Re: Be Careful Who You Partner With...

[Jim <alarminex@xxxxxxx>]

On Sunday, July 12, 2015 at 2:46:54 PM UTC-4, RGS Tech Wife wrote:
> What are your thoughts about a 5-Diamond Central Station with several loc=
ations around the country who has not paid us a commission in over 100 days=
? This was a lucrative Lead that has generated thousands of accounts for th=
is company. It has been a struggle to get commission checks since 2012. The=
y are approximately 7 months in arrears on payments/commissions. We have ca=
lled and e-mailed the Owner several times, but he is "not in the loop" and =
does not care.  We deal directly with the President who continually makes e=
xcuses why the checks are late, and also tries to make us feel guilty for n=
eeding the money. The President also consistently tells us they have no mon=
ey, yet they just opened a new central station recently. We have a contract=
 with the company which states that we get paid, when they get paid.  Howev=
er, we did not anticipate that we would be waiting between 3 and 4 months f=
or each check. We were verbally promised that we would be given partial che=
cks monthly until the main check arrived.  That was an empty promise.  The =
company also refuses to give us an accounting of accounts online (also in t=
he contract).  We have no idea how much money we should actually be receivi=
ng. We gave a Lead in good faith.  This has been a financial disaster for o=
ur family which no one in this industry should have to endure. We would app=
reciate any thoughts or suggestions on how to proceed with this matter.
>=20
> Thank you,
> Marcia

It's to late for this kind of advice but .....

Don't ever get in bed with large corporations that can out wait you, out sp=
end you, ignore you and cheat, steal and lie to you .... with impunity. I'v=
e been in this trade for 47 years .... on my own.=20

I once had a customer that was an attorney. I got payment for half the job =
up front. When the job was completed he refused to pay the balance because =
... in his words .... he didn't have to and besides, I couldn't afford to s=
ue him for the balance .... He was a dick but he was right. That, on a larg=
er scale, is what happened to you. And, never let a building contractor lur=
e you into doing more and more work for them "until they get money to pay y=
ou from the next home they sell". Soon, they are so far behind that you can=
't stop working for them because you'll lose all the money. It's a foolish =
trap to fall in.  I learned my lesson in by dealing with the attorney, in a=
 less costly way. Now I always provide a means for me to not give the custo=
mer complete control until I get paid in full.=20

Here's the big clue. If you have the means to generate business for someone=
 else you certainly have the means to generate business for yourself.=20


I don't know what it is in this trade that makes people think that they hav=
e to depend upon someone else to be successful. But it's no secret that the=
re is no end to companies offering dealerships and people thinking that a d=
ealership is going to be fruitful. Some of them are, but there are always s=
tories like yours that show what a foolish, and dangerous game it can be.=
=20

If you do not have the ability to fight this organization in court, I sugge=
st that you continue your efforts ( you may eventually prevail) but in addi=
tion, move on to providing yourself with the business that you were "giving=
" to them and provide yourself with a living, instead of giving the results=
 of your hard work to someone else. I can't imagine why anyone would be wil=
ling to give away accounts that provide a recurring revenue. It's the goose=
 that lays the golden egg.  Have you ever tried to figure out what your mon=
thly income would be now, from all the accounts and business that you have =
given away?  Running your own business is a struggle and hard work but at l=
east it's "your" struggle and you are working for your benefit, not someone=
 else's. =20

Good luck.