Got my FIRST wood delivery..... BUT....

[Max Headroom]

It’s funny but to cheat a wood seller takes more effort than it is worth. Not that i would ever stoop so low. You’d have to haul some large amount of wood away and hide it somewhere. That’s what i told my wood seller when he came to inspect the shortage. I said you are welcome to check my garage, cellar and house. I further told him that when i sell my integrity it will be for a lot more than a few pieces of wood

Exactly! When I talked to my wood seller and he flipped out, it was all about his integrity and reputation. What I couldn't get him to understand is that even if I wanted to cheat him, the amount of effort that would be required to hide a hundred bucks worth of wood wouldn't be any where near the payback.

 

[savageactor7]

HearthKB...I wouldn't be too quick to find a different dealer...that's some real fine good looking hardwood you have there. Perhaps if you ordered a smaller amount the quantity would increase? I dunno.

 

[RedRanger]

I use 3 suppliers for my annual 7 cord csd purchase. always #1 is the guy I have dealt with for the past 10 years, always delivers 2 cord multiples and it is 2 cords. and reasonably seasoned.

#2 is a decent fellow,but he always delivers 12" cuts. but his 2 cords mostly measure out to be about 1.85. but also 20% cheaper than number 1

#3 really does bring you stuff that is almost ready to burn, but his cords always measure out to be 80%.

So, keep your best 3 suppliers close, but never expect anything, more than slightly less than you think you are paying for.

I think that is our expectations that make us unhappy. except a little less and you will be happy. This is a tough way to make a buck, and these guys are doing the best they can. At least in my neck of the woods, the stuff I buy is ready to burn within 6 months. and that makes me happy

 

[johnsopi]

I believe if you buy a cord 4x4x8 then that is a set amount. How seasoned it is veriable. There is no reason a buyer should be able to look at the wood first.

 

[HearthKB]

OK Guys and Gals... I left a message with the wood dealer on Monday morning and explained the situation in a kind manner. He called back later in the evening to apologize about shorting me 1/2 cord of wood. He said its totally unacceptable and will come by tomorrow to drop off the remaining 1/2 cord.

My wife just gave me a call and said he dropped off the wood. He rang the door bell and apologized to my wife as well. I guess this guy is not bad after all. I just wish his wood was seasoned a little more than he said it was. I also wish the cut lengths were a little more uniform. Too many 20"+ pieces.

I guess this turned out to be a happy ending after all!

 

[smokinj]

OK Guys and Gals... I left a message with the wood dealer on Monday morning and explained the situation in a kind manner. He called back later in the evening to apologize about shorting me 1/2 cord of wood. He said its totally unacceptable and will come by tomorrow to drop off the remaining 1/2 cord.

My wife just gave me a call and said he dropped off the wood. He rang the door bell and apologized to my wife as well. I guess this guy is not bad after all. I just wish his wood was seasoned a little more than he said it was. I also wish the cut lengths were a little more uniform. Too many 20"+ pieces.

I guess this turned out to be a happy ending after all!

yes and it sounds like he will be your wood guy in the future

 

[Jags]

OK Guys and Gals... I left a message with the wood dealer on Monday morning and explained the situation in a kind manner. He called back later in the evening to apologize about shorting me 1/2 cord of wood. He said its totally unacceptable and will come by tomorrow to drop off the remaining 1/2 cord.

My wife just gave me a call and said he dropped off the wood. He rang the door bell and apologized to my wife as well. I guess this guy is not bad after all.

Told ya to not sweat it yet. :cheese:

 

[fossil]

Sounds like he means to please. Thank him profusely. Develop a professional relationship of trust with him. He understands now that you are an informed consumer. He values your business. Let him know about the length issue and maybe he'll attend to that better in the future as well as the quantity issue. Be there when he delivers and help him unload. Give him a tip. Delight your supplier and he'll have a tendency to delight you as a customer. A good, trusted, reliable wood supplier is a wonderful thing for those of us who aren't fortunate enough to own our own forests or have free wood fall into our possession easily. Rick

 

[iceman]

Sounds like he means to please. Thank him profusely. Develop a professional relationship of trust with him. He understands now that you are an informed consumer. He values your business. Let him know about the length issue and maybe he'll attend to that better in the future as well as the quantity issue. Be there when he delivers and help him unload. Give him a tip. Delight your supplier and he'll have a tendency to delight you as a customer. A good, trusted, reliable wood supplier is a wonderful thing for those of us who aren't fortunate enough to own our own forests or have free wood fall into our possession easily. Rick

and don't forget to order 2 more cords and stack them with what you have now still time to season and you'll be happy you did

 

[Max Headroom]

Not so much luck with my wood vendor. As expected as soon as I paid him he went silent. Going back to an earlier comment about the price of one's integrity. I guess this guy's price is a hundred bucks worth of wood. Maybe I'll be surprised and I'll come home to a half cord in the driveway someday. Probably only if the easter bunny brings it....

 

[JotulOwner]

You are lucky you purchased your wood in August instead of October like I did last year. I learned a great deal in one season. I now have one firm rule about firewood. Make sure you acquire your wood well before burning season (at least the Spring before, but preferably the year before). In my opinion, no matter what a dealer tells you, the wood is never as dry as you would like it to be. Around here, they split rounds (just before delivery) that were cut a couple of months ago. I spent many hours this Spring/Summer buying truly seasoned wood from private sellers (people who were getting rid of wood they had but didn't need any more for various reasons). I also picked up free, freshly cut logs at locations where trees were being removed. I cut, split and stacked the wood in late Spring/ early Summer and the Maple I acquired already is at 18 percent on my moisture meter (tested at the center of a split piece). If you take the time to prepare for the burning season well in advance, you will be rewarded by enjoying an easy to light, well burning fire all season long. If not, you may experience what I did last year.

 

[jjhof0306]

compared to the mountain that was my first 3 cords, that ain't no 2 cords of wood you got there. I'm hoping it's just PART of your delivery.... : )

 

[RedRanger]

OK Guys and Gals... I left a message with the wood dealer on Monday morning and explained the situation in a kind manner. He called back later in the evening to apologize about shorting me 1/2 cord of wood. He said its totally unacceptable and will come by tomorrow to drop off the remaining 1/2 cord.

My wife just gave me a call and said he dropped off the wood. He rang the door bell and apologized to my wife as well. I guess this guy is not bad after all. I just wish his wood was seasoned a little more than he said it was. I also wish the cut lengths were a little more uniform. Too many 20"+ pieces.

I guess this turned out to be a happy ending after all!

A decent chap indeed!! However, you need to establish at least 3 suppliers that you can count on. For obvious reasons eg-they die, retire, go out of business, etc.

Looks like you have your number one. Now start looking for number 2 and 3. And if you have the space order a cord from each of your second choices. And every year, if you are satisified with all 3 of them ,, then buy some wood from all of them. Remember, contacts, contacts, contacts-- always keep them close and happy ..

That might also include a beer and a burger once in a while ;-)

 

[savageactor7]

Good to hear things worked out...when you buy wood be prepared to make some adjustments. Every load ya get will be different...if you have the room consider getting some log loads. That is the best and easiest way to secure prime wood there is.

 

[biggins08]

That's definetly some pretty nice looking wood IMO, maybe not perfectly seasoned, but it looks far better than most of us had delivered our first year!

 

[BrotherBart]

Sounds like he means to please. Thank him profusely. Develop a professional relationship of trust with him. He understands now that you are an informed consumer. He values your business. Let him know about the length issue and maybe he'll attend to that better in the future as well as the quantity issue. Be there when he delivers and help him unload. Give him a tip. Delight your supplier and he'll have a tendency to delight you as a customer. A good, trusted, reliable wood supplier is a wonderful thing for those of us who aren't fortunate enough to own our own forests or have free wood fall into our possession easily. Rick

Yeah I feed my supplier and pour beer down him every night. %-P Fool still doesn't appreciate it.

 

[fossil]

...Yeah I feed my supplier and pour beer down him every night. %-P Fool still doesn't appreciate it.

Just try to imagine something you could do for him that would make him really happy...and do it for him. I'm quite sure he more than deserves it, whatever it might be. Rick

 

[Cluttermagnet]

OK Guys and Gals... I left a message with the wood dealer on Monday morning and explained the situation in a kind manner. He called back later in the evening to apologize about shorting me 1/2 cord of wood. He said its totally unacceptable and will come by tomorrow to drop off the remaining 1/2 cord.

My wife just gave me a call and said he dropped off the wood. He rang the door bell and apologized to my wife as well. I guess this guy is not bad after all. I just wish his wood was seasoned a little more than he said it was. I also wish the cut lengths were a little more uniform. Too many 20"+ pieces.

I guess this turned out to be a happy ending after all!

On balance, you did OK. I believe almost everyone you meet is basically good. Patience, kindness, and above all politeness go a very long way. I agree with the others, this guy is probably a 'keeper', now go find #2 and #3.

 

[Dix]

I'm glad everything got settled That's excellant ! And I agree, that dealers a keeper !

Hope the info I gave you on local wood dealers helped !!

 

[JPapiPE]

I had the same experience with my wood dealer. I ordered 4 cord and he brought them a cord at a time. The first cord was right on and then the second was about 9 cubic feet short. I called him and he came right by and delivered the amount I was shorted that day. He apologized and explained that he and his partner were looking for a faster way to load the truck, and that the first cord had been stacked to measure. He then thought he had the right amount of loose stacking to equal a cord. I did give the poor guy several cans of energy drinks and energy bars as he looked like he might collaspse. After that his last 2 cord were dead on and he made it a point to explain to me that he now had the loose fill method down to a science. I did make a friend by keeping my cool and being polite, plus plying him with stuff I wouldn't eat or drink myself. Maybe next time he comes I'll have the grill going and ply him with a hotdog or 2.

It's funny how you got a lot of wood at oversized length, HearthKB. Do you have a chainsaw to cut it up? Every wood burner should have one so that you can scavenge. The saw will pay for itself in free wood scavenged. Put it on you wish list. Back to the story. My stove will take 18" logs so i ordered 16" splits and was a bit chagrined when my seller sent me some 6-8 dozen splits at 8" with a couple of loads. I did mention it to him before the last load was delivered , but I still got 40-50 ...8-10" pieces. They screw up the stack if you are trying to measure out a full cord. But I guess that's better than getting oversized wood without a saw to cut it with.

I paid $250 per cord and your wood looks a lot more seasoned than mine HearthKB. So I think you did real good .

 

[HearthKB]

It's funny how you got a lot of wood at oversized length, HearthKB. Do you have a chainsaw to cut it up? Every wood burner should have one so that you can scavenge. The saw will pay for itself in free wood scavenged. Put it on you wish list.

I paid $250 per cord and your wood looks a lot more seasoned than mine HearthKB. So I think you did real good .

Chainsaw...Check... I've had one for a few years now. Its nothing special, just an 18" Craftsman. It does the job of cutting up the limbs that fall of the tress around my house. What I'm going to do is put my miter saw in the garage which is attached to my house. I'll have a pallet of wood in there at all times during the burning season so if I find a split that's too big, I'll just throw it in the miter and cut it down to size.

Going forward, I plan on getting my own wood to cut, split and season, so the chainsaw will really come in handy.

I would say 75% of the wood that was dropped off is pretty nice. The rest might have a hard time burning at maximum efficiency this year. I stacked it all pretty quick so I'm hoping that it can season a little more over the next 2 1/2 months.

 

[JPapiPE]

Hearth KB seems as you got all your ducks in a row so far... Good for you on the chainsaw. My first chainsaw was a craftsman 18" and it served me for 15 years before I sold it to a friend. As long as your bar is not too nicked up and your chain is sharp ...any saw will do. Learn how to sharpen your own chain. Its a helpful skill especially ona Sunday afternoon in some field. If you are not exactly handy with tools ...Oregon sells a clamp on chain sharpener that will do cutters and pitch, but if you damage your rakers ...you should have it professionally sharpened..as it would take a good long time to bring the chain back to high cutting efficiency.... but it only cost about $6.

P.S. It wasn't enough that I just about gave the craftsman chainsaw to a friend. His chain is now dull and he needs a new bar after 20 years ...so guess where my $500 chain saw is now? Yes, borrowed by that same friend. I think i am too easy especially with this one person, but when i do talk to him i will ask him to get the chain sharpened as a price for borrowing my new saw.

 

[HearthKB]

Back again!!

Seriously.... Does anyone know an honest wood dealer? The reason why I ask is that I just ordered wood from another liar!! This time the amount looks right BUT the wood is terrible!

I just took delivery of another cord from a different dealer than the first. I spoke with him multiple times on the phone before ordering it and reiterated that I need "well seasoned wood". He assured me that his wood is great and will be perfect to burn in November when the cold weather starts. He even said that he pesonally knows my first wood dealer and that his wood is much more seasoned. This guy is very busy so he was only able to fit me in when I wasn't home. So I left the cash in the front door for him.

Well.... I just got home and looked at the pile of crap in my driveway. I would say well over half of it is red oak that looks like it was cut only a few months ago. ZERO seasoning. I took my moisture meter to it and it was pinned at 35% which means its well over. Totally unusable this season.

I left a message for the guy so I'm hoping he is nice enought to call me back. I either want him to pickup the wood and give me a refund or give me some money back for the mostly green wood he delivered. If he chooses the latter, I'll just stack the wood in the backyard and season it myself for next year.

Wish me luck again!!


-Kevin-

PS... Man I hope this gets easier! On the bright side, I did pickup my Fireview the other day and its in one piece! Starting hearth pad build tomorrow.

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

Kevin,
Good learning experience......just think, you get to laugh at all the people next year trying to do the same, but you'll have seasosnd wood and giving your own advice.
The only dealer I know that delivers seasoned wood......is the load you bought from your dealer last year......


WoodButcher

 

[HearthKB]

Kevin,
Good learning experience......just think, you get to laugh at all the people next year trying to do the same, but you'll have seasosnd wood and giving your own advice.
The only dealer I know that delivers seasoned wood......is the load you bought from your dealer last year......


WoodButcher

You're right.... Im chaulking this season up to a learning experience. So far I have four cords of wood stacked. Of that wood, I can probably burn two of the cords. The other two will have to wait till next season to burn.

I just ordered another cord from a small time dealer. I told them that I will accept delivery only when I'm home and I will test a few pieces with a moisture meter. They said "no problem", so I have a feeling this wood is really seasoned or else they would not have said it's ok. I'm paying a little more than the other dealers but "you get what you pay for".

Wish me luck!