Waste of Time

Last week, I was contacted on the phone by a German film company (ZDF).  They wanted to film a Shetland pony being driven in harness and/or maybe ridden.

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As you know, we spent Saturday fetching home Andy and Fivla.  Sunday morning was spent washing the cart and harness, brushing Andy and taking him for a test-run.

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Then, on Sunday evening, I received an email saying that our filming was cancelled as “it just all got a bit too tight” (whatever that means).

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So that is us.  Sitting here on Monday, having done all the work for absolutely bloody nothing.

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And it was work.

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The harness, cart and Andy do not clean themselves.

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And it has cost us money – a Land Rover towing a trailer does not run off fresh air.

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We will return the ponies to their loan home and tell them in our eyes they are stars but I don’t think folk appreciate just how much work goes into providing animals for filming.  There is a great deal of behind-the-scenes effort so that the pony you see is 100% perfect for the job required.

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To say we are greatly pissed off, is to put it mildly.

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They could’ve offered to pay for our diesel.

12 thoughts on “Waste of Time

  1. Rebecca Final

    It seems that it is common practice anymore to just blow off people you’ve committed to without so much as a ‘sorry’. I am sitting right this minute waiting for someone to arrive at 10:00 am, (it’s now 10:15), to look at a saddle. No phone call saying they will be late. Of course I spent 45 minutes this morning making sure the saddle was clean and presentable. I wouldn’t be surprised if they simply did not show up. That is simply RUDE. I was not brought up that way and it irritates me when it’s done to me. Thank you for letting me rant!

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  2. jan

    Perhaps ask them for a goodwill deposit next time…. I suggest £150. Its so bad mannered to just call and cancel at the last minute. The pics are gorgeous though.

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  3. Irmgard

    If you could provide me with their contact data, I’d love to compliment my compatriots on their lovely manners – your experience put me in just the right mood for it! ZDF is one of the stations that is in business thanks to the monthly fee they collect from every household, so they had better hear me… Sorry about all the work, and expense in time and money, for nothing.
    (By “It just all got a bit too tight” they likely mean that they ran out of time/couldn’t make a deadline or some such. Punks.)

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  4. Cate

    I know nothing about that film company, but assuming that they are, like most companies, in business to make money, they should be paying for their source material and not expecting to get something for nothing.

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  5. Linda K

    How rude, but lack of mmaners is endemic nowadays. They could at least have recompensed you for the incovenience caused.

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  6. Terri

    Rude and disgusting. They put a lot of people to a lot of trouble, and took ponies away from 3 darling little girls for a weekend. Before you agree to such an event again, I’d suggest drawing up a simple contract that states they must pay you “x” amount, regardless of whether they show up or not. Contracts exist because some people aren’t honorable. Sadly.

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  7. Sam

    I agree with Liz – Send them a bill for the diesel at least. My step-dad rented theatrical equipment and ALWAYS required a deposit before any equipment was prepped. Rude is rude. And if i could file a complaint, I would from USA.

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  8. amy

    What Irmgard said! It irks me enormousl that we have to pay wodges ofmoney for tv that we never watch (no tv but youtube, oh yes), and that presumably mostly goes on football. Knowing that they almost filmed something interesting and cancelled, causing even more annoyance to even more people doesn’t make me any less irked!

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