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- Thread starter omgsideburns
- Start date
Replicator
New Member
Completely Illegal . . . But Affective !
Pat Whatley
New Member
I may or may not know about a restaurant owner in a local mall who refused to pay his $600 bill for the replacement faces in his backlit sign cabinets. Seems he may have told the sign guy that he'd already ordered new faces from another sign company and as soon as they were ready the first sign shop could come get their faces, he wasn't paying for them.
Maybe, just maybe, those signs got repossesed around 6:00 am the Friday morning after Thanksgiving and he had to go through the biggest shopping weekend of the year with no signage and virtually no sales.
Maybe, just maybe, those signs got repossesed around 6:00 am the Friday morning after Thanksgiving and he had to go through the biggest shopping weekend of the year with no signage and virtually no sales.
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miltondavis
New Member
:U Rock:
G-Artist
New Member
Please, folks don't judge others by your particular state statutes (if you even know
yours by heart, which I doubt).
Self-help in Florida is done every day. I have done it several times, mostly pan faces.
I have scraped lettering off a window a time or two as well.
The OP's boss really has some brass if the posting is true and not a joke.. It is one thing
to repossess a sign face that hasn't been paid for...but to leave that replacement
is a bit over the top, IMHO.
As to all that noise about trespass, etc...if the boom truck is parked on public property
or adjoining private property and can reach the sign, it is fair game. If the
police enforce trafic rules on a property, such as running a stop sign in a mall parking
lot then that property is quasi-public property and being on it to repo a sign
shouldn't be a trespass.
If you extend credit, which you do by allowing the sign to be paid for later, then
the state's credit laws apply. Hopefully there is a good writing that is unambiguous.
If you don't show up for court, your bondsman can send in a bounty hunter and
s/he can smash through your doors to get you and take you into custody.
If you don't pay for your motor vehicle, the lien holder will have a repo guy take
the truck, car, boat or plane right from your driveway or yard. All that and more
is perfectly legal. Know the law and your rights before extending credit.
yours by heart, which I doubt).
Self-help in Florida is done every day. I have done it several times, mostly pan faces.
I have scraped lettering off a window a time or two as well.
The OP's boss really has some brass if the posting is true and not a joke.. It is one thing
to repossess a sign face that hasn't been paid for...but to leave that replacement
is a bit over the top, IMHO.
As to all that noise about trespass, etc...if the boom truck is parked on public property
or adjoining private property and can reach the sign, it is fair game. If the
police enforce trafic rules on a property, such as running a stop sign in a mall parking
lot then that property is quasi-public property and being on it to repo a sign
shouldn't be a trespass.
If you extend credit, which you do by allowing the sign to be paid for later, then
the state's credit laws apply. Hopefully there is a good writing that is unambiguous.
If you don't show up for court, your bondsman can send in a bounty hunter and
s/he can smash through your doors to get you and take you into custody.
If you don't pay for your motor vehicle, the lien holder will have a repo guy take
the truck, car, boat or plane right from your driveway or yard. All that and more
is perfectly legal. Know the law and your rights before extending credit.
omgsideburns
New Member
We did the on Saturday, July 3rd, the beginning of a very busy 4th of July weekend.
The sign was down by 10:30am.
And yes, you can find anything with google. =p
The sign was down by 10:30am.
And yes, you can find anything with google. =p
round man
New Member
I know I've told this story before but here goes again,...
back in the early 70's we did a service call for a local waffle house,...seems when it came time to be paid cod as arranged the owner was nowhere to be found,so we went back to the shop to get chewed out by the boss,...well a month or more passed and every time we went to collect seems he wasn't there or didn't have his checks with him or some other lame excuse,...well the boss told us to go swap the first 2 letter faces on his sign and then wait in the parking lot for the cash,...well we went out and what do ya know it only took him about ten minutes to raise the cash,and the money to pay for swapping the face back out,...,seems he didn't like the idea of running an awffle house
back in the early 70's we did a service call for a local waffle house,...seems when it came time to be paid cod as arranged the owner was nowhere to be found,so we went back to the shop to get chewed out by the boss,...well a month or more passed and every time we went to collect seems he wasn't there or didn't have his checks with him or some other lame excuse,...well the boss told us to go swap the first 2 letter faces on his sign and then wait in the parking lot for the cash,...well we went out and what do ya know it only took him about ten minutes to raise the cash,and the money to pay for swapping the face back out,...,seems he didn't like the idea of running an awffle house
MikePro
New Member
We just reposessed a sign, as well. Although it would have been done a LONG time ago if it were legal (and moral) for us to do as well.
Beer house ran us through the ringer for a while now trying to collect our other half of their building/monument/interior signage. Courts, lawyers, and of course we finally settled since it just wasn't worth the headache anymore... and good thing we did! Since they ended up going bankrupt a year later and forclosed on the building.
we "volunteered" to the new property owner to remove the sign for them...
and got back the difference in the settlement, and more, in just the 300ft of nearly brand-new LEDs, power supplies, and pylon steel. Removal manhours easily paid for by recycling approx. 800lbs of aluminum too!
My boss has never liked non-payments, obviously. I've asked about this topic before and he's always just told me that a lien on their building is just as big a slap to their face as wasting time/money to go remove a sign that's still technically(by law) theirs.
Beer house ran us through the ringer for a while now trying to collect our other half of their building/monument/interior signage. Courts, lawyers, and of course we finally settled since it just wasn't worth the headache anymore... and good thing we did! Since they ended up going bankrupt a year later and forclosed on the building.
we "volunteered" to the new property owner to remove the sign for them...
and got back the difference in the settlement, and more, in just the 300ft of nearly brand-new LEDs, power supplies, and pylon steel. Removal manhours easily paid for by recycling approx. 800lbs of aluminum too!
My boss has never liked non-payments, obviously. I've asked about this topic before and he's always just told me that a lien on their building is just as big a slap to their face as wasting time/money to go remove a sign that's still technically(by law) theirs.
Edserv
New Member
Getting payment up-front is a great way to avoid the extra efforts.
We started a "50% to 100% payment-up-front" policy 6 months ago (except for credit-worthy clients with a great track record.) We require the other 50% upon delivery (prior to releasing the product or service.)
Our sales have increased, while our bad-debt has gone to almost zero. Also, we no longer provide "art mock-ups" or any type of design work without a payment up-front.
It took our sales team a couple weeks to get comfortable with, and they still occasionally slip (and we get burnt- but less often!) but the new mantra is "O.K., all I need is a credit card number to get started. Do you do Visa or Master Card?"
If they hesitate with the payment, we let them know they can call back when they're ready to commit. We also follow-up via email marketing. Our entire company has improved in efficiency and profitability since going with the payment program.
Thanks,
Chris
We started a "50% to 100% payment-up-front" policy 6 months ago (except for credit-worthy clients with a great track record.) We require the other 50% upon delivery (prior to releasing the product or service.)
Our sales have increased, while our bad-debt has gone to almost zero. Also, we no longer provide "art mock-ups" or any type of design work without a payment up-front.
It took our sales team a couple weeks to get comfortable with, and they still occasionally slip (and we get burnt- but less often!) but the new mantra is "O.K., all I need is a credit card number to get started. Do you do Visa or Master Card?"
If they hesitate with the payment, we let them know they can call back when they're ready to commit. We also follow-up via email marketing. Our entire company has improved in efficiency and profitability since going with the payment program.
Thanks,
Chris
BobM
New Member
I chased a customer for months without any luck. Finally I called his wife at home on a Friday afternoon and asked what time and what was for dinner, as my wife and two boys were hungry. When she asked why I was asking her for dinner I explained that her husband hadn't paid me in nearly 6 months. He paid me that night and said he would never do business with me again. Thank God.
TheSnowman
New Member
Isn't that the truth.
I like that story Bob. I actually let one guy go w/ his stuff once (as he backed out the door acting like he'd paid or something) and he came in the next day needing things RIGHT AWAY. I told him I wasn't doing a thing for him till he paid for the stuff he took yesterday. He said I DID PAY! I told him that's fine, if he thinks he paid, then we'll say he did, but he isn't to set foot in my shop again, because I'm not doing business with him.
I never saw payment, nor this guy again...so it was almost worth what I lost to get rid of him.
Checkers
New Member
You better have a good attorney if you plan to advertise for "non-payment" or repossess a sign.
Here's a recent story from just south of here...
http://www.wgal.com/news/24373898/detail.html
Here's the FTC website that states...
"Harassment.
Debt collectors may not harass, oppress, or abuse you or any third parties they contact. For example, they may not:
"publish a list of names of people who refuse to pay their debts (but they can give this information to the credit reporting companies);"
Here's a recent story from just south of here...
http://www.wgal.com/news/24373898/detail.html
Here's the FTC website that states...
"Harassment.
Debt collectors may not harass, oppress, or abuse you or any third parties they contact. For example, they may not:
"publish a list of names of people who refuse to pay their debts (but they can give this information to the credit reporting companies);"
omgsideburns
New Member
A debt collector laws are strict and specific, but a debt collector is specifically defined as one who routinely collects debts for others. Collecting your own unpaid balances falls under a whole different category.
Pat Whatley
New Member
I've got a bar owner friend who has always said that the easiest way to run off trouble customers that he doesn't really want back is to let them walk out on a small bar tab.
HolbrookDesignStudio
New Member
That's pretty funny!
JESSE WALKER
New Member
I dont see how anyone could sur for defamation when their invoice states the same as what the sign said. So in that case its 100% true not slanderous.
now trespassing and vandalism are a whoooole diff story lol
to the op,
