AIBU to cancel the gardener because it might be a scam, but I don't know how?

[BehemothWatermelon]

My garden is completely overgrown, so I emailed a few local companies to see if they could cut it back, got no reply.
On Thursday I used a "find a gardener" service called Bark, put in all the details, apparently they tender for business and the companies get in touch with you.
Yesterday a bloke rang me, asked what I want doing, asked if he could come look to quote at 3pm, I said yes. I was WFH so didn't Google him there and then.
He didn't turn up, rang me at 4 saying his van had broken down and he'd now borrowed one from a colleague, and could he come quote at 5, I said yes.
He turned up, wearing a logo t-shirt with the company name on, friendly, seemed to know what he was talking about.
Quoted £400 which is genuinely about what I was expecting, and said he and 2 colleagues could come on Sunday and do the work.
I was really surprised they wanted to work on a bank holiday Sunday but figured it was up to them so said yes. He said pay when work is done.
He said they couldn't do all the work in one day but they're a local firm so could come back in future to do more. OK. His accent wasn't local but people move to new areas, no problem.
I saw their van drive off and it was just a small white van, no logo.
Yesterday I googled them and can't find them anywhere. I checked Bark and there's no website linked, and the email address attached to their profile is a different name to the man I met. They have 4 reviews, all 5 star, all in August.
I can't find them on checkatrade.
For some reason I feel nervous that they're not a real company.
But if they've quoted for the work and they come do the work, does it matter?
it's only hedges, non-professional gardeners cut hedges all the time, and they can do work tomorrow which is good.
I'm a disabled woman (physically but invisibly unless I'm in a flare up)
living alone but they're not coming inside. I am going out tomorrow afternoon but I'm not worried about leaving them in my garden. What's the worst that could happen?
But something isnt feeling 100% right.
I think I'm going to text him to ask for their website info.
Should I be worried?
Should I cancel them?
(they haven't asked for a cheque so no cheque to cancel!)
(I think there's a poll added, I can't see on my phone, so
AIBU
yes - you're being paranoid and it'll be fine
no - sounds bit weird, trust your gut?

I absolutely wouldn’t let someone do work in my garden if I wasn’t there.

Paying on completion instead of upfront suggests it's less likely to be a scam. I'd want to be there when they were though.
Did you get the full name of the chap you met? Google that and not just the company. Or maybe a post on a local Facebook group to see if anyone else has used them?

You haven’t paid them so it’s fine. Let them come Sunday (or see if they turn up) and then pay them if they do the job required. Given you’ve not departed from any money I don’t really understand how you think it’s a scam.

I got scammed by a tradesman once and he made me pay a deposit only c.£100 then they never turned up for the work. Excuse after excuse and then even asked for more money for materials which I refused. It was a lesson learnt for me!!

Cutting back and pruning properly does take some knowledge and skill...
FYI
https://www.thorstrees.co.uk/blog/tips-and-learning/a-homeowners-guide-to-conifer-maintenance/#:~:text=However%2C%20conifers%20are%20different%20–%20they,autumn%20could%20cause%20permanent%20damage.

https://www.thorstrees.co.uk/blog/tips-and-learning/how-to-spot-a-tree-surgeon-cowboy/

The site suggests these questions - (as you have trees of 5m)

1. Do you provide a free written quotation? Your tree surgeon should happily provide you with a breakdown of what they intend to do and what this will cost. It is vital to avoid the cowboy’s preference for giving you one price verbally then attempting to charge you another once they’ve finished. If they are reluctant to give you a free written quote for the project, then say goodbye, shut the door, and breath a sigh of relief.
2. Are you insured, and can I see your certificate? A professional tree specialist should be able to provide you with evidence of their employers and public liability insurance. The recommended minimum cover for their insurance is £5m. If they are not insured, or inadequately insured, you may not be financially protected should things go horribly wrong and people or property are harmed. Make sure you call the insurance company to check whether their insurance is valid, some cowboys use fake documents or cancel thier insurance once they recieve the certificate.
3. What qualifications do you all have? Every member of their team should be trained to work with the dangerous equipment and under the dangerous conditions. The National Proficiency Tests Council (NPTC) provides tree surgeons with their training and they should all, as a minimum, have certificates in maintaining a chainsaw, felling and processing small trees, tree climbing and aerial rescue, use of chainsaw at height and first aid. Generally, the more training the tree surgeon commits to undertaking, the more pride they have in their workmanship.
4. What professional organisations are you a member of? There are a number in the UK, but the main two are the Arboricultural Association and Lantra. Though voluntary, companies that are members of these professional organisations have agreed to live up to the standards expected of their members.
5. Have you any references you can show me? Any arborist or tree surgeon worth their salt should be able to provide you with a folder full of references from happy customers. If they are reluctant to do so, then think twice about using them.

I'm a professional gardener, I got no business through having a website so stopped paying for the site name and support. Don't use chechatrade or any other ones like it too expensive. I'm never not busy...I was working 70+hours a week until I cut back a couple of years ago.
If they turn up and do the work great. If not what have you lost. If they hack back too much it will grow again.
What I have found is that lots of people start gardening businesses in the summer but quit in the winter or when they get another job

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/hedges/pruning-hedges

Nesting birds
When undertaking work on garden hedges, check first that there are no nesting birds, as it is an offence under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 to damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built. The nesting season is usually considered to run from March to August, but it can be longer.

I've messaged him outlining the work and agreed cost and he replied
"Hi yes we will be there tomorrow at 10 and of course everything done for yourself that we have agreed on 400 that is all of the waste removing cash would be preferred but don't worry about it if you can't do cash we can do transfer"
I checked with an ornithologist friend re hedge trimming at this time of year too.
My garden is so overgrown it's really wildfire friendly, all the sparrows live in the hedges at the front which I will cut myself later in the year.
I do still feel apprehensive but I think maybe I'm overreacting.

Yes this is the bit I was wondering about, is the £400 for everything or just the day that is planned. Then just how much will they be doing for that amount, say for example it is not very much and then you pay them, and then they don't return to do the rest, that is the only part I see an issue with.

I think I’m quite savvy about scams but I got scammed a few months ago when my usual gardener was sick and I was desperate to get the garden tidied and a fence panel replaced. He started off very reliable and arrived to cut the lawns and tidy the garden and we were waiting for delivery of the fence panel in a few days time.

He was still on Facebook available for work and despite being fairly local and fitting the fence panel would take a few minutes he then became hard to reach with the lies and excuses of his child having an accident, vans breaking down etc etc My usual gardener inserted the fence panel in place in the end and the scammer when told his services weren’t now required then said he would be with me to collect the rest of the money for the fence panel which had already been paid for when he cut the lawns. Suddenly amazingly he was available!

I found him on a local Facebook Recommends page and found out after the fact the only people recommending him were mainly his friends and family 🙄I don’t rate Bark either after past experience so sympathise it is hard to find someone trustworthy. Maybe in the future ask friends and family if they know of anyone or just keep an eye out round the local area to see the gardeners working in neighbours gardens.

I wouldn’t be worried about the lack of internet presence as my very reliable regular gardener doesn’t have one and a lot don’t if they are local and rely on word of mouth to get jobs. I will just echo some of the advice on here and say don’t pay them until the job is completed, don’t pay them any extra if the cost suddenly increases and get proof you have paid him if it’s cash.

Fortunately the advice I received on here was on point and my scammer went away after threatening to show up on my doorstep or take away my fence panel when he realised I wasn’t a walk over and wouldn’t be getting any extra money out of me.

Really hope your suspicions are wrong and they turn up and do a good job tomorrow.

Oh, ffs. This man isn't representing himself as a tree surgeon. He's offering basic and low-skilled gardening services — cutting back hedges (not trees) and the kind of work which, if the OP had a hedge-trimmer and was in a physical state to do it herself, she would do herself.

At each house I've lived in I've had to use the services of a tree surgeon and I've never asked for any of these four points. I've got numbers from people who've had trees taken down, asked for a price and on each occasion the work has been well and successfully completed. Having the latest tree surgeon completely remove a huge, old ash tree with dieback in October. Haven't asked for references or whether he's a member of a professional body. Professional bodies mean nothing: they just taken £250 a year from you, give you a sticker to put on your vehicle and give people like you the false reassurance that everything's official. I know: I've been a member of several during my long working career.

Do you know how many hours you are getting for £400? Also, can you ask a friend to come round while they are there?

Update, they got here 2 hours late but they're cracking on and it looks fine!
I'm going out for 10mins to get them some cash but I'm going to stay in the rest of the time, so they're not here without me other than 10 mins.

Also I told my neighbour I felt a bit nervous, and she took pics of them and their van out of her window!

So have they promised to complete the job today?
Or has he explained why he originally said it would take longer than a day for three of them?!
Have you put anything in writing? (even just details of exactly what they're doing - eg "cutting the hedge down to a height of 6 ft")
Or seen any ID that proves who they are?
Do you know where they're taking the garden waste?
Do they have a shredder?

Great they’ve shown up although being 2 hours late isn’t a good start. From one who was stung please make sure you get some sort of proof you have handed the cash over and don’t hand the whole amount over until the job is finished.

@Cynicaltheorist did you notice the username of the poster you quoted? Lol Horti1 as in horticulturalist. They might even be a tree surgeon! rather than "people like you" who need "the false reassurance that everything's official". No offence taken ;)

Hope everything went ok today op and they did a good job?

I was hoping for an update.

Did you get it sorted? Was everything ok?

Hello, I planned to update but got a new phone and lost my log in.
It went OK, they did try to leave without finishing everything so I had to ask them to do that, and I definitely think I got ripped off for the price.
But it's mostly done, the garden looks better, and they didn't cause any trouble.
I did make a mistake in accepting them without checking properly, I've definitely learnt from it and will be more careful in future.
thank for your support.

Did they ask you to pay extra to complete the job?