Homeowners are being warned to be wary of a group of men who offer to cut down trees and then charge thousands of dollars for the job.
New Zealand Arborculture Society executive member Jerry Lynch, of Dunedin, yesterday said the "gang" of Polynesian men was travelling around the country "door-knocking" for work.
They mainly targeted elderly residents who, he said, were often intimidated by the men, who sometimes claimed they were working for their church.
One Balclutha couple was visited by the men recently and quoted $2500 to remove a large tree. When the work was done, the men demanded the couple pay $5000 for their efforts.
Mr Lynch said not only were the men "stinging" people with hefty bills for often unnecessary work, the standard of their work was also "shocking".
"These guys turn up at your door, talk you into letting them do the work for you, do a poor job then charge you much much more than what the job is worth. It annoys us [the society] because vulnerable people are being unfairly targeted by these guys."
Mr Lynch said the men were doing nothing illegal but he seriously questioned their ethics.
"We like to let people know whenever these people turn up in their patch. Hopefully, after some media attention, they move on," he said.
