The two clauses that matter most — please read these before you book:
These terms and conditions ("Terms") apply to tree removal bookings made through TB'S Trees — whether through the instant-quote tool at tbstrees.com.au/instant-quote/, by phone, or by email. Placing a booking — instant or free-quote — means you have read these Terms and agreed to be bound by them.
In these Terms, "TB'S Trees", "we", "us" and "our" refer to TB'S Trees, the family-owned arborist business operated by Tom Brinkman and based at Axedale, Victoria. "You" and "your" refer to the customer placing the booking.
These Terms apply to tree removal work specifically. Firewood and mulch product sales are governed by a separate document at tbstrees.com.au/terms/. Tree lopping, pruning, hedge trimming and other tree services are quoted and contracted separately on each job — the terms agreed in your written quote take precedence for those services.
When you submit the instant-quote form, you are warranting — to the best of your knowledge — that:
If the information you provided is materially false or misleading, TB'S Trees reserves the right, on arrival, to:
"Materially false or misleading" means information that, if disclosed accurately, would have changed the price band, required additional equipment, additional crew, additional time, or additional permits. Honest mistakes about tree size of a metre or two, or about the exact dimension of an obstacle, are not material misrepresentation.
This is the most important clause in this document. The instant-quote price covers the work as you described it on the form and in the photos you uploaded. Anything else — obstacles, conditions or features that were not disclosed in the form OR visible in the uploaded photos — is a "variation".
Examples of variations include (but are not limited to):
How variations are handled:
Variation disputes. If you disagree with a variation assessment, raise it on the day — not after the work is done. Once work has commenced under a variation, the variation price is payable.
In Victoria, work near powerlines is regulated by Energy Safe Victoria (ESV). Specific clearances must be maintained from energised lines, and proximity work requires either ESV-accredited line-clearance crews or formal de-energisation by Powercor/AusNet.
When you submit the instant-quote form, you warrant either:
TB'S Trees may decline on arrival if proximity work requires accreditation or permits beyond what is currently held by the crew on the day. In that case, the original scope is completed where safe (or rescheduled at our discretion), and the callout fee applies if the job cannot proceed at all.
If you are unsure whether your tree is near a regulated line, tick "service lines" on the form. We will treat it as part of the scope and adjust the price accordingly — that is the safest path for both of us.
When you submit the instant-quote form, you warrant that the tree:
If, on arrival, the tree's condition is materially different from this warrant, the work becomes a variation under Section 3. In severe cases — for example, a hollow tree that cannot be safely climbed, or a tree that requires crane assistance — TB'S Trees may decline on arrival under Section 9.
You do not need to be an arborist to make this warrant — "to the best of your knowledge" is enough. We accept that you can't see what's inside the trunk. The warrant is about visible, externally-obvious conditions only.
The City of Greater Bendigo applies planning controls that protect certain trees — significant trees, native trees of a certain size, heritage-listed trees, and trees in vegetation protection overlays. Removing a protected tree without a permit is a planning-law breach.
You are responsible for confirming with the City of Greater Bendigo that your tree is not protected, before the scheduled work date. We can advise generally, but we do not lodge permits as a standard service and we are not the consent authority.
If, on arrival, the tree is found to be protected and lacks the required permit:
Council planning information for Bendigo is available at bendigo.vic.gov.au.
For instant-quote bookings, TB'S Trees guarantees the displayed price for the disclosed scope for 30 days from form submission. As long as the work is scheduled to occur within that 30-day window, the price you saw on the calculator is the price for the disclosed scope.
If you don't schedule within 30 days, the price may be requoted — we'll let you know if the price has changed and you can decide whether to proceed.
The price guarantee applies only to the scope you disclosed. Variations under Section 3 are priced on the day and are not covered by this guarantee.
By you (the customer):
These fees compensate TB'S Trees for crew time blocked out, fuel and other unrecoverable costs.
By TB'S Trees:
TB'S Trees may decline to proceed on arrival if site conditions present an unacceptable safety risk. Examples include:
Where we decline on arrival for a safety reason that was not disclosed in the original form (and was not apparent from photos), a $350 callout fee applies and the job is rescheduled or cancelled by agreement. Where the safety issue is something we should have anticipated from the information you provided, no callout fee applies.
Before our crew arrives, you must:
Where you have advised that access is suitable, you accept the ordinary risk of marks to driveways, lawns and other surfaces from a heavy work vehicle. We drive carefully but cannot guarantee zero impact, particularly on soft ground or after rain.
TB'S Trees insurance. We carry public liability insurance appropriate to the scale of the work we do. Our crew is trained, ticketed and works to recognised arboricultural standards.
Customer permit responsibility. As set out in Section 6, you are responsible for checking whether your tree is protected under City of Greater Bendigo planning controls and obtaining any required permit before the scheduled date. We can advise generally but do not lodge permits as a standard service.
If the work requires a permit that you have not obtained and we discover this on arrival, Section 6 applies.
How we use your photos. Photos you upload (of the tree, access route and any obstacles) are used solely to:
How long we keep them. Uploaded photos are retained for the life of the job plus 7 years — this matches typical insurance and dispute-resolution timeframes. After that period, photos are deleted from our records.
What we don't do with your photos. We do not share them with third parties (except where required by law or where necessary for a specific insurance claim arising from your job). We do not use them in marketing, on our website, or on social media without your separate written consent.
How tree removal bookings are paid:
No deposit is required for standard residential tree removal bookings. We reserve the right to require a 20% deposit for jobs with a locked-in price of more than $4,000, or where the booking is more than 30 days out.
Variations under Section 3 are payable in cash on completion of the variation, separately from the locked-in price.
What we currently do not accept: credit or debit card payments, online payment cards, BNPL services, account credit, or invoicing on terms.
Prices shown on the instant-quote tool do not include GST. Whether GST is added to your booking depends on our current GST registration status. We will confirm GST treatment with you when we confirm your booking.
All prices on the instant-quote tool are in Australian dollars (AUD).
Limitation of our liability. Subject to Section 17 (Australian Consumer Law), our liability for any single tree-removal booking is limited to the locked-in price you paid for that booking. We are not liable for indirect or consequential losses — for example, lost amenity, lost time, lost income, distress, or damage to undisclosed underground services.
Force majeure. We are not liable for delay or non-performance caused by events outside our reasonable control — severe weather, bushfire, road closures, vehicle breakdowns, illness, or government direction. We will reschedule or refund as appropriate.
Site risks accepted by you. Where you have advised that access is suitable, you accept the ordinary risk of marks to driveways, lawns and other surfaces. Where you have not disclosed underground services, we are not liable for damage to those services discovered during work.
What we collect. When you submit the instant-quote form, we collect: your name, phone, email, delivery/job address, suburb, preferred date, the details of your tree assessment, the photos you uploaded, and any free-text notes you provided.
How we use it. We use this information only to take and confirm your booking, plan and deliver the work, communicate with you about the job, provide a receipt, and keep records as required for tax and business purposes.
Sharing. We do not sell or share your personal information with third parties for marketing. We may share information where required by law, with our accountant for tax and bookkeeping, or with our insurer in the event of a claim arising from your job.
Retention. Booking records are retained as required by Australian tax and business record-keeping rules — typically 5 years from the date of the transaction. Photos are retained for the life of the job + 7 years as set out in Section 12.
Cookies and the website. Our website uses standard browser features for the in-progress quote (session storage on your device) so a page refresh does not wipe your selections. We do not run third-party tracking or advertising cookies on this website at this time.
Our services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a refund or alternative for a major failure of service, and to compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have a service performed again if it fails to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.
Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes any non-excludable consumer guarantee, condition, warranty, right or remedy implied by the Australian Consumer Law.
For more information about your rights as a consumer, see the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission website at accc.gov.au and Consumer Affairs Victoria at consumer.vic.gov.au.
We may update these Terms from time to time — for example, to reflect changes in our pricing structure, the modifiers we offer, the law, or our insurance arrangements. The current version is always available at tbstrees.com.au/terms/tree-removal/ with the effective date shown at the top.
An updated version applies to bookings placed after its effective date. Bookings already confirmed at the time of an update are not affected — they remain governed by the version of the Terms in force when the booking was confirmed.
For any questions about these Terms, your booking, or anything else:
These Terms apply to tree removal bookings. For firewood and mulch product orders see our separate firewood and mulch terms. For tree pruning, lopping, stump grinding, hedge trimming and other arborist services, the terms agreed in your written quote take precedence.