Bought My first ever Cord "GOT Taken To the Cleaners!!!"

[rarefish383]

This is where the name games begin. In MD a Cord or part there of, is the only legal means of selling firewood. The OP didn't say what he paid. If the pile only stacks to about half a cord, and he paid the going price, in his area, for a full cord, he got ripped off. If he paid about half that, thinking he was getting a good deal, all the seller has to do is say it was a cord, a face cord. I just said this a minute ago on another thread, call your DNR. In MD DNR is in charge of weights and measures, they take it serious. You can call him and state your case, but the longer you waist time fooling around with us, DNR's case gets weaker. The seller can say it's been unseasonably cold and you already burned half the wood. How can you tell it's been seasoned less that a year? With the mild winters we've had the past couple years, the back wall of my woodshed hasn't been emptied in 4 years. Since the sun never got to the wood, it never grayed out, looked like just split Red Oak, but was as dry as it would ever get, under cover with slatted walls, on top of a windy hill. It looked like fresh splits. On one hand we tell sellers not to dump until you have cash in hand, then we tell buyers not to hand over cash till they have verified the load. To the buyer, a half cord thrown on a pickup looks like a lot of wood. Then we tell the buyers to "Know" their wood. On any given day you can post a picture of a pile of wood and ask what it is, here on this forum, and get 10 different answers. How can we expect a buyer to know what's in a grayed out pile of splits. Firewood is a tough business on both sides, and the honest guy gets the short end. The honest buyer gets shafted, and the honest seller gets painted with the same brush. All I can say is "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me". Do a search if you want to know who said that first, Joe.

 

[rarefish383]

Try calling 860-713-6065 Consumer Protection, State of Connecticut, Weights and Measures, Joe.

 

[Little Al]

To the OP - don't go visit them - have the seller come out and measure your stacked pile. He is going to want to confirm the measurements anyway. I''d not comment on the bark or kindling - bark is part of the deal - it falls off every time you handle splits - and kindling is a bonus - it essentially takes up no space in the stack or truck. But you paid for a full cord, you deserve a full cord, and the seller should come out and make it right.[/QUOTE]
A guy that now buys wood from us (he didn't realize we sold to the public) had a similar problem to the OP & had the seller come out to his place to look. the seller arrived with two gorilla's as back up who all said he'd burnt/sold /moved some of the delivered wood The buyer was getting on a bit & some what infirm & was a bit scared by their attitude so called the cops when they arrived the 3 made statements to the affect that they had delivered the correct amount They could do nothing as i came under civil law matters so they got away with it worked out OK in the end except the guy never got his correct amount of wood or money back but all the landowners with wood refused to let him buy & cut so after a couple of seasons he went out of business

 

[Swamp Yankee]

What type of truck was used?

Not making excuses but if it was a 6-1/2 ft bed, that's about all that will fit. Even an 8 ft bed loose thrown without sideboards won't yield much more. Is it possible they were supposed to bring 2 loads to make the cord and forgot one? The reason I ask is on a couple occasions over the past 30+ years, I've lost track of how many loads were delivered, when I missed, it's the same situation you have, when stacked it was obvious I missed by a load, not a few cu. ft. Corrected the discrepancy immediately and appoligized.

I would definitely bring this to the seller's attention and give him a chance to make it right. I sell 50 cord a year a once in a while stuff happens. Always tell customers if they don't let me know there's an issue I can't make it right. Call him, discuss the problem as a gentleman. Honey bears more fruit than going off the handle and getting the seller on the defensive. If he doesn't make an effort to do right by you, by all means rip him a new one.

What species of birch did he bring, white or black? Black birch is outstanding firewood clean burning with high btu content, White birch sucks. If it's black you got good stuff, I try to save black birch for myself to burn prefer it way over red oak. White oak is a different story.

Hopefully everything gets resolved to your satisfaction, keep us posted.

Take Care

 

[alleyyooper]

I still say the buyer should have took the time to inspect the wood before it was loaded on the truck to know what he was getting.

Al

 

[Biketrax]

I am the OP! He was apologetic on the phone and said he would make it right and asked for pix! the seller asked me to text the pictures of the stacked wood and will be sending me a check!
PS some of you guys can go off on a tangent lol. Why would I ( or anyone go thru the aggravation of) ever try to Try and Lie about almost half a cord SHY? he said she said.
PSS I did not mention anything about the bark of kindling just a bit disappointing about the wood quality after the short cord factor!
Thanks to all for the advise! Merci mon ami Al !
IT WAS A DUMP TRUCK Similar to a Ford F750 or close to it.

 

[svk]

Glad it worked out to your satisfaction (of course pending the arrival of the refund check).

 

[sweetjetskier]

Getting back on this site has made me realize, I should of started with this local chainsaw dealership, heavy duty arborist equipment shop in the same town as this guy. Duh?
They would of set me on the right path in getting a solid referal from one of their customers, may have been a bit pricier but at least honest square deal!
cheers

The chainsaw shop you are referring to from my experience would be Newtown Power Equipment, good bunch of guys there.

They started out with tree care work and progressed into a well known, arborist supply/power equipment dealer. Many lines are stocked in the store, service and parts are spot on. Price on equipment is usually not negotiable, but the service after the sale is their strong point.

I would not hesitate asking them for wood suppliers, as there are plenty that frequent the shop.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I see no issue selling it by a truckload, trailer load, etc provided it's advertised as such.

Example, we've sold easily 200 loads like this over the last 4 years at the shop.
https://anchorage.craigslist.org/grd/d/truckload-of-poplar-firewood/6431976298.html

Had a TON of poplar and it was needing to go.


I guess deal with all types of people.

Had a lady on Facebook put an ad looking for firewood. No one had replied over a few days.
I replied a had wood, but it wasn't seasoned.
She went on a tirade me being a bleeping bleep, I'll be out of business soon, etc.

Uh, OK? I should have known better, she had the "let me speak to the nanager" haircut! Haha

 

[Little Al]

We sell our wood over here by the cubic metre in imperial 39/1,4"x the same x the same the logs/splits are usually half metre length so i'ts a 2 piece deep stack we also will sell1/2 cubic metre I have no idea if the cord or part thereof is a better measurement system but if you invole truck load & bits of it gets more complicated

 

[Woodcutteranon]

What type of truck was used?

Not making excuses but if it was a 6-1/2 ft bed, that's about all that will fit. Even an 8 ft bed loose thrown without sideboards won't yield much more. Is it possible they were supposed to bring 2 loads to make the cord and forgot one? The reason I ask is on a couple occasions over the past 30+ years, I've lost track of how many loads were delivered, when I missed, it's the same situation you have, when stacked it was obvious I missed by a load, not a few cu. ft. Corrected the discrepancy immediately and appoligized.

I would definitely bring this to the seller's attention and give him a chance to make it right. I sell 50 cord a year a once in a while stuff happens. Always tell customers if they don't let me know there's an issue I can't make it right. Call him, discuss the problem as a gentleman. Honey bears more fruit than going off the handle and getting the seller on the defensive. If he doesn't make an effort to do right by you, by all means rip him a new one.

What species of birch did he bring, white or black? Black birch is outstanding firewood clean burning with high btu content, White birch sucks. If it's black you got good stuff, I try to save black birch for myself to burn prefer it way over red oak. White oak is a different story.

Hopefully everything gets resolved to your satisfaction, keep us posted.

Take Care

@Swamp Yankee what are your opinions on white oak? I just came into a large quantity of it... Thanks

 

[Swamp Yankee]

@Swamp Yankee what are your opinions on white oak? I just came into a large quantity of it... Thanks

One of the best.

Seasons faster than red oak, doesn't re-absorb water anywhere near as fast as red after being seasond due to the different grain structure. White is more dense with a higher btu content. White is typically harder / stringier to split than red oak but like all woods this is dramatically affected by the structure and age of the tree it was harvested from. White oak and black birch are a couple of my favorites.

Take Care

 

[sb47]

Some people want cheap camp wood and don't care what the wood looks like, as long as it's dry and will burn.
I always end up with a bunch of scrap junk wood from producing good firewood. Stuff like punked out wood, knots and forks that can't be split, odd's and ends. The kinda stuff many would haul off as junk.
This is only wood I sell by the truck load.
My ad reads: Cheap camp firewood, $85.00 a pickup truck load, (thrown in) level to the top of bed rails.
No mater how crappy the wood is, it sells like hotcakes. It's always the first to go.
So there paying me to haul off my trash. There happy, I'm happy! Everybody wins.
And it's pick up only, no delivery.

 

[Husky Man]

I see no issue selling it by a truckload, trailer load, etc provided it's advertised as such.

Example, we've sold easily 200 loads like this over the last 4 years at the shop.
https://anchorage.craigslist.org/grd/d/truckload-of-poplar-firewood/6431976298.html

Had a TON of poplar and it was needing to go.


I guess deal with all types of people.

Had a lady on Facebook put an ad looking for firewood. No one had replied over a few days.
I replied a had wood, but it wasn't seasoned.
She went on a tirade me being a bleeping bleep, I'll be out of business soon, etc.

Uh, OK? I should have known better, she had the "let me speak to the nanager" haircut! Haha

In Oregon, on paper at least, by the "Cord or fraction there of" is the only LEGAL way to sell firewood, I'm not saying it doesn't happen, or that it it is strictly enforced, but someone sellig firewood as a Business, is playing with trouble selling it any other way here.

Alaska? The rules may be different there, it might be accepted in AK, but in OR. a seller better make sure they keep the customer Happy, if they aren't following the rules.

Doug

 

[rarefish383]

I can see the point of the guys here that put a sign on the trailer and basically say "this load, this amount". I don't have a problem with that. The thing is a State that has to enforce fraud has to have a standard, and the Cord is pretty much the universal standard. Cantoo's load of logs would be legal in MD, it's not fire wood, it can't be stacked in a 4X4X8 pile. Logs can be sold by the truck/trailer load. Some saw mills sell their slab wood by the ton, but they advertise it as "Milling Slabs", and in small print they may put, "makes good fire wood". My wife and best friend hate seat belts, my wife has had 11 major surgery's that make a seat belt uncomfortable, my friend just doesn't like being told what to do. So, they used to have a running game of who got the most seat belt tickets, but in the end they had to pay the fines. Now my wife's new car doesn't stop binging when her belt is off, so she's been wearing it. My only point is to the "Stiffs" that are "Shorting" folks on purpose or by ignorance, by lying or missleading them, If you don't like the regs and choose not to use them, just pay the fine and keep rolling. I'll stand behind the Quote, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me", Joe.

 

[Jed1124]

The chainsaw shop you are referring to from my experience would be Newtown Power Equipment, good bunch of guys there.

They started out with tree care work and progressed into a well known, arborist supply/power equipment dealer. Many lines are stocked in the store, service and parts are spot on. Price on equipment is usually not negotiable, but the service after the sale is their strong point.

I would not hesitate asking them for wood suppliers, as there are plenty that frequent the shop.

+1
Good folks at Newtown Power

 

[Biketrax]

Yes That's who I was referring to. Good folks at NEWTOWN Power!
Seems A Lot have not read the OP and my response correctly??? I NEVER Ordered a truck load! I ordered a CORD OF MIXED SEASONED HARDWOOD and yes he was going to deliver it in a dump truck (How Else?), however it came up quite short and (after sending him the pictures) he did say he will do good by it as long as I receive the check!
PS DID not apologize, just mentioned he will talk to the driver.

 

[NSMaple1]

Buy how much did you pay for it? If it was something like a face cord price then he got his terms mixed up. Which still isn't right but not quite as bad as selling face cords for cord price.

 

[Beetlejuice]

Just wanted to chime in here.. Some sellers of cord wood really give some of us a bad rep..so I nip it in the bud before anything happens.. I found an article on cord sizes, like cord, long cord and the ever popular, mixed long cord, to which I reply, you mean an Eastern cord? Or just a regular Swiss cord? Anyway I print this article out and let my costumers read it so we speak the same jargon.. Couple years ago I built a trailer that hauls 120 cubic feet of anything I guess, but I use it for Wood..the 8 feet to make up is in the back of the truck or mounded up covrrwagon style..in any case, the wood is stacked neatly and tight.. Point is.. Do the costumer right, and always be a pro..all transactions are done before unloading to the tune of everybody is satisfied. Has worked wonders for me.. I don't even carry a measuring stick anymore.. K

 

[cantoo]

So has anyone ever had a customer complain about getting more than a cord? We are supposed to "eat" the extra amount of wood so we are sure they get more than a cord? Just another reason why I sell by my loaded trailer for $X.
In the picture I posted of my trailer loaded with logs do you think the customer would complain if I told him it was 10 cords and I charged him $100 for that load? After he piled it up and got 1 cord do you think he would call me back and want another 9 loads the same? ( cord here is about $270 split)
And we still haven't heard how much op paid for the cord.