Re: OT: Somebody Called the Sheriff On Me

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

On 7/17/2021 2:00 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
> On 7/17/2021 10:56 AM, ABLE1 wrote:
>> On 7/16/2021 6:32 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
>>> 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."Â  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.
>>>
>>
>> Hi Bob,
>>
>> LOL it seems that this guy has little else to do with his time!!  And it
>> is very doubtful that regardless of what you do or say you will not win!
>> You will ALWAYS be in the WRONG and he will ALWAYS be in the RIGHT!!
>>
>> It is a shame that you can't get his forehead tattooed with;
>>
>> Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  I am Stupid!!
>>
>> I know!! That would be inappropriate but then again..............  ;-)
>>
>> Hope the current heat wave is tolerable for you or at least controllable
>>
>> Have a good weekend!!
>>
>> Les


I modeled his mold two ways, and was going to send him the screenshots
to pick the one he liked better.  Just now I decided I'm going to cut it
both ways and send him both of them so I never have to communicate with
him again.  People like him make me want to just stop doing custom work
altogether.

On the flip side I make a little "speed handle" for milling machine
vises.  I never planned to sell any.  I made a few for myself and gave
one to a buddy who does some machining in his home shop.  He told me
over and over and over I should sell them.  Personally I figured most
anybody who would need one could make their own.  Its not even an
original idea.  Finally I relented and posted them for sale in a few
sizes.  Now I make them in batches of each size and frequently get
compliments from my customers on them.  "Better than I expected."  "I
couldn't make one for that price."  Stuff like that, and no those aren't
the customers off Rodney's referral site.  LOL.  I've got several small
products like that I could make and sell to home shop machinists.
Things I made for my own use, but somebody without my scope of shop
equipment might struggle to make for themselves cost effectively.

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