Help required on stolen hay

Andrea2528

Hi

I hope someone can give some advice. My partner had a verbal agreement with a field owner to work as a contractor to harvest a crop of hay from it in return for getting half of what it yielded. He did all the work in maintaining the field all year round in preparation for the harvest and then carried out the contract baleing work yesterday.

He rang the field owner last night to arrange a time for them to come and collect their hay bales that was convenient to them. He also offered to help them load their hay since they were being very complimentary about his hay. Anyway, this morning he went over to check the hay some hours prior to when they arranged to have it collected. When he got there, he discovered to his surprise that there were no hay bales on it. He really panicked and tried to contact the field owner to let him know what had happened
but he wasn't answering his phone. He tried several times to get through to him and left a message with him. My partner thinks, he's done a dirty on him and actually come to get all the hay.

My partner has contacted the police but I'm not sure what they can do since they need to get the field owner to confirm whether or not he's received the hay. They say that the verbal agreement was legally binding. However, he didn't get the agreement in writing and so he isn't sure now what can be done about it.

He is so disappointed and he's still all the work to do on his own field and he is really feeling let down and depressed about it.

Is there anything that can be done?

I hope someone will reply.

Thanks

getmore4less

Do you know where the owner lives.

Look like a sting

Andrea2528

Yes, we've been there and the gates are locked.

olias

Surely you're jumping the gun until you've spoken to him? He could have, for example, paid someone to collect all the hay and bring it to his haybarn, from where your partner can collect his half?

TBH, there are so many scenarios of what could have happened, that until you speak with him, you are just guessing.

Olias

scheming_gypsy

What time did he go to collect the hay? you posted at 10:33am and in that time he's been to collect the hay, been to the field owners, phoned several times and been to the police...
i wasn't even out of bed by 10:33am, maybe you need to give it enough time to actually try and get hold of the bloke.

maninthestreet

OP - as your partner has worked all year tending this hay, it must surely be the last straw if it's been stolen.

somethingcorporate

It's a civil not a criminal matter so going to the police is a bit hasty.

The hay never belonged to your partner so it couldn't have been stolen from him.

Andrea2528

They had an agreement that the hay would be picked up between 8.30 and 9.00 am this morning. My partner went to check the field at around 6.00 or 7.00 am and there were no hay bales on it. This person that he did the work for has got a reputation for taking advantage of people. So we don't know what to do about it. My partner should have had the contract in writing rather than as a word of mouth. However, this person convinced him that he was to be trusted.

We've tried to contact him so many times and left messages. He hasn't even bothered to answer them so it's got to be him that's taken it. My partner now feels that he did all that work for nothing.

Mistral001

Looks like a civil matter as others have said.

A verbal agreement is usually just as legally binding as a written one (I think there are certain exceptions with regard to the tranfer of property).

Try the Small Claims Court. It will then be up to the judge to decide who to believe if the other farmer decides to lie about the verbal agreement.

olias

You presumably know where this persons hay barn(s) are?

Get your partner to go round with a few 'mates' and recover his hay.

Olias

Andrea2528

We've got a message which they left on the telephone answering service yesterday to ask about how the hay was coming along. My partner rang them back and arranged the time of collection for the following day. The message said that they wanted to do a proper deal with him and they were very complimentary about the hay they've had off him in previous years.