Re: OT: Somebody Called the Sheriff On Me

[ABLE1 <somewhere@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 7/17/2021 5:17 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
> 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."
>>>>> 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."Â  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.
>


Bob,

That must be a good feeling to know that something you thought out of
your brain and then made a usable product for a small nitch of people
and get compensated for it as well as thanked.  Good Job!!!

For me it is the satisfaction that in the 32 years of doing what I do
I have not done the same system install twice.  Everyone is different
and unique.  Some simple and some very complex.  Some very challenging!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend ---- working or not!!

Les