Cherryfield Ecology

I've just had a stage 2 bat survey completed by Cherryfield Ecology on the back of a stage one survey where they found a few droppings in the loft. With stage 2 we had three surveys completed and at every survey they turned up with a camera and two surveyors.After each survey the two surveyors present always seemed to think they had seen something but were never very confident. The report came through and it was a very obvious cut and paste job with only the sighting details modified and local information. The survey didn't reflect they had made assumptions, but made a very confident recording of what had been seen and where it had entered the building. The right hand side of the building is impossible to see the roof unless your on the flat roof to the side of it. However was clearly marked where it had entered and the path it had taken. When the surveyors spoke to each other during the survey one had seen a bat fly passed and the other had not seen it come out of the other side. So an assumption was made that it had entered and not a visual sighting.I questioned the director Martin and he said they used their professional judgement to assume it had gone in. I would of preferred to have seen a true reflection of what they had seen on the survey.Not to worry they had cameras at every survey, surely they caught something. They hadn't caught anything and seem to dismiss the fact a camera was present. I had at this point commissioned Cherryfield for work in the region of £2.5k for a stage 1 and 2 survey. They have recommended that I have bat boxes, a license and people present when parts of the roof are removed proceeding to at least another £2k worth of work. Sure that is the right thing to do and what we will do, but feels like I should of received something far more explicit and comprehensive to warrant this additional work.Expressed my concerns to Martin who dismissed them at every point and was immediately very defensive. Told me very clearly that is was a minor expense in the grand scheme of things probably less then 1%. To me £4.5k is a lot of money regardless of the cost of the project. Spoke to Martin for a lengthy period of time and felt like there was far too much defense, rather then what we can do to reassure you.I've been in business for over 20 years and when someone expresses a concern you immediately look to rectify and think of how I can rectify and not push back and tell a customer you don't know what your talking about and the this is the problem with the internet everyone thinks they know it all when I asked about the equipment carried and why they all didn't carry cameras. The conversation reminded me of the responses used by rogue traders on the BBC.Take time and consideration when selecting a company for a bat survey as it could become very costly in the future. Was hoping to have a positive conversation when asking about the footage, I did suggest they place a camera in the area where they believe there were sightings, but that was laughed off and they said it may have moved on within a week. However were very adamant we must have bats if they found a couple of droppings, months ago.No doubt I may have bats but would of liked to at least seen an image of one after paying what we did. This industry needs to be more regulated. I have held payment at this point on the last invoice, which made the other director Tanya very annoyed, saying she would pursue at every point possible. Alarm bells should of started ringing when they asked for such a explicit set of terms and conditions to be signed and half the payment before they take the booking. This could of easily been rectified with the right attitude from Cherryfield.

Fantastic. We required a bat survey report and mitigation license to carry out an extension to our house in an AONB. The communication and advice we received from Martin and his team was fantastic from the first phone call. They gave estimates on timescales for each piece of work and always met or exceeded them. Heather from Cherryfield attended site to supervise the stripping of the roof. She was incredibly knowledgeable, passionate and created a really positive environment on-site. She communicated clearly to the builder and their team, created a collaborative environment between client, builder and roofers to ensure that all protocol was followed to get the works completed efficiently, whilst protecting the wildlife on-site. I will absolutely work with them again and would recommend others do the same. Thank you Martin and the Cherryfield team!

Would absolutely recommend their service. Excellent communication and very much prepared to carry out the requested work as soon as they could. Extremely knowledgeable and willing to discuss any concerns we had. I also found them to be very flexible with what was an ever changing project. Price was very competitive too, even though I would certainly pay more knowing what a comprehensive service they offer.

Very good service from Cherryfield who did our bat survey. Quick responses to emails, thorough survey of our house and garage, well structured and presented report done quickly. Thanks

When we heard we needed a PRA for our planning permission approval, we feared the worst and were rather uneducated about it all. Martin at Cherryfield Ecology took the time to explain everything to us on the phone, and was friendly, honest and professional throughout. The appointment was booked in with ease and carried out promptly. Furthermore, the report was emailed to us just 48 hours later which has really helped us out time wise. I would definitely recommend their services to friends and family should they ever require it.

I approached three companies for a quote for a PEA and waited for the quotes and availability dates to come in. You have to sign a booking form to get a date from Cherryfield. Once all dates were received I chose the date most convenient to us. Once I let Cherryfield know I was working with someone else I was sent a bill for work not carried out. When I called to sort it out I was shouted at by Martin O’Connor a thoroughly awful man. The company I chose to use - Arbtech have been fantastic and said they would never do this and have offered to use the data from Cherryfield if they send through so I don’t pay twice. That’s great customer service! As a business owner myself it amazes me that any company owner would take such a short term approach to customer relations. Use at your peril! I was also told by the local council that of the three companies I received quotes from Cherryfield was the least reliable with the most variable work and results.

Thank you Martin for making time to discuss at length the PRA, explaining everything in a very professional and honest manor. Your thorough site inspection and detailed reporting has proven invaluable in progressing in tandem with the ecology on site. I highly anticipate recommending Cherryfield Ecology to my colleagues.

Excellent service! Very professional and knowledgable. Would definitely recommend to friends and family.

Martin and his team are consistent and prompt problem solvers. They deliver a great service that includes guidance around technical issues, whilst being both ecological and economical. I would happily recommended cherry field ecology, and often do!

Responded straightaway to initial enquiry, explained process and costs clearly, survey was carried out very efficiently, and report came through very quickly afterwards. Martin was very professional and easy to work with by email, on the phone and in person throughout the process, would happily recommend.