client know what he/she is actually agreeing to pay for on the bid sheet being signed? In fact, he/she can't.

This is where the "comparing apples to apples" comes in:

When you get a bid, you must make sure everything is spelled out so you can make an informed decision on which company is actually giving you the best value. If one company is bidding less than another, are they going to give you the same services as the company with the higher bid? You need to know what is being offered.

There is more to the story, though, than just services being offered when it comes to the "comparing apples to apples."

You need to know the qualifications of the company working on your trees. This is so important given that anyone with a chainsaw and a pick-up truck can call himself/herself a tree company.

Woodchuck Forestry is a professional tree company with excellent credentials. We are insured for your protection and align with the goals of the Grand County Wildfire Council.

When it comes to insurance, one simple thing you can do is ask each tree company for its certificate of insurance. When you look at it, get the phone number of the insurance company and call it to verify the authenticity of its certificate. At times, you will find that you are looking at a forged or expired document.

Keep in mind that while two companies may offer identical services, and one may offer these services for a lower price, the lower bidding company may not necessarily have the experience and educational background to correctly do the job it is proposing to do. This company may do serious damage to your trees and property due to its lack of knowledge and/or experience. Ask questions, and consider the answers you get to help you determine the expertise of the company you are trusting to work on your trees.