so the neighbour complained about me.....

RyansAutoDetail

RyansAutoDetail

Weekend Warrior
complained that i was illegally running an auto detail business at my house and could face legal action from the city and all this BS when i havent touched a car in two months and apparently some low lifes have problems with ppl trying to make a buck ..

so the city person told my dad i could promote a mobile service just as long as it wasnt at my own address...

what a crock of xxxx ... they cant pin anything on me and im certainly not doing it 5 days a week let alone maybe 1 or two times a month that i MAY get a call for a job ...

so i just deleted my internet classified ad and have to go the word of mouth route i guess and try not getting caught doing it again .
 
I hate busybodies. They need to get a life, and just worry about their own. Good luck keeping things going.
 
RyansAutoDetail said:
complained that i was illegally running an auto detail business at my house and could face legal action from the city and all this BS when i havent touched a car in two months and apparently some low lifes have problems with ppl trying to make a buck ..

so the city person told my dad i could promote a mobile service just as long as it wasnt at my own address...

what a crock of xxxx ... they cant pin anything on me and im certainly not doing it 5 days a week let alone maybe 1 or two times a month that i MAY get a call for a job ...

so i just deleted my internet classified ad and have to go the word of mouth route i guess and try not getting caught doing it again .
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I'm getting the exact same crap down here, buddy. I retaliated by complaining about the math tutor down the street and the drug rep who gets daily UPS deliveries at his home. If I can find a piano teacher, I will have cleaned up the whole crime wave! :inspector:

Hate to be like that but turnabout is fair play. :mad:
 
Its called jealousy IMO...some people can't stand to see people try and do better for themselves.

I don't know all the ins and outs of this in your area, but how can anyone stop you from washing a car in your driveway? Unless the city has an ordinance about it.

Just switch up your ad to mobile and you should be able to wash in your own driveway..who's to say that you can't have your customer bring his car to you...Also get a biz license
 
Wouldn't getting a business license require registering the business and paying taxes on the proceeds? Not that I don't charge/pay taxes on the details I do...:cool:
 
Tell him to mind his own business:mad: I wouldnt really worry about him. You don't have to worry unless the township sends you a letter.:bigups
 
What a tool. Just be careful now as I'm sure he'll call the towns health dept to see if the runoff from your washing will impact the sewer system or wherever it ends up.

Other than that, unless you received a letter from the town I would not worry so much.

There is another alternative, maybe offer to detail their cars for a very small fee, you may gain more customers after his/their friends see the condition of the vehicles. It's worth a shot unless you've already burnd that bridge.

If they persist, you will be subjected to more harrasment from this person or the town.

Deanski
 
im pretty sure that if they do not have proof of you receiving money for what you are doing then there is nothing they can do.. as long as you are not breaking any sound or work ordinances you should be fine..w hat you do on your property is your business...if need be call a lawyer and ask them.. im sure they will tell you the same thing..
 
Gus-Gus said:
w hat you do on your property is your business...if need be call a lawyer and ask them.. im sure they will tell you the same thing..
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There are many areas that restrict residential activities so they are residential.

I would check with a lawyer and see what options you have.
 
and another thing the letter WAS from the city saying i can face legal action from the city

its pretty sad when the city sends a letter from ONE single complaint ..

im sure the city has MUCH MORE ISSUES to deal with than a kid trying to make some cash .

so yah i guess its back to the drawing board.
 
Call me old school but I'd just take a baseball bat to his kneecaps and let him know next time he'll be sharing a sea locker with Hoffa.
 
It's easy for me to say, but I would keep doing it until I hear further from the city. If anyone from the city says anything, tell them that you're just doing friends cars because you're nice and you enjoy doing it. Just make sure no money changes hands where it's obvious. If then it seems like they're not buying it, then stop. Then proceed to pour brake fluid all over the nosy a$$ mother#@&*er's cars at 3AM... wait about 4 months though, lol. I wouldn't do that last part, but wouldn't it be satisfying?
 
Just to state some thoughts (some already touched upon in earlier posts by others):
-Most cities have laws that restrict commercial enterprises from occurring in residential areas. If your house is zoned as strictly residential, then legally you are not allowed to conduct business from there.
-Yes, turnabout is fair play, so if you know of piano teachers, Avon reps, school tutors (peers), baby-sitters, or even a kid that mows a few lawns in the neighborhood for money, you could bring them up to the city. (This would at least let you see how picky they'll be and what sort of reasoning they'd give to allow a kid cutting grass or a Home Based Business rep to continue. Be prepared for any "exceptions" and scrutinize them.) Also be prepared for repercussions from others for being "picky" and "needing to get a life," as has been mentioned in this very thread for having brought your issue up.
-Laws for starting up businesses are typically there for a reason. If a person does work "under the table" it puts the "legitimate" businesses at a disadvantage. They have to pay for a business licence, taxes, rent, insurance etc. that are avoided by the "non-legit" business. I'm not saying there is very little "under the table" business being done, I'm just saying that one of the reasons they seem to be able to do the work so much cheaper is because they don't have the legally induced expenses of the "legit" businesses.

I'm not saying it doesn't suck that your business venture has been squashed, just giving some alternate view points. Hope you find another "acceptable" way of making money.
 
I got into a sqable with some neighbors about a year ago, and decided to retaliate. Some suggestions for you:
get some frozen crickets from the pet store, and dump them through his window when he is not home. The chirping will drive him nuts!

Buy 100 hellium filled balloons, and attatch a card to each one that says: weather survey, reward if found. and put his phone number on them.

Superglue his lock cylinders on his house.

And the number one worst thing to do, Call the department of child protective services and make an annonimous complaint about him if he has kids.
 
Many neighbors do not want people running a business from their house. It often brings in people that do not really need to be in the neighborhood (security concerns, kids in street), the extra noise, extra cars, etc. The question is where do you draw the line. Of course, our neighborhood has a covenant that restricts it.

People can moan and groan, make silly threats about violence and vandalism (we do not need any more criminals), but the smart answer is go to the city and know the law (consult a lawyer) if you want to do it right or what is possible.

BTW, if someone turned you in, they will not go away. They are probably going to continue to watch and just cause more trouble. Laws allow lawn services, pool services, etc to practice so there may be able to work around it -- maybe you just did to do it at a neighbor's house !
 
Where I am at with my detailing efforts is at the weekend warrior stage. At this point I am basically detailing in my second year, gathering knowlege and experience and working to cover the expenses of building a nice supply of tools of the trade and product supply. I have read on this forum more than once that the first order of things as concerning starting a successful detailing bussiness is to have experience at detailing. I rent a room from my father who lives in a double wide mobile home in a mobile home park, where I have an untold knowlege that running a detailing bussiness out of his driveway would certainly bring him unwanted attention. Out of respect for my father and basic common sense I knew from the start that I could'nt do the work here, so what's the next best thing to do was the question. The answer for me was to market my services as a mobile detailer and do the work on the customers property where I show up in my car with my tools and products, get the job done and move on to the next customer. Working out of a car is not the image that I really want but I am slowly working toward the end goal of building or growing a successful bussiness. This way I nor my father get any negative attention, either does the customer as I am there for one day and gone. this is just something for you to consider as I feel that I am moving foreward toward becoming a proffessional detailer with this approach. One thing that I do know is that engaging in a juvenile delinquent type behavior by pulling pranks and retaliations is not only unproffessional but it is liable to get me locked up or killed in the world that we all have to live in today and I deffinately can't grow a bussiness from a jail cell or a grave. So what I choose to do is to grow up and keep in the right direction by always doing the next best thing. Sorry this was so long winded, I am just trying to help. TD
 
Bunky said:
Many neighbors do not want people running a business from their house. It often brings in people that do not really need to be in the neighborhood (security concerns, kids in street), the extra noise, extra cars, etc. The question is where do you draw the line. Of course, our neighborhood has a covenant that restricts it.

People can moan and groan, make silly threats about violence and vandalism (we do not need any more criminals), but the smart answer is go to the city and know the law (consult a lawyer) if you want to do it right or what is possible.

BTW, if someone turned you in, they will not go away. They are probably going to continue to watch and just cause more trouble. Laws allow lawn services, pool services, etc to practice so there may be able to work around it -- maybe you just did to do it at a neighbor's house !
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That pretty well sums up my thoughts on the subject.
It's unfortunate for you, but it probably is the law and it is there for a reason.
Where to draw the line is really tough.
Are signs in the front yard or even on the house OK?
You might not be doing this, but it happens a lot.
How about the body repair guy that has lots of noise and some paint overspray drifting around.

FWIW, I did have a neighbor ask me if I did detailing for money. I don't, but whether she wanted her car detailed or was planning on reporting me, I have no idea.

All the threats of violence and retaliation kind of surprise me. Is that the way we should handle any situation we don't agree with?
 
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