D&J's Complete Tree Service, Inc

D&J bid for removal of two large dead ash trees on my residential property in Boone, IA and pre-approved payment by credit card with the office. Cutting crew took down the easier tree out front and then left when they realized payment wasn't in cash, making excuses that the ground was too soft to drive the truck back to take the second tree that day. I paid 1/2 of the bid by credit that day and followed up for months with calls to arrange a time to remove the final tree. D&J made constant excuses about soft ground, then snow, and stalled for months, never coming to take second tree and honor the bid. Ultimately I went with a competitor (Pitts) from Ames in June of 2020 (Initially contacted D&J September 2019!). Communication between Owners, office staff (nice lady named 'Red'), and cutting crew was a mess. They did not have their act together at all. D&J bid $3,000 for the two trees together. One was easier and in front of house. The other was in back on property line, trunk within 15' of 2 garages and houses with large limbs spanning over all the buildings. Both trees were 30-40 foot Green Ashes about 50-55 years old, dying from Ash borer. In retrospect I should not have paid D&J half that day for taking down the easy tree. After multiple bids for the remaining, more difficult, tree it was objectively a $2,000 job. This means that D&J functionally duped me out of $500 by taking the easy tree and running, never to return. I consider that as good as theft, but likely have little legal recourse. To be fair the tree they did take down was done smoothly and cleanup was adequate. It is the lying, delays, and dishonesty of the interaction overall that leads me to warn other potential customers with this review. If you watch them like a hawk and document everything, never paying a cent until the job is complete I suppose they are minimally adequate as a tree service. This is why I gave 2 stars out of 5.