Topic: How to handle $$ owed to you

[Gilligan]

People can become real funny when it's time to put that pen to paper.

I had to got to a dock and setup this MONSTER boat for a network that was going to be offshore for 2 years straight.  I spent 3 days there doing nothing because they couldn't get he equipment to the ship.  I kept telling them that I was only 3 hours away and that they should just let me go home till they had the gear ready.  They said "stay till it's done"... after 3 days they sent me home.  Then 4 days later called me back to do nothing again because there were still some things that couldn't be worked around.

When I finally sent them the invoice for $3k the project manager flipped out.  Supposedly he was going to write on my check "never again".

For perspective... they were paying $40,000 a DAY just to have that boat... not including what they were paying for all the supporting companies like the Dive company or the ROV company... blah blah blah.

3k a drop in the bucket of a SINGLE day on this project... that's not even speaking about how much they spent on the entire project.

[Homer]

good for you John, this reminds me I have to collect today too. Tired of getting the run around, good intentions and promises won't put food on my table and pay for heat. You try this crap in a restaurant and you can get arrested. Why do we have to wait and why do we have to remind people they owe us money? I know exactly who I owe and how much, you can't tell me people just flat out forget. . .total BS. . .

[mk162]

HAHA, I know how this goes.  I am garnishing wages as we speak.  Should be getting my first check any day now.

[mooseman]

just yesterday at this time I filed papers in claims court for a local business that was in a rush for tee shirts & aprons 6 weeks ago. Promised to come in several times even told me she would be in at 11:45 AM last Thursday...guess what she never showed.
In court she will see the bill, the court fees,  20% late charges (and yes late charges are in my written quote back in August and we will even try for 4 hours work at minimum wage spent on e-mailing and chasing her a$$ around for 6 weeks.
She should get the papers later this week, she will be back on the phone telling me how she has been sooooooo busy and she is sooooooo sorry from her business 1/2 mile away from my shop. It would literally take her 10 minutes to get her stuff.

Oh i forgot to mention...this is the second(and last) time I have had to chase her down for payment
sounds harsh but you know what I give folks EVERY OPPORTUNITY to fill their obligations . If you want to be taken advantage of lay down, if you want your money sometimes you just got to throw down. they can't wack you for telling the truth and stating facts even on a public board such as this go get em...make em pay what they owe.
i can't wait for this customer to tell her story to the judge


mooseman

[jsheridan]

The sickening part of this..

It's like growing up with your favorite sports player, you follow them for years and support them in every way you can. You buy the jerseys and products and then the day comes.. they ask you to star in the big game next right next to them. You can barely hold back the excitement and have trouble sleeping and eating when the big game takes place. You spend a week on such a high as it's something you love and enjoy passionately.

Then, when the big game is over he walks up says thanks and then punches you in the stomach and leaves you curled up on the floor lurching for air.

[Gilligan]

Mooseman, sounds like my last tenants in my rent house.

3 months behind on rent and balking the the SMALL late fees (in comparison to how often they were actually let and how much they were late).  They actually had the nerve to show up to eviction court (albeit late) and argue.  Claimed a lot of crazy BS.  End the end the Justice of the Peace said "well, do you have the money to pay him what you even think you own him?"  To which of course she said "no"... then he said "Well, what exactly do you expect me to do?"

They were out that weekend!

They then tried to steal a window unit and I filed charges on her after she refused to return my phone call.  She told the police (who contacted her at her work) that I had "given the unit to them".  LOL... yeah, for being such good tenants!

People are crazy in their version of reality.

[Dottonedan]

ON THE OTHER HAND

I did three separations for a guy in South Fl. This is an occasional customer. He apparently has a 6 color manual press that he does smaller stuff on. For his more complex stuff, he send out to another contract printer that is about 1.5 hours from him.  All of the jobs I have done for him has been sent over to the contract printer. I didn't even know he had his own press (until this one job went a stray). Some time this summer, around the end of April, I get in 3 jobs from this one customer. I had done some jobs for him only once or twice before and no problem and all were sent to the contract printer. So, he gets the first two jobs printed and LOVED them.  Customer loved them. Everything turned out great!

This other job goes a little odd. I get the job and not all the info is here. I try to email him multiple times to make sure as to what garment color it goes on. No reply. He then emails and asks if I can make some type adjustments on that. I reply, Yes, no problem. I want to see a proof before I sep it. Ok. I'll get my answer to the garment question this way also. So, I make the change and also ask him to approve the garment color as well. I get a reply back that just says APPROVED. you all know where I'm headed right?   So, I get seps done and send out on Monday. I send it off to the contract printer again as my customer says "MAKE SURE I SEND THE CONTRACT PRINTER A COPY AND HIM A COPY". nothing unusual here. So, later on that day, (Monday, I say, how did it look? everything ok?  No reply from him. The contract printer says oh yes. got it. looked good.  I call back later and speak to the my customer. He says he drove up (1.5 hours)  to get the films and found that it does not have a base white. Where is the base white?  I said...hmmmm.  You didn't tell me it needed a base white. It's got 6 colors. He says because I'm printing them. I said oh. Didn't know you had a press. he then tells me about his 6 color manual. I said well, I didn't know all that but I can make  the change real quick. He said, he told me that it was going on multiple color grounds. I said maybe you were thinking of the other shirts at that time. You never told me what this job was going on. I even emailed you several times asking for the color it was going on and you never replied specifically to that question...but I did get an approval (ON WHITE) when you gave approval for the revision changes. Oh.
 
 So, with how all that went on, I said  "Ya know what. It could be looked at either way so, I'll give you a discount on that job just to help ease your expense for the 2nd set of films and travel time. He didn't even say thanks but thats not what I was looking for....but I started to feel that it's what he was looking for, based on the tone and how the conversations was going.  So I called up the guy who had referred my name to this customer last year, that I'm having the trouble with today. He was another contract printer that I still do good business with that was printing for my current "trouble" customer. I asked how his relationship and experiences were with this customer of mine today?  He said he had to sue him for $3000.00 and won. He got three payments from him and nothing since. OK. My suspicions are on target.
 
 I revised them to work on color garments now but needed to take out a color. So, now, he's got to run back up to the contract printers place and is grunting and groaning about that. I then said, you know, I have plenty of customers in that area that should be closer. I can call them to see if they would do me a favor and print the films and just to show that I'm willing to meet you half way on this error, I will pay for the films. So, I call around and get one of my customers that is 30 min form him that will do it for me. I call my customer and he refuses the offer and says he will drive up to the contract printers again to get the films. Ok. So he then doesn't do that until Tues the next day. So he gets the films. I call back on Wed.
  He claims that he can't get the print to look right. Mostly he can't get a good specific "TEAL" out of the colors I am using. Well, you know, you "can't get an exact teal when using a pms color yellow and a pms color blue to get a "specific color of teal".  He claims to think he should be able to.  So, THAT is his claim that he's holding on to. He's really going on and on about really needing to get this teal color. He's "ok" with everything else".  I said, if that teal is so important, why not just have the contract printer print the job for you and add the teal? Nope I wanna print it.
 
 He got the usable 6 color seps with the base white in on Tues and it's due on Friday (so he claims). I call on the Wed. before his due date to see how it went. He's claiming he's been farting around with trying to get the print right all day now. His real printer is of on some vacation or time off or something so he's doing it. He says I think the seps are bad, it must be in the seps. The colors are all off and no detail. So I said, send me a pic of what it looks like. Something seems odd.
 
 I got the pics and think Ok. I see now. I can help this guy. So I take the time to show my sep color channel with the % readings of what it actually is in the art file.... and his printed example circling and typing up info on how to fix these and what to look for.  All of this was fixable. The films should be correct from the contract printer as all other previous jobs were great.  It happens to be one of those more obvious issues of loss of halftone dots in the highlight range on the extreme side. He's lost in the area of 14% and under. This had to come from his screen burning/washing procedure.
 
 So I gave him all the needed info in the email.   All day goes by. (I call back on Thurs). Hi, did you get my email?  Yes. He said, it's yours seps. It's not the screens. I been printing for 25 years and know how to make screens!  Oh, ok. It's ion the seps. He says, if I don't get this right, I'm going to lose this customer. Yadda yadda.  I went on to explain that in the examples, you can clearly see that it is the loss of detail in the screens and as you can see with the type of colors, you will not be able to get a very bright good teal. In fact, the colors you used looked different than what I called out as well. Yes, I used a few colors I had around. I said, well, you know, I blend colors together intended to get 2ndary and tertiary colors as a result of what I'm using. If you change them,   Yeah, well, it's in the seps!  hmmm. He said I'm going to keep working on this, I've been at it far too long now. I don't know what I'm gonna do. The customer needs these tomorrow!  Ok. I'll let you get at it then.
 
 So, I have still not been paid yet on the first two jobs that I did for him and thought, I'd better invoice him for all three before he goes too far and doesn't pay me on this. So I sent him the invoice.
 While setting up my invoice, I now offered him a 50% discount (on this one job) that he's having issues with. Not because I feel I made the mistake, but just as to say, I will work with you on it. So, I billed the first two at regular price...and billed the 3rd at 50%.
 
 I called back the following Wed. after his due date of Friday... to ask if he got the invoice and see how the job turned out. He said yes, got the invoice. I said, did you end up with a decent print?  No. Still working on it. I said, I thought it was due Friday? you didn't take it in?  No. I said did your customer even see the previous test prints?  NO, I'd never show anyone this crap! I'm better than that I'd be embarrassed to show that crap!
 
 Oh. ok. So you had a deadline of Friday for this restaurant to open...and you had the seps and sampled all week...but never showed the customer ANY of the results?  No, I don't know anyone that would show this crap!  I have probably lost this customer. I'm still working on it. I said, oh. ok. well, let me know how it goes.  Then gave him my paypal info again and we got off the phone. So, I've been sending him reminders of the Paypal invoice on up to reminder # 12.  So I call about 3 months ago and get him directly since his wife (who seems to normally field calls) was out of town.
 he said yes, Got your invoices. They are around here some where. I thought on top of my desk to pay. So as soon as I find them yadda yadda.  I know the drill so I let him go. knowing where this is headed of course.  So I call back and get his wife again the next time. She says she will pass on the info to her husband. So, I  get an email the next day from him. He says he's not avoiding me (4 months later) and that he's just not sure what to do about paying for this since he lost his customer and wants my opinion.  I went on to tell hi that he only has two choices. Pay in full or do not pay in full. I will then know what to do next.  Bottom line is he wants them all for free...cuz he says it's my fault "he lost his customer".
 
 Now, all in all, I'm no dummy. I saw his photo's of his print samples and even tho the color was off and he lost dots under 14%, all in all (at that point) it was not a horrible job. We've all seen worse. The colors in the art were such that it was a pretty vibrant art and color anyhow. All he was loosing was some of the tinier image detail. Stuff that I would look for but the restaurant customer may never even notice yet he's never even sent his customer any of the samples to get feedback?  Yea,  I smell a set up. I feel that he intended to get this job and the others for free once he smelled that I would be willing to give a discount on the initial (garment color question). So, in the end, over $300.00 I am going to spend (as much) to take him to court since he's pretty close to me, I don't have to spend that much in travel time nor worry about taking time off from work.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

[Evo]

This is why if I ever print for money again, I won't be doing shirts for bands.

"Dude, I know you're back from your tour..weeks ago. This was never meant to be a NET 90 account."

[Shawn (EIP)]

This is why if I ever print for money again, I won't be doing shirts for bands.

"Dude, I know you're back from your tour..weeks ago. This was never meant to be a NET 90 account."

Made that mistake once for a friend's band. "dude we need these shirts, all of our money is going towards gas and food, we'll pay you back when we come back" . Printed the shirts , they pick them up "dude these are perfect" , they came back and oh no... theres a problem I printed the image 1/2 inch smaller than the file supplied and I got ( ummm hate to do this maaaan but you screwed up our shirts we are only paying you 1/2 of what we owe" after slapping a stack of fives and ones in my hand. To make matters worse they proceeded to bad mouth my business all over the local music message boards. I had to explain my side in public forums as damage control that only ended up doing more damage in the end. Still boils my blood to this day and that was 5 or 6 years ago.

It only took getting burned once,now nothing is printed without 50% down and nothing leaves until it's paid for 100%. I even had a band that couldnt make their 2nd half and wanted 1/2 the shirts , told them tough shiit I want my money.

[Evo]

To make matters worse they proceeded to bad mouth my business all over the local music message boards. I had to explain my side in public forums as damage control that only ended up doing more damage in the end. Still boils my blood to this day and that was 5 or 6 years ago.

Good lord what douchebags. Post the name of the band here. Please.

[Shawn (EIP)]

To make matters worse they proceeded to bad mouth my business all over the local music message boards. I had to explain my side in public forums as damage control that only ended up doing more damage in the end. Still boils my blood to this day and that was 5 or 6 years ago.

Post the name of the band here. Please.

They disbanded a few years ago.

[Shanarchy]

To make matters worse they proceeded to bad mouth my business all over the local music message boards. I had to explain my side in public forums as damage control that only ended up doing more damage in the end. Still boils my blood to this day and that was 5 or 6 years ago.

Post the name of the band here. Please.

They disbanded a few years ago.

Would I have heard of them? If so, feel free to PM me the name if you don't want to post it.

[Shawn (EIP)]

I'll PM you their name. I'd hate stir that shiit pot again... no thanks!

[tonypep]

I just had a major overhaul on my compressors, holding tank, dryers etc from a great ole Southern boy who has a million stories (yes more than me!) He has one where a company owed him money and delivered nothing but promises. He showed up one day and while he was "waiting to get paid" he explained he needed to do some preventive maintenance on the compressor. I'm sure they were all giggling up front about how gullible he was as he was out back installing a remote kill switch.
Next morning they were dead in the water. So he followed them to the bank, got his bag of cash, and "fixed the problem".
I like this guy.

[Dottonedan]

Did you tell them in the beginning that this might happen? He was still a little harsh but if it was not discussed up front that it would take you a bit it might be a problem.

When I got the bill, I emailed that day to explain that it might take me a week or into the next week. I let them know, because I'm sued to paying right  then or withing that same week. Not even 15 days, 30 days or 90 days. Thats when I got the billing department that informed me of setting me up on weekly payment arrangements. That wasn't bad at all.  That was even better for me since i was going to pay it within a week or two at the most. It's when they threaten me with legal steps IF I don't pay it on MONDAY.