INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – Pat Turner was relieved that the problem of a large dead ash tree in the backyard of her Independence home was finally on its way to being solved.
Or so she thought.
Turner, 73, had hired a tree service company out of Pleasant Hill, Missouri.
Artisans of Nature charged her $2,000 in cash to remove the tree. Workers had cut down about two thirds of it when a problem occurred involving several large limbs.
“They roped them altogether and as they were lowering them the rope broke,” she said.
The limbs crashed through her fence and her neighbors, took out a power line and the transformer – leaving three homes without power, including Turner’s.
No one from the tree company stuck around to survey the damage.
“As I said it was like leaving flaming skid marks. They just couldn’t get out of here fast enough.”
They took their gear and Turner’s $2,000, but left behind a huge mess.
That was a month ago and despite multiple phone calls she never heard back from the two men she said identified themselves as co-owners of the company Stephen Turner and James Reynolds.
According to the Missouri Secretary of State’s office, Artisans of Nature was formed in March.
Making matters worse, the city of Independence has now sent Turner a $4,500 bill for property damage to the power line and transformer.
The city is also trying to contact the tree company for payment, but Turner told FOX4 Problem Solvers that the city has yet to reach anyone.
Turner is not the only unhappy customer of Artisans of Nature. Another customer gave the company a one-star review, claiming the company put a hole in the side of her trailer while taking down her tree.
Problem Solvers wanted the company’s side. First we called James Reynolds, whose name and phone number were listed on the back of the company’s business card.
The man who answered the phone said he wasn’t James Reynolds and had just bought the phone a week ago.
Stephen Turner told us he doesn’t ever remember working for Pat Turner. He said unless she has written proof that his company did the work, he’s not responsible.
All she was given was a generic invoice showing $2,000 cash charge for tree work. No tree company name is listed on the invoice though it appears to be signed by someone using the initials ST.
However, Turner said the man she gave the money to is pictured in an advertisement for Artisans of Nature where he is identified as Stephen Turner.
By the way, less than a month after the incident Turner’s home, Artisans of Nature had changed its name to Family Vibes Tree and Lawn Care.
The whole experience has been emotionally draining for Turner.
“I don’t have the money to hire someone else to come up and take care of the mistake,” she said as she stared at the mess in her yard.
Problem Solvers knew exactly how to get this problem solved. We called Shier’s Family Tree Care Service of Kansas City.
After we explained to Shier what had happened to Turner, it sent a crew to her home the next morning.
“When someone is in need you just help them,” said Alex Shire. “If you were in need, you’d want someone to do that.”
With a professional team like Shier in charge, her mess of a yard was cleaned up in a few hours, as a very grateful Turner watched.
“There are good people out here that really do help other people,” she said, adding, “problem solved.”
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