So, I had to call the cops today

Just curious to know in which state a police officer would consider this a criminal offense? Sounds like a civil matter to me.
 
Thing of value is my time and service.



18-4-401. Theft.





(1) A person commits theft when he knowingly obtains or exercises control over anything of value of another without authorization, or by threat or deception, and:





(a) Intends to deprive the other person permanently of the use or benefit of the thing of value; or

(b) Knowingly uses, conceals, or abandons the thing of value in such manner as to deprive the other person permanently of its use or benefit; or

(c) Uses, conceals, or abandons the thing of value intending that such use, concealment, or abandonment will deprive the other person permanently of its use and benefit; or

(d) Demands any consideration to which he is not legally entitled as a condition of restoring the thing of value to the other person.



(1.5) For the purposes of this section, a thing of value is that of "another" if anyone other than the defendant has a possessory or proprietary interest therein
 
Thanks for the replies, Guys!!!!



Does anyone know why eating asparagus makes your pee smell funny??:nixweiss



Andy
 
@Andy:

The disputed contract is a civil matter. Most people involve the police so that the non payment of services performed is resolved peacefully. Usually both parties come to a resolution and chalk it up to a bad customer service experience on both sides.



Andy is correct that the customer signed a contract. The contract clearly stated what services would be performed and how much the customer would be charged. This contract binds Andy to do the services promised and that the customer would pay upon completion of services. It is the customer's responsibility to fully read the contract. It is also the customer's responsibility to ask questions about the services or to amend the contract prior to Andy performing the work.



Unfortunately, we all will come into contact with people who either do not truly value the service, want to discuss rate changes ex post facto, or will try to weasle out of their financial obligations. I also work for my Father-in-Law as a journeyman locksmith and have seen this happen numerous times. (i.e. we receive a call for a a lockout in the middle of the night, we quote the rate over the phone, customer agrees, use vehicle specific car opening tools to open the vehicle, customer either complains that it "only" took us several minutes to unlock the vehicle and the rate is too high, we contact the police, customer begrudgingly pays). For the record, my Father-in-Law now only deals with commercial clients in his older age and leaves the car opening calls to others.
 
Well, you can't be held responsible for a customer's failure to read your contract. Put it down to experience and maybe mention it the next time you notice dog hairs if you want. I know getting dog hairs our can be a pest, I need to give my carpets and seats a thorough vacuum after taking my German Sheppard for a ride.
 
Re-submit the bill via letter sent to his house. If in 30 days no payment is recieved send it to collections. at least then you should get some of your money back.
 
Btw, just realize that this guy is never going to speak kindly of you. With that in mind, if he did not pay you(via cc refusal or whatever), I would call him and let him know you will take him to small claims court if he does not pay you in cash within x days. You will sue him for the $125 and any time lost at $50 an hour while dealing with him. I would seriously try to scare him into paying. Truth be told, you can do all of that and win. You have a contract that he signed and he has not paid.



The only question is if you actually want to follow through with that. I would not really do it if I am busy, because he probably isn't worth it. But if I was slightly slow or it really did piss me off I would. I would rather burn up a day of his than sit and watch tv because I am slow.
 
Yeah, well.. in Colorado this is Theft of Services as defined by the law. The cop was prepared to issue a summons if he didn't pony up the card. I'm over it. Gonna chaulk it up as an experience - my first since starting business in 1999.



Now, I think I'm gonna have my morning margarita and order some more stuff from Phil @ Detailers Domain!!!!



Andy
 
Jakerooni said:
Here's the only question I have about all this really. And maybe it was glossed over so I didn't catch it but why didn't you try to make it right with the customer? He obviously had an issue with the amount of dog hair left over. (he might have been planning on being a pain in the a$$ from the get go but lets assume he had a legit gripe) Like MattGrunt satated I would have to assume that most of the hair was cleaned up already due to the vacuum process. so I can't imagine there was a great deal left anyways. Now you know full well this guy is out bad mouthing you left and right to anyone that will listen. Calling you a hack and all sorts of other nasty's as he see's fit. over a little bit of dog hair. I don;t know maybe it's just me and I've delt with my fair share of problem customers in the past but My reputation really isn't worth a few extra minutes getting some dog hair out. Regardless if your stance is "My price is my price and everything else is extra!!" or "Go the extra mile for the customer" Your reputation is your business and I would've done whatever it took within reason to protect that. and like stated a few extra minutes to get the hair out just isn't worth all the bad mouthing this guy is now doing to you out there.





HIT THAT RIGHT ON THE BUTTON!!!
 
It's been studied that customers do tell way more people about a bad experience they have compared to when they have a good experience, so word of mouth is a huge deal. But who is this kid going to tell, his broke friends that are also too young and broke to pay for their car to be detailed? Unless this is one of those areas where the kids have nicer cars than average because their parents are rich and they don't pay for anything themselves anyways.
 
@superior detail:



I agree with jakerooni stated, but there was probably no way that Andy was going to please this customer. Some people will not be pleased. Some people will spread negative things about your business. Unfortunately, it is a part off every service business (see my personal example in reference to Locksmithing). This was a lose-lose situation that will be an example of what type of customer not to pursue.
 
Got Wax said:
Thanks for the replies, Guys!!!!



Does anyone know why eating asparagus makes your pee smell funny??:nixweiss



Andy



"Asparagus,a green vegetable belonging to the lily family, has one notorious side effect for some diners who eat enough of it. Within a half-hour of asparagus consumption, some people notice their urine has acquired a very pungent odor, often compared to rotting cabbage, ammonia or rotten eggs. The effects of asparagus on urine are generally fleeting and harmless, but it's not necessarily the consumer's finest hour, bodily excretion-wise.



The good news is that asparagus does not affect everyone. Studies conducted on the "asparagus urine" phenomenon (aren't you glad you didn't volunteer!) indicate that roughly 40 to 50 percent of those tested developed the distinctive odor. Surprisingly enough, there is also a segment of the population who cannot smell the sulphurous fumes of asparagus-laced urine. It is believed that both the generation of the odoriferous urine and the ability to smell it are based on genetics. Only those with a certain gene can break down the chemicals inside the asparagus into their smelly components, and only those with the proper gene can smell the results of that chemical breakdown.



Scientists are still not entirely sure which set of chemical compounds contained in asparagus actually cause the smelly pee. The stalks themselves do not acquire a similar odor as they are prepared, so whatever happens most likely happens after ingestion. Experts believe that those with a certain gene produce a digestive enzyme which breaks down the asparagus into various chemical compounds. One of those compounds is called methyl mercaptan, which is the same chemical which gives a skunk its defensive smell. One theory suggests that asparagus breaks down quickly in the body and an enzyme releases methyl mercaptan, which eventually goes through the kidneys and is excreted as a waste product in the urine.



Others suggest that the asparagus smell is created by other chemical compounds called thioesters. There is also a compound called asparagusic acid, which is not surprisingly found primarily in asparagus. If these compounds are broken down and mixed with the genetically-created enzyme, the results could be a strong smelling urine. This smell is actually considered to be good news, since it proves that the asparagus eater's kidneys are functioning as they should."



You can find ANYTHING on Google!
 
That's too funny!!!!
sejodiren said:
"Asparagus,a green vegetable belonging to the lily:LOLOL family, has one notorious side effect for some diners who eat enough of it. Within a half-hour of asparagus consumption, some people notice their urine has acquired a very pungent odor, often compared to rotting cabbage, ammonia or rotten eggs. The effects of asparagus on urine are generally fleeting and harmless, but it's not necessarily the consumer's finest hour, bodily excretion-wise.



The good news is that asparagus does not affect everyone. Studies conducted on the "asparagus urine" phenomenon (aren't you glad you didn't volunteer!) indicate that roughly 40 to 50 percent of those tested developed the distinctive odor. Surprisingly enough, there is also a segment of the population who cannot smell the sulphurous fumes of asparagus-laced urine. It is believed that both the generation of the odoriferous urine and the ability to smell it are based on genetics. Only those with a certain gene can break down the chemicals inside the asparagus into their smelly components, and only those with the proper gene can smell the results of that chemical breakdown.



Scientists are still not entirely sure which set of chemical compounds contained in asparagus actually cause the smelly pee. The stalks themselves do not acquire a similar odor as they are prepared, so whatever happens most likely happens after ingestion. Experts believe that those with a certain gene produce a digestive enzyme which breaks down the asparagus into various chemical compounds. One of those compounds is called methyl mercaptan, which is the same chemical which gives a skunk its defensive smell. One theory suggests that asparagus breaks down quickly in the body and an enzyme releases methyl mercaptan, which eventually goes through the kidneys and is excreted as a waste product in the urine.



Others suggest that the asparagus smell is created by other chemical compounds called thioesters. There is also a compound called asparagusic acid, which is not surprisingly found primarily in asparagus. If these compounds are broken down and mixed with the genetically-created enzyme, the results could be a strong smelling urine. This smell is actually considered to be good news, since it proves that the asparagus eater's kidneys are functioning as they should."



You can find ANYTHING on Google!
 
I have to agree with David(I can tell he's been in the trenches). I would have have vacuumed more and tried my best to get all the dog hair and either tried to "I'll do what I can without spending the entire day on it." and they know that there might be some left for what they want to pay" ot just chalked it up as a lesson learned. I definately would not have left the dog hair If I could have made it better. As for your pricing, they are comparable to mine just that I couldn't have done every thing you did in 2 hours. I spend alot of time vacuuming. Odour removal is extra or I through it in with no guarentees. Sorry you didn't get paid.
 
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