Farrier!!! Mini Rant - what would you do?

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Joyous70

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:mad: I have a lovely farrier, always on time, good with the boys and does a good job and doesn't charge the earth, i have been using him since i moved yards last November.

I know he will not answer his mobile if he doesn't have your number saved in his phone, so as he doesn't have mine i text him as i need to change my appointment, stating who i was etc., no reply, i have rung and left 3 messages on his mobile and a further text message today and left a message on his home phone last night! all i want to do is try and re-arrange my appointment.

I pass his house every night on the way to the yard and can see if he's home or not, should i call round on the way. I can only assume im being ignored, which is odd, im not a nuisance customer, never changed appointments before, let him down or not paid on time, and he has other clients at our yard too - im at a loss as to what to do really, just as well its not an emergency

What would you do?
 
Could he be away maybe and didn't let you know as you're number isn't stored?

He may just be behind on his diary - not good but it does happen.

I'd send another text explaining things, asking that he please let you know if he can rearrange or you will assume he can't and ring round.
 
He's definately not away, i saw him in his garden as i drove past last night, but didn't feel comfortable stopping by as it looked as though he had company. :o
 
Had this with my farrier once - just wasn't getting replies after he missed an appointment. We actually had to get another farrier in as an emergency but it turned out our normal farrier had been in a car accident and had been in hospital for ages. His wife had missed us on his appointment sheet when she phoned round!

Hopefully it's nothing that bad but I find that good farriers generally don't ignore you for no good reason . . . .
 
As Nari says, drop a note through his letterbox. Or leave a voicemail message on his mobile rather than a text. I know a farmer (not farrier!)who has no idea how to access or reply to a text. Couldn't think why he didn't react when I texted him to say his calves were out in the neighbour's wheat. It was only when his wife came home that she sorted him out. Good luck!
 
To me it just sounds like he can't be bothered!!- I accept some Farriers can be hard to get hold of on the phone and of course they may not want to answer the phone when they are busy shoeing, but surely at the end of their work day or at the start of the next day they should make the time to reply to customers, whether it's a quick text or phone call.

If I wanted the farrier to continue to shoe my horses I would expect them to reply!

I'd go round there and have a chat with him in person, then you can't be ignored!- failing that put a note thru his letterbox and see if you get a reply- if not I'd go elsewhere!
 
K27 said:
To me it just sounds like he can't be bothered!!- I accept some Farriers can be hard to get hold of on the phone and of course they may not want to answer the phone when they are busy shoeing, but surely at the end of their work day or at the start of the next day they should make the time to reply to customers, whether it's a quick text or phone call.

If I wanted the farrier to continue to shoe my horses I would expect them to reply!

I'd go round there and have a chat with him in person, then you can't be ignored!- failing that put a note thru his letterbox and see if you get a reply- if not I'd go elsewhere!
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you are kidding right.
i know my farrier is up at the crack of dawn and shoes till its dark. i dont expect him to reply straight away to anything- bet your the sort who thinks your BF's broken up if he doesnt text back within 10 minutes or is clearly having an affair :rolleyes:
if its a couple of days and he doesnt get back to me it isnt the end of the world, he doesnt hate us. he went on holiday over the bank holiday weekend, so i didnt expect him to think about work then (nor to let us know he was going away, i arent his minder!) he got back to us when he got chance.
once i left a message at dinner (lunch for you southerners) when we lost a shoe and he came and put it back at teatime. cant ask for better than that, he was passing admittedly but it made him late home and he didnt have to.
 
Depends on the time frame you have sent the messages over really. Our farrier is fab, but only goes through messages on a sun eve and texts you back ready for the coming week. I'd leave a vioce message (often get a better response I have found) and then give him time to reply. Also, farriers are people too. If he is normally fab then I would cut him some slack and wait a bit longer! If he visits others on the yard and he has their numbers stored perhaps you could get one of them to call him to explain the situation then maybe you could get an appointment at the same time as one of them?
 
You don't say when you first rung him - was it a day or two ago or as much as a week ago? If it was a week ago then I would definitely drop a note through his door.

If it is only a couple of days, then it is possible that he is trying to rearrange his diary to suit you and may actually be waiting for other customers to ring him back before he knows when he can reschedule your appt.
 
xloopylozzax said:
you are kidding right.
i know my farrier is up at the crack of dawn and shoes till its dark. i dont expect him to reply straight away to anything- bet your the sort who thinks your BF's broken up if he doesnt text back within 10 minutes or is clearly having an affair :rolleyes:
if its a couple of days and he doesnt get back to me it isnt the end of the world, he doesnt hate us. he went on holiday over the bank holiday weekend, so i didnt expect him to think about work then (nor to let us know he was going away, i arent his minder!) he got back to us when he got chance.
once i left a message at dinner (lunch for you southerners) when we lost a shoe and he came and put it back at teatime. cant ask for better than that, he was passing admittedly but it made him late home and he didnt have to.
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Joyous70 has said that they have contacted their Farrier on more than one occasion- they've left 3 messages, sent 2 texts and left another answerphone message- and no reply- this is just to change an appointment!- if they have left the messages all on one day or over a couple of days then it is understandable that the poor guy probably doesn't want to be hassled. But, paying customers should be replied to!, doesn't matter when- but a reply is courteous- if only to say that they are dealing with it.

As someone has mentioned it does depend on the timeframe as well, very true.
 
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I must say, as a farrier's wife who arranges all my husband's appointments, some customers do tend to forget that sometimes we have a life! I've had people leave a non-urgent message on the ansaphone in the afternoon, and then are on the phone again first thing the following morning to find out why I hadn't rung them back. Sometimes we do actually go out, you know!!

That's not to mention the people who ring at 10.30pm at night or over the weekend for non-urgent business.
 
:D FINALLY GOT HIM :D Rang the house phone again last night and managed to speak to him - he hadn't rung me back as my appointment isnt for another 3 weeks :(

Its taken me nearly 2 weeks to get hold of him :eek:
 
TGM said:
I must say, as a farrier's wife who arranges all my husband's appointments, some customers do tend to forget that sometimes we have a life! I've had people leave a non-urgent message on the ansaphone in the afternoon, and then are on the phone again first thing the following morning to find out why I hadn't rung them back. Sometimes we do actually go out, you know!!

That's not to mention the people who ring at 10.30pm at night or over the weekend for non-urgent business.
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How rude of people to phone that late or over the weekend when it's not an emergency!
 
TGM - Thats why i felt a bit uncomfortable about knocking the door to be fair :o he works hard and has a life as you say. I wouldn't dream of ringing at 10.30pm and did kick myself as i left my 1st message on a Monday which i know is his day off :o

Ah well panic over - new appointment arranged :D
 
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