Not all Ferrari owners are craeted equal

That was the first thought that came into my mind when I read he hired a attorney

 

I'm sure he is not presenting his attorney with the facts, but with his warped perception.

 

What an idiot, the truth will come out in court, don't worry.

 

what a ***** head. do not panic...you have the truth on your side. you will need to build your case however. you may cite that your suit was waged only after repeated attempts to collect and that his case has subsequently come as a retaliatory measure. it will be clear to the judge. if you need any help, as a boxer owner of 7 years, i would be happy to write a statement of the ownership expenses associated with these cars. get additional reference letters from both old and new clients to act as documentation of the quality of the work and management.

you will be fine!

 

WOW!! Lots of quotes but they all seem to point to the fact that this guy is a total ***** and has a ***** attorney who must have missed that day in Law School when they went over the UCC. The UCC states that the burden of proof is on the individual to prove that you knew that the check said "paid in full"....basically don't make any reference to the fact that the words are even on the check (don't cross them out or even make reference to them). If you cross the words out it proves the case of the check writer that you knew that the check said Paid In Full and you cashed it anyhow. http://www.snopes.com/business/bank/paidfull.asp

Now with all that said, I still think that you made the right decision in not cashing the check. Don't want to take any chance that you will get some goofy judge that missed the UCC day of Law School too.

I like the idea of posting to Carfax but this is really only going to hurt him when he goes to sell the car. How about spreading the word to those others in the area that offer the same or similar services that you do and tell them that this guy is a deadbeat and doesn't pay his debts. In his comments to you and by your comments about the way that the car is running it looks like he is going to need some pretty extensive service work pretty quickly. Let him try to make these arrangements once the word gets around that he has a habit of stiffing those that do service work for him..how many BB's can there be in the neighborhood.

 

Karl, if you still need a letter, I will be happy to write how happy I am with your service. Sorry I haven't done it yet, but going through this divorce is really hard.

 

Yup. Not by my choice or doing, though. A lot more developments that I didn't know about since we last spoke...

 

Thanks Karl. Let me know what I can do to help in your situation. I can't believe this guy...

 

I sit in an office and essentially look at tissue from surgery (surgical pathology). Today's fun was a 51 yo man with a perfed appendix that turned out to be from undiagnosed aggressive cancer.

Karl, this dude is a jerk, no doubt, and I have trouble understanding how anyone could go through life acting this way. But I can tell you that life is way to short and precious to let it bother you at all. AIM definitely pulling for you to put him in his place. But no matter... he's the jerk, you are not, and that is that.

 

You should keep up the pressure. Or you will hate yourself when the next guy posts on here about being taken.

 

I couldn't stop reading this thread. It sounds so familiar. You sound like a nice guy to me. You do good work, your honest and trusting. You are in a high end business and most of your clients are easy to deal with. You are interacting with wealthy, high profile clients, so you think they should be reasonable because they are smart and wealthy, maybe famous. Right? No, wrong. I own a luxury home building business. I run into these characters all the time. The are high conflict wealthy clients. They think they are above everyone else. They are nice and reasonable when they getting their way, and out of nowhere they become instant ***holes over nothing.
First, you have to understand, don't take it personally. They do this to everyone. Yes, they screw everyone! Two, you have to baby these morons. Everyone else did (that's how they got this way) so you do too. I know it sounds crazy. Third, You have to deal directly with them yourself. Not your assistant. You have to tell them you feel sorry for them and you understand.(I know its the opposite of what you think you should do!).
Personally, I would take the check and cash it. Consider this a lesson.
My last tip, you have to learn to spot these guys better.
Do not give high conflict clients their car unless they pay for it. Period!
Finally get everything in writing.
Sorry, welcome to the new world of business.
Greg

 

Karl,

Don't take the easy way out. Don't let it go, this is clearly a win for you in court, and it won't be as bad as you think. Just one day, and you're done, I have seen enough in courts to know that your case has "win" written all over it. Don't drop it. You will regret it later on if you didn't do the right thing.

 

Karl has been in business long enough to understand the potential for problems...that's why he doesn't have any. He treats everyone the same - fairly. Not all his clients are high profile, just enthusiasts with a passion. That's why we go to Karl...because he's like us -- with the exception that he can actually fix and REALLY drive these things You could be a movie star or a lowly government employee ( ), and you get treated the same: with respect, kindness, honesty and fairness. This is only Karl's 2nd problem in 18 years...great record, but still sucks when it happens. This guy he's dealing with is neither an enthusiast nor a gentleman...he said the right things coming in, Karl treated him like he does all his clients, and then the guy turned on him...couldn't see that coming. It's this kind of guy that has the potential to turn a business against clients...treat them all like they are going to stiff you, so stiff them first. BUT, not Karl. I assure you he will continue to treat everyone like he always has. He just won't do business with this guy anymore...and you know what, he doesn't need to. He has enough loyal customers that will keep coming back. There is nobody else here with the expertise and skill that Karl has. So this idiot will have to go to another shop, who will charge more, do less, and eventually the guy will have no choice but to drive a long way to find a decent Ferrari mechanic...because I can assure you Karl will not be burned twice by the same guy...unbelievable...all the extra work Karl did and this guy is countersuing. Why? Because he thinks he can. He clearly has money and would rather pay an attorney than pay the original bill.

 

I'm almost afraid to admit this, but in 1986, the one time legal action was ever begun against me and when confronted by the same kind of guy, in the same kind of case, who "countersued" for "loss of use" after I spent the better part of a year rebuilding his engine (extraordinarily successfully I might add, it's still running!) after he left the drain plug out, I took my lawyer's advice and "settled."

For me, it wasn't worth the pain, the risk that the judge had gotten screwed by his local dealer a few too many times and the fact that my lawyer might not have been as good an actor as the one on the other side...

Karl, whatever you decide to do, don't ever think this POS could ever even remotely impugn your professional reputation. I didn't, and he didn't. Just balance all that is going on and take your best path forward. The scumbag will disappear as quickly as he appeared. Do make sure his CarFax report is "accurate," though!

 

Karl,

If you do "settle" dont sign any confidentiality crap, and post this ass' name either here or in the owners forum. We all will need to know who he is so we can avoid him.

 

+1.

Can't wait to see this low-life somewhere...

 

What a great family. A true "Southern Gentleman" and his kids can DRIVE! I think Scott may be one of the most talented amateurs I've ever seen.

Take care!

 

WTF??? I would have bet money on that never happening!
Hang tough brother!

BT

 

This is why I am not married! But that is a discussion for another thread.

 

Just trying to help. Good Luck!