btlsfanatl
Junior Member
Georgia
I had a 30 foot tree fall in my back yard, and I discovered the root system of the fallen tree was rotten along with 2 other trees it was next to. So I decided to get estimates to remove the remaining 2 standing trees, and the pile of debris left from the fallen tree. I got a couple estimates, and a rep from another company came out (while I was home) to give me another estimate. I spoke with him briefly, but his English was very broken. His bid was by far the lowest so I asked him to email me a written quote along with a certificate of insurance. He sent me the estimate (2 days later than he said he would), and I followed up (via email) to make sure he understood the nature of the project (cut down 2 trees, remove debris, etc.). At no point did I agree to the work nor did I return the estimate which included a customer signature/authorization line. A couple days passed, and when I got home for lunch this landscaper was already there taking down the trees. The piles of debris were already removed so I wasn't sure what to do. I told him I was still getting estimates, but he thought I agreed to start the work. The orignal quote he gave me was $600 so I asked if he could bump it down to $500 since I never agreed to do the work. At that point I wasn't sure what to do since most of the work was already done. He agreed to $500 so I gave him my credit card info and left. My question is......Am I obligated to pay for this service? I never authorized the work and never signed anything, but I did agree to $500 once I came home and realized the work was already almost done.
I had a 30 foot tree fall in my back yard, and I discovered the root system of the fallen tree was rotten along with 2 other trees it was next to. So I decided to get estimates to remove the remaining 2 standing trees, and the pile of debris left from the fallen tree. I got a couple estimates, and a rep from another company came out (while I was home) to give me another estimate. I spoke with him briefly, but his English was very broken. His bid was by far the lowest so I asked him to email me a written quote along with a certificate of insurance. He sent me the estimate (2 days later than he said he would), and I followed up (via email) to make sure he understood the nature of the project (cut down 2 trees, remove debris, etc.). At no point did I agree to the work nor did I return the estimate which included a customer signature/authorization line. A couple days passed, and when I got home for lunch this landscaper was already there taking down the trees. The piles of debris were already removed so I wasn't sure what to do. I told him I was still getting estimates, but he thought I agreed to start the work. The orignal quote he gave me was $600 so I asked if he could bump it down to $500 since I never agreed to do the work. At that point I wasn't sure what to do since most of the work was already done. He agreed to $500 so I gave him my credit card info and left. My question is......Am I obligated to pay for this service? I never authorized the work and never signed anything, but I did agree to $500 once I came home and realized the work was already almost done.
