Dealing with leaches

[Jogeephus]

Last year, a fella came to me needing some hay since everyone was short due to the drought. Now I'm not in the hay business but was able to sell him a few bales for his cows. I knew this guy - but not very well - he was a deacon in a church and had a good steady gov't job. The day I gave him the hay he "forgot his checkbook" but promised to pay me the next day. Days turned to months and in the meantime I learned he had a reputation for doing just this type thing. Basically, it seems he is borrowing his way through the cattle business and floating on unpaid bills and broken promises.

I finally got my money but know several folks who he has owed for years and he is always "forgetting his checkbook".

Now I believe in helping my neighbor and do so on a regular basis. But how do you deal with leaches who prey on the kindness of others or am I the only one who has a leach living down the road?

 

[Bez>]

Fool me once shame on you.

Fool me twice shame on me.

Nothing leaves the gate until paid for.

Oh, did I mention cash is king?

Start doing that and you will have far less trouble.

Bez>

 

[Wewild]

Now I believe in helping my neighbor and do so on a regular basis. But how do you deal with leaches who prey on the kindness of others or am I the only one who has a leach living down the road?

I got one who owes us $900 for our part of a hay cutting. We didn't need anymore hay at the time.

He won't get in my pocket anymore and will have to deal with that shortly after he dies.

 

[brownmule]

oh i think we all have them, i had a so called friend who was short on hay one winter,, i loaned her 50 bails was to pay me back the next summer.. well several summers has passed and no hay.. lesson learned .. got a sister that owes me 500 has for 4 yrs was supposed to pay it back in a couple months.... must of got amnesia .. theres been time i really need the $ asked her about which i hate to do but did.. got a bed time story... no more no matter what is going on....
a good saying an old guy told me
" dont let a bit'en dog bite you twice!"

 

[3MR]

A loan is a gift until it is paid back. If I cant afford to make the gift, then I dont make the loan.

 

[Horticattleman]

A loan is a gift until it is paid back. If I cant afford to make the gift, then I dont make the loan.

:nod: :tiphat:

 

[Jogeephus]

No, he won't get me again. I might run him once but not twice, I don't need it that bad.

He showed up at my place yesterday wanting to get some hay from me again. :roll: I was dumbfounded and didn't know what to say or really how to handle it. Do these folks have no shame!?

 

[msscamp]

A loan is a gift until it is paid back. If I cant afford to make the gift, then I dont make the loan.

That is exactly right.

 

[Gate Opener]

No, he won't get me again. I might run him once but not twice, I don't need it that bad.

He showed up at my place yesterday wanting to get some hay from me again. :roll: I was dumbfounded and didn't know what to say or really how to handle it. Do these folks have no shame!?

Bump the price up on him and don't load it until he has paid cash.

Curious, what did you end up saying to him?

 

[Lammie]

No, he won't get me again. I might run him once but not twice, I don't need it that bad.

He showed up at my place yesterday wanting to get some hay from me again. :roll: I was dumbfounded and didn't know what to say or really how to handle it. Do these folks have no shame!?

No, Jo, he has no shame. The only thing you can do is to tell him that he can't have any hay until he pays for it. I don't think that there's any point in bringing up the hay he already took. Lesson learned. I guess it has happened to all of us.

Had a similar thing happen with two of my uncles, only this was over some cows, and it has been tense ever since.

 

[backhoeboogie]

There are some folks who are good for anything they say. All I need to know is that they give me their word. There are a couple I won't even take cash from; I would rather not be in their company and don't want to sell them anything.

All it really does in the end is extend my appreciation for really good people. I value a square deal and tend to want to deal with those folks over and over.

 

[ETF]

A sense of shame? Not hardly because he doesn't think he's done anything wrong. After all, you got paid (so it was just a little late) and he intends to pay everyone else just as soon as he hits that jackpot. Those types never change. Like the other posters said, cash up front or sorry, don't have any hay to spare. Like Backhoe said, it makes you appreciate the honest folks out there. Sadly there seem to be fewer of those every day.

 

[CUZ]

I'm curious how did he broach the subject with you this time? Did he just act like last year never happened?

I agree, seems like something happens, so I tell myself "well, I've learned my lesson and will NOT let that happen to me again." And then the next thing you know somebody is trying to suck me back into the same type of situation. Then I get flabbergasted because I don't want to show my rear-end, but I SURE don't want to get back in the same spot again. So I wind up putting them off for a few days while I try to figure out what to say.

In your spot I think I'd say something like - Well, a guy burned me last year so my new policy is cash first. If he tries to push you, just say "Oh Bob I know you'd never do this but that's my new policy."

Hope this helps
Cuz

 

[alabama]

There is another type too.
A man was over at my place last week and wanted a roll of hay. Said his cows were starving and he could not find any hay.
Well I know the feller and I know that he buys hay from, a friend of mine 2 miles down the road. My friend had told me just a few days before that he had a few rolls he was selling but he was having to $65 a roll and still not meeting cost "DROUGHT".
So back to the story. The man wanted a roll of hay and I told him that I did not want to sell any but that I would let him have a roll for what I thought it would cost me to replace it. He said well then how much? I said I need to $70 a roll considering I had priced having it brought in for that.
Then guy had the nerve to say "so and so down the road has it for $65." And he was mad because I would not sell it to him for less. This guy has never bought hay from me before and he wants me to give him a reduced rate in a drought because his normal supplier is trying to get some of his money back .
Well I told the guy " Well that is a good price at $65 I think I will buy all he has.
He left and I have not seen him since.
And if he ever comes back, the price will be inflated.

 

[backhoeboogie]

He left and I have not seen him since.
And if he ever comes back, the price will be inflated.

The last two years here we had to irrigate, It is expensive to irrigate. Some people wanted hay for the same price as if it wasn't irrigated. They expected me to take a loss on it. I didn't. When they came back all the hay was gone.

 

[Jogeephus]

Cuz and Gateopener, I was so dumbfounded by his lack of concern over what had transpired over the last few months that I was purely speechless for a minute or two. I almost lied to him, almost told him what I thought about him but finally just told him I was not in the hay business and I had to worry about filling my needs before I could even think about selling anything.