Lost some Friends today over Firewood.

[ReggieT]

About 2 1/2 years ago I went out on a limb. I asked a local logging company if I could make a deal for their cull logs. After meeting with the owner He promised to keep me in more firewood than I could handle for free. I would be doing him a favor by keeping his lot clear. I cut the logs, and they would load them in the trailer for me with the crane on the log truck. I have been cutting, splitting and selling 6 or so cords a year until this summer. The company moved it's log lot a couple of miles in the other direction to a leased property. I was still allowed to cut wood on the new lot. I was zipping logs into nice 18 inch rounds when the property owner comes by. When he learned my name he told me that the owner of the logging company highly recommended me for cleaning up the wood. The property owner has a couple hundred acres where they harvested Red Oak, White Oak, Hickory and some Black Walnut about three years ago. He asked if I would like to harvest the tree tops to help him clear them from his Timber. Win for me because there is more wood in the treetops than I know what to do with, much of it 24" caliber and better and all of it perfectly seasoned. I am allowed to use the new loader in the log lot to load firewood. I am on track to do 15 cords before Christmas with one Stihl Saw and a borrowed 27 ton Swisher Log Splitter. I have sold 6 Cords and given away three to a family with their Dad in the ICU.

All Summer long some of my friends have asked every few weeks what I charge per cord. $150.00 per Cord plus $50.00 for delivery and stacking, so $400.00 for two cords cut, split and delivered. 2 weeks ago they asked me for a rock bottom good friend price for 2 cords. They have helped me with a couple of projects in the past so I told the that rock bottom I could go with $250.00 for two cords. They did not like that price and said it was too steep. I offered to trade them the two cords for a bottle calf (they have 17), they said no. I then offered to let the come to my Farm where I store the processed firewood, I told them they could take/cut all they wanted from my ugly pile for free. This would be doing me and them a favor. This morning I got a call from them. They said "we know you get your firewood for free (which I do) and asked can a good friend get the directions so they could get some firewood for free as well.

I told them that would not fly because the deal I have with the landowner is exclusive (his request). I offered to sell them a trailer load of unprocessed logs for $150.00 and they got mad. I do not like to lose friends! So I went and cut two cords worth of logs (Red Oak big caliber), loaded them with the loader, and went to drop them at their house for free (keeping the peace and our friendship intact). I was told by the Lady of the house that Her and Her Husband did not need Charity, or my firewood (They asked for Charity when they asked for the first discount) and that was all they ever needed to say to me again. In other words "Get off my Lawn!"

They threw our friendship out based on $250.00 worth of discounted firewood. The father in this home brings home 6 figures. The Mother in this house received a 6+ figure inheritance a few years ago. They are not hurting for cash. I do not understand their need to strive for more and more of a better deal. They know that my Firewood sales supplement my Military pay for our Propane, Christmas and Winter supplies.

As a side note, the Family above found out through other sources where my Firewood lot is and who owns it. The Father told me that he knows the Landowner and would make his own deal. The Landowner upon hearing this told me that our deal was exclusive and that he trusted me. He told me I should have never offered the discounted wood in the first place. He said that it didn't matter if he sat next to them in Church on Sunday, that mine was the phone number he would give out if people asked him about cutting Firewood. That made me feel better.

Hmm...there was a time I would've still been replaying the tape in my mind about how all this played out. Not anymore! I thank the good Lord when he allows circumstances to fall into place that reveals the the true nature of a someones heart. Life is too short to invest into or give access to counterfeit friends!
Believe it or not this quite possibly saved some "REAL ISSUES" down the line! It always just a matter of time, before whats really in someone, comes to the surface! NEVER LOST A FRIEND...I NEVER HAD! YOU WON!!!

 

[dwasifar]

I think you got the chorus of agreement you were expecting, and why shouldn't you? Sounds like your "friends" were of the fair-weather type.

When I was a little kid, there was a girl on our block who would only play with you if you gave her candy. Once or twice there was nobody else to play with and I rustled up a couple of pieces of candy to buy some company. It was unsatisfying. I always wondered if she continued this practice into adulthood, and if so, whether the vice cops ever found out. But I digress. The point is that these people apparently expected that their company was so rare and wonderful that you should pay them for the privilege. Who needs that?

Regarding stingy rich people: I've seen that, a lot of it. I think it depends on whether the person has ever been otherwise. In my life I've been grindingly poor sometimes, and at other times really well off. The memory of repairing my $6 Kmart shoes with duct tape because I couldn't afford new ones stuck with me, and kept me from acting like my you-know-what didn't stink later in life when I had the money to tip the waitress well.

I think your price for the wood is perfectly appropriate. Hey, I want free wood too, but when I do, I go find it and cut it up myself. If I couldn't do that, I'd expect to pay for it. Those "friends" who want your work for free should go out and find their own sources, get their own saw and splitter, get their hands dirty, sweat a little. Until then, they have some nerve to act like your time and effort doesn't factor into this "free" wood they expect you to share with them.

I'm sure you have better friends than this, and now you have more time for them.

 

[ReggieT]

I have a few close friends that have fires like me, I have the saws and trailer splitter ect We all source wood, we all go get it,Only rule ,NO kids. I cut, they load, use my splitter at my place, then take it home to theirs, we all share gas and refreshments, I take one extra load to them as use of my equipment and they are more than happy with that So if 3 of us do a tree they may get 4 loads each, I take 5. this works fine, Also they are all in different skills builder, plumber, tax man, ect My wife and I are techies so we fix their puters free plus parts,at trade, and I never wait for a tradey Things get fixed at my place as soon as I call, free plus materials at trade prices, Its a real good group and the wifes do their thing too. At times there is 8 families involved

That's what I'm talking about!:msp_thumbsup:

 

[sb47]

You didn’t loose a friend; you got rid of a looser.

Besides by acting like they did, they null and voided your obligation to repay the favor they did for you. Win Win for you.

And thanks for serving.

 

[loadthestove]

I do business with friends all the time. I have many good friends in all lines of work and often call on them for different things. I tell them to charge me as they would charge anybody else. I explain that I would have to pay either way and that I would rather pay them. Many times they just ask to trade services, which works just fine for me!

This is exactly how my friends and I have things arranged.works best for all parties involved.

 

[TreeTangler]

This is exactly how my friends and I have things arranged.works best for all parties involved.

Amen

 

[discounthunter]

here you go.... said friends get permission to cut then they find out they need a good/bigger saw(s), then something to load the wood on and something to load it with, then to unload it, then a splitter...ect ..ect . $250 be sounding real good right about now!lol.

btw, you lost a poser not a friend.

 

[ihookem]

I charge almost the exact same price for firends. Parents are half price or free. Pastors get charged extra.!! Just kidding. I charge them the same too. This is the only way to keep it fair cause if one friend gets a discount and the other doesn't there is a problem. One thing I see is everyones money is the same color and it is all the same. The price you gave was more than fair and lucky they didn't take it cause then ya have to charge that for all your "" friends"".

 

[(:-D]

Those weren't friends. Friends don't expect you to take a loss for their gain. You're nicer than I am- no way would I go and cut and haul a load for them after the discount you offered the first time.

You went out of you're way and they pissed on ya for it. You have nothing to be guilt ridden over.

I have found that, in most aspects of life, people who are not well off are better to deal with than rich folks. I dealt with some multi-millionaires in my time and they were the cheapest SOBs I ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Poor folk like myself are more understanding of how much work it takes to put a roof over your families head and food on the table. I go out of my way for those folk. Same as they do me.

You did good!