How to Avoid Tree Service Scams

In the capital of North Carolina, Raleigh, the temperature is projected to fall, and snow and ice is right around the corner. Attorney General Roy Cooper warned that this is the time in which homeowners will seek help with tree, but can easily be taken advantage.

Tree service scammers try to rip property owners off. Shady companies will go knocking on doors offering help, but most of these should not be trusted. If trees has fallen or is damaged and help is needed, hiring a licensed, insured, and professional tree company should be called.

If you come across such scammers, report them to the local law enforcement and to the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division to save others from this potential risk.People residing in North Carolina can report directly to Cooper’s office by calling toll-free 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or by filing a consumer complaint.

How to Protect Yourself from Being Scammed by Tree Companies:

• Avoid paying any deposit or advance fees before the work has been done and inspected by you. Only pay after you have checked the work and feel it is high quality.
• Avoid selecting companies that are from another state or town. Select a local tree service company in Winston-Salem with good reputation.   If a problem should arise, you will have ample resources given they are a locally owned and operated business. 
• Before asking any company to work for you, research it online and through personal references. Scrutinize out their credentials and qualifications.  Contact the Consumer Protection Division or the Better Business Bureau and ask if they have any registered complaints against them. Assess online reviews or ask for references. 
• Verify every company you consider has insurance, and do not believe them without written proof of their policy. Ideally this information should be provided directly by the carrier as there have been fraudulent policies produced and passed off the unsuspecting customers.  Further, verify the company has workers compensation coverage for their employees. 
• Do not accept any price that seems unusually high, or even extraordinarily low, to you. Check the market price by obtaining estimates from multiple companies.
• Do not be rushed and unless it is a tree emergency. If pressed to accept the work, or even pay-up front, this is a sign there may be scam at hand. 
• Another reason never to pay upfront, even just a deposit, is because it is not uncommon for unreputable companies to fall a tree but leave it for the property owner to clean-up – something impossible for many homeowners. 

You can contact North Carolina’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM, file a consumer complaint or report possible price gouging online at www.ncdoj.gov if you have any problems.  Learn more here.