First ever rejection

[APC]

Had my first customer tell me my logs were crap today. 8-10" 50% ash, 10% oak, 10% birch, 10% sycamore, 20% misc (poplar, cherry, chestnut). He said that my logs were what he would sweep off the floor after his real logs had been delivered. These are the same logs I deliver to most of my other customers. When we have been less choppy choppy and delivered bigger lumps to people in the past, they've kicked right off in numbers. He tried to think about it, whether he really wanted them, and I made my mind up and said I didn't want to sell them to him and drove back and attempted to tip them back into the bay. It was then I noticed that the trailer tipper controls were knackered anyway, and the manual control was missing. So probably best I didn't dump a load of what this guy thought was crap, lobbing it all off by hand after realising the tipper didnt work.

 

moral of the story is ask the customer what size fireplace they have. This guy had one as wide as my arms. My logs weren't suitable, but to the majority of my customers with log burners and smaller fireplaces, they are perfect size.

[Mortimer Firewood]

Allways find out what the customer wants size species some dont know and need help others are very clear these are the ones to look out for as there harder to please . Luckily we have not had one complaint yet but i am sure it will come.

REGARDS MICK:001_smile:

[likeitorlumpit]

If he had a big fireplace then I don't understand why he didn't specify larger logs- can't believe this hasn't happened to him before

 

Some people......

[felixthelogchopper]

If he had a big fireplace then I don't understand why he didn't specify larger logs- can't believe this hasn't happened to him before

 

Some people......

 

My thoughts exactly! IMO, unless you are struggling to sell logs then I would gladly let somebody else have the pleasure of this arrogant customer

[easy-lift guy]

The person you refered to as a customer was actually a jack wagon. Here in the states most people would love to have the type of wood to burn nearly regardless of the size material. What ever you do don't take it personel. I believe the customer was looking for an excuse for a better price at your own expense. I would add this person to my Black book and never serve again.

easy-lift guy

[Steve Bullman]

To be honest I think you are probably both equally at fault. Him for not specifying he wanted large logs, and you for not asking. Put it down to experience

[Alycidon]

The only way you might be able to in future talk this round is by advising that lots of small logs will give better flame patterns that bigger logs. They will burn faster as well but there's no need to tell him that.

 

At present I only do one length, 240mm.

 

A

[Daniël Bos]

I would have asked him if it was ok to come back another day, to have a look at his "real" logs. "To be able to improve the service offered". Unless he's got a supplier selling him tropical hardwoods, your logs will be at least as good, surely? Go back, look at the difference and either try and explain why yours are better (if they are) or tell him he's right, and you produce your logs differently, for different customers.

No harm to be done, and there's no point in feeling rejected, offended or any such things. You had a misunderstanding, he told you he was expecting something different before you'd unloaded. Sounds all good to me.

[matthew65]

I usually tell the customer the size of the logs I sell - 8", as part of the answers to their numerous questions. Every so often I get a customer asking for 12-14" logs, I tell them the size of my logs are approx 8" and say "You can fit a small log in a big stove but you can't fit a large log in a small stove"

[APC]

I would have asked him if it was ok to come back another day, to have a look at his "real" logs. "To be able to improve the service offered". Unless he's got a supplier selling him tropical hardwoods, your logs will be at least as good, surely? Go back, look at the difference and either try and explain why yours are better (if they are) or tell him he's right, and you produce your logs differently, for different customers.

No harm to be done, and there's no point in feeling rejected, offended or any such things. You had a misunderstanding, he told you he was expecting something different before you'd unloaded. Sounds all good to me.

 

Yeah agreed on all of that. As was driving away I thought perhaps I should have asked to see what he has. I'll be sure to ask in future what size they want. It all comes out the same bay though, which we usually load with tractor so can't pick and choose bits in that situation. With forward warning, I'd rather come in a little earlier and load by hand and make the sale.

 

We are selling better logs this year than we did last year, which were better than the years before etc. This season, I'm gonna try and have a bay for big stuff and a bay for normal gear. We have three bays at the very beginning, knowing that the first will sell out as soon as it gets a little bit nippy. When it's a third full, the rest goes in net bags and the bay gets released for other purposes, e.g. ballast etc. No matter how many bays we have though, we will always need another. With an extra one, I could accommodate a wider customer base.

 

I bloody love this log malarky. From being in the woods planning the thinnings, the hauling out and the processing, and finally dumping the load