Thoughts? Sold hatching eggs, customer.. Update: We have babies! lol.

[dntd]

You could ask to see a few of the eggs then offer a replacement.

 

[cluckcluck42]

Thanks guys...If this was someone elses thread, I would say the same thing. You can't guarantee how someone cares for the eggs once they are out of your control. I feel that I should have explained incubating to him, but I just assumed he would know and now I am kicking myself for it. I mean, do you guys explain hatching to your customers??

Word of mouth is very powerful, and I would never have sold eggs I did not believe in. Just sucks big time, my first egg sale. I never thought there would be a problem, I was looking forward to hearing of a good hatch from him. It bums me out to think there may not be a hatch.

 

[Zahboo]

I wold assume since they were purchasing and didn't ask questions they'd know. Now if he asked questions I'd help or send him here.

 

[Woods_Woman]

You can please some of the people some of the time all of the people some of the time some of the people all of the time but you can never please all of the people all of the time

 

[PeepsInc]

I would offer to exchange the eggs. Meaning bring me the ones from the bator so I can examine them. If I were satisfied that the eggs were not fertile(which they probably are) Then give him fresh ones. I would also email him a link to this web site.

I replaced a dozen eggs that took 15 days to get threw the mail. Other than that the only infertility problem like that were with eggs from a seller that artificially inseminated her birds.........PS. that don't work so well!

 

[Olive Hill]

Anything I sell that could possibly need or benefit from them comes with a fact sheet/instructions. I even send processed chickens home with recipes.

It can't hurt to make up a little fact sheet on a note card that you can tuck inside your egg cartons in the future.

I would also put your terms and conditions on the reverse side of that card. If, under no circumstances, will you be willing to replace eggs or give special consideration make that well known. Unless it's in plain writing on the wall people, to some extent, tend to expect to be accommodated. It's human nature, I suppose.

Also keep in mind we all know your intentions were pure. We know you. The people he talks to know him, not you. They will know HIS story, which from the sounds of his level of frustration is that he got bum eggs from you. Stories are never one-sided, but one side is most anyone ever gets to hear on things like this. Unfortunate, but true.

How important is repeat and referral business to you? That, is what you have to ask yourself. If it won't break your heart if word gets around certain circles that is a tarnish to your rep. Don't worry about it. But if you are trying to build and at anytime in the future want to be a serious breeder/egg/chick seller in the local community, take that into consideration too.

Am I saying he's right? No. Am I saying he should be catered to again and again? Heck no! What I am saying is weight the cause and effect, the cost and gain/loss of your actions in this situation. And then decide what that means for you and where you want to be/go with this pursuit. We all have to draw our own lines in the sand, make our own boundaries. Think about it and you'll know what's right for you.

Personally, word of mouth has been the single most powerful catalyst I have had in any of my endeavors. I've seen it, I know how much it is worth -- how much it earns me, how much it saves me -- and as a result of that it's very, very important to me and I will go to great, GREAT lengths to make things "right" by the customer even if what happens is in no way my fault. I will not compromise my ethics or my welfare for it, but if making it right is a dozen free eggs or a few extra processed chickens? So be it.

Just my opinion of course. Good luck -- sometimes dealing with people is HARD!

 

[cluckcluck42]

Okay that is what I will do. If he explains how the incubation went and it sounds like it wasnt his fault, I will offer a refund in exchange for all the eggs. Then I can check to see where the eggs were in development when they quit. I would have no problem giving him a refund if I found the eggs infertile but I dont see how it would be possible. Truly, I check for fertility almost as on obsession. We make breakfast with our eggs daily and everytime I shout to my hunny if its fertile or not. The only ones that will sometimes be infertile are the brown eggs. I even checked a random egg the day we gave him his eggs, and it was fertile. It was my first sale and I was really excited to make sure he had a good hatch.

One question, if you crack open an egg after incubation that is a dud, will you be able to see the bullseye or lack thereof or will it be a giant mush of egg?

 

[Kansaseq]

If someone is buying hatching eggs, they should know what they are doing, and it's not your fault if they don't hatch. I had a girl want to buy 2 eggs from me. I asked about it, turns out she wanted 2 chicks as pets, and was going to try to incubate them with a lamp! I told her it very likely would NOT work, and advised her to go with some feedstore chicks. I don't mind helping out and answering questions if I can, but really, it's up to them to know. I'd honestly rather not sell to someone who has no clue, than risk them blaming me if the eggs dont hatch. Unfortunately, we often don't know how much experience someone has when we sell eggs.

 

[cluckcluck42]

Quote:
Good idea, that is what I am going to do from now on. I can easily print off a little instruction sheet, it would give me peace of mind after this.

Word of mouth is important, however I am not planning on doing this on a large scale. I just wanted to sell some eggs/chicks/hens/roosters to try to cover feed costs and because in my area there are not a ton of people doing this sort of thing so its also helping people out, or so I thought. It really bugs me to think of anyone being displeased with me or something I have provided.

Do a lot of you guys stipulate there are no refunds?

**Is off to check some fridge eggs for fertility**

 

[Cara]

Sell eggs for a while and you'll be amazed at what people consider to be your fault.

One issue that i've had twice now is people complaining that their eggs froze en route when they live in the extreme north. I sell on Ebay. I can't control who wins the auction, I can't control the weather. You'd think any reasonable person wouldn't buy eggs if they know the weather is going to be bad; however, in some cases you find you're not dealing with reasonable people. You could give them the moon on a stick and they still wouldn't be happy.

I do everything I can to ensure a good hatch. I wrap well and ship quickly. I offer incubation assistance if people need it, as much as they need it. That being said, if someone is obnoxious and unreasonable i'm not going to bend over backwards.