Arbtech Consulting Ltd Reviews 583

TrustScore 4 out of 5

4.2

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Evaluating 37 reviews, reviewers had a great experience with this company. Customers frequently praise the staff for their professionalism, helpfulness, and extensive knowledge, making interactions smooth and pleasant. The service is consistently described as efficient and reliable, with many appreciating the quick response times and rapid turnaround on reports, which is especially beneficial for tight deadlines. People also highlight the excellent communication and high standard of work delivered, often noting that their needs were taken into consideration. However, some customers also noted concerns regarding pricing, describing it as astronomical and feeling that the process was not good value. A few other people also felt that the customer service was poor, experiencing slow response times, dismissiveness, and a lack of thoroughness in inspections, leading to unnecessary stress and delays.

What people talk about most

Staff

Customers consistently note positive experiences with staff, highlighting their approachability, helpfulness,... See more

Service

Clients share positive opinions on service, with many reviewers consistently praising the efficiency,... See more

Response time

Consumers find response times to be positive, with many reviewers praising the quick responses to inquiries... See more

Price

Reviewers highlight ambiguous aspects of price, with some customers finding the pricing competitive and... See more

Customer service

People report ambiguous experiences with customer service, with some reviewers expressing disappointment due... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A very efficient company, everything was on time and the report was comprehensive. An amendment was needed due to my error and Katie Belbin was a star and it was quickly changed and the report sent ba... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Katie has conducted our survey in Epsom in polite and professional manner. She is very knowledgeable in all aspects involving her work and took her time to explain the process. I won't hesitate to... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Arbtech were very responsive and helpful from the initial enquiry right through to undertaking the initial survey. Our PEA was completed by Kirk Mason, who was exceptionally thorough, and really... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

We required a Preliminary Risk Assessment Phase 1. Charlie was a pleasure to deal with throughout the process. Very friendly and accommodating, making everything run smoothly. I’ll be sure to contact... See more


Company details

  1. Environmental Consultant

Written by the company

The UK’s leading Biodiversity, Bat and Tree Survey Experts - Bat Surveys, Tree Surveys, Ecological Consultants, Ecology Surveys for Planning Permission across the UK


Contact info

4.2

Great

TrustScore 4 out of 5

583 reviews

5-star
4-star
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1-star

Asks customers to review

This company invites their customers to review, whether positive or negative

Replied to 57% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 1 week

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great speedy service

Great speedy service, very professional and unintrusive when conducting surveys.

15 October 2025
Arbtech Consulting Ltd logo

Reply from Arbtech Consulting Ltd

Thanks for the review Jack!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Arbtech have been amazing

Arbtech have been amazing, provided a quote quickly. Report received next day, really took our needs into consideration and was reflected well in the report. Charlie in particular was outstanding, professional, and really prompt. Thank you for the exceptional customer service.

14 October 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Arbtech Consulting Ltd

Thanks for the review Lisa! Glad we could help

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Katie has conducted our survey in Epsom…

Katie has conducted our survey in Epsom in polite and professional manner. She is very knowledgeable in all aspects involving her work and took her time to explain the process.

I won't hesitate to reccomend her!

1 October 2025
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Reply from Arbtech Consulting Ltd

Thanks Michael!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Very good

Fay was responsive and helpful during the process, her report was thorough and included really helpful advice on a number of topics.

15 August 2025
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Reply from Arbtech Consulting Ltd

Thanks Maria

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

If I could rate this company a 0 I…

If I could rate this company a 0 I would!!

Absolutely disgusting money making scheme.

Arbtech are not in anyway shape or form good at communication. We needed 2 bat surveys to determine any bat roosts in order to get planning permission.

Tell me why these 3 surveys have cost me over £13,000 and still are continuing to charge me 3k plus for a woman to come on site and give a tool talk?? We paid for rapid service which states between 2-5 days. The lady had emailed and suggested she can come and visit the site in 5-6 weeks. But Arbtech have charged me 3k for someone to do it in 2-5 days!?

Your ecologists are absolutely useless and couldn’t answer even one question we had. It takes 5 working days for anyone to email back and when you on a tight time schedule to get planning permission sorted this is really not helpful.

Unless you are a millionaire and money doesn’t matter to you, DO NOT use this company.
I will be writing a formal complaint and will be asking for compensation!!

28 August 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Arbtech Consulting Ltd

We’re sorry to hear that you feel this way about your experience. We always take feedback seriously and want to provide clarity around your concerns.

You mention the costs of your surveys. Please note that all costs were shared transparently upfront, agreed in advance, and confirmed by you before we proceeded. The rapid service option you selected is indeed more expensive, but it was chosen to meet your planning timetable. This was entirely at your discretion, and we worked to accommodate your request as quickly as possible.

Regarding timescales: our rapid service commitment is that surveys are scheduled between 2–5 working days wherever ecologist availability and survey conditions allow. In your case, we did everything possible to deliver within those parameters.

As for communication, our team responded to all enquiries within our standard service timeframe. While we understand the stress that planning deadlines can bring, our ecologists provided all the required survey data and reports to help progress your application.

We would like to reassure future clients reading this that Arbtech does not apply hidden charges. Every cost is agreed upfront, and we pride ourselves on transparency and professionalism.

We regret that you’re unhappy, but we stand by the quality of our work and the accuracy of the information provided to you. If you’d like to discuss this further, please do reach out to us directly. We’re always happy to resolve matters constructively.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

High Standard of Work & Communication.

Communication has been brilliant and a very high standard of work delivered for a good price. i look forward to working with them again on future projects.

17 July 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Arbtech Consulting Ltd

Thanks! Looking forward to working with you again soon

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

They advertise as bat emergence from…

They advertise as bat emergence from £700 ish. Come to the site, no signs of bat but a few dropping, lady said to my that there was no roost then got a quote for over £17000 pounds! £17k!!!!!! And stated bat roots high probability

This company is nothing but a rip off! I'd avoid them at all costs, they pray on the fact that you now need and ecology report and rip the life out of you for it its disgusting

1 May 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Arbtech Consulting Ltd

Hi Danny. The initial survey is to determine if your property has bats present or potential for bats. Droppings found clearly indicate bat activity and therefore more surveys would be required by your local authority in order for you to get planning. The follow on survey needs multiple visits and multiple surveyors, which can be costly. It's a shame that you feel we are ripping you off, but as a business we do have charge money for the services we provide so that we can continue to help tens of thousands of people through the planning process every year.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Quick to respond and very knowledgeable

We’ve used Arbtech on multiple projects over the past few years and have always been very impressed with their team and the quality of their work. We’ve worked with them across a range of services including BNG, ecology, and arboriculture, and every time the experience has been excellent.

Their responsiveness and rapid turnaround service have been particularly helpful, especially when tight deadlines have come up. On a recent project, we faced significant challenges with the local planning authority, and the team went above and beyond, proactively liaising with various stakeholders and departments to help move things forward.

Overall, we’ve been consistently pleased with their service and professionalism and would highly recommend them to anyone needing reliable and knowledgeable support in these fields.

30 June 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

This company is just in it for the money

I had a very disappointing experience with this company regarding a Preliminary Roost Assessment (PRA) for bats. The surveyor spent no more than 20 minutes at the property, briefly shining a torch around with no in-depth inspection. Despite only identifying very low risks, they exaggerated the findings and categorized the property as “high risk,” requiring a costly follow-up survey — conveniently offered by them at a premium rate.

The quotation for the second report was outrageously expensive, far exceeding quotes I later received from other reputable companies. The entire process felt like a money-making scheme rather than a genuine ecological service. I strongly advise others to compare multiple providers before proceeding, and to be cautious when dealing with assessments that seem overly alarmist without proper evidence.

I had another company come out who totally dismissed the fact that bats could be roosting and explained that the report i had received was very contradicting

Thank you for your reply.

With respect, I must strongly disagree with your conclusions. I’ve since had another qualified ecologist team conduct a full assessment, along with my roofing contractor, and both have confirmed there is no feasible way for bats to roost in the structure. Their inspection involved camera monitoring and a detailed evaluation of the site — in stark contrast to the brief 20-minute visit carried out during the initial assessment.

In addition to this, I would like to raise serious concerns regarding the quality and professionalism of the original report. There were clear discrepancies in the document that later had to be amended. These errors arose because the report was not reviewed, signed off, or verified by a senior ecologist or member of staff. In fact, it appears the assessment was conducted solely by a graduate, with no institutional oversight or formal endorsement from the organisation. That, in itself, raises questions about its credibility and reliability — especially when such reports are being used to justify major delays and substantial costs.

Speaking of costs, the pricing provided was not simply high — it was astronomical. One of the “cheapest” options was curiously marked as “sold out,” while another proposal quoted over £6,000 plus VAT for a second visit. This goes far beyond reasonable environmental mitigation and gives the impression of an exploitative process.

To be clear: I fully support wildlife protection, including bats. But I will not accept being misled or financially pressured under the guise of conservation — particularly when the foundational report is flawed, unverified, and contradicted by other fully qualified professionals.

I am currently reviewing this matter further and will be submitting the findings from the second ecological team to the appropriate authorities if necessary.

8 May 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Arbtech Consulting Ltd

Hi Lian. We appreciate it's never nice to hear that you need further surveys that can be costly. However, the time a surveyor spends on your site makes no difference at all, and there were no exaggerations or anything 'alarmist'. A feature on your development was clearly and obviously classified as having a high habitat value. Therefore your LPA will need follow on surveys for you to get planning. Any ecologist who 'dismissed the fact that bats could be roosting' simply couldn't do that without stage 2 surveys. The follow on surveys we provide are not at a 'premium rate', although they might be more expensive than the other quotes you had. The price is what we need to cover the costs of multiple ecologists carrying out multiple phase 2 surveys.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Very professional and helpful

Used Arbtech for a number of surveys to support a planning application, including BNG, Bat Emergence and Preliminary surveys.
Working with Michelle Huang​​​​ was a pleasure, she was very knowledgable, efficient and polite.
Was a pleasure working with her and Arbtech.

4 June 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Thank you!

We required a Preliminary Risk Assessment Phase 1. Charlie was a pleasure to deal with throughout the process. Very friendly and accommodating, making everything run smoothly. I’ll be sure to contact Charlie again next time we need assistance.

12 June 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Whilst experiencing recent issues…

Whilst experiencing recent issues relating to an on-going planning permission and potential traces of contamination, Arbtech introduced me to Charlie Radiven who advised she was experienced within this field. I was absolutely blown away, not with just the knowledge, customer service, and the speed in which she was able to turnaround a report, but that fact she had both the experience and history of working with the necessary council, but also previous communications and associated interactions with the one of the council planning officer's. CR and Arbtech not only delivered with this project, but went above and beyond, to exceed expectations. This pending planning permission was already experiencing heavy delays and timings, but I couldn't be more appreciative of the effort made to turn an anticipated disaster into a positive outcome.

28 May 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Laurence

Laurence

Laurence was quick and efficient with the delivery of the HRA

5 June 2025
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Very professional and helpful

We have used Arbtech numerous times now for all our BNG requirements very professional and helpful. Chantae was especially helpful on the last site when we need things doing quickly. Will be using them on our next site.

27 May 2025
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Never even got back with a quote.

Requested quote over two weeks ago - heard nothing.

14 May 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Arbtech Consulting Ltd

We're sorry we were not able to send you your quote within our usual time frame Mark. The run-up to bat season is getting extremely busy but we're currently hiring to meet the extra demand.

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