Matthews Tree Service Companies Matthews, NC

6-week delay leads to tree service dispute over trip fee

COMPLAINT: Kenneth and Anne Bloch, Charlotte

"Michael Kolcun, a certified arborist for Gregory Enterprises Inc. in Matthews [N.C.], gave us a quote for tree removal and pruning. He said the office would schedule work for the following week. After a week, we hadn't heard from anyone.

"We called and left several messages but received no reply. More than a month later, the owner called at 11:37 a.m. and said we were scheduled for that afternoon. We told them that we decided not to use them because of the six-week delay. The owner said we signed a contract with a $75 'trip charge' fee if we canceled."

DESIRED RESOLUTION: "We want the $75 fee waived because they broke the contract by not performing the work in the stated time."

RESPONSE: Lisa Gregory, president, Gregory Enterprises

"Mrs. Bloch entered into a legal agreement with our company to perform tree services, acknowledging a $75 trip charge if the customer cancels. We attempted several times to schedule the service but were unable to confirm with the members due to lack of communication.

"The next month, Mr. Bloch left a message questioning when his service would be scheduled. The call was returned confirming the service date. When we arrived, we were told the agreement was canceled. We incurred expenses because our crew traveled to do the job, so we must recoup some expenses by enforcing our contract."

STATUS: Stalemate