Fruit trees are a whole different thing then pretty trees. Managing landscape trees is like doing a Disney puzzle, managing fruit trees is like a Rubik's cube. (overstated, but couldn't think of a better contrast)

Apparently this is your only experience with fruit trees in however long you have been at this, which presumably is while since you have employees that work out of your sight. Don't waste time or risk a bad reputation.

Refer the owner to this forum and let them manage the fruit trees themselves. It is fun and rewarding. People of all walks of life and income levels do it and participate here.

NO pruning should be done on the tree until spring, btw

Hotwired, are you sure there wasn't any cold injury to buds or frost damage to blossoms? How are others trees doing in the area?

It is hard to tell from the pictures, but it looks like all the fruiting spurs were removed... oops!

At a minimum, trees should be pruned to resolve conflict between branches competing for the same space. You don't want them rubbing the bark off of each other. Thinning is only critical if the tree will not be able to support the weight. You don't want branches breaking or trees toppling over. Aside from that, pruning is mostly for optimal production of high quality fruit. I have mature apple trees I rarely ever prune because the average fruit size is what I want and the trees are more than capable of supporting a full load. However, I always take the time to shape young trees in the first few years. Unfortunately, shaping a tree is an art that depends on a number factors that will not be the same for every situation. Thinning a tree already shaped is little more systematic and easy to teach.

My former gardener (retired, not fired) once removed the fruiting spurs from a tree, thinking they were suckers. It did recover - I don't remember how long it took. I never let him touch a fruit tree again. I prefer to do my own gardening but at the time was limited by tendonitis.

I got rid of my landscapers my second year of orcharding. They were just too dangerous to have around.

The purpose of fruit trees is to bear fruit. Pruning removes fruiting wood. Prune judiciously because of it and stand by the maxim never make a cut without a reason. When in doubt leave it and see. I found a lot of spindly little crap on the trunk was fruiting wood the next year.

So now I don't remove anything except for size, damage, disease, waterspouts (scions), inappropriate growth or suckers.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fruit Trees: Training and Pruning Deciduous Trees (CA)

You definitely don't want to rush them with fertilizer because you will be increasing your chance for fireblight with fast new growth. Patience is the only cure to the problem I know of. They will need pruning next year to take out some of the new growth from this year that will result in crossed branches etc.

Oops I pruned my 2year old Granny Smith Apple in early fall! What will happen and how can I fix it?

Don't worry. There is nothing to be done other than to see pow the tree reacts and that won't be till next spring.