What is the worst you've ever been ripped off

[Mike8560]

Getting pissed off thisafternoon with a guy i kow I though about the worst I ever hot  ______ed o. A job.
One time I was working with two seperste delorship from a  large chain. 
A big acount.  Well one day the service manager took me around the yard on a golf cart to price out a number of jobs to rrlacd the canvasJust  as it was (.) period. Same color and style     one was about a 32 express with camper   It was tan Nd totaly destroyed   I got the go ahead on them and a couple wek later I
got to the express I patterned it  a d made it and was Installing it.
Well I was just about finnished when this guy came out
turns out the fired the old service manager shortly after we talked and hired this newguy.
He says say that the wrong color. It was susposed to be navy.
Well I told him I was told tan by so I so he said oh he was fired I'm the new guy.
Aparently the boat owner wasn't happy with the other work they had done and was  already pissed off at them and they wanted to make him happy. He asked me if I could redo it all in navy  over rhe weekend   ( it was like wensday pm so I could get the material in time ).  He said they would lay me for the two jobs k e tan a d blue. Well I said it would be a rush a d I'd have to delay one job but ok to keep all happy well I got the material and worked all weekend to Finnish. 
I installed alm the new canvas  Monday.  It must have been wensday they told me the. Owner wasn't happy with a couple  things like kne I think was Velcro on a flap was not covered by the canvas about. 1/4" was shwiing  a d somthing  similAr.  I skid well I was  rushed bur I'll simply replace the flap to cover comlletly
hensaid no the customer ( whonwas already lisse at them) didn't want it. 
I never got paid and was out allot of material.
I didn't make a fuss because I was STM doing allot with the other dealorship.
Later on they closed due to the economy. 
Noe I only like small faminly run Dealers.
I hated at the bug place many time they would call me out to look at some work many time small a seam here or a window relair for warrenty work. I'd show up all would be busy on the phone or with a customer and left me standing there waiting for 20 or so  the. Say I don't know exstly where the boat it but this is it with this name. Rather then have the tech who saw the pro lem place the canvas in the shop
on a bench for me to pick up.
Well
live  and lear. What is the worst you've had?   

[sofadoc]

About 20 years ago, I had a customer pick out fabric for several pieces of furniture. I wrote up the order. Before I could order the fabric, she came back in, and made entirely new selections.
I said "So this means that you're CHANGING your order?"
She nodded. She had a rather "loopy" look on her face. In retrospect, I think that she was probably strung out on valium, or some other "happy pill".
After I delivered the furniture, she said that all the fabrics were wrong. She denied ever changing her order. She was a VERY influential person in town, so I had to handle it delicately. She agreed to meet me halfway on the cost of re-doing everything.
Since I was losing money on the job, I took my sweet time. She smarted off to me by saying "Well! You don't want your money very badly do you?"
I told her "NO! I don't want my NEGATIVE $1500 very badly"

[fragged8]

gee thats some pretty big stings for small shops.

fingers crossed I've not been ripped off yet,
i've had a couple of guys pay really late which made
me think I wasn't going to get the money and was about
to remove the canvas when they paid up..

rich

[kodydog]

Here's a convoluted story. We used to have our shop in a strip shopping center. One day the lady who worked next door came over and had us do some work. She paid with a check but the name on it was different from her's. She said its OK its her boyfriends mothers check and she has permission to use it. We thought hay shes right next door what could go wrong.

Next bank statement the the check was canceled. My wife called the bank and sure enough the boyfriends mother calmed the check was stolen. In South Carolina its a crime and the police will go and haul you off to jail if you write bad checks. So my wife called the police. They said there was no theft report and the bank can't stop payment without one.

So next she called the boyfriends mother. She said her son asked her not to file a report.

Next call was to our bank who reluctantly returned the money.

[Mike8560]

Once had a guy give me a odd looking Check.  My bank said it was ckunterfit. Seemed henprinted it on his pc he said he didnit allot.  Made it good with a real oneso all was good

[wind_rose_2]

Hey Guys!
Been a while since l chimmed in...life has been getting in my way again :-\
Thought this was a good topic so here goes.

Had a young lady with her own (small) sailboat. She asked me to quote and build new salon cushions and vee berth cushions.
She had to be convinced that the old foam was bad..mold and crumbling but finally saw what my concerns were.
We agreed on the details and set the costs $800. and l started to work.
a few days later work was done and l met with her to install the cushions..fit like a glove (not OJ'S) but she said that l was missing a back cushion and would not pay till job was complete. There was NO back cushion missing she just wanted a freebe so having the material and foam agreed to give it to her ..only took a few days so l left everything on board and said l would collect payment when she was happy and had her "missing cushion"we arranged to meet and deliver the final piece and collect my fee..she didn't show but called to say the boat was open and l could just put the cushion in the cabin..l did...thats when we started playing catch me if you can.....l made several trips to meet her at the boat but she didn't ever show.
She was using the boat because a time or two when l went to meet her the boat was gone.
She was rapidly using up my patience so l went to the boat one Friday morning ..found the boat open so boarded and removed all the cushions....THEN... she called me!
"Why did l remove the cushions?"  DUH...you didn't pay for them sweetie!
"Can l get them back today? if l give you a cheque today??..l want to go sailing this weekend"
"Sorry" l said "but l have decided to cut them open and use the foam and fabric for another job"
What?????????she said....."well if you have cash they can be reassembled" l said (they were still in the back of my truck).
So cash it was....but she didn't refer any work my way...THank you GOD!

[gene]

A designer for a furniture store had me reupholster a big sofa. It had 6 toss pillows with faux corners. She had me make 6 new knife edge pillows with self welt. The customer rejected the 6 knife edge pillows. The store bought new fabric and I made the faux corner pillows without charging the store for this extra labor.

They then deduced the cost of the fabric from their final payment.

Does it seem that the times we get ripped off are those times when we are doing some extra special favor for a customer? Does being Mr. / Ms. Nice Guy or Gal set us up for being ripped off?

My business adviser says I can be a nice guy, or I can be a businessman. I can be a businessman who is also a nice guy. But if I am running a business, I need to be a businessman.

gene

[Mike8560]

Morning Dave that would realy have pissed me off

[mike802]

I have been ripped off over the years, mostly when I was young and just starting out, I learned quick to get a 50% deposit and nothing left the shop until it was payed for.  The worst rip off I got was about 5 years ago, it was not the dollar amount, that was only about 70 bucks, the worst part was it was from a fellow upholster.  The guy was trying to finish a sofa to meet a deadline and was short on springs, he came over to my shop to buy them, it was during a bad snow storm and he "forgot his check book" so I let him take them, I sent several bills, called, but never saw a cent.

[kodydog]

It really sucks when another business rips you off, knowing how hard it is to make a buck.

Clark Howard, consumer advocate, says when a business doesn't give satisfaction the best thing to do is stand in front of their store with a sign. Yours could say, this guy doesn't pay his bills. It's all legal. Sure would make me act, and fast. 

[Mike8560]

On deposited this was a dealor I was workin g with I've never ask for a deposite from one. Do any of you ask for one from a dealer?
I am hanging out there On one little job.
A mechanic in know at a local deler I work with ask me to reupholster 2 seats for a a guy who boat he was working on at home.  I did and have been waiting on payment still.  Story is the guy is Voindi t this guy I know also  making him wait  Nd he wishes he never asked me to do them.
Should he pay me himself ? ..... Ya .... It would pY for me to fo out to dinner. But I'm nit going to blow a cork over it. I am going to ask him again if he's heard from him.

[alge]

Around 5 years ago i was offered some work in Italy on a super yacht, re-fit. The job was mainly fitting Alcantara to walls and cutting in portholes and large windows all edged in double welt. But then on top were around six sofas and armchair sets, a few dozen occasional chairs and small settles + some other bits and bobs. there were two of us doing the upholstery(not in one hit) whilst this 250 foot $500,000 per week charter was at first in a mooring then dry dock with around a million marine engineers (ok more like 50)over hauling it completely.

i went out for two weeks at first and was paid ok and promptly, and was asked back to do a three week stint. Payment was hourly rate as there was a deadline to hit, it had a booking for the Monaco grand prix. I did the three weaker and it was insanely tough working around the utter mess, but they finally got a unit on the dock side and with some 18hr day in two 100hr+ weeks we did it. I put the invoice in and they knocked me for lunch breaks during the days/nights i think it converts to around a $1000 hit. Thats around 6 minutes of charter time or a full week for me. On a job where we fitted apparently $400,000 worth of fabrics. Crazy figures and I'll never forget being told F*** off by the interior designer i sub contracted for "your just a gun hand" was the line that means i now never work for anyone on a big project abroad.