Semen company customer service

[Till-Hill]

We buy most of our semen for 180 cow dairy, 50 cow beef herd and my 200 head+ custom AI projects from 4 companies. I won't name names at this point but I got in the mail today our farm's nitrogen cancellation notice. I guess all them cattle combined we don't buy enough semen to get nitrogen for "free". What a load of crap. I guess the other 3 companies will love having my business.

Anyone else had this issue yet?

 

[cow pollinater]

I've dealt with every company that sells semen in CA at some point in time or another and they ALL do stuff like this sooner or later when there are management changes and the new manager starts pinching pennies. By the time they figure out that they screwed up the business is gone and it takes a loooong time to come back. At least you smelled the chickenshyt before you stepped in it. One company that I dealt with decided to dilute the semen on their top selling bulls to have more saleable product and didn't bother to tell us that until we were losing herds right and left because those top bulls weren't getting anything pregnant. :frowns:
I've recently gone independent after losing faith in a company that I thought I'd finish my career with due to a few key management changes. I told two young guys that I had been trying to help get started that chose to stay with that company just what I thought they were in for and I was dead on with the exception of it taking only six months instead of a year. :lol: Unfortunately contracts were one of my first predictions that came true so they're stuck there for awhile.
It's a classic case of penny wise dollar stupid. Nitrogen, sheaths, gloves, a breeding gun and a hat every now and then is cheap, cheap loyalty.

 

[TexasBred]

We buy most of our semen for 180 cow dairy, 50 cow beef herd and my 200 head+ custom AI projects from 4 companies. I won't name names at this point but I got in the mail today our farm's nitrogen cancellation notice. I guess all them cattle combined we don't buy enough semen to get nitrogen for "free". What a load of crap. I guess the other 3 companies will love having my business.

Anyone else had this issue yet?

Entire time we dairied we AI'd everything. Around 700 straws a year. Got a box of free chocolate candy every Christmas. Nothing more.

 

[cow pollinater]

Entire time we dairied we AI'd everything. Around 700 straws a year. Got a box of free chocolate candy every Christmas. Nothing more.

You may have been getting the SAP discount. I have a customer on that sales plan right now. He finally asked me after about six months what the SAP discount entailed as his bill had only gone up and I was charging him for nitpicky crap he'd never seen on his bill before. I told him SAP was Special A$$hole Pricing and that he was paying me a bunch of money to put up with him(true). He actually laughed. He's easier to get along with now and his prices came down a tad.

 

[Till-Hill]

The company in question a few years ago I got 10 units of a very popular expensive Holstein bull. At the time we were 100% their customer. I'd same close to the $20,000 mark. Anyway they sold me the bull for $28 and went to my buddy's place and sold it to him for $26 and that was the only thing he had bought from them in 2-3 years. They just ain't got it figured out.

Loyalty and customer service is all I ask.

 

[HughesFamilyCattle]

The company in question a few years ago I got 10 units of a very popular expensive Holstein bull. At the time we were 100% their customer. I'd same close to the $20,000 mark. Anyway they sold me the bull for $28 and went to my buddy's place and sold it to him for $26 and that was the only thing he had bought from them in 2-3 years. They just ain't got it figured out.

Loyalty and customer service is all I ask.

That's not right.... I'm in Central Ky (and beef breeder) but I've used ABS for 7-8 years
with great Customer Service. I ordered some semen back in the summer and it went one
on sale a few weeks later as part of the fall promo and my rep had it billed at the sales
price. They always help me move my offsprings. Just great customer service all the time but that's again my local guys.

 

[polledbull]

around her the days of free nitrogen is over anyway, i pay $45 per tank per service and I have 2 tanks . I can buy all the semen I want .

 

[TexasBred]

Entire time we dairied we AI'd everything. Around 700 straws a year. Got a box of free chocolate candy every Christmas. Nothing more.

You may have been getting the SAP discount. I have a customer on that sales plan right now. He finally asked me after about six months what the SAP discount entailed as his bill had only gone up and I was charging him for nitpicky crap he'd never seen on his bill before. I told him SAP was Special A$$hole Pricing and that he was paying me a bunch of money to put up with him(true). He actually laughed. He's easier to get along with now and his prices came down a tad.

:lol: :lol: You could be right....bet the guy down the road really got stuck.

 

[cbcr]

Taking care of customers is part of doing business. All too often it seems that some companies like cow pollinater said change management and all of a sudden they want to cut costs to increase profits, it backfires majority of the time. I had a company that was filling my tank that they decided the same thing. Now I take my tank to Genex facility at Strafford, MO and get my tank filled there and is cheaper than what I was getting charged at the farm by the other company.

It seems like that some of these companies like to play favorites with certain customers with special pricing and other perks and it is usually the smaller breeder with what he pays that covers these perks.

Like with anything no one said thing were fair!

 

[TexasBred]

Taking care of customers is part of doing business. All too often it seems that some companies like cow pollinater said change management and all of a sudden they want to cut costs to increase profits, it backfires majority of the time. I had a company that was filling my tank that they decided the same thing. Now I take my tank to Genex facility at Strafford, MO and get my tank filled there and is cheaper than what I was getting charged at the farm by the other company.

It seems like that some of these companies like to play favorites with certain customers with special pricing and other perks and it is usually the smaller breeder with what he pays that covers these perks.

Like with anything no one said thing were fair!

AND nothing is free. It's built into the cost somewhere. :idea:

 

[Till-Hill]

I don't want the "free" stuff either like hats and that jazz. What I do want is the best price on the best bulls and if I buy semen from you that day to fill my tank.

 

[TexasBred]

I don't want the "free" stuff either like hats and that jazz. What I do want is the best price on the best bulls and if I buy semen from you that day to fill my tank.

Well your original post was bytching about no longer getting nitrogen for free....glad to know the only problem now is getting cost of semen down. Old saying "I'm not screwed unless I think I'm screwed".... you definitely need a new company and they may be glad to get rid of you as well...it works both ways as is often done on purpose for this very reason.....you'll never have any faith in them again even though they were great until now.

 

[Till-Hill]

No they weren't great. Selling semen to everyone else cheaper when I was spending more money every year.

Simple fact is 3 other companies fill for nothing and sell young sires cheaper and pay young sire daughter credits. And on beef side I can get $20 bulls for $12-14 when company in question most I can get them down to is $15-16 on them $20 bulls.

 

[Till-Hill]

I guess my main point is if your going to sell me semen you should keep it cold!

 

[TexasBred]

I guess my main point is if your going to sell me semen you should keep it cold!

Changed the reason for the rant again....once that semen is in your tank it becomes your responsibility whether it's free or purchased.