Opinions please; we sold a ram beginning of August, had a phone call from buyer last week saying the ram had died of Texel Throat (laryngeal chondrites), he wants a full refund. PM done and vet confirmed. Ram was absolutely fine when purchased and has been with them for 7 weeks. What would you do.
Pedigree ram refund
- Thread starter Sheeper
- Start date
The only experience I have had of this was a tip bought at Kelso a few years ago had this condition. We were a regular buyer from this farm so I rang him for a chat. He agreed to swap it although he didn’t have one left that was quite as good, I said that didn’t matter and took up the tup and did the swap. However the guy give me an envelope with some cash in it which he thought was the difference in value. Needless to say we kept on buying from him for many years after.
My point is that reputation is very important in the tup world but I wouldn’t have expected him to replace the tup if he didn’t want to, but if he hadn’t I wouldn’t have bought from him again.
My point is that reputation is very important in the tup world but I wouldn’t have expected him to replace the tup if he didn’t want to, but if he hadn’t I wouldn’t have bought from him again.
- Location
- Olney, north bucks
That was the correct course of action in my opinion, and the breeder has kept his customer who will doubtless recommend him to other potential customers, as stated reputations are hard won and easily lost.
FJ
clod hopper
Member
- Location
- SHREWSBURY, shropshire
If the buyer has ewes inlamb to the ram as I expect the new owner has after 7 weeks = 1 year's use/breeding. Say 5 yrs expected use of a ram I'd refund 80% of the money. Easy to say from were I'm sitting,
- Location
- West Kent
I bought a ram 2 years ago that turned out to be a jaffa. I took him to market and gave the breeder the sale proceeds and I got the first pick of a replacement last year.
Don't easyram warrant their rams for 12 months?
Don't easyram warrant their rams for 12 months?
HasthorpeGrange
Member
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Be fair with him and say we’ll split the loss. Either a different ram half price or half the money back as a gesture of good will in the hope of preventing getting a bad name
- Location
- Ledbury, Herefordshire
You sold him faulty stock. Texel throat is heritable and its no fault at all of the buyer that the ram you sold developed it.
If he has used it, now he'll have to cull all offspring too.
Full refund at the very least.
Cull all stock on your farm related to that ram.
If he has used it, now he'll have to cull all offspring too.
Full refund at the very least.
Cull all stock on your farm related to that ram.
- Location
- Scot Borders
+1 for that
Last time I bought tups at Kelso, 2 developed texel thoat within 6-8 weeks of the sale. Luckily for the breeders they were both insured by the NFU and we were given a full refund straight away. All the lambs were for slaughter anyway so we had no issues that way. TBH a full refund is the right thing to do, regardless of whether you expect to sell tups to that particular buyer again or not.
Was the final nail in the coffin for Kelso for me. Bought 5 tups that year (texel/BFL) and only 1 made it to a second tipping season.
Why doesn't A new or relatively new poster get the ' new member ' signature these days ? .
polk_farmer
Member
- Location
- South West (Gods Country)
I'd refund in full if the PM confirmed it. What's a few hundred quid compared to market gossip about you being a dodgy breeder (not saying you are), and not standing by your stock.
It takes a long time to get a good rep, but it can be lost quite quickly
It takes a long time to get a good rep, but it can be lost quite quickly
- Location
- Mendips Somerset
Refund or replace , texel throat is genetic condition so he wasnt fit for sale end of ,
everyman and his dog want to breed pedigree sheep , seeing the ££ signs , well this is part of it !Its not like loosing the odd one in a pen of commercial sheep in market , Remember this next time you buy that expensive new overfed stock ram , or over-feed yourself , ! You cant consider any ram sold for at least 6months after the sale ,
If you bought a new car and engine exploded after a few 000 miles you would rightly want something done .
So dont argue, sort it ! a bad name will cost you more.
everyman and his dog want to breed pedigree sheep , seeing the ££ signs , well this is part of it !Its not like loosing the odd one in a pen of commercial sheep in market , Remember this next time you buy that expensive new overfed stock ram , or over-feed yourself , ! You cant consider any ram sold for at least 6months after the sale ,
If you bought a new car and engine exploded after a few 000 miles you would rightly want something done .
So dont argue, sort it ! a bad name will cost you more.
Last edited:
- Location
- central scotland
Replace or refund 
preferably replace but that’s just what I would try
preferably replace but that’s just what I would try[
You can’t actually say the ram was not fit for sale. We would not sell a ram showing signs of it, it would be culled. The ram showed no signs of it and they were run into the pen on a very hot day for the purchaser to view them. If you look at the research of the condition it can also be caused by damage to the throat from thistles, corn etc, it left us in very fit condition and the buyer is very particular. We have sold many rams and have not had a problem and are considered to have a good reputation as we don’t over feed and produce rams that are fit to go to work at a reasonable price.
You can’t actually say the ram was not fit for sale. We would not sell a ram showing signs of it, it would be culled. The ram showed no signs of it and they were run into the pen on a very hot day for the purchaser to view them. If you look at the research of the condition it can also be caused by damage to the throat from thistles, corn etc, it left us in very fit condition and the buyer is very particular. We have sold many rams and have not had a problem and are considered to have a good reputation as we don’t over feed and produce rams that are fit to go to work at a reasonable price.
Actually research shows it can also be caused by damage to the throat from thistles, corn etc. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6466285/)
- Location
- Mendips Somerset
thats fair enough , but its a genetic condition however its brought on , its just a cost you have to build into your selling structure if its floating about at a breed level , if your reputation is good dont spoil it over one ram ,his cost can be spread over all the others , Ive refunded on marginal things in the past but i know market chatter will kill my home trade in a short time , i usually offer replacement as first choice
do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
Thanks all, your opinions pretty much match ours but we were interested to see what other people think. It is gutting when you put all the work in, sell it, to find this sort of thing flare up weeks down the line. We have a very strict policy of culling anything we wouldnt be prepared to buy ourselves and have a good reputation in our area, which we will maintain through treating our customers well. Unfortunately you cannot always foresee which animals will get TT, our stock rams show no signs neither do our ewes so I guess maybe the research is also right that infection can be introduced through throat damage which may or not happen on the sellers farm.
exmoorromney
Member
Easyrams warranty is two seasons
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