Fascinating Customer Interaction

[Wood Doctor]

I thought this recent experience was worth a thread. I delivered a truckload of really good mixed hardwoods to a steady customer in mid-November. He usually buys two truckloads a year but does so after the chimney cleaner scrapes the chimney in the summer. In 2017, he delayed that until after my delivery.

I received a late Spring truckload order from another new customer who says he ran out of the wood that he bought from the guy I delivered to in mid-November. He said it was the best he had ever burned. So, I delivered that and asked him why the other guy sold his firewood. He said, "He never burned any of that because his chimney was plugged up with creosote chunks. I went to his place, picked it up with my truck, bought it, and burned it all. I called to see if he had any more and he gave me your number. Your price matched what I paid him."

I called the professional chimney sweep and he said it was a case of waiting too long to clean it and major work with power equipment and scaffolding was going to be required, thus verifying the story the new customer told me. So there you have it -- a customer buys and then sells to a new customer who then becomes a buyer from the original supplier. It's a first for me, and trade in the USA is indeed fascinating. Anybody else run into anything like it? WDYT?

 

[cantoo]

" he who waits too long may have to flip a switch and pay the price for waiting" ? Maybe the guy believed in global warming and assume he wasn't going to get winter? At least it sounds like your new customer has a bit of a brain on his shoulders.

 

[Wood Doctor]

"He who waits too long may have to flip a switch and pay the price for waiting" ? Maybe the guy believed in global warming and assume he wasn't going to get winter? At least it sounds like your new customer has a bit of a brain on his shoulders.

Agreed. Trying to be foolishly frugal usually fails. I'll bet the original customer filled the house with smoke before he called the chimney sweep. The new customer was really satisfied burning that wood and stores it outdoors for further drying. Here is the diagram of the distribution channel where P = Producer (me), R = Retailer, and C = Consumer:

When I sold the firewood to the first buyer:
P ---> C
When the first customer then sold that firewood to the second, he became a retailer:
P ---> R ---> C
Then when the second contacted me for more firewood, the channel was once again:
P ---> C

 

[Brian72]

Good business sells itself. Congrats to you!

Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk

 

[Wood Doctor]

One other case of firewood customer interaction. A new customer last fall decided to buy a new log splitter and chainsaw to replicate the delivery of dry firewood splits wood that I sold to him. He spent $2,000 or so. After he ran out of my wood, he called for a second delivery and said, "Can you deliver a truckload of just the rounds that you split? I can't find any dry wood to cut and split myself with my new equipment."

Sound familiar? Heck guys, I can't seem to find any steers ready to slaughter so that I can butcher them and BBQ my own beef.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

I find it curious that the first customer only buys two truckloads a year AND had his chimney cleaned annually but somehow found himself with a clogged pipe? If you're selling good firewood, which it sounds like you are, is he somehow doing that poor of a job of burning or is he mixing in green wood?

 

[Wood Doctor]

I find it curious that the first customer only buys two truckloads a year AND had his chimney cleaned annually but somehow found himself with a clogged pipe? If you're selling good firewood, which it sounds like you are, is he somehow doing that poor of a job of burning or is he mixing in green wood?

I believe it's either (1) the chimney is not being cleaned right or (2) he is also burning limbs trimmed from the trees in his yard or his neighbors's yards or (3) his fireplace with a glass screen is not being used properly to burn the wood. The sweep has a very good reputation. Also, none of my customers (or myself) has reported any blocked chimney problems and the same sweep cleans my chimney. I don't even split the logs that I deliver until after the rounds have rested in the sun and wind for a year. I make sure that they are dry and burn the same wood in my stove.

So, I think it's either (2) or (3) above. Just MHO.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

I believe it's either (1) the chimney is not being cleaned right or (2) he is also burning limbs trimmed from the trees in his yard or his neighbors's yards or (3) his fireplace with a glass screen is not being used properly to burn the wood. The sweep has a very good reputation. Also, none of my customers (or myself) has reported any blocked chimney problems and the same sweep cleans my chimney. I don't even split the logs that I deliver until after the rounds have rested in the sun and wind for a year. I make sure that they are dry and burn the same wood in my stove.

So, I think it's either (2) or (3) above. Just MHO.

Makes sense. I was thinking it was a wood stove, but a fireplace would allow for a much less complete combustion, especially if he's burning junk wood mixed in.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

How many cords is 2 truckloads, 4?

 

[Beetlejuice]

How many cords is 2 truckloads, 4?

Chiming in.. Depends on the truck, and the split, and in my case, the weight.. It takes 2 truckloads of old people split, and medium density wood to resemble a little over a cord. When my trailer was down I delivered the same as mentioned, 6 loads and measured out 1/2 cord long. Cheers. K

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Chiming in.. Depends on the truck, and the split, and in my case, the weight.. It takes 2 truckloads of old people split, and medium density wood to resemble a little over a cord. When my trailer was down I delivered the same as mentioned, 6 loads and measured out 1/2 cord long. Cheers. K

Dunno, why I was asking. My little trucks hold 2 cords, my big one holds 5.5

 

[Little Al]

.. It takes 2 truckloads of old people split, and medium density wood measured out 1/2 cord long. Cheers. K[/QUOTE]
Never had any experience of burning split old people do they burn well & last Sorry

 

[Beetlejuice]

.. It takes 2 truckloads of old people split, and medium density wood measured out 1/2 cord long. Cheers. K

Never had any experience of burning split old people do they burn well & last Sorry[/QUOTE]. That's just what I call it.. I'm 63.. And it's just easier for me to move 16"-18" rounds. And then split a little smaller so us old &%%#%&$ers can load, unload, stack, and rack and just generally make a nuisance of ourselves with no hernia timeouts, no pucker factor. Customers like it cuz being of the older generation it's just nice to work with. I think I'm going to stick with that story.

 

[Little Al]

Never had any experience of burning split old people do they burn well & last Sorry

. That's just what I call it.. I'm 63.. And it's just easier for me to move 16"-18" rounds. And then split a little smaller so us old &%%#%&$ers can load, unload, stack, and rack and just generally make a nuisance of ourselves with no hernia timeouts, no pucker factor. Customers like it cuz being of the older generation it's just nice to work with. I think I'm going to stick with that story.[/QUOTE]
You're' a mere boy you should be humping metre lengths Now me In my 81st year could be excused for tottering about carrying pissy lengths When I retired at 60 odd an old boy was then in his 80's said to me when you get to 70 you'll have gone down hill more than you thought you would & when you reach 80 you'll realize how much you have gone downhill & he was right So look after yourself & Take care I'm sorry to say it won't get better so if necessary cut your rounds 15" managed to cut 3cubic metres of 8"/10" rounds to 16" lengths got to split ' em now but I think I'll have a lie down till the thought goes away but Bugger there will still be 3CM's of 16" lengths to split when I next look at the pile

 

[Tin-knocker]

Dunno, why I was asking. My little trucks hold 2 cords, my big one holds 5.5

Well damn! How big is your little truck?!?! My half ton short bed can hold about 1/3 maybe 1/2 of a cord if I don't want to over do it.

 

[2412]

Please help me with my math.

Cord = 128cu ft
Short pickup bed = 4.5?x6 = 27sq ft
Cord = short bed x 4.7 ft tall if stacked tight

 

[muddstopper]

Big trucks-little trucks are all realative. If your big truck is a yuke, then a 2 ton would be considered a little truck. Valley's little truck isnt a ford ranger

 

[Tin-knocker]

Big trucks-little trucks are all realative. If your big truck is a yuke, then a 2 ton would be considered a little truck. Valley's little truck isnt a ford ranger

That's why I asked how big is his little truck. Just curious on what his wood haulers are.

 

[c5rulz]

I believe it's either (1) the chimney is not being cleaned right or (2) he is also burning limbs trimmed from the trees in his yard or his neighbors's yards or (3) his fireplace with a glass screen is not being used properly to burn the wood. The sweep has a very good reputation. Also, none of my customers (or myself) has reported any blocked chimney problems and the same sweep cleans my chimney. I don't even split the logs that I deliver until after the rounds have rested in the sun and wind for a year. I make sure that they are dry and burn the same wood in my stove.

So, I think it's either (2) or (3) above. Just MHO.

I don't even split the logs that I deliver until after the rounds have rested in the sun and wind for a year

So how long does the wood season after being split prior to sale?

 

[Beetlejuice]

That's why I asked how big is his little truck. Just curious on what his wood haulers are.

Like telling everyone, (6 inches), and they want to know why you'd ever want to brag about that, till you explain its not the size, but the measurement from the floor.. Information is gold..