Unacceptable Customer Service and Conduct at Frey Lumber Company
On September 30, 2025, my son and I went to Frey Lumber in Smithfield, Pennsylvania to purchase a load of firewood. This was not our first time doing business with Frey Lumber. I've been a long-time customer and have supported this local company for years without any prior issues. Because of that history, I expected a routine visit: check in at the office, load firewood into the truck and pay at the end, as I always have.
Upon arrival. I went into the office to let them know we were going back to load firewood. The employee asked if I wanted to pay before or after, I said "after", which has always been standard practice in the past.
My son and I then drove back and began loading split firewood logs (that would fit into our fireplace) into the bed of the pickup truck. We were throwing the logs into the bed of the truck that was nearly full when the owner suddenly approached us in an aggressive manner. Without any greeting, he began yelling loudly and angrily, saying he was "pissed off" and accusing us of stealing his wood.
This came as a total shock to us. At no point did we plan to take any wood without paying. We had already checked in at the office before loading, as we always do. I tried to explain this, but he continued shouting and accusing my son of stacking the wood in the truck. Something that simply wasn't true.
To be clear: We were not stacking the firewood as the logs in the truck photo shows. My son adjusted a log that was resting on the truck-bed rail so that it wouldn't fall out during transport. He then placed a couple of pieces around it to secure it for safety. The log adjustment was to prevent a potential accident on the road, not to stack the logs for measurement purposes. The reason one log was on the rail was due to throwing the logs into the bed, not stacking them neatly.
Despite my calm explanation, the owner continued angrily accusing us of stacking and stealing his wood. I told him that I have been coming here for years. He said, "I've seen you around". Then I asked him, "Would putting logs in a fireplace holder be considered stacking?" He said, "Yes". I then said, "The logs in the truck are not stacked." This only made him more upset. His confrontational tone became even louder, more aggressive and frankly threatening.
He repeatedly used the phrases "pissed off" and stealing," which were both completely unfounded and unprofessional. My son sensing hostility stepped back away from him to maintain distance because of his confrontational tone.
I continually attempted to defuse things, speaking calmly and respectively but he would not de-escalate. At no point were we disrespectful to him. We simply wanted to finish loading, pay and leave. Instead, we were berated and treated like thieves, even though we had done absolutely nothing wrong.
When we went to the office to pay, he insisted on charging me for a stacked load, which cost $175, even though the wood was clearly not stacked. The correct price for an unstacked load is $150. I paid the $190.75 total (including 3% credit-card fee and 6% Pennsylvania sales tax) just to end the encounter and leave his property after the hostile confrontation.
The $25 overcharge and associated fees are being disputed with my credit-card company because he charged us for a stacked load that did not exist.
Photo documentation taken at various stages during unloading clearly shows the wood was not stacked. Comparison photos show what stacked and unstacked firewood looks like. When viewed side by side, it's obvious that his accusation was baseless. The photo leave no doubt: the load in our truck was unstacked and the additional charge was unjustified.
I'm 76 years old and have worked in the construction industry for more than 30 years, overseeing million-dollar contracts, managing dozens of subcontractors, workers and dealing with numerous clients and suppliers. In all those years, I have never been treated in such a hostile. disrespectful and confrontational manner by anyone.
After years of doing business there, I can no longer recommend or support this company. His actions were unprofessional, aggressive and completely unacceptable. The accusations are false, the additional charge unjustified and his attempted intimidation and demeanor was unnecessary.
A formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau has been filed to document the incident and hopefully to help prevent similar treatment of other customers.
In closing, I hope no other long-time loyal customer or any customer has to experience what we went through at Frey Lumber Company that day. The way we were treated was completely uncalled for and our family will never do business there again.