Several factors go into why a customer will price shop tree work:
1. Most often they don't know good tree work from bad tree work. When a plumber comes to fix a pipe or a leak, if it no longer leaks = good work. If it still leaks = bad work.
2. When a tree is still standing (dead or alive) they don't see the immediate problem, therefore they have time to get several quotes. If they have water all over the place, or sparks shooting from the wall, they just want someone to fix it.
3. Alot of homeowners have chainsaws, and feel they don't need professional service. ie this quote from Treemachine on another thread:
"I watched the new guy next door destroy a perfectly good tree a tried to stop him but he could not here me. He ripped a strip right down a nice maple. i just introduced myself told him i cut trees had my dump truck and chipper in driveway. 5 minutes later he is standing on a ladder taking off big branches"
and back to the first point, as long as they finished the work without incident, (excluding harming the tree, b/c they don't know) it was good work. People try to fix their own electrical and plumbing issues all the time too, and that doesn't always end well either.
It's an uphill battle, and I really like the apostle tree customer idea!!
