Re: OT: Somebody Called the Sheriff On Me

[Bob La Londe <none@none.com99>]

On 6/21/2021 8:44 AM, Bob La Londe wrote:
> If you don't want to read a rant.  Stop right now and hit your kill key
> on this thread.  This is a rant.  Its also not alarm related.
>
> I was a licensed contractor for 23 years.  Never had a complaint on my
> license (a real complaint) and only had two BBB complaints.  Both of the
> later just didn't want to honor the terms they agreed to and their
> letters just read like they didn't want to pay their bill.  After the
> second time and the BBB listed me with a B while listing companies I
> knew first hand engaged in fraudulent practices with an A I told them
> they were prohibited from listing my company at all.
>
> Well recently I had a customer pay for a custom job.  I told them up
> front that there was about 16 weeks custom work already paid on my jobs
> board, and that all jobs were done in the order they are paid.  PERIOD
> NO EXCEPTION and I understand if they want to look for somebody else.
>
> That is pretty much the standard in the market niche I work in now. Some
> new guys do work on spec or take partial deposits, but they quickly
> learn like I did that you get stuck with items on your shelf you can't
> sell and can't get paid for.  Lots of guys don't tell customers how long
> its going to take, and they don't respond to demanding emails at all.  I
> tell them upfront and I try to always respond to their requests for
> updates.  I actually had a customer tell me early on, "No Bob.  I will
> pay you up front just like I would have to with anybody else decent in
> the business."  I've been that way ever since.  I have about 14-16 weeks
> work on the custom jobs board right now so obviously its a workable model.
>
> The customer from paragraph two started giving me crap and being
> demanding after about 8 weeks.  I told him that we were not close to the
> terms he agreed to and pointed out it was sent in email and it was on
> his invoice.  Well he went off the deep end telling me he had already
> contacted his bank and they had refunded his money, and threatening to
> "write lots of reviews."Â  He didn't have the nerve to actually say bad
> reviews or slanderous reviews, but I thanked him for the warning and
> asked him if he would so kind as to send me links to those reviews so I
> could share them with all my happy customers.  He went off the deep end
> again and threatened to sue me among other things.  I'm not sure exactly
> what he would sue me for, but I let him know his reply wasn't really
> coherent and I was blocking his emails.  I also told him that if he
> tried to circumvent that I would consider a harassment (harassment is
> criminal) complaint against him.  Within a minute or two my phone was
> ringing.  I was in the machine room setting up a job, but when I went
> back in the office I looked up the CALL ID and it was this guy.  I'm
> glad I didn't answer.  He didn't leave a message.
>
> I was a bit annoyed and decided to call it a day before I broke
> something or worse hurt myself and everybody's jobs got delayed.  I was
> sitting in my living room in my recliner sipping on a cup of fresh
> brewed coffee and watch Ian of Forgotten Weapons on YouTube tell all
> about how Samuel Colt was an interesting and very driven individual when
> a local Sheriff's Deputy rang my door bell.
>
> Apparently the guy had called his local Sheriff's department in Florida
> and said I was trying to rip him off.  Now lets stop a minute.  If he
> misrepresented things to his bank/credit card provider and took my money
> back he has no financial claim, and I no longer had any obligation to
> him.  If he did not tell that to the Sheriff's department he
> misrepresented things at best.  To my knowledge there is no jurisdiction
> in the USA where filing a false police report or making false statements
> to law enforcement in the performance of their duties is not a crime.
>
> They called my local Sheriff's Department and who sent a deputy to see
> me. I explained everything, showed him all the pertinent supporting
> documentation, and  emailed him copies.  He said the police report on
> his end was going to be really short.  I'll be getting a copy, and also
> the incident report number from the Florida Sheriff's office so I can
> get a copy of their police report as well.
>
> In the mean time I sent our friend in Florida one last email letting him
> know that as long as he did not succeed in stealing from me I would
> unblock him long enough to get proof approval on his job when I got to
> his job on the board in about 8 weeks.  I also let him know the local
> sheriff's department had visited with me, and I would be getting a copy
> of both their and his sheriff's departments police reports.  "While I am
> not sure you filed a false police report, under Arizona law even as the
> victim I am REQUIRED by Arizona statute to report a crime if I believe
> one has been committed."
>
> What I should do for my own peace of mind is refund the guy and block
> him forever, but I don't believe in rewarding bad behaviour.  Besides I
> consider that a binding agreement to do a job goes both ways.  I am just
> as obligated to complete his job as he is not to back out of it after I
> have put the money to work making sure there is material to do it and
> spent time figuring out the best way to get it done.
>
> I never had a customer call the sheriff on me because I insisted on
> sticking to the terms of an agreement and refused to be intimidated
> until last Friday.  I'm still a little stunned.  Relieved too actually.
> Law enforcement, atleast on my end, had no problem seeing the situation
> for what it was.
>
> As a contractor I had a couple customers I fired, but I never fired them
> before completing the job I agreed to do, and I always covered the
> warranty until the 366th day.  I think I will fire this guy ten seconds
> after I ship his part.
>


BWAHAHAHAHA

Now he filed a PayPal claim as item not received.  I responded to PayPal
with a copy of the PayPal invoice and pointed out that start time is
clearly shown as early to mid August and its listed right on the
invoice.  Of course you never know what PayPal will do, so I also let
them know he may very well have committed a crime in an attempt to
threaten and intimidate me.  I really should just refund his money and
tell him to fuck off and die slowly, painfully, and alone, but I just do
not believe in rewarding bad behavior.

Excuse my use of the vernacular... or don't.

Actually I think he may have won a little bit.  I worked up the 3D model
today.  I haven't decided if I will send him screenshots now or wait
until August.  If I send him screenshots I have to unblock him so he can
respond with feedback, and I am sure he will give me an earful.

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