How should I handle this?

[Bogertophis]

.....We never saw the dude again. I thought the best of him for a couple days, and finally admitted to myself that we got the shaft. In our case we mostly got our moneys worth, so I let it go because I got strong vibes the dude was dangerous....

I'm so glad you listened to those vibes. Tree work is one of those dangerous occupations that not everyone wants- especially if they qualify for other work. I've hired a great many tree guys over the years, & I'm glad I never got vibes like that from any of them, though I found out later on that one of them WAS a real problem, well-known to local law enforcement (& he ended up in jail again), but still, the work he & his crew did for me was great. And it's always better to end such jobs on a positive note- you made a wise decision.

Anyway, I don't think that's what's going on with the OP's situation- but something's not right.