Client from hell.... (rant-like...)

[JLRodgers]

UPDATE:

Well just today he wrote complaining that I had never sent him a single statement! And the last statement (that he replied saying all he saw was his logo) was actually sent in full, but everything was so tiny that it was unreadable! (it was a PDF -- so yeah, obvious lie on multiple levels - not only did he get the file and it was complete, he lied about the status of the file)

Then he asked to be "faxed" the file that way he could read it (because an 8.5x11 piece of paper is so small! Or I could mail it to him.

And he complained that his business partner basically ripped him a new one for not paying bills on time.


He's being sent (tomorrow) a bill in certified mail (so he has to sign to receive it -- and he's been charged to receive it [he admitted he's had the bill for at least two months in the lies that he didn't get it])

[Record Store Tough Guy]

Yes but none of that matters if he NEVER PAYS UP. The key point to the story is that the douche skips out on bills all the time. You can win whatever you want in court but you can't get blood from a stone.

There are ways to enforce a court's decision, such as showing up with the sheriff and demanding payment or an equivalent amount of material goods, or the payer gets to go to jail for contempt.

[Dips]

UPDATE:

Well just today he wrote complaining that I had never sent him a single statement!

What an amatuer! "Pretend you never got the bill" comes right out of Chapter 1 of the Deadbeat Beginner's Manual.

He's being sent (tomorrow) a bill in certified mail (so he has to sign to receive it -- and he's been charged to receive it [he admitted he's had the bill for at least two months in the lies that he didn't get it])

Absolutely perfect.

[wagegoth]

I think that's what others have gotten against him (one person I talked to said they got an auto-judgment against him I think because he didn't show). Of course it didn't help him for some reason.... not sure why though.

And like with mine... given the estimated costs for it ($78), it wouldn't even be worthwhile.

After you get the judgment, you still have to collect the money. Depending on where you live, there's not much you can do. If the person owns a business, some places allow you to arrange to have a sheriff or deputy go to the business and collect any money that is received until the amount due is paid.

You can notify all the credit bureaus to make sure the judgment is recorded against him. That threat may be enough to get him to pay up.

[JLRodgers]

He still hasn't picked up the certified mail thing.... probably doesn't want to admit he got the statement.

Oh well, on Sunday it's no longer valid as he'll get an additional charge... which means he'll want it sent through the mail (and if he returns the certified mail unclaimed), he'll of just increased his bill by $13.74 -- all because he doesn't want to pay. Which will be extremely funny overall, I'm almost hoping he does that, as it'd mean he just cost himself almost $25 more in fees/loss of discounts by denying the original bill had ever been received.


Funny side note... he's apparently gone with a web designer that's free, that doesn't know php, can't design a website without wordpress or using tables, and is converting his 75+ page website (with php required to do flat-file db based things) into static html pages That'll last real long once he realizes the guy changes his mind on how he wants things to look multiple times a year (can you imagine editing 75+ pages 3-4 times a year to change the css [yep, doesn't use linked css either], or the menus [changes almost monthly in one form or another] ).

I'm an evil person.

[Jack Doe]

There are ways to enforce a court's decision, such as showing up with the sheriff and demanding payment or an equivalent amount of material goods, or the payer gets to go to jail for contempt.

You know, I was going to go into a long and drawn out explanation on how you could "squeeze blood from a stone," but you've said it better than I could. *picks up Pokeball* Small claims court, I choose you!!!!

[JLRodgers]

Thought I'd update this for those who may be interested....

So he actually picked up the certified mail thing after the 1st of the month (on the 2nd actually) -- I was a tad bit annoyed as well, for one it meant he wasn't ignoring it, and two if the sent a check it meant it'd be wrong (although I'd just say "screw it" and take the payment for work done without additional charges if he had).

Today (was house sitting) I went to the post office and got the copy of the receipt.... but no check. That's right, he has a printed copy showing how much he owes with a certified mail thing (that he signed) and he decided not to mail out anything to me -- and no e-mail either.

At first that really, really annoyed me -- then as I was walking out the thing that really got to me hit: he didn't sign for it as his business, and the post office (being the brilliant people they are) put a notification in his post office box saying "you've got something" (they don't say what in my town, could be tons of mail, package, or a certified letter, etc). He picked it up and the certified note says it was delivered to an address different than that which was on the letter (which is valid)!

Simple version: when sent to his business he was going to refuse it just by not claiming it apparently -- when the post office put a note that only told him to go to the counter and not why, he did and had to sign for it or refuse it, but that would've looked bad. Which means he only got the bill and signed for it because he didn't know in advance that's what it was, and once he did it would've looked bad.




If I wasn't running for mayor, with the election in just under a month..... he just pissed me off enough to just take him to court over it..... he's lucky I'm running - he just bought at least one more month.

Of course I'd have to sue him, and not his company, despite his company being the entity the work was done for ---- he hasn't paid the state money for his corporation (3 months late), technically his business doesn't exist in the eyes of the state until he pays them - so if the company gets sued, he loses any protection of the company being a corporation. I read you had to have the right names listed and addresses for the forms -- I went looking and found that out.