Guy trying to scam me (Craigslist) what should i do...

[gtu160]

This go back to my tread for firewood. Well my wife put an ad on craigslist for wood and I had a guy come with ONE cord of wood for a PRICE of 60.00. The guy shows up in a nice stake body truck. Great. In till I look at the wood, it's all floor loaded and a foot high and I know right away this guy was trying to cheat someone. I'm guessing he did storm damaged work, it was all bigger pc's of limbs.
He told me when I split it i'll have a cord and I just looked at him and told him I'm not taking it. What pisses me off is not the price or anything else, but just the fact of these people. I live in PA and I feel I should report him since it was a cord with a price. Pa people know what I mean about that. Also I feel I should post a craigslist AD with this guy Name and Number. The funny thing is I'm going to buy a stake body, cause I should be able to haul 5-6 cords in one trip.

 

[WetBehindtheEar]

You SHOULD report him to PA Wheights & Measures or Dept of Commerce, whoever has jurisdiction.

That's false advertising and someone who doesn't know any better would pay the money for 1/3 of a cord of wood thinking it's a cord. But around here, $180 for a cord isn't a bad price...

 

[Haywire Haywood]

it's all floor loaded

What is "floor loaded"?

Ian

 

[valekbrothers]

5-6 cords in one trip???????

Just think about the size for a second. If it is stacked 4' tall, 6 cords would take up an area 8'x24'. That is a big truck to begin with. Now, I'm not sure what kind of wood you are talking, but at 2000 to 5000 pounds per cord, thats gonna need to be a realy big truck...........

 

[Haywire Haywood]

He was being sarcastic... if the amount of wood that the guy had in his truck was a full cord, then he should be able to haul 5-6 pretty easily.

Ian

 

[Bobcatter]

I think posting on CL a "Notice to Pennsylvania Firewood Buyers" would be fair. Try to quote the law and include a link. Who can argue with some education?

Here's an article that has a PA weights and measures guy stating it has to be sold by the cubic foot, and a cord is 128 cu ft.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/consumer&id=6346100

 

[K7NUT]

He was being sarcastic... if the amount of wood that the guy had in his truck was a full cord, then he should be able to haul 5-6 pretty easily.

Ian

Thats pretty funny!:hmm3grin2orange:
With my trailer(according to that guy) I should be able to get 10 cord in one trip then!?

 

[trimmmed]

..........what should you do? Well, for starters when someone quotes you a delivered cord price @ $60 don't expect too much. Secondly, have the discussion about what is or is not a cord prior to having it delivered. Thirdly, take a little responsibility for your own part in this fiasco and throw the guy $10 for wasting his gas and time.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

I have to disagree with ya Trimmmed... The seller set the terms. A cord for $60. If he failed to meet his terms, his gas and his time are his problem.

Ian

 

[trimmmed]

I have to disagree with ya Trimmmed... The seller set the terms. A cord for $60. If he failed to meet his terms, his gas and his time are his problem.

Ian

Yeah, I didn't really think that would happen, just threw it out there to be obnoxious

My real point was, that if you were expecting a full cord for $60 delivered and then it showed up as a face cord, you should take some responsibility for your own actions and that you shouldn't be so disappointed that you have to start a thread whining about it.

Whether it was floor loaded or not.........

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Yeah, I didn't really think that would happen, just threw it out there to be obnoxious

and I fell face first into it... LOL

Ian

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

I have to disagree with ya Trimmmed... The seller set the terms. A cord for $60. If he failed to meet his terms, his gas and his time are his problem.

Ian

Yep. I don't discuss the meaning of "gallon" with the store manager when I buy a gallon of milk. Same for gas. Oddly enough, I don't argue about the meaning of "pound", "ounce", or "mile", either.

A cord is a standard measurement, defined by law in most places. If someone says, "cord", and means something OTHER than 128 cubic feet of tightly stacked wood, they are simply a LIAR. Or ignorant.

 

[BarkBuster20]

you should have told him to come back with a full cord.

 

[TreePointer]

Yeah, I didn't really think that would happen, just threw it out there to be obnoxious

My real point was, that if you were expecting a full cord for $60 delivered and then it showed up as a face cord, you should take some responsibility for your own actions and that you shouldn't be so disappointed that you have to start a thread whining about it.

Whether it was floor loaded or not.........

:agree2:

I know that a cord is supposed to be a cord. Makes sense, eh?

But we all know that this "business" fraught with dishonest sellers and ignorance regarding the holy unit of the CORD (peace be upon it). It's not a perfect world, so I contend that it's a good idea to ask a question and define terms to ensure both buyer and seller are on the same page BEFORE DELIVERY; and this is especially important when the price sounds too good to be true. This helps to avoid frustration and maybe even an ugly event (heated argument, fistfight, property damage, or worse) when one party is dissatisfied.

 

[olyman]

Yep. I don't discuss the meaning of "gallon" with the store manager when I buy a gallon of milk. Same for gas. Oddly enough, I don't argue about the meaning of "pound", "ounce", or "mile", either.

A cord is a standard measurement, defined by law in most places. If someone says, "cord", and means something OTHER than 128 cubic feet of tightly stacked wood, they are simply a LIAR. Or ignorant.

and arrogant!!!

 

[bore_pig]

Just think about the size for a second. If it is stacked 4' tall, 6 cords would take up an area 8'x24'. That is a big truck to begin with. Now, I'm not sure what kind of wood you are talking, but at 2000 to 5000 pounds per cord, thats gonna need to be a realy big truck...........

My FIL just bought a stake truck with a hoist. I think it would be about 8x24. It's a big truck. Rated and licensed for 33000lbs I beleive.

 

[trimmmed]

A cord is a standard measurement, defined by law in most places. If someone says, "cord", and means something OTHER than 128 cubic feet of tightly stacked wood, they are simply a LIAR. Or ignorant.

Wow, isnt that the ostrich approach? While I agree with the concept myself, the reality in many many places is far different. In areas where a face cord is called a cord by both buyer and seller, does that make them bot LIAR'S? Probably not, they might not be anally correct, but that's a helluva broad brush to be painting people as liars with.

Your gallon argument is really not valid either because a gallon is a gallon wherever you go. It's easy to look at a gallon and know just what it is, it is a standard throughout the country. With firewood, that is not the case, doesn't make those folks using incorrect terminology right, but you can be wrong and not a liar.

I don't know what a cord is going for in your neck of the woods, I seriously doubt that if someone from CL said they were going to deliver you a cord for $60 you would not have asked a question or two about what you were getting.

 

[trimmmed]

scam

btw, I'll add that if the guy was asking $180 for a face cord that he was claiming was a full cord..............that's a scam.

However, asking $60 for a delivered face is business as usual, incorrect terminology, but no great foul, sure as hell not a scam.

 

[Henry G.]

This is the exact reason I started cutting/hauling/splitting my own wood: dishonest sellers. But theyre all not that way.....
This spring I went to buy some almond from a farmer about a 100 miles from here. Price was $150 a cord , and with almond being a top notch wood (think oak or better) that usually sells for as much as $350 a cord here I was slightly suspicious. Well when I got there I was surprised. The farmer had a 110 acre almond orchard and the cords were tightly stacked, 4 1/2 feet tall, about 2 1/2 wide and 18 feet long, easily 25% more wood than a cord. The wood was perfectly seasoned (one year) and clean. Ive gone back for more and now I have a future contact for all the almond I can buy and sell near twice the price, mixed in with my other wood for a good mix and profit, and use in my stove.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Wow, isnt that the ostrich approach? While I agree with the concept myself, the reality in many many places is far different. In areas where a face cord is called a cord by both buyer and seller, does that make them bot LIAR'S?

...something OTHER than 128 cubic feet of tightly stacked wood, they are simply a LIAR. Or ignorant.

Uh, just in case you missed that part...

Your gallon argument is really not valid either because a gallon is a gallon wherever you go.

And so is a cord. Anything else is ignorance or dishonesty.

I seriously doubt that if someone from CL said they were going to deliver you a cord for $60 you would not have asked a question or two about what you were getting.

I wouldn't even call. I would know the ad was posted by someone who was either ignorant or dishonest.