Hilty Tree Service

October 12, Dear Revdex.com, I am writing this letter to follow up on ID [redacted] A check in the amount of $was sent to [redacted] Thank you, Michael Hilty Hilty Tree Service

In response to your letter of 8/13/15, concerning ID [redacted] , I submit the following information. Hilty Tree Service is a locally owned and operated business, which has served the needs oft he WNY community for many years. After twenty years in the tree business, I have maintained an excellent... reputation in the community, with a highly appreciative customer base. My business has earned an A+ rating with the RevDex.com as well as an Outstanding Rating with ***'s list. It is important to me to maintain those ratings, but not at the expense of my reputation. Through inconsistent communication and expectations, I feel that the situation with Mr. and Mrs. X has been blown out of proportion. I went to the X's residence on Saturday June 6, 2015 to complete the agreed upon job, as per my estimate. Originally, I had not planned on working on their job that day. However, I decided to squeeze them in after receiving a voicemail from Mr. X. He stated that his yard was "rock solid ground" and that it was as good as any other time to get to his trees. I assumed his reporting to be accurate, since it was his yard and he should be knowledgeable about the conditions on his property. While attempting to reach their trees, my equipment became stuck in their" rock solid ground." I discussed the situation with Mrs. X in her shed, while looking forchains or straps to assist with the truck removal process. The majority of her account is accurate, in terms of my trucks getting stuck in the yard as well as how I got them out. She asked me directly, "Are you going to fix my yard?" I replied, "Not today." My equipment was stuck in their yard and my main concern was to ascertain the method and how quickly I wuld retrieve my equipment and get back to my scheduled appointments. If Mr. X's statement had been true and accurate, we would dearly not be dealing with this problem now. I also would not have spent three hours of my company's time and resources to retrieve my equipment out of their "rock solid ground." I do not believe that I should be held responsible for a homeowner's report and reassurance about the condition of his back yard. Mr. X advised and clearly stated that his property was ready to be driven on and work could commence.I pride myself on being a hard working business owner with an honest and cooperative way of conducting business. This situation is not conducive to my business or the appropriate use of my time and resources. A homeowner's report and assurance that his property was properly prepared for work to occur, should not be impacting my business or financial status. I understand that it is natural for people to want to blame others. I am willing to takeresponsibility for actions which I am responsible for. However, I was told by the homeowner that his yard was fully ready to drive on in order to complete the work I was hired to do. I welcome any questions toward clarification from the RevDex.com. I truly appreciate your willingness to address this situation with my company. Unfortunately, the homeowners have decided to pursue legal action prior to working through the Better BusinessBureau. Mr. and Mrs. X are officially suing my business through Small Claims Court in the Town of Hamburg. The figure they have come up with is $887 for the repair of their yard. If they do not withdraw their lawsuit, I will be forced to counter sue for the cost of lost wages, time, equipment, and preparation for these proceedings. Homeowners sent a letter with photographs of damage. Something of note was that the homeowner actually included pictures using a ruler to designate the depth of the rut. This measuring device clearly showed a reading of between 2 and 2 Y.! inches, not the 4-5 inches deep, as stated by the homeowner in their complaint to the BBB. There were a series of phone calls between the homeowners and I in an attempt to resolve our dispute. Some of the direct quotes taken from the voice mails they left me include: Mr. X stated, "Sorry it has come to this, I have no hard feelings." Mrs. X stated, "I want it filled and fixed like today or tomorrow. We have a party coming up." Mr. X said, "We have rolled the yard a couple of times, and still are being jarred when mowing the yard." Mr. X stated, "I'm not upset." I attempted to contact Mr. X and left a voice message stating that I would be willing to take care of property issues but wanted to meet for coffee, just the two of us, in order to resolve the issue. I felt that Mr. X could pay for the topsoil and I would cover the cost of labor and repair the damage. As of 8/25/15, I have not heard directly from Mr. X concerning my voice message and offer to share the costs of the repairs. As I stated previously, they have filed a suit with the Small Claims Court in Hamburg, NY. Please note that no money has been paid for potential work on the X yard. Suggested Remedy: Homeowners pay for the dirt, grass seed, and $300 labor, Hilty crew will repair the lawn. This would be less than the amount which will be counter sued for- taking into account lost time and wages, future referrals, and aggravation, which I believe will be substantially more than their $887 claim.I appreciate your willingness to assist us in this situation. Sincerely, Michael J. Hilty Hilty Tree Service

*** called and verbally informed me: This was not resolved, we took them to small claims court and we won a judgement in our favor for a total of $We had an estimate for $plus sales tax to have the work completed by another companywe took it to court with us and took pictures and letters with usHe has days to pay the judgementHe said he is going to counter sue us

In response to your letter of 8/13/15, concerning ID [redacted], I submit the following information. Hilty Tree Service is a locally owned and operated business, which has served the needs oft he WNY community for many years. After twenty years in the tree business, I have maintained an excellent...

reputation in the community, with a highly appreciative customer base. My business has earned an A+ rating with the Revdex.com as well as an Outstanding Rating with [redacted]'s list. It is important to me to maintain those ratings, but not at the expense of my reputation.  Through inconsistent communication and expectations, I feel that the situation with Mr. and  Mrs. X has been blown out of proportion. I went to the X's residence on Saturday June 6, 2015 to complete the agreed upon job, as per my estimate. Originally, I had not planned on working on their job that day. However, I decided to squeeze them in after receiving a voicemail from Mr. X. He stated that his yard was "rock solid ground" and that it was as good as any other time to get to his trees. I assumed his reporting to be accurate, since it was his yard and he should be knowledgeable about the conditions on his property. While attempting to reach their trees, my equipment became stuck in their" rock solid ground." I discussed the situation with Mrs. X in her shed, while looking forchains or straps to assist with the truck removal process. The majority of her account is accurate, in terms of my trucks getting stuck in the yard as well as how I got them out. She asked me directly, "Are you going to fix my yard?" I replied, "Not today."  My equipment was stuck in their yard and my main concern was to ascertain the method and how quickly I wuld retrieve my equipment and get back to my scheduled appointments. If Mr. X's statement had been true and accurate, we would dearly not be dealing with this problem now. I also would not have spent three hours of my company's time and resources to retrieve my equipment out of their "rock solid ground." I do not believe that I should be held responsible for a homeowner's report and reassurance about the condition of his back yard. Mr. X advised and clearly stated that his property was ready to be driven on and work could commence.I pride myself on being a hard working business owner with an honest and cooperative way of conducting business. This situation is not conducive to my business or the appropriate use of my time and resources. A homeowner's report and assurance that his property was properly prepared for work to occur, should not be impacting my business or financial status. I understand that it is natural for people to want to blame others. I am willing to takeresponsibility for actions which I am responsible for. However, I was told by the homeowner that his yard was fully ready to drive on in order to complete the work I was hired to do. I welcome any questions toward clarification from the Revdex.com. I truly appreciate your willingness to address this situation with my company. Unfortunately, the homeowners have decided to pursue legal action prior to working through the Better BusinessBureau. Mr. and Mrs. X are officially suing my business through Small Claims Court in the Town of Hamburg. The figure they have come up with is $887 for the repair of their yard. If they do not withdraw their lawsuit, I will be forced to counter sue for the cost of lost wages, time, equipment, and preparation for these proceedings. Homeowners sent a letter with photographs of damage. Something of note was that the homeowner actually included pictures using a ruler to designate the depth of the rut. This measuring device clearly showed a reading of between 2 and 2 Y.! inches, not the 4-5 inches deep, as stated by the homeowner in their complaint to the Revdex.com. There were a series of phone calls between the homeowners and I in an attempt to resolve our dispute. Some of the direct quotes taken from the voice mails they left me include:  Mr. X stated, "Sorry it has come to this, I have no hard feelings." Mrs. X stated, "I want it filled and fixed like today or tomorrow. We have a party coming up."  Mr. X said, "We have rolled the yard a couple of times, and still are being jarred  when mowing the yard."  Mr. X stated, "I'm not upset."  I attempted to contact Mr. X and left a voice message stating that I would be willing to take care of property issues but wanted to meet for coffee, just the two of us, in order to resolve the issue. I felt that Mr. X could pay for the topsoil and I would cover the cost of labor and repair the damage.  As of 8/25/15, I have not heard directly from Mr. X concerning my voice message and offer to share the costs of the repairs. As I stated previously, they have filed a suit with the Small Claims Court in Hamburg, NY.  Please note that no money has been paid for potential work on the X yard. Suggested Remedy: Homeowners pay for the dirt, grass seed, and $300 labor, Hilty crew will repair the lawn. This would be less than the amount which will be counter sued for- taking into account lost time and wages, future referrals, and aggravation, which I believe will be substantially more than their $887 claim.I appreciate your willingness to assist us in this situation. Sincerely, Michael J. Hilty Hilty Tree Service

October 12, 2015  Dear Revdex.com, I am writing this letter to follow up on ID [redacted]. A check in the amount of $465.00 was sent to [redacted]. Thank you, Michael Hilty Hilty Tree Service