What should I do??

Rare Feathers Farm

Crowing
11 Years
Apr 1, 2008
13,102
86
326
Pleasant Valley, (Okanogan) WA
My Coop
My Coop
So back this spring, I had a lady who lives about 3 hours away from me request Cayuga ducklings. I told her I didn't have any but I could hatch some with full payment, up front. It would be non-refundable if I hatched any out. In the event I didn't/couldn't, I'd refund her money. She requested four ducklings and sent me $40 ($10 each). I told her I'd set 6-8 eggs and would give her 50% off (so $5 each) on any "extras" I hatched because I didn't want to keep any.

So the first batch, I only set four because my female (one & only I have) wasn't laying well. Due to a crappy LG incubator, two hatched. I contacted her & told her I had two ducklings and would set more. I asked if she wanted the ducklings now and she didn't want just two and she wanted them all the same age and at the same time. She's obsessed with imprinting, I suppose...

So then I'm stuck with two ducklings now growing, pooping & eating like mad--I didn't want, didn't plan for keeping more than a week or two and really have no room for.
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SO I set another 6 eggs--this time with another DOZEN I bought from a reputable source out of state...thinking I'd keep one or two to add to my breeding flock. The fires come, the incubator is down for 2 days (no power). ONE out of 18 hatches and that's a miracle in itself. None of the shipped eggs hatched.

I call her up and leave her a message, letting her know I have one more duckling. I told her about the fires and apologized profusely for not being able to produce four-same-age ducklings--but offered her $10 back and the three I'd hatched. She doesn't call me back. That was last week. I also sent her an e-mail earlier with photos of the ducks (all of them) that same day. She didn't e-mail me back.

I called her (again) last night and I also offered her my two adult birds because the waterfowl is a constant battle between hubby & myself and he's wanting me to focus on ONE duck breed and ONE goose breed for now because waterfowl are so messy.
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I also sent her an e-mail. I told her I'd GIVE her the adult pair and all three of the others. No reply. She's usually VERY fast with e-mail reponses--or was up until last week.

So then this afternoon I get a mean voicemail on my cell phone accusing me "scamming" her because I'm selling "HER" ducks on Craigslist!! I haven't responded yet because I'm a little confused on how to even respond? I hatched her out THREE ducks, offered to refund the $10 for the one that I didn't hatch and I even offered her FIVE ducks for the $40 she already paid...which by the way the ones hatched in June are a pair--so that's TWO pairs of Cayugas (one is just over a year old), the other pair is a few months and the last one is VERY sweet and "imprinted" now...
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and she hasn't responded until now...

So basically--what do I tell her? I'm tempted to give her all of her money back and sell the ducks & ducklings myself...hubby says I should keep $30 of it because I hatched her out three ducks. I told her it was non-refundable when she sent it in....

But I don't want to keep feeding/watering/housing her ducks, either...I have way more than $10 into the older two now and the $10 price was for 1-2 week old ducklings...these are fully feathered, quacking, BIG ducks now...
 
I told her I was going to put them Craigslist if she didn't want them (and/or I didn't hear back from her)...That's when she called & ranted about seeing them on there. I e-mailed her back a few minutes ago and told her that they are still available and if she wants them, please let me know ASAP. Otherwise, I cannot keep them any longer because it's costing me money & time to keep them. She has AOL so I know she's online and that she's read my message...and not responded.
 
Refund her the money, and recoup your losses on CL. Neither of you have been able to uphold your end of the deal, so...
 
To me, non-refundable pertains to when the buyer does not want to uphold their end of the deal. So, she wouldn't get her money back if she suddenly said (mid-incubation) that she changed her mind. Although I would never keep full payment as a non-refundable deposit since you can recoup costs by selling them elsewhere.

I don't see anything that she fell out of her end of the deal. The deal was never fully completed - meaning, you didn't produce the 4 ducks she ordered. Regardless of circumstance, as a seller, I would take that as my end was broken and I would provide a full refund if she was not satisfied with what I had to offer. Refund and sell them elsewhere. Save yourself from any further frustrations.

Things sometimes fall out of our control. All you can do is make the offer or give her the money back and move forward.
 
You said in the original post, the deposit was non-refunable if you hatched any out. You did hatch some, and she did not want them, I would not refund any money. Perhaps refund the $10.00 for not having the four she wanted. She can either contact you immediatly and get her 3 ducks, or forfeit the money and buy elsewhere.
 
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Yeah...I see your point....I didn't hatch three, only four. But still, I hatched four. So wouldn't I give her back the $10 for the one that didn't hatch--and give her the 3? But if she doesn't want the three--I'm now out incubation electricity, time, effort, feeding/watering, etc. Which I may be able to break even with IF I'm able to sell them for $25 to $40 for the pair...IF...sighs...this is why I never do these types of deals, LOL
 
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And I see your point, too...because I DID hatch her out ducklings and I have been feeding/watering two of them since June and she was acting like she didn't want them until I told her I'd be posting them on craiglist...then all of the sudden, she is all miffed...
 
Well, if you have had them since June and it is almost October.....I would say sorry lady, you had your chance. Besides, she is not communicating regularly with you. I would not waste any more time with this woman, sell them to someone who wants them now.
 

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