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This is a story about the worst worst Sucky Customer I’ve had in the last 6 years. Lets call him Liar Man.
I handle the books for a small recruiting firm. I’ve only had one problem client who didn’t want to pay in the last 6 years. Normally I wouldn’t post this story, but some new stuff has come up today so I kinda need to vent.
One of the recruiters, G had a client. They were a smallish firm but we made two placements with them and they seemed happy. Then we placed another person. Our contract with Sucky Client was that they had to pay within 30 days and they got a 5% discount, after 30 days it was a full fee (This is 30% of a person’s salary so for the one in the story the full fee was over 20k). If the candidate leaves within the first 90 days and we're notified we replace the candidate, but we don’t give a refund. Actually we will do it up to the first 6 months and have only had to do that twice in the last 10 years (we try to work with good people).
So the candidate gets placed, I send off the invoice via mail. A week into the placement G calls up the candidate to do a check in. Per G’s notes in our database ‘1/5/07 - Doing all right - No computer, no desk, no phone. Will give it time- Understands new....likes the people- everyone real nice’ G then checks in again, in February ‘She has a desk, computer, phone...slow- busy w/ meeting but some complaints of nothing to do.’ Now I’ll admit, G is an idiot to not be more concerned, or to check in again with her, but G checked in with the client, client was happy and then he got busy. So we don’t hear anything from the client and we don’t get paid.
My boss and I meet every week regarding outstanding invoices and payments and Boss was bcc’d on every e-mail that I sent regarding this. I am very thankful of that.
The list of Characters:
Liar Man = most vile man ever. Evil. A liar. Sucky.
Owner of Sucky Business = Bad owner of client company. She is sucky as well.
G = Recruiter
Boss = My boss
Jamba = Hi
Here’s my collections history:
1/2/07 – Invoice mailed to Client’s Accounting Department and Liar Man
2/7/07 - Jamba Sent e-mail to Accounting - She told me to call Liar Man
2/15/07 - Jamba-Called and Left Message for Liar Man
2/21/07 - Jamba -Called and LM for Liar Man (Call made from Boss’ office – Boss listened in)
3/1/07 - G called and LM for Owner of Sucky Business
3/6/07 - G spoke w/ Owner of Sucky Business. She has no clue about the invoice. She is following up w/ Accounting and will let him know by tomorrow. Said that candidate is doing well.
3/9/07 – G e-mailed Jamba. Owner is dodging his calls. Send out full fee invoice.
3/12/07 - Jamba -Sent updated invoices via e-mail to Owner & Liar Man (bcc’d Boss)
3/13/07 - Jamba -Mailed updated invoice to Liar Man
3/19/07 - G ran into Owner on the street Monday and she said a check was sent on 3/16
3/29/07 - Jamba -Owner is on vacation and I got put through to Liar Man’s voicemail when I asked for him.
4/4/07-My Boss - Put a very clear message through to them - sending to collections if not contacted by Friday
4/16/07 My Boss -left another very clear message with Liar Man
4/27/07 - Jamba: Sent e-mail to Owner & Liar Man w/ Invoice. Mailed copy of invoice to Owner. Asked to be contacted immediately. Had Read and Delivery receipts on e-mail. (bcc'd Boss)
4/30/07 - Jamba Received e-mail from Liar Man that he was never contacted and that Candidate left at 90 days. He's supposed to call this afternoon and speak with Boss.
The call on 4/30 was the big deal. I’m very glad I wasn’t in the office and didn’t hear the call, because even hearing about it the day after I still wanted to go find Liar man and hit him with a tire iron.
Basically he called Boss and told Boss that he’d never gotten anything for me, and that he thought I was lying and wasn’t doing my job; that Boss needed to evaluate the employees of <Recruiting Firm>. Yep, he was trying to get me fired.
Now please note that my boss pisses me off every now and then, but Boss has my back and knows that I have Boss’ back. So even if I hadn’t of bcc’d Boss, I’d still be in the right, because money for the firm is very important – I like to get paid.
So Boss (who has a very short fuse) let Liar Man know the hard truth; Boss was bcc’d and some of the messages had been made from Boss’ office so I wasn’t lying. Backpedal faster Liar Man! So Liar Man tries a new tactic. This is close to word for word (Boss repeated it to me the next day and I think it my be under, not over exaggerated) “Well why the hell should I have returned that Jamba’s calls. She’s a fucking accounting person. I don’t have time for that shit. Now if you had called, I’d have made time.”
Now I could go on about how he then said that we were in cahoots with the candidate who left on the 91st day (Candidate said something about no work and boredom), how it was sent to collections and then they lied to collections and didn’t send in the money they agreed to, but that’s not why I bring it up today. No, I bring it up today because I was CC’d on an e-mail that G sent to a candidate who was laid off who we can’t place.
“XX, I think you should submit your resume to Sucky Business. Owner of Sucky Business would have the perfect niche for you and I believe that they will welcome someone with your experience. Liar Man is a great guy who is a master at developing programs.”
Yes, G just called Liar Man a great guy…I’m pissed. We aren’t able to place the candidate and the candidate needs a job but…come on!
Thanks for letting me rant. Sorry it was so long.
I handle the books for a small recruiting firm. I’ve only had one problem client who didn’t want to pay in the last 6 years. Normally I wouldn’t post this story, but some new stuff has come up today so I kinda need to vent.
One of the recruiters, G had a client. They were a smallish firm but we made two placements with them and they seemed happy. Then we placed another person. Our contract with Sucky Client was that they had to pay within 30 days and they got a 5% discount, after 30 days it was a full fee (This is 30% of a person’s salary so for the one in the story the full fee was over 20k). If the candidate leaves within the first 90 days and we're notified we replace the candidate, but we don’t give a refund. Actually we will do it up to the first 6 months and have only had to do that twice in the last 10 years (we try to work with good people).
So the candidate gets placed, I send off the invoice via mail. A week into the placement G calls up the candidate to do a check in. Per G’s notes in our database ‘1/5/07 - Doing all right - No computer, no desk, no phone. Will give it time- Understands new....likes the people- everyone real nice’ G then checks in again, in February ‘She has a desk, computer, phone...slow- busy w/ meeting but some complaints of nothing to do.’ Now I’ll admit, G is an idiot to not be more concerned, or to check in again with her, but G checked in with the client, client was happy and then he got busy. So we don’t hear anything from the client and we don’t get paid.
My boss and I meet every week regarding outstanding invoices and payments and Boss was bcc’d on every e-mail that I sent regarding this. I am very thankful of that.
The list of Characters:
Liar Man = most vile man ever. Evil. A liar. Sucky.
Owner of Sucky Business = Bad owner of client company. She is sucky as well.
G = Recruiter
Boss = My boss
Jamba = Hi
Here’s my collections history:
1/2/07 – Invoice mailed to Client’s Accounting Department and Liar Man
2/7/07 - Jamba Sent e-mail to Accounting - She told me to call Liar Man
2/15/07 - Jamba-Called and Left Message for Liar Man
2/21/07 - Jamba -Called and LM for Liar Man (Call made from Boss’ office – Boss listened in)
3/1/07 - G called and LM for Owner of Sucky Business
3/6/07 - G spoke w/ Owner of Sucky Business. She has no clue about the invoice. She is following up w/ Accounting and will let him know by tomorrow. Said that candidate is doing well.
3/9/07 – G e-mailed Jamba. Owner is dodging his calls. Send out full fee invoice.
3/12/07 - Jamba -Sent updated invoices via e-mail to Owner & Liar Man (bcc’d Boss)
3/13/07 - Jamba -Mailed updated invoice to Liar Man
3/19/07 - G ran into Owner on the street Monday and she said a check was sent on 3/16
3/29/07 - Jamba -Owner is on vacation and I got put through to Liar Man’s voicemail when I asked for him.
4/4/07-My Boss - Put a very clear message through to them - sending to collections if not contacted by Friday
4/16/07 My Boss -left another very clear message with Liar Man
4/27/07 - Jamba: Sent e-mail to Owner & Liar Man w/ Invoice. Mailed copy of invoice to Owner. Asked to be contacted immediately. Had Read and Delivery receipts on e-mail. (bcc'd Boss)
4/30/07 - Jamba Received e-mail from Liar Man that he was never contacted and that Candidate left at 90 days. He's supposed to call this afternoon and speak with Boss.
The call on 4/30 was the big deal. I’m very glad I wasn’t in the office and didn’t hear the call, because even hearing about it the day after I still wanted to go find Liar man and hit him with a tire iron.
Basically he called Boss and told Boss that he’d never gotten anything for me, and that he thought I was lying and wasn’t doing my job; that Boss needed to evaluate the employees of <Recruiting Firm>. Yep, he was trying to get me fired.
Now please note that my boss pisses me off every now and then, but Boss has my back and knows that I have Boss’ back. So even if I hadn’t of bcc’d Boss, I’d still be in the right, because money for the firm is very important – I like to get paid. So Boss (who has a very short fuse) let Liar Man know the hard truth; Boss was bcc’d and some of the messages had been made from Boss’ office so I wasn’t lying. Backpedal faster Liar Man! So Liar Man tries a new tactic. This is close to word for word (Boss repeated it to me the next day and I think it my be under, not over exaggerated) “Well why the hell should I have returned that Jamba’s calls. She’s a fucking accounting person. I don’t have time for that shit. Now if you had called, I’d have made time.”
Now I could go on about how he then said that we were in cahoots with the candidate who left on the 91st day (Candidate said something about no work and boredom), how it was sent to collections and then they lied to collections and didn’t send in the money they agreed to, but that’s not why I bring it up today. No, I bring it up today because I was CC’d on an e-mail that G sent to a candidate who was laid off who we can’t place.
“XX, I think you should submit your resume to Sucky Business. Owner of Sucky Business would have the perfect niche for you and I believe that they will welcome someone with your experience. Liar Man is a great guy who is a master at developing programs.”
Yes, G just called Liar Man a great guy…I’m pissed
. We aren’t able to place the candidate and the candidate needs a job but…come on! Thanks for letting me rant. Sorry it was so long.
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