Scam Tree Service
 

My mother was approached by a man that said her palm tree had termites and she allowed him to take it down. He was to come back and take out the stump, replace with a new tree and also agreed to spray her home of mold. She paid him by check (actually made payable to Stephanie Reed), gave her a handwritten invoice with no name, phone number, nothing. This was back in January. He said he would be back in March and, of course, no sign of him. I am trying to find out if anyone else remembers someone coming around to prey on the elderly in The Villages. Unfortunately this will be a lesson learned for my mother who is 89 and lives by herself. With The Villages being a gated community, it would seem that there would be some protection for the residence. We will be moving her out soon.

The guy named Reed has been doing that for a while. He has charged some people as much as $1200 to remove a small palm tree. I really don't think it should cost anywhere near that much, and I don't think termites in a palm tree pose much danger to the house.

Sadly, it does happen around here. The gates offer no protection from these scammers that prey on the elderly as we're not a truly "gated" community. I'm sorry your mom and you had to go through that.

It is easy to place the blame somewhere else if it makes one feel better but at 89 perhaps she should have been watched more closely by family members. Shame we have dishonest contractors but they are everywhere.

Thank you for letting me know that this guy has been around. Would like to find him if anyone knows of his whereabouts.

OP, this is NOT a gated community, it is a community with gates. ALL of the roads (except for villa areas) are COUNTY roads, and anyone can come in, just use the RED botton. The gates are traffic control devices NOT villages access control devices.

I don’t feel better about this at all. I want to find this guy and we are in the process of moving her home to be able to watch out for her closely.

I know that the guy has worked in the area near the Silver Lake rec center and on Richard Drive. I think he drives a red or black pickup truck. Not sure. Good luck.

Thank you.

Google the female's name. Not sure if its the same person, but there is an address here in The Villages.

Yep.

Anyone who believes that our "gates" provides some type of enhanced security...is woefully misinformed. :ohdear:

I used wise tree service out of wildwood coupe years ago. they charged me $275 and was large Queen palm. They done the work, cleaned up, and was going in about hour. Very satisfied. I never hire people to come to my door, until I have reviewed who they are. If I can’t find nothing I do call them back. IMO they can’t get palm root bulb out with digging 10 foot hole 10 foot wide and crane, it’s too big, they cut if off below ground level.