Some serious advice needed please chaps.

[baz]

It is always best to be entirely open with people regarding costs and then they can make a meaningful comparison to say electricity and gas prices. I always issue full VAT invoices and have on the back a breakdown cost illustrator for weight, volume and energy delivery. The link for this data is at http://www.calu.bangor.ac.uk/Technical%20leaflets/050108woodfuelenergycontent.pdf.

 

Then the customer knows how much it's costing him and at £100/m3 for seasoned ash it's around 10p/kWh which is favourable compared to other fuels.

[Sleeches]

Instead of legal action which will cost money, how about offering to write an article for the next newsletter on "How to Buy Firewood" outlining the different delivery options (loose, bagged, dumpy etc etc), different types of wood available, how to store and what to look out for when buying and taking delivery (checking moisture content etc). You could even point out the difference between volume and weight.

 

Nice advertising and a good retort to the fool who wrote the original. Plus readers will assume that you were nothing to do with the original article.

[Rupe]

I still think you should do nothing, you have nothing to defend yourself against, the article is not saying you have done anything wrong. Counting logs, worrying about weight and size of logs is a pointless excercise for a man with little else to do with his time. He has not looked into the calorific value of the wood which is actually the most important thing. He mentioned all the costs of storing, splitting delivering etc but he forgot to add PROFIT!!

 

 

The stuff he was getting from the mod could have been anyold crap and unseasoned, so has cost him a lot more than your load IMO.

 

All he has really done is highlight the fact that there is no standards when buying wood, a "load" is not a fixed amount and you cant buy it by weight because wet wood would weigh more (so you would get less by the ton).

 

Just see what happens when he runs out, that will be interesting!!!!!!

[davetaz]

Get some of your regular happy customers to write some reviews of your services and products and get them printed in the next publication in response to the one already printed.

 

This guy, as pointed out already doesn't understand the whole firewood business and he has already admitted that himself. He has pointed out issues that a lot of face on a daily basis any way - competing with the "cowboys", and by writing the way he has makes him a "journalist cowboy" in my books.

[WorcsWuss]

What a monumental tosspot.

 

My two penneth worth Ben.

1. Don't get too worked up about it, he's quite clearly a jumped up pillock with nothing to do in his retirement other than count his money. And logs.

2. Contact the editor, explain how you feel and that it could be construed as libellous and while you wish to rermain anonymous, to avoid legal action being taken against his publication, you expect the magazine to print an editors note something along the lines of the following:

 

"We have received comments regarding Paul's article in the last issue relating to firewood. As editor of this magazine and a satisfied customer of the same supplier I am duty bound to point out that the firewood supplier used provides an excellent service and Paul's comments, which are perhaps skewed by his own limited personal experience of free fuel and bear little relation to the situation of people who must buy in fuel, are not an accurate representation of the quality and value offered by individual log suppliers.

This publication apologises for allowing an individual columnist to use the magazine for his own personal agenda."

 

End of the matter. Paul looks like a berk, for those who can identify you from the article, you get a good testimonial from a customer on a public platform, and best of all, no solicitors are paid in the making of this apology.

[windfall]

I would be upset too Ben, the large "if anyone wants to know where i got the logs from " box is what really grinds my gears.

 

In a nut shell he is suggesting that your product is over priced and under seasoned and if anyone wants to know who he got it from so they can not make the same mistake as him then to contact him.

 

I like the suggestions made by WorcsWuss, definately do not loose your cool or get too worked up, the editor and Paul have been very very nieve(sp), use it to your advantage.

 

Keep us informed.

[button1803]

cant understand how that was allowed to be printed! legal action required.

[WorcsWuss]

I would be upset too Ben, the large "if anyone wants to know where i got the logs from " box is what really grinds my gears.

 

In a nut shell he is suggesting that your product is over priced and under seasoned and if anyone wants to know who he got it from so they can not make the same mistake as him then to contact him.

.

 

I agree [with Peter Griffin!] that it's an unbelievable thing to have been printed!

Make the editor responsible for his columnist's actions, that is afterall the legal standpoint. It is up to the editor to 'edit' submissions and ensure the press stays within legal boundaries. This mag has sailed awful close to them and I'm pretty sure that a quiet word in the editor's shell like to point this out will be sufficient to put a swift end to it and instigate a full retraction.

[dave fox]

what do you do if he phones up and wants some more? the only thing i can advise is to phone the editor and place an add in the mag but specifi that it be on his page .

Edited April 11, 2012 by dave fox
mistake

[Dean Lofthouse]

Just point the editor to this thread, saves a lot of explaining