Customers of tree services: BUYER BEWARE, get a certificate of insurance from the agent: not the Tree Cutting Company, avoid fraud. Just because a tree service company advertises that they are insured doesn't necessarily mean they actually have insurance for tree services or even at all; even if the tree cutting firm does have insurance, they most likely only have liability insurance: not workman compensation insurance. Indiana Worker's Comp insurance is easy 3-5 times more costly than tree service liability insurance, and owner's can exempt themselves: if someone falls, cuts themselves with a chainsaw, and/or gets hurt in any way on your property: you could find yourself, the home-owner in the middle of a law suit. In Fort Wayne and most of the cities and counties in the State of Indiana tree services are unregulated and need not be licensed. That makes it easy to get into one of the most dangerous service businesses in Indiana, with no practical experience and no protection for the tree service customer. I, Jason Pence, have personally checked on several tree service competitors and found only a fraction actually have Indiana Workman's Compensation Insurance, worse yet some tree cutting companies only have worker's comp that insure employee only to a height of 10 feet high: we can get 100 feet up in a tree to remove it at times!
Demand Indiana Worker's Compensation Insurance and liability Insurance, and make sure that the company is insured to be in the air over 20 feet and to do tree cutting services.
Signs of a Tree Service Cutting Company that is struggling and probably cannot afford Indiana Workman Comp Insurance:
-No written estimate and/or
description and specification of tree service costs
-The person or company generally does another line of work (i.e. a painter or concrete contractor).
-Does not have a brush chipper or dump truck (hauls lose brush)
-The company is very pushy to start the same or next day the proposal is accepted
-No bucket or lift truck
-Little or no equipment or bad worn/beat up equipment
-No employees or just two "partners"
-Ask if workers are subcontractors or employees: if all subs, that's a real bad sign.
-Bid is a lot lower than tree service companies that have been referred to you or are know to have a good reputation.