Regular Features
Rogue Tree Surgeons Brought Down to Earth
In a joint High Court action led by the Arboricultural Association, a tree care company which falsely claimed to be one of its Approved Contractors has been ordered to cease passing itself off as such and to pay costs of £5,500. Acacia Treecare Limited is the first company to be prosecuted for falsely claiming membership of the Arboricultural Association Approved Contractors scheme, which gives a trusted stamp of approval to those meeting rigorous standards of business and working practice.
Finding a tree surgeon, or 'arboricultural contractor' you can trust should not be a case of picking random names from the small ads, or searching the internet for anyone with a smart website. There are too many tales of rogue tree surgeons who can not only put the public and property at risk through poor working practice but also compromise the health of the trees in their care. The Arboricultural Association (AA) is a body charged with promoting the proper care of the nation's amenity trees (like the trees in the streets, parks or private gardens), and its Approved Contractor scheme provides the reassurance that an accredited company has met its rigorous standards of expertise and can be trusted to provide a professional tree care service. Among its 2,000 members, the Association promotes 143 Approved Contractor companies nationwide, the only companies entitled to use the scheme's trade mark logo and to describe themselves as such.
Employing an Arboricultural Association Approved Contractor brings the reassurance of employing a qualified professional who has been and will continue to be assessed for their technical expertise, business standards, customer care, safe operating practices, insurance credentials, and their care of trees. Accredited companies' customers are equally reassured that in the unlikely event that something goes wrong, the scheme provides a quality assured complaints procedure. Significant numbers of local authorities, parks managers and responsible tree owners choose Arboricultural Association Approved Contractors to care for their trees, and the scheme is deservedly recognised for encouraging and embodying the highest standards of professional tree care.
Small wonder that the Arboricultural Association, together with five accredited Arobircultural Association Approved Contractors* took action against Acacia Treecare Limited, when complaints were received from disgruntled customers who contracted the Association to check the company's credentials. The resultant High Court action found that Acacia Treecare Limited had falsely claimed themselves as AA Approved Contractors, and they were duly charged with passing themselves off as such and for infringement of the scheme's trade mark. The company has been ordered to .....
