Elderly woman 'basically robbed'

A Maryborough maintenance man shows one of the trees that was trimmed by All Queensland Tree Service.

AN ELDERLY Maryborough resident who paid $10,500 to have three trees trimmed now has to pay even more to clean up the mess the out of town treeloppers left behind.

The 87-year-old Arbury Street woman was “taken for a ride” by the All Queensland Tree Service according to a Maryborough maintenance man who works on several properties on the street.

“Now she has to pay even more to clean up this mess,” he said.

The maintenance man showed the Chronicle deep furrows in the woman's back yard where the company's truck got bogged: it had to be towed off the property.

He also pointed out the three trees that were trimmed and denied All Qld Tree Service manager Elveisi Moli's claims that “some of the trees were over 80ft tall”.

The man said the tallest was no more than 50ft and the other two were much smaller.

“Some people might have gotten the impression these trees were lopped at the base but that's not the case – they were just trimmed at the top.

“They didn't even need to be cleared. They weren't posing a risk to anyone and none of the neighbours had complained.

“I was absolutely disgusted to find out she had paid $10,500 to them to trim a couple of dozen limbs. She's basically been robbed. They've taken her for a ride.

“And it's an absolute disgrace they left the yard in this state. The lady has since had a fall and now she's in hospital.”

Mr Moli told the Chronicle the woman's daughter signed a cheque to pay for the work but the Maryborough maintenance man said he knew the woman's daughter would have “put a stop to it” if she'd known how much her mother was charged.

Anchor Tree Lopping and Landscaping owner Peter Gibbson has been in the trade locally for more than 17 years and said he didn't know of any yard in Maryborough that would cost so much to clear.

“I don't think that job should have cost any more than about $1700 – and that's a very high estimate,” he said.

“Usually if a tree is a risk it's fully taken out. That gum tree looked very healthy and there was nothing visibly wrong with it.

“And the paperbark was just a small tree.

“It definitely shouldn't cost that sort of money and I can't understand how it took 11 men all day to do that sort of work – nine people must have been sitting around watching the other two do the work.”

Mr Gibbson advised people to shop around and get another quote before letting anyone do any work.

The Office of Fair Trading also warns people to be wary of itinerant traders.

“The OFT issues warnings about itinerant traders as there are some who breach the door-to-door laws under the Fair Trading Act 1989 and also often overcharge and intimidate customers,” a spokesman said.

If a job cost exceeds $75, a written contract must be provided and itinerant traders cannot legally take any money or do any work within a 10-day cooling-off period.

“Traders caught breaching the Act face fines of up to $54,000 for individuals and $270,000 for companies.

“There are additional risks with tree loppers that don't carry any insurance as consumers may have to cover the cost to their properties for any damaged caused.”

People who believe they have been treated unfairly or believe a trader has acted illegally are encouraged to lodge a complaint with the OFT by visiting www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au or calling 13 13 04.

The spokesman could not confirm whether a complaint had been received about this specific case but encouraged the customer or a family member to contact the OFT.