Can't pay, BMW needs new engine *Long*

[Nemesis44UK]

So, this story goes back a few years, when I used to work with my brother doing painting and decorating.

He got a good reputation for working hard, being on time, tidiness and being reasonable with his rates. This got him a lot of work with some well-off customers. One lady he was working for had a rather large house in the country.

It was a Victorian era house with a lot of land. There was, to be frank, a lot of work to do there, too much to give her a quote. Also, he is wise to write everything down and annotate it with money paid and so forth. He had a deal with her that he would work on the list items for xxx.xx amount of money and anything extra she wanted doing, would go on another list for pricing later.

The upshot is that he agreed to be paid monthly, rather than having the customer fork out a huge amount at the end of the work.

So, it is the last Friday of the month and she doesn't show up at 6pm to give him a cheque. Okay, so we clean up our tools and load up the van. At 6.30, still nothing so we go back into the house.

My brother (MB)
Me
SC

MB - "So, we're done here for the week. Is there anything else you want us to do?"
SC - "No, that's fine. See you next week."
MB - "Sorry, it is the last Friday of the month...."
SC - (Fake blank look)
MB - "It's payday?"
SC - (Fake surprise) "Oh yes, I've been meaning to tell you. I can't pay you this month, I've had to get a new engine for the Beemer."



She gestures to the very expensive car outside.

MB - "You told us that was done at the beginning of the month, I remember."
SC - "Yes, that's right."
Me - "So we worked all month and you knew that there was no money for us to do so?"
SC - "Hopefully, I will have some money for you next month."
Me - "Hopefully???"
SC - "Sorry, but one must have priorities."

I should mention here that her and her husband had another 3 cars between them!

I would like to say that this story had a happy ending. Unfortunately, it doesn't.

My brother was a patient man, but after a week of extra work in the promise he would get paid, it became apparent that she was stringing him along as she gave him a hundred here, fifty there. He refused to do any further work until she paid up and it took a solicitor's letter, threatening to take her to court, to pry any money out of her at all.

He had already paid a lot of money out in supplies, but it took months to recoup his losses.

[retailninja]

"Sorry, but one must have priorities."

Your brother should have said "yeah, I have a priority myself. It's providing a home and food for my family. I typically meet this priority by performing work for people who then PAY me, allowing me to obtain the things that my family and I require."
Sheesh! What is WITH these people?

[lineswine]

Aaaah, you see, this woman (& family) are part of "the landed gentry" as such expect to have forelocks tugged wherever they go, despite they truly horrendous lack of paying for as little as is humanly possible.

Personally, when I've done ANYTHING, I expect to be paid in cash...right there, right then.

[taxguykarl]

He refused to do any further work until she paid up and it took a solicitor's letter, threatening to take her to court, to pry any money out of her at all.

He had already paid a lot of money out in supplies, but it took months to recoup his losses.

At least he didn't have to place a lien on the property (assuming that's an option in the UK). My BIL has had to do that more than once.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

-_o Why do I think it's not the BMW?
And did he actually get all of it from her?

[LuckIsOnMySide]

CrazedClerkthe2nd had a similar story to this one: http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...ad.php?t=81083

Frankly, the audacity of both antagonists in these stories astound me, some people really have no shame .

[PepperElf]

Aaaah, you see, this woman (& family) are part of "the landed gentry" as such expect to have forelocks tugged wherever they go, despite they truly horrendous lack of paying for as little as is humanly possible.

Personally, when I've done ANYTHING, I expect to be paid in cash...right there, right then.

This reminds me of Flambards... whenever anyone dared tell the father that he needed to pay his bills he went off of them so badly they were scared away. Which is how he got out of paying bills for such a long time.

[Clover]

This is why for commissions and such (I'm an artist) I only take payment in ADVANCE. You don't pay, you don't get squat. I also no longer babysit because of people stiffing me on the bills. If we make an agreement, I expect the customer's end of the bargain to be upheld. I know I'd never pull anything like that on anyone!

[Stryker One]

Alternative forms of payment.

No problem mam, the BMW will cover the bill just fine.

[wildman]

No problem mam, the BMW will cover the bill just fine.

Yes! One must have priorities , you know!

[Marmalady]

It's a pity that MB couldn't do what the husband of a friend of mine did in a similar situation.

His company does landscape gardening, includng putting down decking, putting up summerhouses, sheds, pergolas... that kind of thing. He had been doing some extensive remodelling of a garden for a family who although definitely not 'landed gentry' were certainly not short of money.

When the work was finished the fun started. The cheque was in the post / they had to change their account due to security problems / blah blah blah... It soon became apparent that they had no intention of paying him what they owed. Then he heard that they had gone away on holiday (of course they had enough money to do that)

So he went to the house and dismantled every bit of work he had done in the garden, took up everything he had planted and took it all away.

[RetailWorkhorse]

Oh, DANG, Marmalade! How did the people respond when they came back from holiday?

[Marmalady]

There was much foaming at the mouth and threatening this and that, but he simply told them that he had only taken what still belonged to him.

[underemployeed]

Wait 3 cars, and the BMW just happened to need an engine and they knew all month they weren't paying. People really need to have some common sense and consider what would they feel if what they were considering pulling was to happen to them.

[EricKei]

People really need to have some common sense and consider what would they feel...

Come, come now, friend. Certainly one cannot expect clients such as these to be common...?