Mike Bingham Hay Contractor

Mr Bingham is a local hay grower and contractor.  We had bought hay from him last year and it was good hay at a good price.  We contracted for 500 bales of coastal bermuda horse hay @ 4.50 per bale... paid him by check July 11 2011.  We had no reason to suspect any less quality that we received last year, but he sent us a load of trash hay when we ordered bermuda... the hay was mostly sticks, weeds mud and other trash, though there are a few good bales in the load.  We paid for coastal bermuda, and got cow and goat hay, fescue, johnson grass, bahaia, sticks weeks dirt and mold,  toxic to horses.  He also has horses so he is well aware of what that kind of hay will do to the equine digestive system.   We got 469 bales put into our barn with the remaining 31 bales put into his barn...  The man is a professional grower and hauler, and knew exactly what he had personally baled and sent us.  When I complained, he demanded $1500 extra to replace the trash hay with horse hay, because "the price had gone up"... 40%???  We contracted for hay, and got garbage. He steadfastly refuses to do anything about it.  This man is price gouging in the middle of a disastrous drought.  He also still has the remaining 31 bales which were stored in his barn, and has made no move to deliver those.  He is very big on getting his customers to store their hay in his barn... I wonder if they are also having trouble getting it out... It has put this little therapy center in serious jeopardy.  What kind of a man gouges a therapy center which caters to disabled kids and grownups?  If he will do this to a center that helps crippled kids, what will he do to others?  All we have requested is that he replace the garbage he sold to us for horse with the quality of hay we ordered, at the price we agreed upon.   We are not holding our breath.