I hired Primate Tree care to cut down a river birch in the front yard, grind the stump, and remove the exposed roots from the base of the tree. I walked the job with the co-owner, Justin, personally, and accepted his bid without negotiation. Their company removed the tree 2 weeks later, and were paid in full on the spot. The stump grinding, and root removal was scheduled for a week later. 3 days prior to the scheduled date, a subcontractor arrived to do the work unannounced, and while my entire family was out of town. (that's right, Primate subcontracts all of their stump grinding. According to Justin, there is not enough money in that job, but he was proud to tell me they charge $500 an hour for their work). When I returned home, I noticed the work had been done, but there were still several exposed roots near the area where the stump was removed. I had a bill hanging on my door for the total amount due, with a note saying they were sorry, there were a lot of roots, and they did the best they could. The yard was torn up, it was a nice fall day, so I grabbed my pick ax and finished the job. I called Justin the next day informing him what had happened, and asked if they would take $100 off their bid. He immediately became rude and derogatory on the phone. He questioned my integrity, accused me of lying, and said he wanted proof of my work. I sent him before and after pictures, and he accused me of sending photos of work not agreed on even though you could clearly see the roots I removed, and the big pile of mulch that was left behind from the grinding. (that's right, they do not remove the mulch pile, even though it was never mentioned in the bid). I called the subcontractor directly. He was very professional, courteous, and apologetic that he was not able to finish the job. He mentioned that he doesn't always get the full scope of the job when he arrives on site. If he would have called, or arrived on the scheduled day, this would have all be avoided. As a true businessman, unlike Justin, we came to an agreement on the final price, and he was paid immediately. While I was on the phone with this contractor, I received a very rude, and threatening text from Justin. He again accused me of lying, acted like a bully, and threatened to sue me for even more than the job was bid out for even though his company was paid in full. I've never responded to his text, but felt it was necessary to share my review of their work. Take a look at 2 complaints on the Better Business Bureau regarding this company, and another bad review on this site, and you will see that this is a pattern of behavior for Justin. 4 complaints in the past year on these 2 sites alone is not just a coincidence regarding how he treats people. Primate is the name of this company, but it is also a term that could be used to describe Justin's behavior. Worst company I have ever hired in 30 years of owning a home! read more
