Things that drive me nuts about my firewood business that shouldn't

[luckydozenfarm]

1) Customers who call it a "chord" of wood. Customers text me: Hey I need another chord of wood..It's cord buddy..
2) When I can't find 13/64" files at the Stihl dealership cause the guy behind the counter says they don't make that size
3) Customers who have me throw the wood into a pile at their house and want to argue that it's not a "chord".
4) Cul-de-sacs, dead end roads, no-thru streets
5) People who park on the street instead of their driveways in a neighborhood
6) Uneven cobblestone walkways leading back to their woodpile
7) a cluster of nice dead oaks next to a power line that I can't cut down
8) log splitters with only 2-way 8" wedges, (yeah I have 5 of them, unfortunately)
9) having my bar oil jug get nicked by my chainsaw chain in my truck, and having to clean up the mess
10) People who don't cover their wood and get upset that it's hard to get started.

anyway that's just a few...I'm sure we can all come up with more.


Rick

 

[nathon918]

hahah just did #9 yesterday somehow. i put on the floor of the truck on the way to where i was cutting so it would be warm, got there filled up the saw, put it back in the truck, then i went back later to fill up again and it was leaking all over the floor (hole in the bottom) somehow between taking it out of the truck and filling the saw and putting it back in the truck it got a hole in it even though i never put it down while filling dont know how the hell it happened (full jug too)so now i gotta find an old jug to throw it in

i hear ya on the "chord" of wood too

 

[ponyexpress976]

#3 is a big one...especially after I tell them "once it's off the truck, it's yours. I'll climb up there and get you any piece you'd like so you can inspect it". My add clearly tells them the dimensions of a cord (128), what the accepted volume of a thrown cord is (180), a description of a thrown cord, and the volume of my truck bed (189 Cu.Ft.). I always toss a measured cord onto the truck...then the equivalent of a wheel barrow load or two just to be on the safe side.

Another big one is when one spouse accepts a load and then the other calls 4 hours later with an issue.

Or haggling over the price late in the season....you know the type "my last guy sold wood for X amount, why are you so much more?"...Um, I know what my time is worth to me and I won't sell for less? Or...I'm not doing this for beer money. Or...It's not my fault/problem that your last wood guy sold out early/sold you green wood as seasoned/shorted you on the last delivery.

ALL OF THESE happened on one delivery. My only complaint of the season.

 

[luckydozenfarm]

11) people who are upset that I had to call off a delivery because it's raining hard and 40 degrees outside

 

[John R]

Welcome to dealing with the public.

 

[Guswhit]

How about,
"My buddy said to call you because you'll give me the same deal he gets."
Never heard of the buddy either?????????????? wtf

 

[nathon918]

11) people who are upset that I had to call off a delivery because it's raining hard and 40 degrees outside

id love a 40 degree day, the rain.. not so much

 

[fuzz1500]

People would call and ask for a "rick" of wood . And I would say a "rick" is defined as a random pile of anything...and I only sell in 1/2 and full cord increments because there is a defined measurment of a cord . And they say.."the guy on the other side of town sold me a cord for $85 " And I say.."You probably got screwed !"

P.s. Nothing worse than bar oil.....its like the stickiest....stringiest booger !!

 

[ponyexpress976]

P.s. Nothing worse than bar oil.....its like the stickiest....stringiest booger !!

In these temps it's like walking through a spider web. Stringiest and stickiest substance known to man!

 

[Uzi]

I got a phone call from a guy on a tuesday wanting a cord right now. I ask what do you mean right now? He says I ran out this morning and it's supposed to get cold tonight, I need it right now! To make things even better he was 100 miles from where I live. I told him it would be the weekend before I could get there and he gets upset like its my fault that he is out of wood during a cold snap. He says "you can't get here sooner" I say nope and hang up as he's trying to tell me about how cold it's going to get and how I should feel bad for him. I really question some peoples planning and general thinking ability

 

[luckydozenfarm]

#3 is a big one...especially after I tell them "once it's off the truck, it's yours. I'll climb up there and get you any piece you'd like so you can inspect it". My add clearly tells them the dimensions of a cord (128), what the accepted volume of a thrown cord is (180), a description of a thrown cord, and the volume of my truck bed (189 Cu.Ft.). I always toss a measured cord onto the truck...then the equivalent of a wheel barrow load or two just to be on the safe side.

Another big one is when one spouse accepts a load and then the other calls 4 hours later with an issue.

Or haggling over the price late in the season....you know the type "my last guy sold wood for X amount, why are you so much more?"...Um, I know what my time is worth to me and I won't sell for less? Or...I'm not doing this for beer money. Or...It's not my fault/problem that your last wood guy sold out early/sold you green wood as seasoned/shorted you on the last delivery.

ALL OF THESE happened on one delivery. My only complaint of the season.

I had a guy this year order a cord, knowing full well how much it was gonna cost, try to tell me that he only had $200 not the $250. I told him that's ok I can go back and get $50 in wood off the stack. He came up with the $50 pretty quick.
People think that there is room to haggle on the price.
There would be except that since I did the work in the 100 degree heat cutting and splitting, and the next guy who calls my phone will pay what I want for it.

 

[farmer steve]

i wanna buy that stack out front. it's not ready to burn. are you sure? yes i'm sure i just split it last week.but it looks dry.trust me you don't want it.but i'm out of wood.(see uzis' post). sorry.at this point i pull out the 2x4 and...................................

 

[jrider]

1. I totally agree with this one. I know it shouldn't but it just does.
5. I will argue that one (imagine that on this site!) I don't care who is parked on the street, as long as it's the people I'm delivering the wood to. I can't stand when I have to sit on the street and wait for them to move their damn cars.

11. On the phone with customer - Are you a morning person? "yes, I am up before the sun". Ok, I will see you just after it's light out. You get there and have to wake him up to move vehicles and or pay you.

 

[clint53]

I don't cut to sell, but I'm guessing everybody wants wood after the weather has turned sour. It's like they didn't know winter was coming Like everybody wanting snow tires as soon as it snows.

I did #9 the last time I cut.

 

[mesupra]

I had a #10 last year, selling perfectly seasoned wood a lady wanted a cord delivered, when I showed up in the pouring rain she asked me to throw the wood off the trailer into the snow bank, a week latter I get an email, she complained that the wood is rather wet. NFS sherlock!

 

[blackdogon57]

I got a phone call from a guy on a tuesday wanting a cord right now. I ask what do you mean right now? He says I ran out this morning and it's supposed to get cold tonight, I need it right now! To make things even better he was 100 miles from where I live. I told him it would be the weekend before I could get there and he gets upset like its my fault that he is out of wood during a cold snap. He says "you can't get here sooner" I say nope and hang up as he's trying to tell me about how cold it's going to get and how I should feel bad for him. I really question some peoples planning and general thinking ability

100 miles. Would you really go that far ? At $5.00 a gallon for diesel I wouldn't even think about it.

 

[Uzi]

100 miles. Would you really go that far ? At $5.00 a gallon for diesel I wouldn't even think about it.

I actually delivered a load to that town earlier this year and that's how this guy got my number. But the original buyer gave me a couple weeks heads up, took a large amount at once and paid for the extra delivery distance. So yes I have gone that far under the right circumstances. But I wasn't going to drive that far for this idiot. I should also add that things are very spread out around here it's 45-50 miles to the nearest large town. I'm selling ash when the majority of people are selling soft elm or cotton wood, so I get calls from farther away from people wanting a higher Btu wood. They are usually willing to pay a higher price to get it there too.

 

[4x4American]

Here in the peoples republic of NYS you can't legally transport firewood more than 50 miles unless it's been treated and have paperwork to prove it. Treating it you have to heat it to a certain temp for a certain period of time. You also cant legally take wood from the side of the road.

 

[srb08]

I got a phone call from a guy on a tuesday wanting a cord right now. I ask what do you mean right now? He says I ran out this morning and it's supposed to get cold tonight, I need it right now! To make things even better he was 100 miles from where I live. I told him it would be the weekend before I could get there and he gets upset like its my fault that he is out of wood during a cold snap. He says "you can't get here sooner" I say nope and hang up as he's trying to tell me about how cold it's going to get and how I should feel bad for him. I really question some peoples planning and general thinking ability

Apparently, he pissed off every seller close to him and was working his way out.
I wonder if he's still cold.

I sold wood for a couple years but decided it was way more trouble than it was worth
For some reason, people seem to think that firewood should be the same price as air and those selling it are making a profit off of something that's basically free.

 

[colson04]

I don't sell firewood, never have, and after reading all the countless stories on here, I don't think I ever will. I enjoy reading the various threads about it, but it sure makes me glad I don't have to deal with it, or more realistically, I don't have to deal with the customers that ya'll do.

I would love to be be able to run and justify owning some of the really cool equipment you guys use, but for my own needs, I certainly can't.