Hey folks, I'm typing a little nervously as it slowly sinks in that I might not be paid some wages because of my clients perception of my stance on Trump. I thought to start the documentation earlier, weeks ago, when i first felt the cold chill winds of what sounded like a demand for political correctness. First, let me say i don't talk about politics at work with my clients. But my client has certainly brought the topic up numerous times, enough times for her to possibly flesh out some sort of political position, despite my efforts to shrug the topic off, ask questions, or pose some humor about the whole thing. There were a couple of times i slipped into satiric brand of humor, hoping they would not notice, trying to amuse only myself in the face of some very serious statements, including the wish to see the President shot/assassinated. Perhaps i did not jump on-board that train fast enough and offer the ammunition to deflect from any suspicion i might NOT want the President assassinated. I once tried to say something nice about Obama, like, he fasted on Sundays and maintained his trim physique for eight years. These efforts appear to have been of no avail as i sit here, waiting for a response to a $4,000 wages request. No question, i know what the pressures to be politically correct in a work environment feel like. It would not feel bad if the $takes were not so high. I also tried to assert, taking a que from "Lionel Nation", that i am a political atheist. If i'm not, i do believe i ought to be, philosophically speaking. I don't think that means putting your brain on a shelf if you really think you've got the high road of reason. All appears for naught as i finally started texting about the elephant in the room: my bill is up to almost $4k now, and it's been over a month...over two months since last seeing a check. Since then, i feel i have been politically probed, as if non-payment has been pre-meditated by a factor of weeks. Other than that, i can't think of any reason i would not be paid for custom, hourly work, done in close collaboration with the client. In case politically cold wind blows, i have started to document my actions much more closely, including this thread. The date is March 30, and i have evidence that i am still on the clients job, tools and gear, and that the client is apparently approving of all my work. But now, since an emailed invoice was ignored a week ago, i am directing my client to go over the daily log sheet linked online, and tell me if there is anything wrong with the hours, the quality of work, the pace of work, or the price of the work. Despite earlier texts that were answered immediately, this one is being ignored. I worked one more day since the invoice, and have been on spring break every since. You would think that if someone stops working, they might want a check. Since nothing has been offered, i'm finally addressing it formally. Again, i am convinced this can only be politically motivated as the probes have seemed far too deliberate to have been just using me to let off some harmless political steam. And if this has been pre-meditated, it is way up there on the hate scale, a hatred so deep it would think nothing of deceiving, since we sit at the same dinner table most every night, although i have moved further down the table, among the four of us on site. I hope i'm wrong about my suspicions, which were stimulated some weeks ago, when it was let known that there are really no fences to sit on in regards whatever CNN is saying about Trump, and either a person properly hates him to the point of wishing for assassination, or that person is...dare i say, *fair game* [my words]? Yes, it appears that despite some very good work, for a very good price, i've been deemed 'fair game'. Whatever happens, i'll report back here, and i hope i am wrong. However, even if i am wrong, i will be taking a long, possibly permanent break from this situation, even though there appears to be months, even years of work up ahead. The damage has been done, and i think i need to respect the red flag that i feel in my stomach. Should know more tomorrow.
I've been asked to resend the link to the online spreadsheet where I keep my hours daily. So I sent it for the third time.
Tough situation, I never EVER under any circumstance talk politics with business associates, because you dont know how they will react. The only advice i could offer is this, send a letter saying you have spoken to a lawyer, and apologize if it seems hostile but say you had no other choice, you need the money to live. I once had a broker who was late paying me by a couple months sent the letter then they let me withdrawl all my money, but i also sent a threatening letter to a broker who ended up screwing me and I got no response. Probably not worth it to go to court over 4k, it will cost you more than that unless you go to small claims, If i was in the same boat id send a threatening letter saying you have a lawyer, other than bluffing them into paying you you really dont have much of an out. If they are shady, and teetering on the edge of insolvency, they will try to pay you out cause they dont want lawyers and regulators investigating them, so sometimes the bluff works. Make sure if you send them the letter you make it look real official, thats what i did, i spent an hour writing a letter that looked like lawyer speak, and said "here is what my lawyer thinks." At that point it either works or it doesnt, but for me both times ive been put in that situation it was kind of a last option, as it was never worth it to pay tens/hundreds of thousands of dollars to actually go to court. Another option, what i would call the desperation option is to go into your employer and say that a family member is sick or dying and you desperately need the cash to pay the hospital bills in order to keep them alive. This is obviously shady as fuck, but depending on what kind of people you are working for no one is going to say no if they have the money and its a matter of life or death. Also the minute a company starts being late to pay you, it is a clear sign you shouldnt work there, generally speaking late paycheques means the company is going under, so maybe keep working only until you get the cheque,(if you think its coming) then bail the second it clears. Sorry to hear man its a shitty situation, ive been there before, it sucks.
Back in 2007, just as the cold winds of depression started hitting the construction industry, I was shorted $5k off a $20k contract, representing any/all profit, and some employee wages. Utterly ruthless developer, well nigh psychopathic. He eventually had to leave the state, unable to get bonded by any insurance company. Small claims court ended up a huge fiasco, as the judge ignored my signed "Completion of Work" document, initialed, per contract, by the field superintendent, and some $13k in several previously paid checks...and believed the defense argument that I never showed up to work, at all, bolstered by a bogus written statement by someone claiming to have been the superintendent and that I never showed up. I called that person later who knew nothing about the use of his name. So total forged perjury, written and oral. As I tried to file two motions, for example, a 'motion for reconsideration' (based on some additional evidence), I was shocked to learn just how small claims is a Twilight Zone of vague, and even misleading procedure. I appear a month later, in front of the same judge as the defendant, before either of us is seated, hands the judge a motion to dismiss, or something, based on the fact that the Court Rules For Courts of Limited Jurisdiction don't apply to small claims, even though the small claims website indicates it is ruled by much of the CRLJ, if not all of it, and in practice, had been entertaining motions for reconsideration. I looked up the rule excluding small claims and I'll be damned, the defendant was right, as if he had been around this block a few times before. The judge shut down the hearing before anything else was heard, and then made a false statement as to why the hearing was shut down, which did not admit the procedure was invalid to begin with. This revealed to me that small claims is mostly, if not totally unregulated, mortally conflicted, arbitrary, and lawless. Which means you can go in there and lie with impunity without any repurcussions. Youd think a judge would challenge statements like, "he never showed up" (despite several checks showing otherwise). But this judge did not have the wits of judge Judy, and actually rephrased, for the defendant, his case, to make it sound like he was only complaining I did not finish, even though I showed up. So I appealed after doing some research on appeals, and found a loophole where I should not have to put up a bond of $10k just to appeal to a higher court. I was called to appear in the higher court upon a challenge to the timeliness of my appeal filing (one day late), and as if the form of the appeal (the wording at the head of the paperwork notifying the defendant of an appeal) was incorrect. At this juncture, the defendant could enlist a lawyer to do the dirty work, having gone beyond the pale and protection of small claims. The lawyer's petition prevailed. I resolved never again to use small claims, regardless what state code, and it's own web site claimed about it. I found a youtube video that explained how to initiate a case outside of court, such that court is the final step, not the first step, whereupon a judge would merely sign off on all the work done to make the case. And with lawyers asking 50% to take on such a case as mine to "collect", I resolved to go without, if ever misfortune knocked again. I haven't tried it, but may still be able to prosecute for perjury within seven years, even though the prior offence, nonpayment, is over seven years. I hate courts. My experience so far says it's like throwing dice, and half the time getting injustice in the name of justice. So I feel I can relate to Trump, dealing with these 9th District divas, and am watching closely to see how he deals with it, with the law on his side. Meanwhile, I try never to disclose to a client how much I need a payment. I just feel it bad luck, more likely to tempt them to take a five fingered discount based on a perceived weakness. It's partly why I have let this drag on a month longer than should have. I try to act like I have plenty savings in the bank, as if I could mount legal prosecution if I had to. If I end up continuing for some reason, I'll be invoicing every week, and sending early reminders, couple days ahead that I'll be invoicing. Not cause I need weekly pay, but just because I want frequent recognition. It tends to send a signal that trust is low or lowered, but I dont care anymore. With one client, she was always coming out weekly with a check, like clockwork. If they were going on vacation, she would ask me if I wanted to be paid early, or when they got back, couple days later. And thanks with the check. I never asked, and only accepted her initial offer to pay weekly. I wish everyone was like that, but if people are going to be losing links in email and prioritizing a daily diet of "breaking news", I'll have to be more alert.
Client finally called at 3 pm . Offered a check. Apologized. Wanted to know if I was interested in continuing. Really needs her deck done. Cites stress and forgetfulness as reason for slow pay. I don't think it was the right time to ask me if I was interested in continuing. I did mention weekly acknowledgment would be more motivating. Going to pick up check, drive it an hour away to cash it, and re-evaluate.
Might be that she thought you were a Trumper or maybe she forgot. Also could be that she had financial troubles of her own. One way or the other it looks like a bad credit risk going forward. Maybe if advance payment retainers are done in your industry it could make it less of a credit risk going forward.
In my niche, I've heard of 1/3 up front, 1/3 somewhere along the way, and a third at the end. But that would be for a contracted situation where the 1/3 up front is backed by the contractors performance bond, and the 1/3 at the end is backed only by the possibility of a property lien. But I'm not bonded and the job is custom and ongoing. There are rules about property liens that I'm sure I can use anyway, but little comfort when the property is not likely to be sold for years if at all. The last time something like this happened I was 80 hours and $1000 out of pocket with no acknowledgment of the growing balance on the online spreadsheet. I was about 16 hours from completion. So i would not continue till I was paid. I was promised a check. I showed up, made small talk, but no check appeared. I went to work for about 15 minutes, maybe she needed to go inside and get it. Nope. So I walked off and texted an hour later asking what kind of printed invoice she needed, besides the daily growing invoice online. Turns out she assumed I would be done that day, and also assumed the best time to pay would be at the end of the day. I cleared up that misunderstanding, and she appeared immediately with check in hand when I got back at end of day. She made the mistake of pinning some of the miscommunication on me, and I tried to describe to her how my best client treats my pay process. When she said "I'm not like that [client]", and walked off, that's when I took the check to the bank, returned, and rolled up all my tools before dark. The hard part was taking the scaffolding down, leaving the next guy with a major problem...more than 16 hours to solve. She had made the mistake of admitting that the next guy, who was coming in five days, had gotten some advance pay for whatever he was going to do. This told me she was not loyal, and would do things for him she would not do for me. After the check cleared, I told her I would finish the job for about twice what it would have cost otherwise, and I needed it in advance. She could deposit the cash with the next door neighbor whom we both trusted. When I did not hear back I was happy to return, same day, to my best client. Right now I'm back at my current client's property, and it's a Mexican standoff. She probably knows the minute she comes current she loses leverage, if that has been the intention. Trying to keep leverage will backfire even more than it already has, and the work is a needless week behind. Instead of coming out with check in hand, she is letting a bunch of distractions distract from the only thing that matters. We were invited next door for a BBQ, and the lawn needed to be mowed as it's a rare sunny day. Let's see what other things come up tomorrow. I'll pretend to help mow the lawn but will roll up my tools before doing any more work. So here is the general plan. I will continue to pretend to be in a good mood...continue to tell jokes, ect. Continue to act like I might start working any minute now. I will not go in the house. The check has to come out. Soon as it comes out its going to the bank, through a teller, unless the bank is closed Saturday. Then I might wait to do it Monday. I've already had to pretend I didn't hear a smear on Trump already. Probably she is still probing for a reaction. But the key is going to be a new deal where I will first ask her what would be a good time period for a payment plan. She has already indicated weekly would be ok. Whatever she agrees to, I will propose to meet her half way. That is, however much credit she is asking for, I will be asking for half that...in advance. So that will be how much credit I'll be asking of her. If she is uncomfortable advancing me a half week of pay, why should I be comfortable giving her a half week of credit? And if she is still not comfortable with that, she can pay daily, and only advance me a half days pay. That way, I trust her a half day, and she trusts me a half day. Sounds rediculous but it unquestionably fair, and almost Trumpian in its brilliance.
Today, relatives came from out of town and the person with the checkbook, who was there yesterday, left for the day to attend to his own business. So there were some distractions and mishaps. I was called and invited in for a festive day of food and socializing. I thought about it and decided to decline, through text, but the party was so noisy she didn't get my texts. So she wondered why I was rolling up cords and things and not coming in for lunch. I said I'm rolling up cords and tools that aren't being used, and it might rain, so I have to keep going because the key to success is hard work. Nothing I said made sense to balance out everything else that doesn't make sense. I'm drinking Chai at Starbucks, which also doesn't make sense. I also mowed the lawn a little where everybody would notice and wonder why that guy is mowing the lawn when everybody is partying for the weekend. That's the only thing that made sense. It might rain, after all. I quit before the mower ran out of gas.
I penned the following quote earlier today, but did not post it so as not to bore anybody with too many details. Further developments show just how prescient it was: "So as fhl suggests, there is a security risk going forward. Upon discovering today that my direct client is not carrying the checkbook, it occurs to me what exactly that might be, over and above the general forgetfulness to prioritize regular payments to a probable a Trump voter, who would be guilty by association. As a jointly named person on an account, use of that account might have to involve consensus for its purposes. The account holders were married, still are, but live seperately. They share the same house now only as the man is convalescing from an auto accident. His 7-11 franchise location is still profiting despite months disabled in the hospital, much of that spent unconscious. Despite both enjoying NYPD Blue reruns every night, and enjoying the same breaking news that would justify impeachment, if not assassination, there is not complete harmony coming down to personalities. There may also not be complete harmony on where to allocate resources given several properties spread out. As the man regains his strength and business oversight, he may be holding the checkbook closer, and she may not like to ask it from him. Does he even know the account is funding her home improvements? " As I was rolling up tools, trying to be conspicuous, this man came out and said something like, 'I don't know what the hell you are up to, and I'm not supposed to say anything, but I'm trying to pay my taxes, and they've kicked me out and I have to go to my [other] house now. ' As he went back inside without further comment, I could hear them all inside arguing, "ok, leave then. Bye bye." So it's clear my agitation, sit down strike, senseless lawnmowing, and general collection efforts have dialed up the heat enough to where we are finally talking about the elephant in the room. As I was leaving the property to go, as I had messaged her earlier, to the casino to try to make $30 dollars a day by visualizing the next roulette number, he called, and failing to get through, texted an apology, but affirming that his taxes were his priority and that she can write me a check for what she owes. However, I don't think this can be interpreted to mean she will write a check, as she may well not have the funds in her own name. Evidence suggesting this is true is she has not answered any of the several texts I sent today. She may well have painted herself into a corner and does not know what to say, and is probably twisting his arm to comply. He says she let him stay (not kicked out). So it's now clear that she has been trying to buy time to get money out of that joint account, which explains her stress and forgetfulness. This may also explain why she has been sending out political feelers, looking for any reason to justify a possible default. He has revealed the rift in his/her priorities, while she is still trying to keep the rift confidential, possibly having no plan B. This all suggests she has not been living in reality, so-to-speak, and has been reliant upon a white male businessman possibly to the point of dishonesty. And so, being far from the prime decision maker, she is disqualified as any kind of principle I can work with. So the situation remains almost too hot to handle. I haven't entered the house for over a week, and have been choosing words and actions uber carefully, like playing a game of chess. Will have to wait see tomorrow how long the Mexican standoff lasts. If it deteriorates, I have all the documentation I should need, and have as many as four properties upon which to lay liens, one of which will likely need to be sold sooner than later.
It is really hard for me to tell if you are trolling or if you are being sincerce, i read your number of posts before i typed my response, so at first i thought you were serious but now it seems like you are just trolling people, all this nonsense about Trump seems pretty outlandish, but I will still give my advice one more time. You need to understand when you are in a position of power and when you are in a losing position, when you are in a losing position all you have is a bluff, like i mentioned above, but if you actually managed to get your money out when you arent in a position of power, then you would be a GODDAMN fool to put yourself back in that position. If you choose to work with this woman again after she was late paying you, (supposedly over your political beliefs) then its on YOU when she eventually screws you. I was giving you advice for hail mary plays when you have no other out. Companies that are late to pay you generally dont become more willing to pay you over time, infact the opposite is true, if someone if screwing you today, odds are like 95% that they will screw you worse if you give them time, people who struggle to pay their bills today dont tend to suddenly shift gears and become more solvent tomorrow. Obviously there are some exceptions but they are few and far between. It seems like you got your out but you are still going to work for her, and you keep talking about Trump as if its relevant to your livelihood. I am really starting to doubt your story now, and im sorry i shared mine, and told you the only out i knew of, in that situation, i feel very naieve for trusting your post and posting my own situation. Only a moron would continue to do business with this woman if what you say is true, and you already got your money out. The brokerage i managed to get my money out of with a bluff, ended up insolvent within a few months and everyone still there ended up taking a hair cut, the other brokerage i bluffed screwed me for 90% of my trading capital, either way they both went under over time, and i have yet to hear of a trader having a "good outcome" once a brokerage starts making excuses not to pay them.