What are some of your pet peeves in this business?

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

So, what are some of your pet peeves?

I though that this might make a good subject to those in the game bird industry that sell to outsiders besides to your regular shooting preserve clients.

I deal in pheasants only, so I would like to here the others on the quail and chukar also.

So let’s see how far the list can grow. I'll start off with some of mine that are on the top of my list.

1. The off the street customers call up for birds and never show up. :mad: Now your morning or afternoon is/or was wasted waiting for them. They never call stating that they will be late or that they are not coming. Now you have to restock the pen with the held birds for sale. :mad: :mad:

2. You give the off the street customer a fixed price depending on the quantity of birds they want, only for them to try and get you to lower the price when they show up. 

3. You state cash only and then they show up with a check, sale now pending upon cash, when they return, or if they return. :mad: More time wasted!

4  The off street customers wanting to pick out their birds. Wanting the biggest and fattest.  I don't do selective picking, If I did, I would be there for days.... and the price would be twice the price quoted.

5. The off street customers wanting the birds, but no paper trail on their end.  ya right, tell the DNR that!!

6. The off street customers wanting a discount on discounted priced birds according to quantity over a phone conversation.     

7  Explaining  restocking fees (see number 1) to customers who call a second time for the same birds. 

8. You tell the off street customer to bring the appropriate amount and size of crates to transport the birds in, only to see, upon their arrival, either cardboard boxes or large dog crates. Then wasting your time explaining why he/she has to get 5 bales of straw. So sad but true!!



Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[quailfarm7]

With quail we have a lot of dog trainers that we deal with. Most of them are good about it and call a few days early so you can set things up. But then you have some that will call the day they want to pick them up and say I am going to be at such and such a place at this time, can I pick up birds when I am done. Well that would be all fine and dandy but when my dad and I both work full time, and raise 16,000 birds we have to schedule our time wisely and we arent there during the day except for weekends. In a few years when its a full time thing it wont bother me, but people want the birds when they want them and dont care how long they make you wait. Like you said then your day is basically shot, and no one is compensating you for the time that you wasted hanging around waiting for them to show up. I am not saying everyone is like that, but there is a majority.
Another thing is saying you need the birds such and such a date and then moving it back farther and farther. We have our every year hunting preserve customers and then raise so many extras for dog trainers and a few call ins. I cant stand when people call and say I need a couple hundred birds so you hold onto them and then the next week call and say well this person gave them to me for such and such a price can you do anything about it. NO, my prices are firm and I stand by the quality of my birds for that price. That is a huge one that really bothers me.

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

quailfarm7,

Yup!  I know.  When I have to round up 100 + birds, I need at least 1  to 1.5 days to do this in advance. First of, I do not lend out, nor, do I do deposits for my crates, :mad:  I have gotten screwed on that already.  Since I have no one to help me, my wife tells me I am on my own!

First I have to catch the birds, after I catch each bird, I have to record the band number, list the date of birth, and sex.  Then they go into the holding pen.  I will usually do the 1st half during the evening and then the other half in the early morning.

When all the birds are rounded up, :smile: then fill out the standard WV DNR transfer paperwork for instate/out of state sales. This gets to be a pain since I have birds from 2003-2007 that I sell.

If it's an out of state sale, then I have other forms along with the regular WV DNR State forms that have to be filled out and sign to cover my derriere. :smile:  Some (examples of such forms):Release from Liability and Out of State Transfer Form and Tranport Assumption.

When the customer finally arrives, I ask him/her to look the birds over, this way, once the birds are in their possession, all bets are off so to speak, if you know what I mean.

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[Reeves]

My pet Reeves is Lionheart !

 

[Jake Levi]

Those are all some of the good reasons why I have never been in the business, if I was I would require an appointment for pickups, after a deposit was made. Not doable I dont believe except for with the very few who wouldnt be a problem anyhow.

Too many people in deling with a farm feel they are doing you a favor for doing business with you. 

[chlt lab]

 No wounder I get the red carpet treatment.  Everyplace I deal with gets a copy of my dog trainers permit and my premises registration. I have my own brooders, grow-out pen and flight pen.  I order my birds in the winter for spring pick-up. (day old's) I also try to order my eggs in the fall befor it gets cold and then have some birds ready for spring.
  POOR PLANNING on my part IS NOT an emergency on anyone elses part!
  If and when I need to train on something bigger than a Quail I schedule a hunt with my local gamefarm for mid-week when she is slow anyway. My local gamefarm has Pheasants and Mallards. She lets me pick my own birds and I always take the birds with the bad plumage.. Pecked tails and wings.
  If I'm getting together with the local retriever club we know a week ahead and I can schedule to pick-up ducks or pheasants. Or we schedule a Wednesday night and train at the gamefarm. Same deal we take the less desireable birds and let her set the cream of the pen for the serious hunters. Wednesday nights were her request.

  I find it hard to believe that mutual respect and common curtacy has gone so far down the toilet!!

  Jerome

[Inkmann]

Most of the gripes are not specific to the game bird business, more like small business in general.
I own a small commercial printing company and 80% of my "walk in"  customers are more aggravation and wasted time than they are worth in dollar sales. It amazes me how much of our time people will take, if we let them.

On many occasions I have spent 1 hour+ laying out & designing a custom card or form for a customer and they are thrilled and want me to" go to press", then  I ask for a deposit and they look at me like I have 3 heads. I even had one woman, who called to check on her order and when I told her order it was ready she asked "if was to late to cancel it" when I told her it was to late she put a Stop Payment on her deposit check and thought she would get away with that, she didn't, but thats another storey. I have people who I thought I could trust and have extended credit and they will not pay, if you let them.

Now I am older and wiser, and learn from my mistakes, the cost of being in a legitimate business is expensive. It doesn't matter if its Game Birds, Printing, Rubbish Removal, Auto Repair your time & products or services are valuable. I charge what it I have to and save my donations for local youth sports, Sportsman Clubs, etc, not the schmuck who doesn't want to pay the going rate.

If somebody showed up to buy Game Birds and didn't have carriers, They should have to leave a decent deposit like 2x or 3x the cost of them. Now you can buy more new ones with no hard feelings if they don't come back in X amount of time.

As for no shows I would get a telephone numberS, call to confirm the order & and to make sure they gave you the correct number and then call looking for them if they are running late.

Just my thoughts, but I am glad I am only getting into this as a hobby.
Happy New Year
John