Last updated: 9 June 2026
These Terms of Service govern the relationship between Alpine Arborism (“we”, “us”, “our”) and any person or business engaging us for tree services (“you”, “the customer”). By requesting a quote, accepting a quote, or instructing us to proceed with any work, you agree to these terms.
1. Quotes
- All quotes are based on the information available to us at the time, which may include photographs, a site visit, and details supplied by you.
- Quotes are valid for 30 days from the date issued, unless otherwise stated.
- A written quote is an estimate of the agreed scope of work. The price may be revised if, on attendance, the actual scope, access, or site conditions differ materially from what was disclosed or assessed.
- Quotes do not include resource consent fees, council application fees, or third-party charges (for example crane hire, traffic management, or network-operator outages) unless expressly listed.
2. Bookings and cancellation
- A booking is confirmed when you accept the quote in writing (email or text is fine) and we confirm a date.
- You may cancel a booking at no charge up to 48 hours before the agreed start time.
- Cancellations within 48 hours of the agreed start time may incur a call-out fee equal to one half-day’s rate, to cover scheduled crew time.
- We may reschedule work for weather, safety, or other operational reasons. We will give you as much notice as practical.
3. Your responsibilities and warranties
By instructing us, you confirm and agree that:
- You are the owner of the property, or you are authorised by the owner to instruct the work, and you will meet any cost of obtaining that authority.
- The tree(s) and work area are within your property boundary, or you have obtained any necessary permission from neighbours or other affected parties where work is on, over, or near a boundary.
- The information you give us — including tree species, height, location, hazards, access, and the position of anything above or below ground — is accurate and complete to the best of your knowledge.
- You will provide safe and reasonable access to the site on the agreed date.
- You will move items of value in or near the work area (pot plants, garden ornaments, vehicles, furniture, washing lines and the like) before the crew arrives, unless we’ve agreed otherwise. We are not responsible for damage to items left in the work area.
- You will keep people, pets and children clear of the work zone while we are on site, and you accept responsibility for anyone you allow to remain on site against our direction.
4. Underground, concealed and private services
- Before work begins, you must tell us the location of all underground or concealed services and structures you are aware of or could reasonably identify. This includes private services that public locating services do not cover — for example irrigation and dripper lines, private water, power or data runs to sheds, sleep-outs, pumps or gates, drainage and stormwater, septic tanks and fields, pool and spa lines, and low-voltage garden lighting.
- Where stump grinding or excavation is involved, we will use the beforeUdig service (New Zealand’s national underground utility location service, formerly “Dial Before You Dig”) to identify network-operator assets where required. Please note that beforeUdig shows network assets only and does not show private services on your side of the connection point.
- To the maximum extent permitted by law, we are not responsible for damage to underground or concealed services or structures that were not disclosed to us, were inaccurately located, or are not identifiable through beforeUdig, and you indemnify us for the cost of any such damage and any related third-party claims.
5. Access and unavoidable property damage
- Tree work commonly requires heavy equipment — chippers, stump grinders, elevated work platforms, cranes and vehicles. Moving this equipment, and carrying out the work itself, can cause wear, ruts, compaction or marking to lawns, gardens, driveways, paths and other surfaces, even when reasonable care is taken.
- You are responsible for telling us in advance about any surface or structure (for example a driveway, drain, soak-hole, retaining wall or septic system) that may not bear the weight of equipment. Where you direct or permit us to cross or work on a surface, you accept the risk of reasonable and unavoidable damage to it.
- To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for reasonable and unavoidable damage arising from agreed access or from the work itself (including marks left by debris, drag lines, or chip), unless that damage is caused by our negligence.
6. Council consent and protected trees
You are responsible for ensuring that the work you ask us to carry out is permitted under your local District Plan and any other applicable rules (including but not limited to Notable Tree schedules, heritage protections, and significant natural area rules). Where consent is required, you authorise us to apply on your behalf only if we have agreed this in writing. We will not knowingly carry out work that requires consent if consent has not been granted. If you instruct us to proceed on the basis that consent is not required, or you misrepresent or fail to disclose a tree’s protected status, you indemnify us against any resulting fines, enforcement action, costs or claims.
7. Variations
If circumstances require work outside the quoted scope (for example, an unexpected internal cavity, an additional limb that becomes accessible during the job, or a buried obstacle), we will discuss and agree any variation with you before proceeding. Variations will be invoiced in addition to the quoted price.
8. Trees are living things — no guarantee of outcome
- Trees are living organisms. Their response to pruning or other works, and the future behaviour of any tree, limb or stump we do not remove, cannot be guaranteed.
- Unless we expressly state otherwise in writing, we do not warrant that a pruned or retained tree will survive, will not regrow, or will not later shed a limb or fail; that a tree is structurally sound merely because we have worked on it; or that stump grinding removes all roots.
- Where we recommend work (such as removing a tree or limb) and you choose not to proceed, you accept the associated risk, and we are not responsible for the future failure of any tree or limb we recommended dealing with but you elected to retain.
9. Refusal of unsafe work
We may decline to start or continue work that, in our reasonable judgement, cannot be carried out safely (for example, an unstable tree in a high wind, a power line we’re not authorised to work near without prior arrangement, or a structurally unsound climbing target). Where work is declined for safety reasons, any agreed call-out fee remains payable, but we will not invoice the full job.
10. Payment
- Unless we’ve agreed otherwise, invoices are due within 7 days of the invoice date.
- Payment is by direct bank transfer to the account listed on the invoice.
- Late payments may incur interest at the rate of 2% per month from the due date.
- You may not withhold or set off any amount on account of a disputed item. Raise any dispute with us in writing and pay the undisputed balance by the due date.
- Where collection action is needed to recover an overdue amount, reasonable recovery costs (including debt-collection and legal costs) may be added to the amount owing.
11. Insurance
We hold public liability insurance, and details are available on request. Our liability for any claim is in all cases subject to the limitations in these terms, regardless of the cover available under any policy.
12. Limitation of liability
- We will carry out the work with reasonable care and skill.
- To the maximum extent permitted by law, our total liability for any loss or damage arising out of or in connection with the work is limited to the price paid by you for the work in question, and our aggregate liability for all claims connected with a job will not exceed the total price of that job.
- To the maximum extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss (including loss of profit or opportunity), nor for: damage to undisclosed, mislocated or concealed services or structures; reasonable and unavoidable access or surface damage; the future failure of any tree or limb we did not remove; damage to items not moved out of the work area; or any loss arising from weather, ground conditions, or other causes beyond our reasonable control.
- Any claim must be brought within the time limits set out in clause 14.
- Nothing in these terms limits or excludes any guarantee, right, or remedy you have under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 where you engage us in your capacity as a consumer.
13. Indemnity
You indemnify us against all claims, losses, costs (including reasonable legal costs) and liabilities we incur arising from: your breach of these terms; inaccurate or incomplete information you have given us; undisclosed or mislocated services or structures; instructions you have given us (including dropping or removing material over or onto a boundary, or removing a tree later found to be protected or not solely yours); or third-party claims (including by neighbours) connected with work you asked us to carry out. This clause does not apply to the extent a loss is caused by our negligence or breach, or where you engage us as a consumer and the indemnity would be inconsistent with the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993.
14. Claims and time limits
- Please inspect the site on completion. You must notify us in writing of any alleged damage or defect within 7 days of completion, so that we have a fair opportunity to inspect it and, where appropriate, put it right.
- Where we are responsible for damage, we may choose to remedy it ourselves or arrange a suitable contractor to do so, rather than pay cash compensation.
- Subject to your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993, claims first raised after this 7-day period may not be accepted.
15. Force majeure
We are not liable for any delay in, or failure of, performance caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including severe weather, storms, fire, flood, network-operator outages, equipment failure, illness, or restrictions imposed by an authority. Where such an event occurs, we will reschedule the affected work within a reasonable time.
16. Business and commercial customers
Where you acquire our services for the purposes of a business, you agree that the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 does not apply, and that it is fair and reasonable for the parties to be bound by an agreement that the relevant provisions of the Fair Trading Act 1986 (including sections 9, 12A to 12I and 13) do not apply. The limitations, exclusions and indemnities in these terms apply in full to business customers.
17. Photographs
Photos you submit through our quote form are used to assess your job and prepare the quote. We may also keep a small number of before/after photos for our own records and, with your permission, may use anonymised images in marketing material. Tell us if you’d prefer your photos are not used outside the quoting process.
18. Privacy
How we collect, use, and store your personal information is described in our Privacy Policy.
19. Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of New Zealand. Any dispute arising in connection with them will be resolved in the New Zealand courts.
20. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms from time to time. The current version is always available on this page. The version in effect at the date of your quote acceptance is the version that applies to that job.
21. Contact
Questions about these terms can be sent to office@alpinetreeservices.co.nz or by phone on 022 354 5534, Monday to Saturday, 7am to 5pm.
