First Table Sale to go BAD!!! **Extremely Long Post**

[Guma]

So a few months back I built the 10' table with custom cloth, shuffler, blah blah... Now, I delivered his table because I said I would. Hell, who would not want to deliver that table to see the customer and player's reactions when they saw it. Plus delivery was part of the invoice!

Guy calls up a few weeks later and wants 6 more drink carts and a topper for the table. Pays in full upfront for everything. The week the hurricane hit Galveston is when I finished up the work on the topper and drink carts.

So I finish up the topper and drink carts and let him know they are ready. He can pick them up anytime he likes. Since there never was an agreement for me to deliver these items, nor was it part of the invoice, this should be no big deal. He tells me that he is packing up his trucks and trailers to head to Galveston. He owns a construction company and is heading out there to help rebuild. He asks me if I can deliver the stuff. I told him I do not have a trailer to fit the topper I would have to rent a U-haul and he would have to pay for delivery. He doesn't want to do this and says he will get back to me.

This topper and drink carts have been sitting in my shop for over a month now. I emailed him on Sept 2nd that it was done and ready to be picked up. I email him last night to check in and see if he is back or if he can arrange to have someone pick up the stuff to get it out of my garage.

The rest of what you will read are the emails back and forth today...

My email last night...

Just checking in with you since I have not heard from you in a while. Can you send someone over to pick up the table topper and additional carts?


His Response...


I am in Texas… we do storm repair so I am rebuilding the Houston Hilton and the Cruise ship terminal on the island. I really need you to bring them over. I have someone running my game but all my trucks etc are in Texas. The office is open from 8:00am – 2;30pm and then from 3:00pm until 5:00pm. Call xxx or xxx at xxx-xxx-xxxx or xxx-xxx-xxxx to make arrangements. Thanks


and my reply...


I do not have access to a trailer large enough to transport the 10’ long table topper. On top of the that, we now have the custom poker chip shop up and running. We are currently printing on average 3000 chips a day, so our time to get away to make a delivery is extremely limited.

If you could please arrange for someone on your end to rent a U-Haul trailer to stop by and pick up the items it would help us out a lot. If not, then we could do it for $50 U-Haul rental, and $75 for the delivery. However, we can not do it during normal business hours. My wife and I running this ourselves and can not be gone during the day.


his response...


Forget it…. thanks


My Response and now I am starting to get a little ticked off that this guy thinks he can just leave his stuff stored in my shop as he sees fit...


I need to make room in my shop by getting these items out. The table topper gets moved pretty much on a daily basis. Can you please try to make some arrangements to get this picked up?

I feel I have been very lenient on letting them stay here since you got called away for work. However, I now need to get them out to make room for other work we have going on. If the arrangements can not be made to have them picked up by next Wednesday Oct 15th, then we will get a storage unit to store them in. The smallest unit we can get will be a 5’ x 10’ unit at $65 a month. The charges incurred for the storage unit will need to be paid by you before the topper and drink carts will be released.

Let me know if this is how you would like to handle this or not.


and the greatest response ever...



I tell you what THROW THE FUCKING THING IN THE TRASH!!!!


I replied back short and sweet...


Roger That!


So now he is pissed and I get this nice email a few minutes later from him...


Not living up to your deal with me is a BIG mistake!! You have been paid in advance for everything you have done for us and now we get fucked. I WILL return the favor!!!!


and my latest response was this...


There NEVER was an agreement to deliver the items to you. You may have assumed this, since I delivered the table to you, but I never at any point said I would deliver the topper and carts to you. I tried at one point to deliver them, out of my own gratitude, but with us starting the expansion of our business, time was very tight. If you can’t empathize with that then so be it, that is your problem.

My end of the deal was to build you a table topper and 6 new drink carts. That is exactly what you paid me for and nothing else! Been done and sitting here taking up space for more than a month. Even gave you an option that we would deliver them for a charge. You chose not to take that option, not me! I am in no way screwing you over.

The items you paid in full for are here ready for you to pick up and have been for over a month! My shop is NOT your personal storage space. You want them come get them. After the first delivery I made for the poker table, and having to wait around because no one even knew what was going on, I wasn’t about to waste my time trying to do it again.






Haven't heard back from him yet, but I am really looking forward to it!

[Irish]

Ugh, that sucks, at least you're not out any cash. Looks like you made just about every effort to help this guy out. You're a nicer guy than I am, I wouldn't have even offered the storage unit idea, because now you're putting out your own cash. At this point I'd give him a concrete deadline and say if it's not out of your place by X date it's going on craig list's and you're taking the best offer to come pick it up.

A lesson learned though, from here on out you make sure it's spelled out very clearly whether an item is pick up or delivery, even for a repeat customer. Best of luck man.

[Bixby]

Shite!

That guy is a real douche. And to top it all off it ends by making threats to get even. What a maroon.

[guitfiddler]

That sucks, I would just try to make him realize the same reason he can't come pick up the table, to busy with work, and would probably cost him to send one of his guys with a truck is the same reason you can't just drop everything and deliver it.

Why not just offer to ship it to him, yeah its probably more expensive buy you don't have to deliver it. His problem not yours, if he wants it and can't pick it up then he has to pay for it.

[three deuces]

So let me get this straight, You are pissing a guy off that is a repeat customer over $125.00 delivery charge? How much did you proffit off the guy from all his purchases? If the $125 is a big loss in percentage of proffit, perhaps you should rethink your pricing structure.

[Guma]

So let me get this straight, You are pissing a guy off that is a repeat customer over $125.00 delivery charge? How much did you proffit off the guy from all his purchases? If the $125 is a big loss in percentage of proffit, perhaps you should rethink your pricing structure.

You bring up a valid point, and I assure you one that was not overlooked. I did make a very nice profit from his repeat business. However, this situation actually goes a lot deeper than this last string of emails with this guy. Most people who know me will attest that I am a pretty even keel kind of guy. It really takes a lot to get under my skin. During the construction of his table I catered to his every whim, knowing that he would give us more business down the road. In a nut shell I let the guy walk all over me so that I could get his repeat business.

This may have set the stage for the current situation, but I made my stand and the damage is done. As far as the $125 loss, it goes far beyond that as well. For me to deliver the stuff, it would mean approx 7 hours out the shop. With Jess and I already working 12 and 14 hour days, 7 days a week to keep up with chip orders, the potential profit loss now takes on a completely different aspect. Without going into details, we are representing way more than just Lucky Aces with the custom chips. If we damage those relationships, the potential losses would have a far greater impact than one repeat table customer and $125.

Believe me, I have my regrets with the way this is going. But at the same time I can only be someone's whipping boy for so long.

[Hanoverfiste]

Most people who know me will attest that I am a pretty even keel kind of guy. .

Having dealt with Guma before (mostly stupid questions, that he answered like a gentlemen), I can attest to him being even keeled.
If he had not assisted me (again answering questions) with my first table I would have purchased from him. This guy in Texas is understandably busy right now, Galveston got hammered. That however does not excuse his shitty attitude, especially with everything Guma has tried to do for him.

[j p frog]

email him that you are now charging him rent for the space his items occupy in your shop.

[Wedge Rock]

Um, when is trash pickup? When will these items be put int he trash?

[MsprinM]

Keep copies of the email, either throw the stuff out or sell it. When he comes back looking for his stuff show him the email and tell him to GTFO.

[Wedge Rock]

Probably should sell it and give him the profits less storage fees starting today.

You should have been on the same build schedule as the CT builder (i.e. sometime in the distant future when I get around to it)... then you wouldn't have these problems.

[huge1s]

this seems like something that can be worked out. He is probably working his ass off right now and doesn't have time to hassle with distractions....you are the same. I suppose it depends on the profit you have made, but could you pay someone else to deliver it? Do you know of any other place to store it? maybe being the bigger person and saying "look, i appreciate your business and know you are in a bind, so I will store this at grandma's house till you have time to get it." I guess this just doesn't seem that bad.

[mikeyinsd]

Deliver the fucken thing already. j/k.

You're not in the wrong by asking him to come pick it up but he had faith in you to give you all money up front and he hit a bad patch. I think you could make more money off of this guy if you apologize and deliver it at YOUR earliest convenience not his.

Sometimes it's better to bite the bullet on things like this.

up to you though. I'll stand behind any decision you make because you're a stand up guy! Seems that he could be an asset to have in your back pocket though. Plus that topper needs to have a picture taken with that table! ;)

[Dr Lecterr]

I like the idea of finding someone else to deliver this thing for you. Just tell this guy that delivery was not on the invoice like it was on the table and that you can have your "buddy" deliver it if he covers the expenses.

Both of you guys are irritated about this and I am sure there is some middle ground.