Sierra Tree Service

Sorry to hear your story. This is not a review but a commentary on tree service in general. All tree companies should have a C-​27 license and have a certified Arborist doing the work or overseeing the work. Ask for their C-​27 number (California Landscape Contractors License) and check it online. Also check their Arborist certification online at the International Society of Arboricultures web site. Ask for their insurance information to make sure they are bonded and properly insured. If they don’t have a copy of current insurance, it is a bad sign. Call the insurance company if they give you a note. A business card with no address or a residential address is also a bad sign. You should check with your city to see if they have a heritage tree ordinance and to check if your tree is a heritage tree. The tree in front of your house may be considered a street tree and depending on the city you live in, it may be maintained by the city.

Now this is a tale to sit back and enjoy.
To start… my wife was approached by Don, who claimed to work for Sierra, and stated that they were working in the area, and were looking to see who else wanted to benefit from them being in our neighborhood.
After brief discussion, Don offered to clean up two liquid amber trees in our front yard for $ 100. A deal for sure, but thats where the good part began and ended.
Over the next two days, «Don,» failed to trim either tree fully. Kept on leaving and coming back, claiming not to have all the equipment he needed, and ended his first day by asking us to pay him up front since he «needed to replace his truck alternator.»
Since I wasnt home for most of this time, he repeatedly harrassed my wife into trying to give him money, Since he needed to fix his truck.
Day two — He came back hours later than promised, this time also expecting to get paid up front, and this time constanting knocking on my door and asking for help… be it holding the ladder (he said that he was afraid of heights… and by the way he had to use my own ladder) as well as constantly asking me if I had tree trimming equipment.
At the end of day two, the only think he managed to do was cut down one large branch, leave a huge mess on my driveway and lawn, and leave all his equipment all over my driveway. All during this time whining to us about wanting to get paid since he was getting ripped off for only making $ 100 on both trees, neither of which was complete.
Third day — When he promised to come back and finish the job, his «boss» (who claimed to be Tony Sierra) came by the house to say that «Don» was in jail, and going to get fired since he had offered to work on our trees when he was a lowly helper.
At this point, Tony could have gotten himself a great review, but instead he tried to talk me into paying him to finish the job that «Don» had started. Instead he offered to come and cleanup the yard and take away the mess that «Don» had started.
Overall, a total waste of time and money, as I dont believe either of the gentlemen claiming to be with this business, and I still have two trees in your yard that need to be cleaned up!

Phoney License !