Can we talk about how a simple root collar exam turned into a 3 hour dig?

Had a client in Austin with a red oak that was declining, and I figured it would be a quick root flare check, maybe 20 minutes. Ended up spending almost 3 hours with a hand trowel and an air spade because someone had planted it 6 inches too deep 15 years ago and the girdling roots were wrapped around the trunk like a basket. My back was wrecked, the client kept coming out to ask if I was done, and I still had two other jobs that day. If you're doing planting inspections, budget way more time than you think you need, because nursery stock is almost always buried too deep. Has anyone found a faster way to expose the flare without going full archaeological dig?