WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — When ice started to melt around Sandra Fite's property, the damage from snapped tree branches became more apparent after what sounded like a freight train during the storm.
"And then if you swing all the way to the front all that is major damage," Fite said.
Fite says immediately after the ice storm, her arborist came out to clear her driveway, but the damage that remained in her yard still needed work. In the meantime, she says a tree trimming company came by to offer their services.
"And he said $4,800. So then I asked, is that to haul it away, chip it? And he goes 'no we'll leave all the debris here. And most people are burning it'," Fite said.
Fite said burning branches from the 13 affected trees would not work, and she continued to ask questions.
"And I asked him, what kind of tree is this? Knowing what I know it was. And he said, an oak tree. And then I asked him, what about this tree? And he said, an oak tree. They're two different trees. And there's no similarity. And I knew right there there was a red flag, because one's an elm tree, and the other one is a hackberry," Fite said.
Payneless Tree Care, a different company than the one that visited Fite, says along with getting referrals and reading reviews, asking questions can help make a decision if someone knocks offering services.
Fite says while the company that showed up to her property may very well have been legitimate, she and her husband told them no.
"If they don't know what kind of trees they're cutting then more than likely they don't know how to cut the tree," Fite said. "The lesson learned here was your gut feeling."
She hopes homeowners think twice and ask questions of anyone who may show up at your door.
The Tennessee Attorney General's Office Consumer Protection Division says their agency can help people recovering from the storm. Click here to get help or file a complaint.
Have you experienced questionable door-to-door contractors after storm damage? Share your story and help protect your neighbors by emailing kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com. Your experience could help others make informed decisions.
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
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