MiJodsR2BlinkinTite
Well-Known Member
Any other DIY or livery yard owners out there who've had this problem? You know, the people that see your advert and ring up, can't wait to see the facilities coz its "urgent" kinda thing; and basically once they've nosed around your place they can't wait to be gone again! They say "they'll ring" and "will let you know" and you know blimmin well that you've been had yet again and have given someone who isn't the slightest bit interested in your faciltiies, your valuable time yet again!! Grrrggghh!
I had a mother and daughter ring about DIY livery last night. She said she was "desperate", apparently was buying a horse and hadn't got anywhere to keep it (stupid thing to do anyway innit?); and she couldn't find anywhere else and I was her last port of call. Stupidly, I agreed she could come out in the evening. She duly arrived, dressed totally unsuitably in flip-flops, plus the daughter suitably attired.
She said she needed livery "tonight or tomorrow, certainly no later than that or it will be too late" as she would "lose" the horse. She expected me to shift a whole lot of leccy fencing around at very short notice to make a paddock for hers.
She popped her head over the gate, never even bothered to go in the field and check it, or see the water troughs/fencing, etc., basically she was just in a tare-assing rush to be gone again; and hardly even noticed my boy looking over the door (hint: if you want a YO to take you in as an "urgent" case and put themselves out for you then at least say something complimentary about their horse - even if it's got a head like a donkey and a bum like a hippo, for gawds sake say sommat nice about it!!).
Anyway, madam tore off into the sunset, promising faithfully that she'd ring within the hour. She didn't, and I'm still waiting. I suspect that she's one of these ditherers that has let a good horse slip through her fingers, and/or she fancied riding because the daughter does and had to keep up with the horsey set so wanted to buy a horse herself.
I've had quite a few timewasters; these are people who are probably well settled somewhere else in the locality, and see the advert and are just nosey, they want to look around someone elses place coz it fulfils some need in them, or whatever.
And they all appear very genuine when they ring up; most are looking for DIY because what they actually want is assisted livery or even full livery with all the facilities i.e. school, wash-down area, jumps, someone to do the horse if they're late back from work etc etc., but they don't want to pay full livery prices, so they regard it as their privilege to transfer to a DIY yard and think that they can pay for DIY but the YO will relent and "do" for them!!! I've had some of this!
How do other YO's deal with timewasters? If you knew what they were you'd send them packing, but you just can;t tell when they ring up. I've heard of it happening with people selling horses too; golly don't they just drive you wild?
I'm trying to offer decent facilities at what I feel is a fair price. I don't run a professional yard with all the trimmings, on the advert it makes it clear what's on offer, so why do people waste others' time looking at something they know isn't going to suit, just because they're nosey?
Grrrrrrrggggghhhhh!!!
- a plague on them all!!
I had a mother and daughter ring about DIY livery last night. She said she was "desperate", apparently was buying a horse and hadn't got anywhere to keep it (stupid thing to do anyway innit?); and she couldn't find anywhere else and I was her last port of call. Stupidly, I agreed she could come out in the evening. She duly arrived, dressed totally unsuitably in flip-flops, plus the daughter suitably attired.
She said she needed livery "tonight or tomorrow, certainly no later than that or it will be too late" as she would "lose" the horse. She expected me to shift a whole lot of leccy fencing around at very short notice to make a paddock for hers.
She popped her head over the gate, never even bothered to go in the field and check it, or see the water troughs/fencing, etc., basically she was just in a tare-assing rush to be gone again; and hardly even noticed my boy looking over the door (hint: if you want a YO to take you in as an "urgent" case and put themselves out for you then at least say something complimentary about their horse - even if it's got a head like a donkey and a bum like a hippo, for gawds sake say sommat nice about it!!).
Anyway, madam tore off into the sunset, promising faithfully that she'd ring within the hour. She didn't, and I'm still waiting. I suspect that she's one of these ditherers that has let a good horse slip through her fingers, and/or she fancied riding because the daughter does and had to keep up with the horsey set so wanted to buy a horse herself.
I've had quite a few timewasters; these are people who are probably well settled somewhere else in the locality, and see the advert and are just nosey, they want to look around someone elses place coz it fulfils some need in them, or whatever.
And they all appear very genuine when they ring up; most are looking for DIY because what they actually want is assisted livery or even full livery with all the facilities i.e. school, wash-down area, jumps, someone to do the horse if they're late back from work etc etc., but they don't want to pay full livery prices, so they regard it as their privilege to transfer to a DIY yard and think that they can pay for DIY but the YO will relent and "do" for them!!! I've had some of this!
How do other YO's deal with timewasters? If you knew what they were you'd send them packing, but you just can;t tell when they ring up. I've heard of it happening with people selling horses too; golly don't they just drive you wild?
I'm trying to offer decent facilities at what I feel is a fair price. I don't run a professional yard with all the trimmings, on the advert it makes it clear what's on offer, so why do people waste others' time looking at something they know isn't going to suit, just because they're nosey?
Grrrrrrrggggghhhhh!!!
- a plague on them all!!
