Ron Tavares trimmed the trees around our house for fire safety, and I couldn't be happier! The rate was very reasonable. I was worried that our beautiful trees wouldn't be as beautiful after all the trimming. There was a lot that needed to be done, and I was worried that it might look like a bad haircut. But no! Our yard is just as beautiful -- more beautiful, I would say, after the work. It looks fresh and clean and green and oakie. Excellent work. Ron and his team are very personable and professional. Will definitely call Ron again next time we need tree trimming. Five stars! read more

Ron and his crew did an excellent job clearing a fallen tree from our yard. He stacked some of the larger pieces of wood we wanted to keep and thoroughly cleaned up the rest. I'd highly recommend calling Ron for cutting and pruning of large trees. read more

Ron Tavares is an excellent tree trimmer. He and his crew are friendly and conscientious. They do good work and their prices are reasonable.

Ron did a great job cutting 4 trees efficiently and artistically. Two were big, a 4-story eugenia cut down to 2 stories and a tall podocarpus. Both were close to the fence, but he was able to drop every branch into our yard and not the neighbors. He was also careful to not trample or crush my plantings around the big tree (unlike a previous guy who killed my beautiful palm fern that I had asked them to be careful about). He did it all by himself in just 2 hours in 85 degree heat in the shade. He followed my wishes and instructions for what to cut and what to leave. He was polite and friendly. He called when he was on his way and about to arrive. I don't understand the one star reviews. Maybe the reviewers mixed him up with the other Ron Tavares Tree Service in a nearby city that got a bunch of one-star reviews on Yelp. This Ron Tavares is the one in Oakland. It was all together a great experience and I will call him again in a few years when we need more work done. The price was much lower than a couple of others who bid on my project, but I recommend his work for both the price and the quality. Thanks, Ron! read more

Ron showed up and said that the job would take two days. It took two weeks because his equipment was supposedly being repaired. At the end of the job, they had broken some of the guttering on my roof and a window. Upon further review, I found that they had only covered the roots instead of grinding them as promised. When I contacted them to come back and fix it, Ron stated that they were too busy and that he would call me next week. After many calls and a month later, Ron called me to advise me that he was going through a bad breakup, that the equipment wasn't his and that he was going bankrupt. After explaining that I would want to be listed as a creditor in his bankruptcy, he said that he'd call me back. He never has. read more

Ron and his team removed an Acacia tree in downtown Oakland recently. They worked very efficiently and by the end of the day, the site was clean and not a single branch remained. They even coordinated with the Oakland Zoo to set aside all the branches for elephant food. Now that's recycling! Ron's a really nice guy and after comparing other tree services on yelp, turns out he's got the best prices. read more

I would give zero stars if I could because we were deeply disappointed by this company's lack of commitment to providing satisfying work and friendly customer service. Ron, the owner, was very unpleasant to work with and showed poor communication and people skills. He originally quoted us $1,500 for trimming bamboo in our back yard and cutting off tree branches that rubbed against our roof. He showed up with two assistants who were clearly overwhelmed with physically performing the work he had expected them to do as he was arguing and yelling at them all morning. It was an unusually hot day and we could hear all of them moaning and showing signs of heat exhaustion. At one point we noticed that Ron didn't adhere to our prior agreement and we kindly pointed out the height we wanted the bamboo trimmed down to. That's when he snapped at us and barked "I do the best I can!". We blamed the warm weather and challenging work conditions on his impolite reaction but still went out of our way to provide the work crew with water and Gatorade to get through the day. Within six hours the team got the job done (or so we thought) and left our property. When we noticed that an entire tree on the side of our house hadn't been trimmed at all, we texted and asked for the reason. Ron was brave enough to claim this particular tree was excluded from the trimming. The written quote we had agreed on clearly stated that "ALL three trees on the side of the house" would be taken care of. However, the actual work order that he had us sign the day of the service only listed the two other trees. My husband was on a business call when Ron showed up for work and in good faith and believing the work order was similar to the quote, he signed it (while attending to his phone call) so work could get started. Our trust didn't pay out because Ron insisted we signed for limited tree work; and he requested to be paid another $250 to come back and cut the branch of the last tree. It is beyond my understanding how a business owner can afford to treat a customer with such little respect and fairness. Tavares Tree Services was unwilling to cooperate with us and didn't care about making good their failure. Use them on your own risk! read more

Good service. Good crew. Ron and his team have a lot of experience and did a great job. Thanks!

Beware of this business. I had a terrible experience with them. When removing a tree they broke other structures in my yard. Owner became extremely angry and threatening when I said I would get a quote for how much it would cost to fix his damages. The story goes on and on. It was a bad experience. Beware. read more

Ron removed an Italian Cypress from our driveway. He did the work quickly, an without any hassle - just like one would want. Two Thumbs Up. read more

Mr. Tavares has still not responded to us to remove the mulch, which we did not request, from our front yard. He wrote a letter claiming that we requested mulch, which is not true. He did so only after we reported his behaviour on Yelp. He has not returned any of our calls requesting that he call us back to discuss the problem. read more

I was a customer for a few years and was happy until now. I hired Ron to clean a clogged rain gutter and to trim two trees. They did the trees but not the gutter which was evident when it rained. I told Ron about it and he backed his crew up saying "my guy,s said they did it and I believe them". I called him a second time complaining of the gutter and we arrainged for Ron to come back and finish what he charged me for. He stood me up, I called and he said he was too busy with other things to come by or call, nor did he offer to reimburse me for what he charged me for. I had to hire another company and they pulled out so much junk from the gutter that Ron said was cleaned by his guys, so no I am not a happy customer and will not hire Ron again. Talie.O read more

apparently they don't need the business anyway as we had 3 different appointments and they were a no-sho each time

Ron has been doing work for me for well over a decade now. I remember when I first purchased my home in Castro Valley those many years ago. It was extremely neglected and had many overgrown trees and shrubs that made the place look very un-kept. I have several large birches, a few olives, a few palms, a huge mimosa, a large cypress next door that was hanging over the fence and many Cal native shrubs. I went to the phone book, contacted several arborists and had them come out to provide me with a quote. Ron's quote was competitive, he is licensed bonded and insured and is also a qualified arborist. All of which was extremely important to me as a homeowner. Top it all off with the fact that I just plain liked the guy from the start. I was right to choose him as he is extremely reliable, processional and does high quality work. He and his staff are hard working, safe and always clean up after themselves, so much so that I really don't even have to push a broom after they leave. I bring them out about every other year to trim all of my trees and bushes and after staying home to keep an eye on them for the first few visits it became very obvious to me that Ron and his guys really know what the heck they are doing. So much so, that now I just leave the side gate unlocked for them whenever they work at my house, knowing that everything will be just great when I get home in the evening from work. And it always is!!! I can't recommend the guy enough, as he has been an absolute pleasure to work with. And it's nice to know that I have a relationship with a person with Ron's skill set in the event that some unfortunate even may happen to one of my trees as a result to storm damage. I felt that I could call Ron in such an emergency and he would do his absolute best to accommodate me just as soon as humanly possible. read more

BEWARE! This service had an decent price to remove a tree from my back yard, but boy am I SORRY I chose them. After I got a few quotes and chose Tavares for the price, Ron, the owner, then let me know the price he had quoted would not include hauling away the wood. OK, now not such a good deal but he agreed to at least move the wood to the lower side of the yard. He promised to have the work done in a day. His team worked hard while they were there, but they started at around 930 or 10 AM and started packing up shortly after 1 pm, as he said some of his guys had meetings they wanted to go to. He returned a week later, but I had to stay outside with them the whole time, as they continuously walked through the flowerbeds, trampled plants, etc. My yard is sloped, and one of the guys actually decided it would save time by rolling logs down through one of the flower beds rather than carry pieces down. After the trunk was cut down, Tavares abruptly stopped and said he had done enough, though the sections of the trunk were all still at the top of the yard. It was then that I noticed all the damage his guys had caused (broke a bunch of newly laid paving stones, broke off the capstones and mortar to an 7-8 foot section of retaining wall, broke off a 6"X 24" section of a concrete step, etc). When I pointed out the damage he apologized, confessing he had had difficulty finding employees that would be careful about clients' property. He proposed that instead of paying for the damage he would come back within a week and cut/remove the trunk pieces at the top of the yard and remove all the wood on the property. I agreed to this, and, as he seemed earnest, paid him for the entire job. BIG MISTAKE. Since he took my money he has been nowhere to be seen. He never came back to cut the last of the wood or remove the wood. It has now been a month, and while he first kept saying "I need another week, I'll call you," he now will not return my calls at all. I am left with the option of suing him for damages. The moral: This guy talks a good game but I suggest you look elsewhere for a more trustworthy company. Any money you save will not be worth the ending cost, time and stress. read more