Blooma Tree Experts, LLC

I am disappointed in Martin’s behavior. He did not cut the branches that are inches from the power line and when I called him to ask him to please come back and do it. He replied nastily with a, why didn’t you point that out before we left. Well, I did point it out the day I gave him a deposit. And, I didn’t point it out before they left, because they didn’t tell us they were leaving. They simply left. I have sent two emails about this two months ago. Looks like he does the minimum work and has a bad attitude. I simply not used to someone leaving me such distasteful voice mail messages.

I’ll be honest. Great work and done very quickly. However, I was shocked at how rude and unprofessional the guys were to me.
When they came out to give me an estimate they guy told me to have my driveway clear and to ask the neighbors next door to have thier driveway clear. We cleared our driveway and parked our truck and trailer in front of our house. I failed to let our neighbors know what time they were coming so when Blooma arrived there were still some cars in our neighbors driveway.
One guy got out of the Blooma truck and stated that thier driveway was supposed to be clear. Didn’t say «Hello» or «Good morning «just attacked me. Not a big deal, I walked over and asked my neighbors to move thier cars. Done! Problem solved in less than 5 minutes. But the Blooma owner was pissed and his first words to me was «We’re not doing anything until you move your car out of our way!» Again not «Hello» or «Good morning».
I said «yes doing that now.» And moved my car from in front of my house to down the street. I had another question for him and was trying to ask but he proceeded to lecture me about how our cars weren’t moved to his satisfaction. I said «Well, everything is clear and out of your way NOW…» The Blooma owner then ignored me then said he needed me in my house. I said «Ok, guess we’ll talk later…»
If you needed our car completely off our front property it should have been communicated. To get all bent out of shape over our cars not placed to your satisfaction when it was never communicated in the first place is ridiculous. Plus the problem was fixed. I moved our truck and our neighbors moved thier cars.
I was so upset I thought about pulling the plug on the whole thing. Didn’t and instead called the office to tell the manager about my experience. I got some story about how everything that AM went wrong/​a tree climber didn’t show up to work/​something about a school bus was blocked blah blah blah. As a client who is paying you at least 2k, I don’t care what the drama is, I expect professionalism and at least a «Hello» or «Good morning» upon arrival.
One of the crewman came to my door after my phone call and apologized but again it filled with reasons why everyone was in a bad mood.
When I went outside to write my check, the lady felt the need to inform me that thier receptionist had called the day before to confirm my appointment. I said «Yes she did. I spoke with her and she did a great job confirming our appointment. That was never an issue.»
Clearly word got around that I was the unhappy client and she felt the need to drive home her defense. (For an issue that I was not upset about or ever mentioned.) What could of been a chance for recovery became a moment of confirmation that we will not be spending money on these people again.
I read the other reviews and was hoping for what everybody else experienced. I’m terribly disappointed and now need to find another company to do rest of my property.
Wasn’t the worst customer service I’ve had, but for the amount of money I paid, I was extremely disappointed. God bless them and all that but they are rude and don’t know how to build customer relationships very well.

Blooma has several bad reviews. I had a very bad experience also. Don’t give them a deposit because you will never see it again. I gave 4 weeks notice and was told by customer service I would get my deposit back but there owner Martin kept it without question. No concern for the customer. I had other work for them but not after this experience.

I called Blooma to set up a bid on our project of tree trimming and the removal of a dying tree. It was scheduled for a weeknight between 7−8pm, right at our dinner hour. So we planned ahead to be free to have the person come at that time. They never showed up, no phone call or anything. I was irked by the lack of respect I was shown by them so I emailed Blooma about the no show. I received a phone call from the owner and he apologized and said he never got the request from the person in the office about the appointment but he could be over in a few minutes to give us an estimate on the work.
Martin showed up and walk through our property and wrote up an estimate of the work to be done and cost. He then has us sign the worksheet. He wanted a deposit and I didn’t give it to him because I wasn’t sure if I wanted them to do the work. The next day I received an email with the time they could schedule the work.
I also had someone else come out the next day and give their bid on the work and we liked her offer and presence much better, half the price and more work was going to get done. My husband called Martin and cancelled the bid within 4 days after the initial visit, he had to leave a message because Martin did not answer the call nor did he call us back.
3 weeks later…
Yesterday I had a group of nice tree workers show up and start working on my property. I was so happy to have the work done. Some time went on and and I was wondering when they were going to get to the other aspects of the job that the woman of the other tree company and I discussed. Among much confusion I figured out that the company doing the work was Blooma and not the person I decided to use. They didn’t have a sign on the vehicle that I could see and they didn’t announce who they were when they came to the door. (I had an agreement with the other company that they would email me the morning that they were going to do the work and I would get ready for them). I even said to the kid that knocked that «I didn’t get an email about showing up today but am happy anyway».
Once I figured it out I wanted to get them to cease and desist but among the confusion of speaking with Martin everyone kept working. Martin called his office to see if we cancelled and also because I couldn’t remember at this point if my husband sent an email cancelling the job or if he called, Martin said there was no email. My husband then had his IT Department check the phone logs and he did call and it was the right number, Martin said he didn’t get the message that we cancelled. My husband called the office to speak with them there and was hung up on when he said his name. They emailed us saying that the call was dropped and that they called his business number back and couldn’t leave a message (they have a front desk that answers and directs calls). This is a blatant lie.
Martin chose to ignore the cancellation message and proceed anyway because what he had us sign was a CONTRACT NOT a bid proposal. This is a very UNETHICAL way to procure a contract. Everyone gets a window to decline a contract even when purchasing a home for substantial amounts of money. DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING WITH THEM if your not sure.
Martin you did a very nice job with our trees but your business practice in VERY, VERY UNETHICAL. You and your office need to have better communication and whoever is running the office should be fired. The BBB has been contacted,

Used twice now, about three years apart. Totally professional. Difficult major job and they performed as promised and as scheduled. Very happy with them.

Martin and his crew are fast and efficient. They cut down some trees for me and did it quickly and cleaned up nicely. Overall a good job. I will most likely use the in the future.

This is the second or third time we have used Blooma Tree Experts for our trimming needs. We have numerous mature trees around our home and whenever they need a trim or a little attention, we go directly to Martin at Blooma Tree Experts. Martin is an experienced and thoughtful arborist and has given us great advice over the years on how to best care for and maintain our trees. His crew is extremely well trained and skilled in trimming trees in order to keep them healthy and growing strong for years to come. The equipment and techniques he uses is state of the art and enables his team to tackle most any challenge. They are professional from start to finish and we wouldn’t trust the care of our trees to anyone else!

Martin (a Certified Arborist) came out promptly and gave us an estimate AND an education about trees. Long story short: do NOT fall for the so-​called «Wind Sail Reduction» option — trimming healthy branches throws off the trees natural structure and makes it MORE prone to wind damage. He did recommend that we trim dead branches and branches that are rubbing.
His crew came out promptly on the scheduled day and did great work. I note they used throw lines and pulleys to scale the tree and not tree climbing spikes that damage the trunk. The invoice matched the estimate and all the branches were cleaned up. They are professionals who care about trees and their customers.

It takes a lot for me to write a poor review, but I feel compelled to write about my experience with Blooma, which was really frustrating and full of poor customer service.
First, my service was rescheduled at the last minute to a time I wasn’t able to be home. When I arrived, as the team was finishing up, my neighbor informed me that they had parked their chipper in front of her house (where her granddaughter was napping) instead of mine and when asked to move, they refused, saying they didn’t have time. I also found the crew’s empty water bottles strewn around my property.
When the stump grinder operator returned on another day to grind the stumps, he crushed a brick wall with the machine. Although he graciously apologized and said someone would come fix it within a few days, it never got fixed. After waiting more than a week, I had to fix it myself. When I contacted Blooma again to ask for an explanation and a credit on my bill, the owner was not apologetic at all and refused to give me the credit I requested.
It’s a shame that the service was so poor, as I have additional tree work I need to hire someone for, and I have several neighbors who have asked for referrals. Sadly, I won’t be turning to Blooma again.

Martin and his team are fast and non-​invasive. We had Martin come over to our house and access our landscape’s needs — we had no clue what we were doing, but we knew the yard needed some TLC. He made some suggestions and gave us an estimate. We scheduled to have them come out this summer.
Well, they came. The team arrived on time and got to work immediately. They removed all the scheduled trees and began stump grinding. Unfortunately, the belt on the grinder broke in the middle of their work so they’re coming by next week to finish the job, but Martin was very communicative and told us exactly what was going on.
Our yard looks like a clean slate. You can’t even tell where the trees were before, and we got a bunch of free wood out of it. And the price was reasonable (under estimate). Martin was so flexible with us and we were able to work out a payment plan, which helped us out a lot.
I’m looking forward to going to these guys again — we’re planting new trees to replace the old ones, and we don’t want to mess us like the previous owners did!

I’ve never written a review before but this was an exceptional and gross demonstration of unprofessional behavior that requires a buyer beware type warning…
Martin’s and Blooma Tree Expert’s demonstrated a profound lack of knowledge of, or disregard for Seattle permitting requirements and much worse, blamed the home owner for Blooma Tree’s failure to complete the job contracted.
I obtained the permit for our tree removal from the Seattle Department of Planning and Development (SDPD), on 04÷04÷14. SDPD has jurisdiction over tree removal on private property. The permit is still active.
I contracted with Martin at Blooma Tree Experts for the removal of a very large cedar tree on private property adjacent to the side walk.
On 04÷24÷14 I emailed him a scanned copy of the SDPD Site Work Approval permit for the tree removal.
He put off the work for many weeks finally giving us a date of 06÷05÷14. He blamed City Light for the delay stating that was the soonest available power line drop date (later found to be a questionable excuse).
On 05÷15÷14 I emailed Martin and asked if I should go ahead and get the no parking permits from the City as required or was he going to do it. He emailed back not to worry, he would do it himself. The city requires the barricades and no parking notice be placed 48 hrs in advance of no parking date.
06÷04÷14 the day before the work, Martin had not set up the no parking barricades as required (48 hr advance). I called him and had to leave a voice message (polite) to express concern and to ask when they would arrive. At 10:23 that night Martin sent me an email thanking me for calling and stating that he had totally forgotten. and Oh and by the way the job will not be done until 06÷06÷14.
The day of the work, Martin set up the boom truck on the sidewalk with the truck pulling the chipper on the curb in front of the house and the crew started working on the tree. My husband left for work and once they were well started I got in the shower. when I was all cleaned up I looked out our window and observed the tree crew cleaning up the work site preparing to leave.
Surprised, I went out to see what was up, and was advised that the work had been closed down by a Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) inspector.
SDOT has jurisdiction over the right of way, including the sidewalk, median strips and streets. SDOT also includes «Urban Forestry» which has jurisdiction over the trees in the right of way.
The SDOT inspector, Daniel C. had written a violation of the codes indicating «Unlawful Use of the City’s Right of Way» Martin /​Bloomatree Experts Had failed to obtain the proper permit for the boom truck in the right of way. Nor had he gotten the proper no parking permits as agreed. He had also not copied or posted the SDPD authorization for the tree removal.
SDOT requires three documents to block the sidewalk/​street or use a boom truck: «Street Use General Application», «Construction Use Permit Application», and «Site Plan Template.» Martin had neglected all three.
Instead of behaving in a professional manner and taking responsibility for his failure to comply with SDOT requirements, Martin accused me of not obtaining the permit for the tree removal. I reminded him that I forwarded him a copy of the permit and that he agreed to be responsible for the no parking permit.
He stated to me that «he never gets a permit for the boom truck» and that its never a problem if there is a permit posted. He continued to deny that I sent him the permit or that he agreed to obtain the no parking permits. (I have email verification of all) He continued to pack up the job and left the site.
I confirmed in person with SDPD that no one had called in a complaint to their office about the tree removal, and SDOT had received a complaint and finding no permits for the right of way, they sent out and inspector.
When the inspector showed up, and apparently not knowing the difference Martin called SDOT and rightly confirmed with them there was no permit for removing the tree in their records (that’s because the tree was not in the right of way). Had he called SDPD they would have told him immediately that there was an active, valid permit.
Our job was stopped because he didn’t get the proper permitting for the right of way and boom truck, and because he didn’t know the difference between SDPD and SDOT. To add insult to injury, Martin has been exceedingly rude and unprofessional about the whole situation. If he had only taken responsibility and owned up to his mistake I would not be posting this, but that is not the case.
I have documentation that all my statements above are accurate and truthful.
Martin the owner of Blooma Tree Experts was not an expert, was rude, irresponsible and unprofessional in the way he handled our case. His behavior cost me a days work and then the time needed to locate another company to remove the tree responsibly

Wow… these guys are amazing. We have a double lot in Seattle, covered with trees and one of our 60′ conifers was slowly dying and in danger of falling. Located in the back of our lot, without direct access except on foot, I was bracing myself for a huge bill and days of noise and mess. Blooma came out and cleared the dead tree AND trimmed our other problem trees for $ 1478. They were in and out in a few hours and cleaned up every twig and leaf. Like I said… amazing. Thanks guys.

Once again we used Blooma’s services. They were prompt, on time, highly professional, and reasonably priced. I would highly recommend them to anyone.

Great service that I used for our homeowner association in Bothell, WA. Professional, easy to work with, great communication, and will surely use again for our community needs. Took down a cottonwood tree in no time. I appreciate their service to our community.
— Crystal Creek II HOA Board

Blooma are our tree people! Whenever we need tree work done (which is often), we will call Blooma.
Martin has been out to our place twice. The first time to give a quote on pruning a cypress limb which was leaning on our fence. He didn’t bother quoting us and offered to hack the offending limb off with his hand saw for free!
When it came time to have more intensive work done on those same trees, we chose Blooma. They did an excellent and speedy job clearing limbs from the right-​of-​way along the street and sidewalk without damaging the fence and cleaned everything thoroughly after finishing.
Of the other tree ‘experts’ I have dealt with in the past, Martin and his team are head and shoulders above the rest.

Great business. Professional, prompt, knowledgable. I don’t know why Unilocal filters blooma’s good reviews. This is the third review I have tried to post for blooma. I am a regular Unilocaler too.

We recently bought a house and our neighbor’s large oak tree was encroaching on our property and rubbing against the roof. We called Blooma after hearing and reading many great reviews. Martin came out the same day for an estimate and quoted us a reasonable price. Martin asked very specific questions and was able to tell me about different options based on future growth patterns. Although they were booked out past Christmas, they were able to fit us in early one morning. The team was professional and quick, and the tree looks amazing. It doesn’t touch the house, but otherwise you would never know. Looks beautiful and shouldn’t need another trim for a number of years! We were very pleased and would definitely use them again.

Our condo contracted Blooma to do general pruning and cut a ~2 foot clearance around our building. Instead they cut somewhere between 30−50% of the canopy out of our birch, leaving a raggedy collection of spindly, sick branches that are worse than no tree at all, and a clearance of what must be easily 8 – 12 feet.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
Our bird feeder also disappeared in the process, not that we’d have anywhere to hang it after the hack job they did on the tree.
Update 6÷27÷2012: To be fair, the bird feeder was later found around the corner of the building. So I guess that’s good news. It’s now sitting on our deck with nowhere to hang it, because the 8 foot clearance to the tree makes it impossible to reach.
The bad news is, a week or two after the pruning the entire tree sent out a second set of new growth even though it had already fully leafed out, which is often a sign of distress. Several weeks after that, the half (there are two leaders on this Birch) that was pruned most aggressively started exhibiting darker, wrinkled leaves and drooping significantly.
At this time it has developed several patches of brown dead leaves, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it died entirely.

My two 45-​year old Birch Tree’s look beautiful! I was concerned about having them trimmed fearing since they had been neglected for many years, they would never look pretty. Martin and his team were professional and polite. They left my yard in better shape than they found it, …they even cleaned all the fall leaves from my deck. –Thanks to Martin and his tean for going above and beyond… my Birch are stunning :)

I called Blooma to get a quote on trimming 3 trees and removing another. Martin came to the house and was professional, courteous, and quick to explain why I actually had to get 2 trees removed as one of them was dying. His quote was reasonable, I liked his demeanor, so I decided to hire his company to do the job.
Several days before the agreed upon work date, I emailed Martin and asked if we could add a couple things to his estimate and scope of work. He didn’t reply, but I wasn’t too worried as I would be at the house when they got started, and we could discuss it in person.
On the work day, the crew showed up on time and quickly began dismantling the larger tree that needed to be removed. Martin wasn’t with the group, so I explained to one of the crew my unanswered email and hope that we could add a bush removal and some quick tree trimming along the driveway to the scope of work. Apparently the guy who could make the decision was all the way up the large tree, and the guy I was talking to said he didn’t know, and since it was Friday they wanted to get out of there quickly. I asked him to have the decision guy call me, as I had to go to work. No call came.
When I got home, although the extra requested work was not done, I found that the crew did a great job removing the 2 trees. There was no debris in the yard, the stumps were totally gone and I had a huge chip pile in my driveway, which is where we agreed they would put it. The bummer, though, is that they completely blocked in my trash and recycle cans. Look, I know you are in a hurry, but seriously, couldn’t they have moved the cans before building an igloo size chip pile? Or better yet, shift the pile just 5 feet north (there was plenty of room). Also, there was a huge pile of firewood on the blocked side of the driveway. Martin had told me that he would have a guy come get it. I waited a few days with no word from Martin on its removal but finally had to get somebody else to come take it because, wait for it, yep, the huge pile was blocking my wheelbarrow which I needed to move the chip pile.
Also, when Martin was in my yard giving me an estimate, he really went out of his way to explain how the asian pear and the thunder plum trees needed to be trimmed. I explained that a big part of my concern was that both trees were encroaching on neighbors’ yards and I definitely didn’t want that. Neither tree was trimmed nearly enough to bring it back completely into my yard. Perhaps further trimming would have killed the tree? I don’t know and nobody left me a note or called to explain because that probably would have cut into their weekend planning session.
Summary:
I like Martin and felt as though his interaction with me was professional and thoughtful. His crew was extremely fast at tree removal, and did a good job of cleaning up after themselves. If I had been able to be there the entire time, I’m confident that my issues would have been resolved on the spot.
Would I hire them again? Yes, but not on a Friday because they don’t want to be there.