# Communications with Clients



## EZ Bales (Aug 21, 2014)

My husband and I run a Haying operation in Southern Alberta (Canada) where we have clients who contact us then come and pick up our hay bales at a mutually agreed upon time - yet there is a number of clients who arrive late or don't show up at all. We do find this very rude, as I ask them to let me know if they will be late or delayed - with all the methods of communication (phone, email, text, fb, twitter etc) there should be no reason why they can't reach me, yet they don't.

My question is how do I get them to arrive on time? I'd like to know what other folks do to keep their clients on time - I know I'm always arriving early to any appointment I have...I'd never hold anyone up!

Thank you!

EZ Bales


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## ANewman (Sep 20, 2012)

If it's the same customers consistently being late, I'd give them a taste of their own medicine. Next time they set up an appointment you be the one that's conveniently late. Then apologize something like this... I'm so sorry I'm late it's completely out of character for me to be late and I know how it is to have to wait on someone. I hate or when people don't show up when they're supposed to


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## EZ Bales (Aug 21, 2014)

Thank you for your reply ANewman. Yes sometimes it is and I have become very wise to these repeat offenders and don't give them much time unfortunately! I do give them another opportunity but they know they won't get a third.

Honestly this is just a very small group of people, we have many folks who are AMAZING to deal with and arrive on time and are easy to set up apt's with and in fact many clients have become very good friends. We are very lucky to have them ~ they are amazing and we greatly appreciate their interest in our hay!


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I tell em to be here between lets say 12:30 and 1, I'm leaving promptly at 1:01 for the field.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

I had one lady once call to come pick up some bales. Desperately need hay the animals were starving. Never showed. Phoned again I said I would be out there on this day if she showed up I could load her. Never showed. Called a third time. Said she would not be late as her animals were right out of feed. Guess what never showed, A few days later she had an add on kijiji wanting hay said she was right out and her animals were starting to starve. Will someone else can deal with her now. She stood me up 3 times over 3 weeks, I guess her animals were not all that starved or maybe she has a few less of them now?


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I had a guy come and look at my grass hay for his alpacas. He took samples and tested it. About 5 days later he called an left a message to say he liked the hay from one barn, but not the other (different fields). I called him back within a minute. I said ok I have 65 bales. It needs to be gotten out in two weeks or else 3rd cutting will be stacked against it. It's 90/bale call me to let me know what you think and when you plan to come. I thought he would call back that day. 12 days later he calls saying "Hey I was planning to come out and get 4 of those 65 bales and I'll get the rest in a couple of weeks". Uh oh. Since he never called me back to tell me when or even if he was really going to get them I had sold all but 4. He was absolutely shocked! Saying that had never happened to him before. He thought we had a deal. Nope. No call back, no money, first time buyer means no holds on hay. Hay buyers don't think that there are other buyers out there. How am I supposed to know that he isn't out there testing other hay and maybe found some cheaper then mine?


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

On Friday, I delivered 12 round bales to a new customer. Made good money, but the price we negotiated was based on an agreement where he was to be there to unload the RB hay with a skid steer loader equipped with a bale spear. 
I arrived at the stated time and only the wife was there with that dumbass look on her face. No husband. Skid steer parked in the garage. I told her I did not feel good about unloading second layer round bales by hand. 
She calls the husband and tells her to tell me to run their skid steer loader to unload the bales. She thinks she's doing me a big solid by getting the loader out. Guess what....no bale spear. She says " we bought one, but didnt put it on". 
Now I'm taking my time and responsibility for unloading them, not him as promised, with a skid steer equipped with a bucket.

One thing all hay buyers seem to have in common is that they think you're a dumbass farmer and your time is worth about 3 bucks an hour and their so f'-in special because they own horses.


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

I don't live on the farm were the hay is so I tell the people that I don't live there and I will only be there at the set time. Any other time I am not there and wont be able to drive over to meet them. It also gives me a good excuse if someone wants hay at the last minute. "Gee, sorry. I don't live on the farm and I am tied up at the moment and cant make the drive over at the moment."


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

JD3430 said:


> On Friday, I delivered 12 round bales to a new customer. Made good money, but the price we negotiated was based on an agreement where he was to be there to unload the RB hay with a skid steer loader equipped with a bale spear.
> I arrived at the stated time and only the wife was there with that dumbass look on her face. No husband. Skid steer parked in the garage. I told her I did not feel good about unloading second layer round bales by hand.
> She calls the husband and tells her to tell me to run their skid steer loader to unload the bales. She thinks she's doing me a big solid by getting the loader out. Guess what....no bale spear. She says " we bought one, but didnt put it on".
> Now I'm taking my time and responsibility for unloading them, not him as promised, with a skid steer equipped with a bucket.
> ...


Just shove the bales off the trailer with the loader onto the ground? Still more work then you were counting on.


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

All the comments just reinforce my belief's that people, in general have a 'I don't give a shitte' attitude about people other than themselves (pardon my French).

I see it constantly, one reason why I like my Internet (.com) business. No personal contact whatsoever. just electronic and maybe an ocassional e-mail ot even more rarely, a phone call.

This is a tough business. Our customers make it tough.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Teslan said:


> Just shove the bales off the trailer with the loader onto the ground? Still more work then you were counting on.


Next theyll call and tell me their horses wont eat it.


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

I hope they paid cash.....


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

PaMike said:


> I hope they paid cash.....


Yup, I ask for it as a common practice anymore.


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

I let everyone I deal with know truthfully:

Either:
In god we trust. All else pay cash

Or I will not even take a check from my brother. And I know if he writes me one it is good.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

I'm a seller with a bad habit of being late with one customer. They are 2 hour drive away if everything is perfect but unloading barn and loading trailer is a highly variable amount of time and I don't have a building to park the loaded trailer under cover and she won't accept any tarping as she had a bad experience. It's embarrassing but between kid responsibilities and other stuff I don't have unlimited time to be prepared. We are working to build a barn that will hold several loaded wagons for delivery but until then...


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

slowzuki said:


> I'm a seller with a bad habit of being late with one customer. They are 2 hour drive away if everything is perfect but unloading barn and loading trailer is a highly variable amount of time and I don't have a building to park the loaded trailer under cover and she won't accept any tarping as she had a bad experience. It's embarrassing but between kid responsibilities and other stuff I don't have unlimited time to be prepared. We are working to build a barn that will hold several loaded wagons for delivery but until then...


As long as the tarp isn't still on when you pull up to her place, how is she going to know?


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