Am I out of line? Pasture spraying miscommunication

[Libby2563]

I don’t generally air personal or interpersonal issues on the internet but I wanted to check in with you guys to see if you think I’m being unreasonable. I’m honestly not sure so reality check me if needed. Here goes… (Sorry, it’s not juicy or anything.)

I was recently out of the country for two weeks and sent the horses off-property for boarding. I have a pretty good pasture but there are some weeds that have been troubling me, so I scheduled a Pasture Pro application during the time the pasture was empty. The person who was supposed to do it was referred to me by a coworker, who swears by him, and I liked him a lot when we met. I gave him the dates I was away and he said it would be no problem to do it in that timeframe. I told him I would leave the gate unlocked and said that since I wouldn’t have phone service anyway he didn’t need to call me before coming. He made a point of asking me not to mow before leaving so he could get the buttercups, so it seemed like he was on top of it. I followed-up with him before I left by email, so we had that line of communication if necessary.

When I got home from vacation I thought the weeds looked about the same. I had not received an invoice yet and was trying to decide whether to mention to him that the treatment didn’t seem all that effective.

Imagine my surprise when one of his employees shows up to spray on Sunday afternoon, 6 days after I got home and almost 3 weeks after the boss agreed they would spray. He circumvented the re-locked back gate by driving through our backyard and was about to cross a bridge not built for heavy truck traffic. I wasn’t there but my husband called me and turned him away.

The whole point of scheduling the treatment when I did was that I’m not comfortable spraying when the horses have to go out in the pasture (my only turnout area) right away. I know reasonable people could disagree about the safety of these sprays but it just makes me uncomfortable and I would rather avoid it if possible. The weeds just aren’t bad enough for me to take any risk.

I emailed the boss the next day saying I was surprised to see them the day before and asking what happened while I was gone that it didn’t get done (not my exact words). I tried to keep the tone light, but his reply leads me to believe that he thinks I’m out of line. He said he was surprised they were told not to spray and his email ended with “Sorry you are disappointed in our service.” His explanation for it not getting done sooner was weather.

I am disappointed that it didn’t get done but it’s not the end of the world and I understand weather delays (what farm owner doesn’t?). I do think he should have called or emailed me to say it didn’t get done in my timeframe and ask when/if they could still come.

The problem is I would like him to do lime and maybe herbicides in the future because there are SO FEW people in this area that do small farms like mine, and I have a good opinion of him despite the miscommunication. So, I want to resolve any hard feelings on his end.

How do I do this?

Is he right to be annoyed at me? (Assuming that he is…it can be hard to tell by email.)

Is it unreasonable for me to not want the field treated without notice, outside the agreed-upon window?

Am I being too rigid about keeping the horses off the pasture after treatment?

I’m trying to craft a reply to his email but maybe at this point I should just call him so I can convey my (non-shitty) tone better.

[fordtraktor]

You are being too rigid. It is safe to put horses back out on fields just sprayed with Pasture Pro. On the other hand, if it was raining while you were gone or he was doing hay, etc. it was not reasonable to expect him to meet your window. He should have communicated but what farmer does? It wasn’t unsafe, what he did, so you should let it go. If you want to be careful, keep your horses in the barn for a few days. I offer my boarders that option if they want after I’ve sprayed until it rains, though I put my own horses right back out.

Good grief, I asked my handyman to spray my fields with PasturePro a month ago. I’m still waiting because he’s been busy and the weather. Your guy is a bit of a saint he’s showed up within a few weeks. Don’t turn him away again! Apologize in the email and ask him to reschedule, tell him it was a miscommunication with your DH.

[CHT]

My guess is, that beside your name on the list of people to spray, was a note that said: “do not call ahead” without the added information (that you were away). It is possible they just have a list of people to do on a big white board, and just do them when they can, and the added info of you being away just wasn’t put on the white board.

I would tell them that now you are home, you need advance notice so you can keep the horses out of the field for while they are there, and have the gate unlocked. Maybe explain the bridge isn’t truck safe.

[poltroon]

Well, I think if you communicated a time window, that it was his responsibility to say he couldn’t or didn’t meet it. It’s not okay to randomly come any time in the next n weeks and plan to spray without additional communication. What if your horses had been out in that pasture, or your dogs loose? So I don’t think you were wrong.

But I think I’d call to try to set up the next thing, and I’d try just owning the miscommunication if it comes up, a la, “I’m sorry that didn’t work out; I guess I didn’t clearly express my expectations.” If you like and respect him, I’d also try to understand how he usually works and make it as normal for his process as possible.

Then after the phone call, email with your expectations of the agreement for the next work just so you both have clarity.

[China_Doll]

I wouldn’t be happy either. Look on the internet and see how much rain you had while you were gone.
I never thought pasture pro worked anyway. Directions say to mow so not sure why you would apply with grass long. He was totally lacking in proper communication and should have asked if you wanted the application later.
But I run a successful business and that is what I would have done.

[asb_own_me]

I do not think you were out of line. It is not unreasonable to expect communication (we are in an era where you can communicate at any time, from anywhere); if he is assuming the worst from your reply, that’s on him.

I agree that your best course of action would be to have an actual conversation with him - so much can be “read” into emails that isn’t there.

[trubandloki]

I do not think either of you are out of line.

Doing that kind of treatment requires the proper weather. The same proper weather is required for lots of things.
If the weather was not just right while you were gone things got behind. Or the tractor had issues or…so many reasons.

I think he should have left you a message (email?) that it did not get done during your scheduled time away and then asked if you still wanted it.

I do not read any tone in the “Sorry you are disappointed in our service.” comment. It sounds like a perfectly good way to end that conversation.

[Foxtrot_s]

I don’t think you were out of line. You tried to stay polite and did not rant.
I, too, like a reasonable time after spraying, even if it is supposed to be safe.

I believe customer service is paramount. Put it down to mis-communication and if he has the good reputation I’d try to re-schedule. He could have always e-mailed and not left you hanging.

[Guilherme]

Two errors, here:

The contractor should have called and explained that they could not have done the spraying inside the time limit due to weather. This duty is mitigated in that you DID tell him you would be out of the country. How is he to know if you’re back or not? I agree he should have called since it was so very late.

And when you got back and saw no result why didn’t you call the contractor? If I had ordered spraying and saw nothing I’d call and ask. You were gone; you don’t KNOW what was or was not done. You don’t know about weather.

Each party, here, had an opportunity to let their fingers do some walking. Neither did. The result is two dissatisfied parties.

G.

[Gloria]

[QUOTE=Guilherme;8183415]
Two errors, here:

The contractor should have called and explained that they could not have done the spraying inside the time limit due to weather. This duty is mitigated in that you DID tell him you would be out of the country. How is he to know if you’re back or not? I agree he should have called since it was so very late.

And when you got back and saw no result why didn’t you call the contractor? If I had ordered spraying and saw nothing I’d call and ask. You were gone; you don’t KNOW what was or was not done. You don’t know about weather.

Each party, here, had an opportunity to let their fingers do some walking. Neither did. The result is two dissatisfied parties.

G.[/QUOTE]

This^^^.

If you still want him to do the work, call him, and ask when he could be back. Don’t be surprised if you hear nothing back from him though. Folks are busy and nobody wants to waste their time hauling equipment to a job site only to be turned away.

[VicariousRider]

I feel your pain

[QUOTE=Gloria;8183440]
This^^^.

If you still want him to do the work, call him, and ask when he could be back. Don’t be surprised if you hear nothing back from him though. Folks are busy and nobody wants to waste their time hauling equipment to a job site only to be turned away.[/QUOTE]

I am routinely disappointed at the lack of professional behavior by even the well-regarded contractors that we engage. Excuses, argumentativeness, refusal to make a firm plan or commit to a oint of view, etc. Perhaps my own profession has a higher standard of customer service. All I can say is that I feel how you feel on a regular basis. Unfortunately, if I want something done right now my way, I now just do it myself (after I get home from my “real” job).

Argh…

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

I’m agree with Guilherme,

I would add that while it is nice to hold ag industry people to the same standard you are expected to be held to at your job, the reality I’ve found is that you are lucky if you can get someone to show up at all. So while you could expect better, just understand that if your options are limited you may need to be pretty flexible and sweet. The coop here doesn’t even bother with returning a phone call about spraying (we’re small potatoes in the land of commercial farms). Likewise I couldn’t get advice from the extension office either when I contacted them. So I have to spray nasty crap I don’t want to touch myself. YMMV.

I wouldn’t have turned them away, and you should have called when you got home. I also think you need to stop emailing and call the person–it will just be so much better communication-wise.

[fordtraktor]

The directions say to apply “when foliage is fully expanded and when actively growing.” Straight off the label. That means not to mow. Pasture Pro works great but not if it is misapplied.

Look, business is one thing but farmers are not really businessmen. Good luck applying your business best practices to them. Just saying. Of course in an ideal world they would be responsive and whatnot but…they rarely are. ok with me if they are there for me in a true emergency. IME most farmers will take a week to call you back about a mundane matter but if you have a real problem they will drop everything and help you. It is just how they work.

[macmtn]

[QUOTE=fordtraktor;8183798]

Look, business is one thing but farmers are not really businessmen. [/QUOTE]

snort…so what are they?

[Manni01]

well I had my pasture sprayed this year for weeds and red ants (works really well ) and it was kind of the same. They just showed up one day. (the did tell me though about a specific time frame. But they were really nice, they had different properties to spray and they did all the others first and came to me early next morning, so that I was able to turn out my horses on that day at night (7 hours later) IMO some things are tough to plan but usually if you talk and try to be nice, they try to be supportive too…

[Cindyg]

Yeah. About the weather. Where I live, it rained nearly every day in April and May. Very unusual. If he had promised to spray a certain number of pastures before yours, and got to them in order, he certainly could have been 8 weeks late. Pasture Pro requires dry conditions.

Now, about them showing up without calling or even knocking on your door, yeah, they could have done better there. But those guys may have been subcontractors.

But the weather could have been a legitimate excuse.

[cowboymom]

The thing about farmers and all things agriculture is that it is RELEVANT to the weather! Weather changes everything-where I am, this year we could not spray b/c it was too cool and wet, no matter anyone’s schedule. Last year, it would have all been sprayed by now. It’s about the weather, not you and your vaca and your horses.

Farmers aren’t businessmen? OMG more ignorance has not been spoken.

I read so much arrogant insulting comments about “the farmer down the road” and the “hay guy” and let me let you in on a secret, if you act like a freaking princess they hate you and put you at the bottom of their priority list.

You might have horses, the sport of kings, but you need these people that know weeds and hay and tractors (even FORDS there, fordtraktor, who is so above the people that make it happe). These guys go out and work and balance it all and they really don’t care about your precious schedule or ponies b/c when they are there with their equipment and chemical and it’s the right time of growth and rain, get it freaking done.

I get so sick of rich princesses bitching about farmers and ranchers and cowboys. OP I hope you aren’t a rich princess but you’ve been given some advice by them.

[kalidascope]

I don’t think you are wrong… but IME this is simply how contractors operate. Their version of customer service and communication is, ah, different. These businesses might have an office lady, but she generally does the accounts and bookings and her focus is not top-notch service but simply keeping things running. Other than that it’s guys out on their tractors getting on with it and juggling stuff as able to schedule as much stuff in as possible.

I wish my contractors were proactive about communicating and provided the kind of customer service I provide our patients at work, but since they don’t I manage our relationship as best I can by hitting the phone for a quick call to clarify stuff as needed (even if I think they should be calling me), emphasizing/repeating the most important parts of my requests, and wasting as little of their time as possible (friendly but to-the-point calls, having horses out of the way and gates open etc).

You are much better to call your guy than email. Accept what is for what is, and move on, make new arrangements :).

[fordtraktor]

Cowboymom, you could not be more wrong. My dad is a farmer, I grew up on a farm, half a dozen of my uncles are farmers, I live in farming country, I live on a farm. I am the person who makes it happen around here 95% of the time. I get sick of people acting like they sent an email so why didn’t the farmer just show up on day X and do the job? It shows a profound lack of understanding of what farmers do.

I have a John Deere. My screen name is based on a personal joke between my brother and me, he teaches vocational agriculture for the county back home. My brother doesn’t do facebook and I don’t even have his email address. I am sure he has one but I only call him. If you want to start waving credentials around, I’ve baled as much hay and sputted as much tobacco and built as much fence and thrown as many rocks in tractor buckets as just about anyone on this board so don’t tell me how above it all I am. What garbage.

Sure, some farmers are great businessmen, but the kind of guy with a small enough operation that he’s spraying a 20 acre horse farm with Pasture Pro for hire is not likely to be the same one who’s managing thousands of acres of crops with his fleet of computer-driven combines.

My dad is the first to tell you not to email him. He’s just getting out of calving season, he’s too tired to be on the computer all day or even all that regularly. He doesn’t have a smart phone. Two of my uncles still just had land lines until last year. So don’t tell me what a rich princess I am. Maybe out west you guys are all connected now but not everyone is.

[moving_to_dc]

[QUOTE=cowboymom;8184078]
The thing about farmers and all things agriculture is that it is RELEVANT to the weather! Weather changes everything-where I am, this year we could not spray b/c it was too cool and wet, no matter anyone’s schedule. Last year, it would have all been sprayed by now. It’s about the weather, not you and your vaca and your horses.

Farmers aren’t businessmen? OMG more ignorance has not been spoken.

I read so much arrogant insulting comments about “the farmer down the road” and the “hay guy” and let me let you in on a secret, if you act like a freaking princess they hate you and put you at the bottom of their priority list.

You might have horses, the sport of kings, but you need these people that know weeds and hay and tractors (even FORDS there, fordtraktor, who is so above the people that make it happe). These guys go out and work and balance it all and they really don’t care about your precious schedule or ponies b/c when they are there with their equipment and chemical and it’s the right time of growth and rain, get it freaking done.

I get so sick of rich princesses bitching about farmers and ranchers and cowboys. OP I hope you aren’t a rich princess but you’ve been given some advice by them.[/QUOTE]

Totally completely freaking AGREE! Fifth generation farming family member here… I get sick of it too.