Blacksmith rant!!!! Grrrr!!!

[sfward]

Are all blacksmiths universally unorganised or is it just mine?! He doesn't have voicemail activated on his phone (hasn't for the last 2 years!), never bothers to answer it either, never returns missed calls, and completely ignores text messages. So the only way to get him out is to make an appointment 6 weeks in advance when you've got him pinned in the yard, but now even that isn't true as he was booked in yesterday and DIDN'T TURN UP!! No phone calls to say he'd be late, no nothing. Not answering his phone today and no answer to text message or home phone either. How rude!!!!

So now I'm panicking as poor Missie has been missing a front shoe for a week (you guessed it no answer last week when tried to get earlier appointment, so was banking on getting her done yesterday

), the other 3 shoes are practically falling off and I have a 3 day course booked at the Yorkshire Riding Centre starting on Monday...

I'm going to have to start trying to ring round other blacksmiths this afternoon but they all seem to be as bad as each other round here so not holding out much hope. Anyone know of a good farrier near York who can come and shoe a horse at short notice in an emergency?!! Aaarrrghhh!!

 

[jesterfaerie]

Is there a chance of you being able to find another farrier as yours sounds like a nightmare to deal with!
Mine is fantastic, yesterday he even turned up an hour early. Always rings back or answers his phone, fantastic with the horse, he came out the next day when my pony was lame in his foot.
Suvh a shame you are having a problem with yours at the moment

 

[sfward]

The thing is round here all the good ones are absolutely snowed under, so they can get away with it cos they know you won't change! I just tried another good farrier who used to shoe ours before, but he's booked up. Think I'm going to have to start ringing down a list at this rate.
I'm just so cross about this, why is that they think they can get away with such poor service?! you're still a customer at the end of the day. If something goes wrong then you're well and truly in the s***! This is the second time in 2 months I've had to wait over a week to get a lost shoe put back on. it's ridiculous!!!

 

[jesterfaerie]

I do think it is rediculous that they think it is ok to act like this and get away with it but it is because they know they can get away with it unfortunalty

 

[Alimac19]

Not all farriers are bad but there again not all are good either!! I've seen some terrible shoeing in the past that even my OH (who is not horsey) could see was terrible. Making the hoof fit the shoe instead of the shoe fit the hoof etc. My farrier is really good, very proffesional. You can go online to http://www.farrier-reg.gov.uk/ and search all the registered farriers in your area.

Hope you have some luck!!

 

[Hullabaloo]

No they're not all like that but I think some of them know how hard it is to find a decent farrier and take advantage.
Mine is brilliant, always returns my calls and texts me if he's going to be 10 mins late. He even turned up one day to say he had a burst pipe and would I mind re-arranging. He couldn't find my number and didn't want to let me down. My friends farrier came out on Sunday to replace a lost shoe so she could ride over the bank holiday. So there are good reliable farriers out there. I hope you manage to find one.

 

[sfward]

Well I think (fingers crossed!) I've managed to get my old farrier who used to do mine a few years ago before I moved yards to come up and shoe her for me. So that will deal with the immediate emergency and has partially restored my faith in human nature!!! Quite tempted to swap back permanently tbh, getting rather peed off with the whole situation, but then I seem to remember that half the reason I swapped from my old farrier was because I could never get hold of him either...

 

[arwenplusone]

Donadea - I used to date a farrier in York!

All got a bit messy after I split up with him

so I have a list of farriers in the area if you need help with finding one

You're right though - they are few and far between here!

- I have PM'd you too!

 

[Donkeymad]

Is it a fairly common thing for him not to show up? Maybe he has had an accident. Our farrier doesn't actually own a mobile phone, but he is brilliant and we would never change.

 

[happihorse]

Glad to see you have maaged to arrange something. If not, could you take your horse to a local yard where a farrier is already going? - they seem much more willing to do another one at a current client's yard than go to a new yard.

 

[YorksG]

In the days before mobiles our old farrier was only contactable between having a bath and going to the pub.

You had half and hour each day to catch him in, mind you this was nearly twenty years ago!

 

[sfward]

seems i spoke too soon...

can't get hold of ANYONE now!! what a nightmare! I'm quite happy to take her down to the farrier rather than him come out IF ONLY HE WOULD ANSWER THE PHONE!!!!