Customer getting ripped off - LawnSite.com™

bobw · #1 02-02-2009, 04:21 PM

So, here's a scenario that I've never encountered before, but, I guess there's a first for everything.

Last October, I did a blow out for a long time customer (5+ years). In January, I still hadn't received payment, so I sent a note and in late January a final notice type note (to 6 customers.... we trust our customers to send us checks after the fact).

This weekend the one customer called and left a message stating that she had paid and wondered how I would not know this as she handed an envelope to my workers.

Right then I had a pretty good idea what had happened... she's been ripped off by another company. They showed up, knocked on the door and asked for payment. She knew they weren't me, so she asked and they told her that they had bought my company... so she paid them.

They most definitely did not buy my company, despite my admittedly bad memory, I would have remembered that.

So... my customer was kind enough to supply the name and number of the company she paid who claimed to have bought me out.

What would you do in this situation?

JB1 · #2 02-02-2009, 04:26 PM

either , ball bat or police.

hoskm01 · #3 02-02-2009, 04:26 PM

Criminal charges and a lawsuit.

Wet_Boots · #4 02-02-2009, 04:26 PM

Time to make up some ID badges. I like to use door-hanger invoice envelopes when I winterize with nobody home.

KrayzKajun · #5 02-02-2009, 04:30 PM

police, lawsuit and baseball bat

TRILAWNCARE · #6 02-02-2009, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobw

So, here's a scenario that I've never encountered before, but, I guess there's a first for everything.

Last October, I did a blow out for a long time customer (5+ years). In January, I still hadn't received payment, so I sent a note and in late January a final notice type note (to 6 customers.... we trust our customers to send us checks after the fact).

This weekend the one customer called and left a message stating that she had paid and wondered how I would not know this as she handed an envelope to my workers.

Right then I had a pretty good idea what had happened... she's been ripped off by another company. They showed up, knocked on the door and asked for payment. She knew they weren't me, so she asked and they told her that they had bought my company... so she paid them.

They most definitely did not buy my company, despite my admittedly bad memory, I would have remembered that.

So... my customer was kind enough to supply the name and number of the company she paid who claimed to have bought me out.

What would you do in this situation?

How did they even know she owed you money???

Did you contact this supposed company???

hoskm01 · #7 02-02-2009, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KrayzKajun

police, lawsuit and baseball bat

Bob, do you need a referral?

mattfromNY · #8 02-02-2009, 04:33 PM

Wow, someones got some awful big Kahoonas! Not sure what I'd do, depends on my mood. Outcome would surely not be pretty.

bobw · #9 02-02-2009, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRILAWNCARE

How did they even know she owed you money???

Did you contact this supposed company???

This customer lives in an area that had a old-timer guy get out of business 6 or 7 years ago. He sold his address list to a guy that went bankrupt a year or two later. I suspect that this "company" bought/got the old-timer's address list and just went around winterizing houses and leaving invoices/banging on doors for money.

I left a voice mail on the number for this supposed company. It is the dead of winter here, so I suspect a return call will take some time....

edit: to top things off, they bang on the customer's door asking for money for winterizing the system...of course, I'd already been there and winterized it.....