Hello fellow hoarders. I took a break from hoarding for the hot/buggy summer, but my my wife found a nice score in the neighborhood. Unfortunately I was too busy with work to get on it early and the wood was loaded up in a trailer by the time I could stop by. There was a landscaper in his truck nearby so I tried to ask him for permission to collect some if he was going to take it to the dump. There was a major language barrier though but I used google translate to ask if I could take some and he seemed alright with it. I backed my car up and popped the trunk. I got one piece in the trunk when a contractor working on a house nearby asked me how much I was planning on taking. I said as much as I could and he said I could have three pieces. It turns out he loaded up on to his trailer and it wasn’t destined for the dump but to heat his house. I understand why he was miffed as I was grabbing wood out of his trailer, but he wouldn’t even look at me when I apologized. I thought I had permission, and would never intentionally take another hoarder’s score. I kept the 1 piece that was already in my trunk but didn’t go back for the other two he offered me. It was pretty bulky and badly cut red maple, so maybe I should be thanking him for saving my back, but I feel so embarrassed. Maybe I’m just out of touch with my hoarding after the break.
Sounds like one big misunderstanding, but I wouldn’t beat yourself up too much over it. Maybe next time the best starting point would be to establish who owns the truck and trailer first, then go from there. It’s tough with a language barrier too. Those translate apps don’t always convey what you’re really trying to say, only a word for word rough translation where the context and your intentions can get lost.
Yes in retrospect, definitely figure out who’s trailer you are going into. It was my faulty assumption was that it was with the landscapers.
Around here, if it's already loaded up, it's off limits. Even if it's parked along side a scrounge, just keep looking somewhere else. Easy to understand just how the confusion took place but I would have laughed about all of it and even offered to help the guy in some way. That offer may have proved to help you out in the future. And, I would have given him his piece of wood back, but thats just me. Compare it to having your shopping cart filled while in a supermarket.....you stop and take a few steps away to grab something off a shelf you just passed...turn around and someone is grabbing stuff out of your cart.....now that would be worth a laugh, no? Anyway, the whole thing is "no big, no deal"
Happens to the best of us. It was obviously a misunderstanding. You apologized and I’d move on. I’ve started to really dislike roadside scores. Tracking down the appropriate person can be a pain, and often it’s promised to someone else anyways. Hardly worth it in 2022 imo. Everyone thinks they have a pile of gold and that you should pay them for the opportunity to clean up there mess.
I hear you there, but neighborhood scores are about the best I can get around here in the ‘burbs. Fortunately, I scored some old locust last spring that had been sitting in someone’s back yard in rounds for more than a couple years, but I am far from my three year plan at the moment. Maybe I should sign up for a chip drop load. I wouldn’t mind a big load of pine and renting a splitter at this point, but dropping a load is dicey with street parking and power lines in front of my house. I think yesterday I was a little upset the guy didn’t seem interested in my apology, but he was literally in the middle of working, trying to get stuff done before the rain came in. I walk right by the house he is working on dropping the kids off at school, so I’ll try one more time to apologize and compliment his score. Ultimately, I’m happy if it’s not getting chipped.
It does make me feel better; it could have been a lot worse. For me it ended up being nothing ventured(except for a little bit of pride) nothing gained. I told my 7yo son about my misadventure, because he always talks about “the guy that stole your wood” from down the street. He says now the contractor is going to take his wood and he will take mine in a circle… hope not.
I'm actually set to burn that Ash from my scrounge gone wrong this season. As I'm sitting by the stove, popping the top off a cold one, I'll think about the whole ordeal and have a chuckle to myself.
I finished reading the thread and yeah, not so bad.. you got some wood out of it. I’ll feel better once I fill my trunk with a couple other smaller scores I’ve had my eye on.
You did the right thing. Language barriers can be tough especially with multiple parties involved. I wouldve handled it the same way you did.
