What Makes People Act Like They Do

[Dr.Midnight]

I'm not one to open up about things that are bothering me, but I have had a terrible streak of luck with deadbeat customers lately where I work. Let me tell you about the worst and most recent one. I have a customer that ordered over $3000 in product from me. The expectation is they pay for their merchandise within seven days. Well, we're at six weeks now and still no payment.

He's been textbook scum bag too. The first week I went in to collect I got, "I don't have my checkbook." Week two I hear, "My bookkeeper is going to mail it in." Week three, "My bookkeeper forgot to mail it, but she'll do it this week." Week four I'm told, "Come back and see me in an hour." Guess what happens when I come back. Dude disappears and no one knows where he went. Week five I'm told, "I'm getting paid for a job tomorrow. I'll get you paid then." Check never shows up. This week is week six. Today SHTF. He's out of excuses and he has nothing to fall back on. As of today, I'm harassing him and how dare I come into his place of business with an attitude. He threatens to kick my ass for my lack of professionalism. I dropped his statement at his feet and walked to my car with him cursing at me. Time to turn him over to a collection agency.

I just don't get it. I haven a lot of faults, but I try to live my life with a certain degree of honor, meaning if I have a debt, it gets paid no matter what I have to do. How this guy sleeps at night I'll never know. To top things off, he's not the only one I have like that. He's just happens to be the worst.

 

[BiscuitNaBasket]

A lot of times people make their situations worse. I'm sure if he would have talked with you that you guys could have figured something out. People are good at digging the hole deeper and not admitting their mistakes and/or faults.

 

[TB1999]

You're not breaking enough knee caps. PM me to help you collect debts.

 

[ruger1800]

So this guy ordered 3 grand worth of stuff with no money upfront or contract.

 

[Bfish]

So this guy ordered 3 grand worth of stuff with no money upfront or contract.

This is what I was thinking... Depending on the business almost all people ask for something upfront. Relationship dependent with the customer obviously, but you've gotta protect yourself.

 

[CampingJosh]

So this guy ordered 3 grand worth of stuff with no money upfront or contract.

Depending on the industry, this might be a pretty small order. I know that I have several vendors that will send me well beyond $10,000 without the first cent paid.

Of course, I always pay. But I have a few vendors who have offered such terms without any reason to know that I'm good for it.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Depending on the industry, this might be a pretty small order. I know that I have several vendors that will send me well beyond $10,000 without the first cent paid.

Of course, I always pay. But I have a few vendors who have offered such terms without any reason to know that I'm good for it.

Yep. Thats nothing. I can have $20k out at a time NET30 with one of my vendors. The difference is *I* pay my bills.

Deadbeat.

 

[The Bubba Effect]

My money is on parasites.

 

[Alamo]

Dr. Midnight, I hear you. I manage a storage facility, and while the vast majority of the customers do what they are supposed to do, we periodically get somebody who hoses us on something. When people get behind on rent we will work with them if they will just work with us, like BicuitiNaBasket said.

It's doubly aggravating when we give somebody a break and instead of following through on their end they use it as another opportunity to screw us. We try not to get cynical about everyone based on a few knotheads. If the large majority of your customers order product and pay for it on time, you would really not like to make it harder on them because of a few, but it's tempting.

Good luck with the bill collecting and thank God, your parents, and yourself that you are not like your (ex-)customer.

 

[Dr.Midnight]

Whew. This is the first chance I had to get back to this thread. After I made my opening post, my head hurt so bad I just laid down on the couch and fell asleep. I'm much better this morning.

Just to reply to a couple of comments, that three grand was for a weekly order, which is on the larger side in my industry for one week. In my business, there is nothing up front and no contracts to sign. I let him place that order based on his past history of payment. He never stiffed me before, but I could smell trouble ahead. Fast forward to new business opening up that competes directly with his, and now he's hurting financially. I guess he thinks stiffing me is the way to go. POS.

 

[voidsherpa]

Do you sell propane and propane accessories? (no but really what industry are you in? Curious)

 

[Dr.Midnight]

Do you sell propane and propane accessories? (no but really what industry are you in? Curious)

Restaurant/Food Service Industry

 

[Mgderf]

Small claims court.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

My first run in with this sort of "clientele" was when I was a kid throwing newspapers. Most everyone on my route paid on time or upon a pre-agreed to schedule. But I had one or two that would duck me. This was back in the day when we had to collect manually...and whatever you didn't collect came out of your end. I don't remember the amount now but it couldn't have been much/month. But I remember times, at this one house, I'd go to collect, the door would be open (it had a screen door), I could hear the tv playing, but for some reason, they just couldn't hear me knocking...loudly. I tried to keep customers for obvious reasons. From time-to-time a couple would get behind a month, maybe two but they'd always make it up to me. But there were a couple that I had to drop because they were simply dead beats that didn't mind beating a 12/13 year old kid out of a few bucks.

 

[Leo]

Construction was like that in the late 70's. Many people would not pay on time, and would get huffy when you tried to get paid. It was common enough to see a pattern.

The guy with a luxury car, a snake skin brief case, shiny Tony Lama boots and the trendy clothes would be the first to screw you. One guy that owed me a bundle opened a new Company with a slightly different name at the same time he declared bankruptcy on the company that was heavily indebted. Of course he was the one with the attitude that I was being mean to him.
The Contractor in jeans and dirty work boots, driving an 8 year old Ford truck with a dented tailgate and walking around with a pencil sticking out of his cap.....that guy will pay on time even if it means he misses a meal.

 

[femurphy77]

Got into a private sale of some spare racecar stuff several years ago with a co-worker. When I brought the stuff to work as agreed he "forgot his wallet" and the excuses spiraled downhill from there. After about 6 weeks I followed him home so he could pay me where he handed me a check. I told him no sweat as long as the check was good and at the time the local DA was a good friend of mine and in that town you could be home for dinner on a murder charge but go straight to the chair for a hot check charge. At that he called me a ****ing ******* and grabbed the check from my hand and reached in his pocket for cash!

In business you HAVE to have a bit of faith in human nature but from that point on ALL of my personal dealings are cash.

 

[spec4]

When you are in the business of extending credit to your customers, expect to be stiffed occasionally. The concern is that you don't get stiffed enough to seriously affect your operation. Even if this guy pays up, I'd have him on a strict COD basis going forward.

As far as collecting, does he have any assets you can attach? Real estate preferably. If so, have your attorney obtain a judgement and file a lien. Over many years of collecting, you get an instinct for when it is time to bring up the heavy artillery.

 

[Birds Away]

When people get in a bind their true nature is revealed.

 

[flightsimmer]

It's the inherited sin nature from Adam & Eve.
That is, if you're looking for the truth and not an excuse.

 

[Dr.Midnight]

Some of you guys are nailing it. This dead beat drives a Lincoln SUV and his wife has a Mercedes. He's also in the process of opening a second location, but can't afford to pay me. I told him we're not a bank. He needs to pay us for what he bought.

One other thing that burns me up is he has crosses on both vehicles and plays Christian music in his business. He's just putting up a front, and in my opinion, one of the most despicable ways possible.