High marks for following through and meeting their commitment and doing great work. I had an Almstead arborist review the property and provide recommendations on some dead limbs and trees. We came to an agreement. When the crew came, the arborist wasn't there (later found out she'd left and moved north). As far as I could tell, the crew didn't have the instructions we'd agreed on and they did some, not all of the work. What followed was back and forth, but after a few months they sent out the crew to remedy the missing work. They did a great job and I was very glad. I appreciate the office staying on it and making it right. I've used them for 24 years and happily look forward to continuing to use them. It's a lot to trust your trees to someone! read more

Do Not Hire This Company Buyers Beware!! Had an arborist come out to our home, spent almost an hour with him and he said he would provide a quote in a couple of days. Called the office, some days later when we hadn't received a quote and now it's weeks later and no one has followed up at all. If they're not interested in growing their company, I can't imagine what their maintenance program for existing customers is like. Stay away. read more

I have been a previous customer. I had a very large chestnut tree that needed to be removed. Close to the house and tight space. They did the most outstanding job in a light rain no less. I was amazed at how they were able to safely do this job. Excellent crew. read more

There is something very wrong with this company. Any good people they had years ago have left. There seems to be a lot of turnover. They completely fail to respond, and I mean for years, not just days. I certainly would not paya them in advance. read more

This is the absolute WORST company to deal with. Their communication is horrible and there is no follow through. I have been trying to get my trees sprayed for Lantern Flys since September. They have repeatedly promised me that I was "on the schedule every week" and no phone call to let me know what day they were going to come out. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH ALMSTEAD. PERIOD. read more

Hired them at the end of last year for lawn care. Had my reservations at first ... no one these days does what they say or give 100% no matter what industry, BUT these guys are the best. My lawn hasn't looked this good in years!! No weeds ... emerald green .. I can't say enough about how happy I am that I chose their company for my lawn care needs. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! I would absolutely recommend them I'm going to go back outside and stare at my beautiful lawn read more

We are very pleased with the service we received from Almstead Tree & Shrub Care. The salesperson, Jon was professional, knowledgeable and responsive. The crew that came to prune our shrubs were precise, polite and very clean. We plan to use Almstead in the future and would recommend them to anyone seeking similar services. read more

A friend recommended Almstead so I signed an agreement with them to get a tree on our property trimmed and have some stumps grinded. For the trimming, I was left with lots of dead smaller branches on my property even though they said they would clean up after themselves. I only noticed long after the fact when the trimmed branches (nestled among the live branches in my evergreen cedar) started to shrivel up and turn brown. I wouldn't recommend them, but at least they cut the branches that were leaning toward the house which was my main concern. The worst part was the stump grinding which never actually happened. For months, I followed up with their office to get the stump grinding scheduled and every week I'd get the same response about them doing scheduling on Fridays and they'd follow up with the arborist and give me a call back. Not ONCE did they ever actually call me back. After spending the whole summer doing this, and then carefully reviewing the agreement I signed, I called and told them that if they don't resolve this I will take my business elsewhere. At this point they were contrite and promised to call me back -- and still did nothing. Since we paid fully for the tree trimming with our deposit, I cancelled the agreement. In contrast, I was able to find a competitor who gave us a quote, followed up on scheduling without being prompted and was able to do the job within a week! I don't like to leave Yelp reviews that are this negative but I literally don't know what else I could've done, or done differently for that matter, to make this situation work. Also, I firmly believe that once you make an agreement with a customer who is committed to paying, you should honor that service agreement. It's clear to me that Almstead is not able to do this so I can't in good faith let the same thing happen to someone else. read more

Not sure where the breakdown is...The arborist is friendly and communicative. The office is a completely different story. I've used them the past 2-3 years for annual tree trimming. Every year it's been a struggle. This year, I considered hiring a different company bc the scheduling process takes FOREVER. After being assured by someone in the office that it would be resolved quicker this time, after 3 weeks, multiple calls later and encounters with the arborist's unhelpful "assistant", they are finally coming this week (a total of 4 weeks after I paid the deposit). They have an awful habit of rapidly charging the 50% deposit but being no hurry to actually schedule the appt. When you call to inquire, the annoyed assistant tells you how busy they are....then why did you agree to take me on as a client if you have more clients than you can properly service? I'll definitely be hiring a new company next year. read more

After years of dealing with Almstead, I put my house up for sale and when I got my annual 2020 contract for plant health care I phoned them to say that I was not renewing the service. They serviced the property anyway and are charging me and say that I owe the money because the contract is a revolving one. The contract does specify that you must cancel, which I did by phone. They are saying I needed to do it in writing. I would never deal with this company again. Very poor management. read more

Gary Norman the arborist was very professional. They did a bang up job including climbing 85 feet in the air to trim a prize oak tree! They got rid of my Japanese beetles that I was fighting for 3 years and the workmen were super nice and COVID CAREFUL. read more

I decided to give Almstead another try after having a poor experience some years ago. Unfortunately, things have only become worse. When Dan came out for the initial review, he was professional and I had high hopes. But since the contract was signed, it's been a horror show: (1) I have been double billed on several occasions. (2) they failed to do work contracted for and even after coming back a second time still did not do the work. (3) I get emails from them that make no sense, such as asking to come out that day for stump grinding even though they had not yet removed the tree. (4). They killed several perfectly healthy Rees/shrubs. (5) I signed up for four annual maintenance visits, thinking they would do the pruning. All they did was spray for three minutes. They did the early, mid and late summer visits in the same 40-day period. (6) their contracts renew automatically but don't say so. You have to be firm and NEVER prepay. (7) even after I sent them a letter documenting all this, no response. read more

The level of expertise and service was unlike any tree service I've ever used. We had a large, complex job taking down 3 huge decaying sweetgums and oak) trees in a tight space. They brought in a massive crane and removed all three in less than 6 hours. Cut and stacked the good wood into 30 splittable oak logs leaving over a cord of firewood for seasoning. Then they went around the property trimming any other trees limbs that were unsafe. The crew was kind and professional. AND it was the lowest price of 4 competing bids for the job. Almstead all the way, no question. read more

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I have used this company for many years. In June, I asked them to do some pruning and tree removal. They came and gave me am estimate, which I accepted and paid 50 percent ($1800). Over the ensuing four months, I called five times to inquire when they might do the work; the staff was apologetic and promised I'd hear from the arborists, but I never did. I finally called to cancel all services and to demand a refund. They readily agreed, but no refund in the ensuing weeks. Not sure what's happening at this business, but it's not good. read more

I was overall very pleased with the honest assessment of my tree's condition and prognosis. I watched the workers, who'd been instructed to do a light pruning to remove only the dead branches. There was, perhaps, a bit of a disconnect, in that the 1st cut took a live branch, but a quick call to the field manager corrected this ( they couldn't hear me at the window due to the noise). They cleaned the yard, adjacent properties, sidewalks and the street when finished. Well worth the price to have a trained arborist on the case. My ailing tree needed help years ago, and now hopefully has it's best chance of being good for several more years. read more

Oscar and his team of 3 were perfect. From the time Oscar came to give us an estimate to scheduling the appointment for the work it was a professional experience. The price was fantastic too. When the team finished the job and it was a big one, the yard was clean. Anywhere they had worked, Oscar's team raked and spruced up the area. Very, very satisfied with their work. They are coming back in November to do more work. We're looking forward to it. read more

I have used the company 2 times before for tree trimming. Needed service again and emailed to ask for a quote. Haven't heard back in response to 3 emails sent over 5 months. When I finally escalated with the office, instead of an apology for silence, I got one of the most unprofessional rude emails I have ever received from a business that didn't want to take responsibility - just blamed me instead. read more

The experience I had with Almstead was horrible. They ONLY had authorization to trim branches touching my neighbors tree, yet they came on my property and they cut down HALF of my beautiful and heathy oak tree when I wasn't home. I called the company to complain and it turns out that the brother of my neighbors landscaper did an $800 CASH job ( the neighbor paid him and asked me for half of it) and the company claims they know absolutely NOTHING about the job and have absolutely no record of my neighbor, the crew at my house, or his $800 payment. I have VIDEOS of their trucks and crew at my house twice which I sent to Almstead. When I called numerous times to ask for a resolution, it was suggested to me multiple times that I call the landscaper and ask him for the $800 back since and I quote "Almstead had NOTHING to do with this contracted work". I am filing a police report against the landscaper and Almstead. Has anyone else had similar experiences like this with this company? It's disappointing to think that they either scam and know this happens while they look the other way, or maybe worse that they don't know where their crews are working while on company time wearing their clothing and using their trucks and equipment . As it turns out, an owner called me after I posted this review. We had a lengthy conversation which was overall sad. I have not received any other follow up and or any type of compensation offer from the company. Every time I come home and look at my half an oak tree it makes me want to cry. read more

Almstead did a fantastic job providing and installing their top quality organic mulch to all of the beds on our property. The mulch is truly amazing. I'd had it installed last year and my plants and shrubs were better this year than ever, so I did it again this year. Kari was terrific helping with arrangements by phone and email that were organized by Erick. Oscar arrived on time, was friendly, professional and followed all the expected safety protocols. He did just an awesome and thorough installation (all by himself!). I am so grateful! Thank you again and I'll be back next year. Just highly recommend for excellent in the quality of the mulch and the efficiency and professionalism of the installation. My neighbors are all inspired and asking! read more

Maybe Almstead is just too big for the average job. I asked about that specifically before signing a contract for new street trees for my building. No problem, I was told, We really want small clients. Cue the one of the most frustrating and unresponsive vendors we've ever done business with. Our contact became dismissive and unwilling to listen to what we wanted. When the city gave us a permit for trees that simply wouldn't work in our space, Almstead refused to go to bat for us. They invited us to argue with the city on our own. Instead, we found a different arborist and are much, much happier with the result. The only positive thing was that they eventually refunded our money for the botched part of the job without our having to threaten a lawsuit. Awesome. Wow. read more

If I could give them a lower review I would. They are all about money. They are not responsive to questions and will actually badmouth their own customers. Stay away. read more

Once they got here, they were professional, efficient and got the job done quickly leaving no residue behind. It took a while to book a date during COVID but they left me satisfied. read more

If I could give zero stars, I would. Not only did the guys do a terrible job, they also tried to charge me for a soil sample test that I never received results for. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY read more

To many negative aspects about this place but I will name a few.First off I went over what was to be done with the guy who came to my house and he explained what had to be pruned and how much etc.When the guys arrived they had no idea what to do .Why the hell did I waste my time with the first guy.Workers should know what they have to do and how much to prune when they arrive and how to do it .Also they charged a ridiculous price to cut a few branches from one of the trees.Another problem was that they were supposed to install a support sling on one of the trees but had no idea about how to do it and even failed to bring the equipment to do it .On top of this they never called to say when this job would be completed and kept me hanging .Be aware this place is horrible . read more

I recently had all the trees on my property trimmed. The team did a great job and the trees look beautiful. Equally important, during this pandemic, the team maintained a huge amount of distancing, wore masks and gloves and simply waved to me as they left the property. I feel the proposal for the work was fair and will use their service again. read more

I have to be honest and say that it took the company a long time to get back to me. I did, however, continue to follow up with them because they came highly recommended from our neighbors across the street. I've seen the job they'd done at my neighbors and was pleased. Once we agreed on a date, they did come on time, they finished the job perfectly and expeditiously. They cut down a few dead branches of 4 London Planes, and took down an entire Maple, cleaned up and left the place spotless. read more

Took all our info down 2X, and then called 5 minutes after our appt was scheduled citing an "emergency'; then couldn't give me another appt that I asked for! Sorry I bothered.. read more

My worst experience ever. They don't return calls. Calls to their office are left on hold for what seems like a life time. Extremely frustrating when trying to get the work scheduled. Then, the receptionist had a hard time hearing because it was so loud. Finally got the work scheduled and then they didn't show up and did not call. read more

We had a tree at an angle that was uprooted during a storm being held up by another small tree. There was danger of the tree falling into our neighbors home. The staff was extremely professional, and after our discussion sent Ken to assess the situation quickly. Within a few hours they took the tree down. Needless to day, I was extremely pleased with how the entire situation was handled. RRG read more

Almstead is a top-notch professionally managed company. They have worked on our "townhouse community" in New Rochelle for many years and we are completely satisfied with their work. Not only the manager/owner is a sophisticated, polite and highly prepared individual, but the workers know what they do and they do it with great safety precautions. We have used them for years and will continue to use them in the future. Manuel Boado, INDIAN HILL CONDOMINIUMS, New Rochelle NY read more

Met with Dan from Almstead at my property for a consultation. His encyclopedic knowledge and thoughtfulness were incredible. Dan's holistic approach had me rethink what I needed to do and more importantly what I didn't! A true professional. Kudos to office staff for getting me the right consultant at a time that was most convenient for me. Would highly recommend. read more

Wished I had seen these Yelp reviews before I went with this company. Avoid this company at all costs. They are simply not reputable. They charged my credit card amounts that exceeded my credit card authorization and never explained why they charged those amounts despite my calling or emailing multiple times. After they did part of the work I had authorized, they charged my credit for more than the work totaled. Never sent me a receipt for the amounts they had billed. I called and emailed asking for explanation of why they billed the amount they billed since it was more than the work was. And over a month and a half after they billed me for a deposit (for more than I had authorized), they never called me to schedule the second part of the work that was still left to be done. I finally emailed and called to rescind my authorization and asked for them to credit me for the deposit. No response. I called and confirmed they received my rescission of authority for the work and they kept saying we will have the billing department call you back. Weeks later, still no response, leaving me with no option but to dispute the charge with my credit card company. read more

ken almstead and his staff are incomparable. they have always been there for me. years ago there was a tremendous electrical storm, I called and left a message for ken and first thing the next morning the crew was at my house (the tree was in my house!!!). I would only use almstead and so should you. Eileen R. read more

Horrible customer service. They have not shown up 3 times for scheduled estimates. No one called to tell me they weren't going to be there and when I called they didn't know why the arborist hadn't shown up. I don't know how they are still in business when this is how they operate. read more

The service was absolutely terrible. Specifically, Jeff was extremely rude. They provided a quote to remove two tree stumps, I gave them my credit card information and signed the contract, we scheduled an appointment, and then they never showed up. I called a few times to follow up and after a series of excuses, was forced to cancel and find someone else. There are plenty of great tree services out there; unfortunately, Almstead isn't one of them. read more

Mike at Almstead was really easy to work with. He came by our new house at exactly the time scheduled. He gave me a quote for a tree removal on the spot. Totally reasonable price for the removal of what was probably a 25' high totally overgrown arbor vitae and the stump grinding. The tree was taken down the next day with no issues, and their stump grinding crew came by 2 days later to remove the stump. On top of that, they even got rid of another small tree stump on our property while they were there, which I asked them if they could do at the last minute. Overall, I was really pleased with Mike, who was incredibly helpful and very nice. My old co-op used Almstead for their tree services as well and they were always reliable. I have heard that in late spring and summer they get booked up fast for tree pruning and tree removals, so call early in the season! read more

Almstead cut down the ONE tree I specifically asked for them to leave alone- my beautiful Japanese maple. All I got was a "Oops, sorry. My guy misread the diagram." Then they gave me a new, much smaller, half-dead replacement tree. To top it all off, a few days after their "service" I noticed a small hole in my roof, near the area where they had taken down a branch. I should have sued them for damage before the statute of limitations had run out. I would never use them again! read more

These guys are untrained murders. They roll through brooklyn and randomly cut live healthy trees and leave all the dead branches. The last time they were here they cut down three trees in the area for no reason. I checked with the city and there was no permit or request. they people just do the " work" and then they bill the city. in the meantime, the very few trees we have on our block are slowly being killed off and removed by them for no damn reason. Watching them "trim" a tree is a joke. I m screaming to them in horror as they chop so all the healthy side of this maple and while ignoring the giant massive dead branches on the tree next to it all the while there are a ton of cars parked under them. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. there staff aren't trained and they do not care. they are just some random dude in a bucket with a chainsaw making minimum wage while the company shoves a massive bill in the city face. i have checked every agency and they DO NOT have permission to be trimming or cutting down the trees in my area. read more

Tried their lawn service. What a joke! They said they would treat the weeds. Weeds still there. I called and they said its an organic treatment that takes time and that the goal is to get the grass to crowd out the weeds. They shouldnt call it weed treatment. They said they would apply lime to the grass. No lime. Stay away. This was a test to see if i could use them for shrubs and tree work. Use Westchester Tree Life for trees and plant care. These guys are a rip off and they dont really do much. I could have just gone to Home Depot and thrown some fertilizer down and probably gotten the same result. read more