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.
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.
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...
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...
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.
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.
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...
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...
