Anyone else have Bonkers/Desperate Clients?

[windfall]

I have now ran out of seasoned softwood and only have a few cubes of hardwood left that is reserved for a couple of clients.

 

In the last few days we have had 9 inches of snow and the Isle of Man has ground to a standstill. As a result i have been getting calls from people desperate for logs. So i figured i would just tell them what i have and give them the choice... and bug 'er me if i havent nearly sold all the wood i processed and stacked in stock fence on pallets for seasoning and sale next year!

 

I am telling the people it was only felled/processed 4 weeks ago and is at 33% but they dont care... one guy said "anything is better than nothing at the moment!"

 

So i am not offering discounts and selling a mixed hardwood cube (31-33%) for £85 and a Macrocarpa (33%) for £55 + delivery. Which is what i would be asking for it next season!

 

My only concern is that even though i have been dead straight with these clients they do not come back to me next season as the wood i am giving them is not seasoned properly.

 

What are your thoughts, am i shooting myself in the foot by helping them or should i follow my wallet?!

[Mike Hill]

Demand is exceeding Supply,so its a sellers market.

They have made an informed choice,and only have themselves to blame if they don't like it.

 

Why do you sell the Macro so cheap?I have found its excellent Firewood and very attractive when Milled.

[Stephen Blair]

You have been straight with them, what more can you do, and they are right, anything is better than nothing, once the fire is going it just means the next log will take 5 mins to dry out sat on top and be a bit more smokey.

the same work goes into making hard wood and softwood so the price should be the same unless you are buying it in and getting it a lot cheaper.

[Pat Ferrett]

Im in the same boat I was giving the rubbish wood away saying to people just bung me a drink and receiving anywhere from £10 to £30 , so now when Im asked I say yep you can have a truck full of the worst wood I ve got in the yard if you cut and split it your self for £30. They cant get there hands in there pockets quick enough, which suits me down to the ground.

Going to keep all of the rubbish cord this year and if it looks like were in for another cold winter ill log the lot if not ill blow it into Biomass.

[windfall]

There are a few other guys here (Isle of Man) selling softwood cubes at £55 so i was trying to match them, your right though its a lot of work for £55. I was planning on putting my charge for macro up to £65 next season, already increased my delivery charge and now offering to move and stack a cube for extra £ too.

 

I find that it burns well to, hot and steady.

 

There is a lot of competition here and it would seem some are willing to sell cheap. One of my clients turned down a cube of eucalyptus (19%) i offered him for £85 as he had managed to get a cube of Oak for £65! I sold the cube 2 hours later for £100 delivered... get in.. ill see him at early swimming on sat so ill find out how well it burns.. or not.

[Stephen Blair]

If you have a lot of competition you can either fight in the trenches with them or get out and stand out above them. Cheap can only go for so long, get good reliable customers, look after them and they will look after you.

[mr kipling]

I think a lot of people this time of year just want to see a blazing fire in the hearth to feel all traditional and any heat is a bonus they prob got central heating turned to max to heat the rest of the house anyhow.

[Martin Jenkins]

I was at a friend's house, while he was having wood delivered.

 

When he answered the ad, he said "it is seasoned?" and the man said "don't worry, it'll be fine."

 

It was pretty clear from the wood that it wasn't seasoned - I carefully asked about how long it had been seasoned, in a nice way, and the answer came:

 

"I cut this last week mate - don't want stuff to be too dry, it'll disappear straight away then, and my mum puts this in her rayburn, and it gets too hot to stand near"

 

It was about £65 I think, for a bit under a level pick up truck full

[chilli]

Sometimes I think we worry too much about the quality of wood we sell. Don't get me wrong, I hate to sell anything that isn't dry, doesn't look & feel good & will throw anything not quite right to one side for my own fire. Most customers just want 'wood'. Surely, we all hear the comment "it all burns".

I've sold lots of 12 month seasoned poplar & without exception, everyone has loved it. Open fires & burners alike. One chap came back for 4 loads providing it was the same wood!

I have 6 month seasoned beech & took a bag (free) to two of my regulars & said "try this & tell me what you think". One said, "great, burns lovely" & promptly pre-ordered & paid for 2 loads. The other said "it's lovely Chris" but " can we have our usual stuff". So, I took them a load of pop, cedar, goat & crack willow. They were delighted, paid cash with a tip & will probably tell their friends what a nice chap I am.

It's all about managing customer satisfaction & remembering that what we think they need or should have is not necessarily what will please them.

I aim to be open & honest & tell customers what the wood is & how long it has been split & under cover.I can't recall ever receiving a complaint.

[delabodge]

bought ten ton of ash in two weeks ago,,,and milled up three of the bigger logs to make sure got moneys worth, sold half of them the following week to a car restorer,recouping half my money,and have sold the rest green, with plenty of warning,,,,two blokes have already rang back asking for another load,,,last two loads going to a pub today,,,so happy days,,,,going to spend next to weeks sorting out next yrs,,well make a start anyway,,,if I can dig it out,,,,,or pub???