Had a buyer to view pup on Sunday and they were happy stayed for over 2 hours and left a deposit.
Last night the husband rung and said they don't want the dog it is too big and he doesn't want a big dog. The wife has since emailed and said sorry she though her husband would change his mind but he won't.
In the email they have requested their money back or if it is banked already I send them a cheque to cover it. I have not banked the cheque but feel like banking it and then maybe sending the deposit back minus £50. I know I am entitled to keep it all but what would others do in this situation.

Think I would rather this unsuitable couple pulled out and would rather give the money back than have them insist on having a puppy. Deposits work both ways and they could say you accepted the deposit and they want to take the pup for resale.

Everyone in a home should want a puppy and I think your pup has had a lucky escape.

I never take deposits, then you are not beholden to someone who you may think unsuitable at a  later stage.

Do you not think they will just cancel the cheque ? Time wasters like this really rile me !

Like ChrstineW do not take deposits.  I would rather they walked away not having left a deposit if they should change their mind.   If they leave a deposit they may still take the puppy because they have left a deposit and would feel that they are unable to get the deposit back, but may have changed their minds regarding having a puppy, which would mean that the puppy was going to a home where it would be unwanted.

OK I am going to email them and say that I will rip their chq up am not going to walk all the way to the postbox as I do not drive. If they don't like that they can cancel their cheque. I am just fed up with my time being wasted at the moment my ex friends who also breed labs are getting people to ring get info on pups book them and then the day before the visit they cancel so I am understandably fed up with the situation at the moment.

I think its quite sad that you feel this way.. Does a sale mean that much to you?  I would much rather prospective owners come visit, chat, and if the pup is not for them, then be thankful they did not follow through with purchase..

I would certainly not class these people as timewasters.. the pup is NOT what they wanted.. and you seem angry about that.. That is not the breeder I would want my pup to come from.. sorry if that sounded harsh...

I have been to see a litter before, and walked away explaining it was not what I was looking for.. I was not a time waster, I went to view litter with high expectations.. they were not met!

> I am understandably fed up with the situation at the moment

apologies, edited after re-reading about your ex friend... you will get through it.. ... there will be good friends around the corner.. deep breaths..

send back the cheque, show you are the better person ;-)

Kay I am not upset about the deposit people I am upset about the ex friends who feel it is ok to get bogus buyers to waste my time. U actually know me and u know I would never sell or want to sell to anyone who is not suitable. It is just adding the 2 together I now have a litter that was sold and now have to re advertise. Maybe I am more stressed due to hand rearing the pups and being so tired.
I am quite willing to turn anyone away from the pups who I don't like or I feel is unsuitable for my pups. I only want the pups in suitable homes and just wondered what others would do, no sleep for 3 weeks sometimes u don't think as rationally as u might.

Labcrazy, you replied while I was editing my previous post.. I mis read it, regarding ex friend.. apologies..

Hi Kay.

Thats ok like I said after weeks of no sleep normally easy situations tend to seem like great big mountains to climb. I have written out the envelope and the chq will be handed to the postman tomorrow to be returned.

I would say that someone who visits and is clearly happy enough that they leave a deposit to reserve a puppy to then a few days later say they have changed their minds IS a time waster.
It is nothing to do with having lost a sale (!) it is to do with having people take up your time - when they clearly  have not discussed this puppy with their husband beforehand properly ! Also the OP could have turned others away due to thinking this pup was spoken for.

Cavlover have turned many away which is silly as I normally keep names on a list. Due to losing my girl I have not been thinking as normal. The good thing is that with this pedigree the pups will go easily so will soon be rebooked.

I think we all have different opinions on what a 'timewaster' really is.. for me.. a timewaster would be someone who said they were coming to visit, and that visit never materialised.. THAT would be wasting my precious time... Someone who actually takes THEIR time to visit, but then decide that the pup is not for them is not a timewaster, and in my honest opinion.. I respect them for actually taking the time to come visit.. regardless of the final outcome...

taking deposits in good faith, is not time wasting either.. this person was honest.. she phoned to say they would not be having pup.. she didnt spin a fairytale of lies, as in daughter, mother.. next door neighbours problems would prohibit them having a pup... they were above board, and said the pup would not be suitable.. yes.. the silly woman should have spoken at length with husband.. but such is life.. its not perfect.. but THEY took the time to come.. so in fact they waster THEIR time...

these are not time waster, I see them as honest people, who made a mistake!

I think we shall agree to disagree  kayc because in my book someone who hasn't even agreed that the breed is the one for them with her husband, visits a litter, puts money down to reserve a pup then to back out because husband says breed is too big is someone who hasn't given enough thought to any of it in the first place and is therefore a time waster. Given the sensitive nature and difficulty of labcrazy's situation I think it is even more of an issue here. Why respect someone who as a couple don't even know what size of dog they want but reserve a pup anyway ?

>these are not time waster, I see them as honest people, who made a mistake!

Absolutely right. Honest people who'd used their time to view a litter and later decided that this breed wasn't really for them. Thank goodness they were straight enough to tell you as soon as they could, rather than go through with buying the pup and then selling it on as could easily have happened.

Post them back their cheque with good grace, and don't accept any more deposits.

>Why respect someone who as a couple don't even know what size of dog they want but reserve a pup anyway ?

Many dogs are actually bigger in 'real life' than in one's imagination or previous experience. I know some labs who are very small and others that are monstrously big! If the husband was imagining one of the smaller types and labcrazy's bitch is one of the bigger ones then it's fair for him to be sensible enough to change his mind about having one.

> feel like banking it and then maybe sending the deposit back minus £50.

Goodness how much of a deposit was it.

I suppose it depends what the stated deposti terms were?

I expect deposits when my puppy buyers are committed to having  puppy, but it is £50 non returnable.  This is to cover advertising costs, keeping a puppy longer, vaccinating it etc if they change their minds.

It is not enough for people to get funny about loosing, but enough for them to not be wasting your time booking pups with several breeders etc.

£50 would only equal the travelling costs to visit the litter anyway, so no-one seems to object to it being non refundable (unless of course I can't for whatever reason let them have a puppy).

Cavlover.. have you seen the difference in some of the OP's breed today?  maybe the husband was quite happy to have this breed, perhaps the ones he had seen and liked were of FT type, therefore very much smaller, leaner boner, narrower head etc.. the OP's bitch is the heavier, well boned type, and possibly not to the husbands 'taste'... from what the OP said, he wanted a smaller dog.. nothing about not wanting this particular breed...

Its not the 1st time I have had a visit, and comments made on the 'type' of my pups and adults.. and in fact had a prospective owner say she wanted the fine type, after visiting mine.. I wholeheartedly respected their choice.. and put them in touch with a breeder I knew and they did in fact finally get the pup of their liking...

this couple were honest.. the pups were not what they expected, or wanted.. Kudos to them for walking away!

By all means visit breeders of a particular breed if you need to, to ensure the breed or type is right for you, in advance of viewing a litter - I completely agree.... that is sensible, but don't reserve a pup unless everyone concerned is 100 % happy. I think you should know what breed/type you want before you view a litter of puppies and put money down. Researching a breed/different breeds thoroughly before making a decision as to what breed is right for you is good sound practice IMO.  Op said husband wanted a smaller dog not a smaller type of this breed.

They have had boxers before and I think they thought that my breed would be lighter in construction. My dogs are particularly thick set and thats what I like. I often get buyers here because they can't get the size at other breeders they have contacted.
I always tell people the pups will be the same size as their mums and look similar and that if they do not like the mum then I can help them find something different.

Then they should have discussed the type of dog they were after before visiting your litter.... and made it clear what they were looking for to you. They shouldn't have placed a deposit on a puppy from this litter, simple as that.

> I think we shall agree to disagree  kayc because in my book someone who hasn't even agreed that the breed is the one for them with her husband, visits a litter, puts money down to reserve a pup then to back out because husband says breed is too big is someone who hasn't given enough thought to any of it in the first place and is therefore a time waster.

But the husband may not have been sure - part of the visiting is to meet the adult dogs too; some people think they want a breed before having met it in the flesh and once they have realise it is not for them. The husband may have agreed and then changed his mind after the visit - his wife can't read his mind (I would guess). I obviously don't know enough details in this particular case, but I know breeders who like people to visit and see the breed as adults/ adolescents at their bounciest/ slobberiest/ liveliest, so they are sure about what they're taking on if they're first time owners of that breed. A time waster wouldn't let the breeder know straight away that they didn't want the pup as these people have, they would pull out when the pups were just ready to be going to new homes, or not turn up at all. That's my opinion anyway. :-) Think there will be a variety of opinions on this sort of topic, and where would life be without variety?

And I know I'm not kayc (I think :-p ) - it was just that your statement was one that made me think. :-)