Handling Complaints About Firewood Sold

[codygary12]

Hey Guys, looking for advice on how to deal with customers having problems burning my firewood.

Little Background-

I started selling firewood this last spring, sold maybe 15 Full cords through the summer(mostly on 1/3rd, face cord loads) And since September sold another 80 full cords, again mostly by the 1/3rd.

I live in a high population area and offer delivery and stacking, my clientele is not burning for heat and only for enjoyment, so how it burns is the most important thing.

All the wood I give is Red/White Oak which puts me ahead of the competition mostly offering tree service junk wood, I make sure all my wood is moisture checked for optimum burning.

I've usually have about 1 customer every 50 that complains that they can't get the wood to burn, I ask what the kindling/fire starting situation is and most of the time they say cardboard and I inform them politely that it sometimes takes slightly more effort than that.

I've had a couple people insistent on knowing how to start fires, so my question is what do I say to bring some resolve to these situations, again I'm certain it's not the wood,I've had lots of repeat customers and happy customers that finally know what it's like to burn something other than soft maple. I'm fairly certain it's the draft situation in some of these fireplaces that's causing such grief but it really bothers me that people are having issues at all, and even more bothers me that neither party feels resolved about the situation.

Thoughts?

 

[Little Al]

I would think if you check the moisture content & it's south of 15/20% the wood should catch & burn if the fireplace is correct in regards to draft etc. If you have a moisture meter show them that the wood you are selling is dry & explain that the problem could possibly be their fire place, also if it gets "heated" offer to take back the wood & refund money's on their remaining stock That to me is putting yourself in a position that they have no cause for complaint you will lose out on the reloading of your trailer/transport & the fuel costs of returning to your yard but you will have got them off your case & your mind will be clear in that you have gone beyond your trading requirements But I wouldn't let them bully me. They are possibly trying to con you into refunding their money & letting them in effect have the wood for free. If in effect you do this it will be an ongoing problem Be firm & fair you will always get out of a group one or more try on's

 

[Mike Van]

Gary, if your oak is really that dry in under a year thats quite a trick - Maybe it's really dry where you are, don't know - My tip would be go to your complainers, see what they're doing wrong, and fix the issue. If that means giving a refund & picking up the wood, so be it - Many first time fireplace users try to build a fire up on a grate in a spotless clean fireplace & it just doesn't work - Some buildup of ash & a fire laid right on it will work the best. Also, some fireplaces are built wrong, won't draw for a crap, resulting in a smokey smelly house [not your fault] Bad news travels like wildfire however, and with facebook & all that crap today, a few complainers will really hurt your business. If your wood is truly dry, try to educate the users.

 

[Streblerm]

Get more junk tree service wood. I find it easiest to start fires with a variety of wood. A stove full of oak can be hard to start. All that good hardwood is probably wasted on a fireplace.

You might offer some kindling with your firewood. If people ask what it's for, there is your clue that they don't know how to start a fire. Maybe you can give a little more instruction on fire building before the customer becomes convinced your wood is no good.

 

[NSMaple1]

Make up an info card or sheet, that briefly lists fundamentals - starting (generically & concisely) with importance of proper appliance/installation & chimney construction/draft (and periodic maintenance of...), then a quick rundown on how to start a fire, maybe with a diagram or two. Make a bunch of copies, include one with delivery. Offer kindling for sale also, if they decide they want some.

As long as the wood is actually reasonably dry, and you give them the amount they're paying for, I can't imagine running around afterwards & showing people how to start a fire - there's hand-holding, then there's hand-holding....

 

[sb47]

I'll state the facts first. You can't make everyone happy. There are some that will find fault with anything.
We live in an age where passing blame is the norm.
I've had people ask for dry seasoned wood, then complain it burns too fast.
Then they buy un seasoned wood and complain it wont burn.
Well excuse me! I sold you what you asked for.
You just can't make everyone happy.
If the majority like what what you are doing and you know your quality is good. Don't worry about the few that complain.

When asked questions. I refer them to youtube. There are how to vids for everything.

 

[codygary12]

Hey Guys thanks for all the advice so far,

Mike- My father is a logger and has had logs sitting for several years that I busted up this spring and are showing 18-20% moisture content now, and also had 30 cord split up that's reading a few % lower, and the rest I've got from buying and reselling in better markets, again making sure it's good on moisture.

I would agree going the mixed hardwood route may be one way to avoid this, but the oak brings a premium and I'm one of the few supplying 100% Oak (maybe that's a sign to switch) And it's a lot more difficult to get mixed hardwood firewood than it is to get oak firewood in my neck of the woods.

I wish there was a better way to show to unhappy customers that it's not the wood than just saying I've had very minimal complaints and the wood is showing good moisture content. But like mentioned some people just never are happy.

 

[sb47]

Hey Guys thanks for all the advice so far,

Mike- My father is a logger and has had logs sitting for several years that I busted up this spring and are showing 18-20% moisture content now, and also had 30 cord split up that's reading a few % lower, and the rest I've got from buying and reselling in better markets, again making sure it's good on moisture.

I would agree going the mixed hardwood route may be one way to avoid this, but the oak brings a premium and I'm one of the few supplying 100% Oak (maybe that's a sign to switch) And it's a lot more difficult to get mixed hardwood firewood than it is to get oak firewood in my neck of the woods.

I wish there was a better way to show to unhappy customers that it's not the wood than just saying I've had very minimal complaints and the wood is showing good moisture content. But like mentioned some people just never are happy.

If you can separate species, that would be a plus. Most just consider all hardwood the same and just mix it all together.
Set yourself apart and people will notice.

 

[thor97]

I've learned when this happens that it's almost always they're inability to know how to start a fire. Sometimes it's also a draft problem, or they are using too big of sticks, improper air flow, etc. I even had one who completely covered they're stacked wood with a cover that went over the top and down both sides, creating a greenhouse effect and my wonderfully dry wood was now damp and not burning. I think the best thing to do is refer them to you tube, or give them a complete refund and go get your wood. A good reputation is everything, and some people its best to just stay away from.

 

[sb47]

Bottom line, if you can't start your own fire, you deserve to be cold.
If your cold enough, you'll find a way to start a fire.
People think all you have to do is through a match on a split log and it will magically come to life.

 

[midwest_170]

I guess it depends on what you told them when you sold it. It's best to just be as honest and upfront as possible that way you can avoid situations like this. Imo the wood you are selling isn't what I would consider dry but my wood is split 3 to 5 years before I burn it. I can get a fire going with a single wad of newspaper.

 

[codygary12]

^ And this is part of my dilemma, moisture meter reads it's in the optimum burn range but people are having issues starting it.

My grandparents were farmers and never had time to go and cut wood ahead and whenever they needed wood would just go to the pasture and cut the most dead looking white oak tree, I actually just did this with them over Thanksgiving and had my meter with and the wood was nearing 40%, this is how they've burned wood their whole lives without issue.

Again adds to the theory of operator error, which again puts me in a tough spot because people are never at fault they think..

 

[stumpy75]

For many people, trying to start a fire and hold a flame with only oak is not going to be an easy thing. Especially if it is not dang near kiln dried... And it sounds like this is what your customers what. They are not heating with this wood, they just want a nice fire that burns like the ones they see in the movies!

As stated above, if you can mix in some softer hardwoods (soft maple, ash, even poplar) to at least get the oak going, it might help a lot.

 

[Gugi47]

Go over and make the fire your self to prove is not the firewood.

 

[computeruser]

As a fireplace burner and not a stove guy, I avoid oak, walnut, and locust. It does not burn as well as so many other species in an open fireplace. I have had great luck with cherry, the various maples, with buckthorn, with fruit woods, with ash (of course!), and, surprisingly, I had really great results with catalpa. I will also toss in the odd bit of pine to keep things snappy and cheerful. Fireplace burners want a cheery flame and wood that lights and burns easily. The super-dense, high-btu woods do not meet this requirement. A hardwood mix, or even a mix with a bit of softwood mixed in, split small and with non-straight, non-uniform pieces is what they want in order to have the sort of fire they're aiming for. They may not know this, because they think they want solid, dense hardwood chunks because that's what their woodstove friends covet, but it is true.

The other thing that I have found works great in the fireplace are faggots. Stop laughing, not those faggots! I take my yard trimmings, tie them with string, and cut the resulting bundles to length. Store them on the wood pile all year, and by the time fireplace season arrives, they're good to go! Put one of those in the bottom of the grate, throw a few bigger logs on it, and you're good. And at the end of the burn, you can throw one more bundle on to help finish up the remaining smoldering chunks. This works well on a conventional grate or on a vertical grate (e.g. Grate Wall of Fire) in a fireplace.

 

[blades]

Never seen any oak dry to 20% or less , under natural conditions, in under 2 years ( rule of thumb for oak 1.5 years /inch of cross section) , longer for White Oak. dead standing not with standing. Moisture meter needs to used on a fresh split face of the wood, where the piece of wood in question is at or near room temperature. Also need to drive those pins in a bit not a 1/32 of an inch. Include some fire starters and a bit of kindling with each sale - they don't cost that much. Kindling can be more Oak just very small cross section pieces ( 1/2" or less tooth picks if you will), even odds and ends of splitter trash will work.
There will always be some customers that have a problem(s), whatever the source or can never be satisfied- nature of dealing with public, and you can never completely rule your self or product out of the picture. Are there exceptions? ,likely yes , but not often. 40 plus years of dealing with the public and I ain't seen it all yet, never will either. I could give you a large metropolitan area telephone book full of examples.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Your grandparents did not have gas log fireplaces. They learned to problem solve, and develop patience.

I got a similar email, fire won't start.

I asked if I could come over and see. At the same time, before going over, I offered to pick up the wood.
When I got there thirty minutes later his fire was begin to take off.
No kindling, just feeding it paper. He had not actually "built a fire", rather placed medium size pieces in a fireplace and expected them to catch.
The house was very nice and well sealed. It was very early in the season with outside temp in low forties. All adding to poor chimney draw.
I was there a half hour or so, again offering to take the wood. By then he had a small but nice fire going. It takes time, it takes an hour or so. People want to light it like a gas log fire.
Obviously he claimed to have been burning wood for twenty years.

Another: A spouse emailed and claimed the wood was wet.
It was.
Perhaps 10 to 15% of the wood was wet and heavy.
Her husband had helped unload it and we discussed it. My larger racks have three rows. The foot print is 4' x 4' and 7' tall. The top one third of each center row was wet, and we threw that in a separate pile. He said don't worry about it, he would stack it separately. It had rained almost every day that spring and the top of the wood racks were covered in leaves. The email came about a week later, with a greatly exaggerated percentage, in fact saying none of it could be burned this year. Again I offered to pick it up. I did not really want to talk to her, so did it by email. They said no, and as far as I was concerned that was the end of it.

Three years later, this past year, they wanted wood again. I had changed how I did things, and said they need to look at the wood first, and they came out with a meter. The ends checked (?), very good. 14% I think, and they were very happy.
However we split some and checked again. The numbers were something like 14% on the end, moving in 18%, 22%, and 28% in the middle, eight inches in from the ends. This is Oak, split stove size (not big, not small), seasoned one year and covered. I said to them; For optimal burning Oak takes two years to season. This is what I've tried, this is what has worked/doesn't work, and this year I'm changing again, using the Posch PackFix, palletizing 1/4 cord loose thrown. (Which I will not know till next year how that works.) I've since started covering. They bought a cord and a half, which is what I could get in one load.
The point is I think they understand that it takes some effort, and trial and error. They discover it isn't someone simply lying to them. Lots of variables factor in.

People want to be heard. Just listening to their side of it helps. And it may help you in the long run as well to understand them as customers. Others nay have the same issues but are less verbal about it.

 

[Gypo Logger]

Just tell them it's a thermal inversion and their chimney is plugged.

 

[KiwiBro]

Start a chimney sweep business and use the firewood gig to up-sell?

 

[crotchclimber]

Offer to sell them some pine/fir kindling if they say they're having trouble getting it going. When trying to light oak that's the only way I can get it going. Even oak sticks are hard to light, never mind logs.