★★☆☆☆
★★☆☆☆
I hired Thames Side Tree Surgery & Landscaping to carry out work on my conifers, holly and a large ceanothus tree.
The experience left me disappointed, frustrated and significantly out of pocket.
The original quote started at £1,500, then dropped to £1,300 and ultimately £800 after negotiation. Personally, I found this uncomfortable. I prefer contractors who provide a clear fixed price rather than pricing that appears open to bargaining.
One of the main reasons I hired the company was because I wanted approximately three feet removed from the tops of my conifers to stop them growing taller as well as to cut the branches which were growing over the fence into the neighbours garden. I had done most of the trimming on my holly and conifer trees. After the work was completed, I discovered this had not been done. I was then told that topping the conifers would cause multiple new stems to grow and therefore was not advisable. Had I been told before the work commenced that the conifers would not be reduced in height, I would not have proceeded with the job.
The situation became even more confusing when I later raised the issue of the conifer sides overhanging neighbouring gardens. I was reminded that these had been discussed during the quotation process, yet was then given a different interpretation of what was included.
Once work began on the ceanothus, I was shown dead branches, decay and instability within the tree and was quoted an additional £1,000 to remove it. I accepted this because I did not want to leave a potentially unsafe tree in place. To be fair, the tree was removed and the waste was taken away, although the trunk was left at my request so that another plant could be trained against it.
My biggest concern was the lack of care shown inside my home.
Branches were dragged through my flat, leaving long marks and scratches on the walls. Although some surface marks can be wiped away, scratches remain visible when light hits the walls. I now face redecorating costs to repair the damage. Some of the affected walls run up an open staircase spanning two floors, making repainting neither simple nor inexpensive.
No apology was offered and no attempt was made to clean the walls before leaving. I was told "this is what is expected."
Leaves and debris were also left in my kitchen, on the stairs and in the communal hallway. When I queried this, I was told that bringing in equipment could damage carpets. I have had substantial garden work carried out before and have always found that professional contractors leave the inside of the property clean when they leave.
What concerned me most was the use of a petrol leaf blower inside my flat to blow out the bulk of the debris from dragging the branches through the property. The property was left smelling strongly of exhaust fumes. When I raised concerns, I was told that this was standard practice provided there was ventilation. Whether others do it or not, I did not consider this appropriate inside a customer's home.
I was also encouraged to pay a substantial part of the bill in cash and was asked to visit a cash machine when I did not have enough cash available. I found this uncomfortable and unprofessional.
To be fair, after I complained, the company did return and cut the tops of the conifers. However, I was first offered a "free trim" in six months' time instead. In my view, this would simply have been completing work that I believed should have been included from the outset and for which I had already paid.
The team were polite and the ceanothus was removed, but the combination of changing prices, disagreements over what was included, damage to my property, poor clean-up, petrol fumes inside the house and the overall handling of the job has left me feeling that the service fell well below the standard I expected.
Based on my experience, I would not use this company again.