This latest piece of crap... I had bid the same job he did, he got it... that's fine, can't win them all. I bid 17,500, he bid 18,500. I was working with a 70 ton crane up the road. I had bid the job using the 70 for 2 days, the guy who got it didn't expect to be able to use a crane. I was using the crane for my own work when the scum came up to me... "oh, do you think you could send the operator over to check out my job... maybe we could use him after you're done?" I said that I would send the operator over... I believe they charge me almost $300 per hour for the crane, and I know their policy is first come first serve. So I said no problem, he can go over when he gets a chance. Figured I'd be a nice guy, help this person out... professional courtesy and all. He even asked if he could use one of my chip dump spots because he is out of his area. Operator goes to check the job out at some point, let's say I lost a half an hour to that. Scum is able to jump the list because of this. I know had I not allowed it, he would have been told to wait. Operator says he doesn't have enough cribbing to facilitate a set-up for the crane... company charges almost $700 to bring cribbing out, but I have a trailer FULL of it right up the road. Scum agrees to pay me "a couple hundred bucks for use of the cribbing.. we'll pick it up and bring it back to you." Scum does the job, uses my cribbing... doesn't tip the operator. Scum brags to a friend who stopped by about how he knows this one and that one, and how he only got the job because he agreed to commit insurance fraud... was gonna kick back a couple G's to the homeowner for the deductable. Scum asks my friend if he can dump the wood at my yard, because his yard is a lot farther away than my place. My buddy said it shouldn't be a problem... lots of wood back there anyways. Scum gives my buddy some money to give to me, and I meet my buddy and the truck full of wood back at my yard. The truck was full of only the big nasty stuff, they had hauled all the nice stuff back to their yard to split themselves, leaving me with the big, bust your ass stuff. The scum gave my friend $150. I yelled at the driver of the truck to get lost IMMEDIATELY, and not to dump anything at my yard ever.
Granted I tend to hold a grudge for a long time. One day I am working for a client, and just happen to be out by the road when the scum drives by. He stops in the road and acts as though he is my friend. So a couple of weeks ago I finally decided to send him a bill... allow him to make good on the debt before I take any action. He calls me back saying that he feels I did pretty well, $150 for rental of the cribbing... I said that our agreement was for "a couple hundred, not $150." I told him that he cost me money for down time on the crane, and that the company would have charged him a lot more than I was asking for... he said that he would have brought his own cribbing... I responded that he had that option, but instead elected to rent mine.
I've grown tired of being treated like this over the years... and I'm not going to take it anymore. I know that this guy is not licensed, which means a fine if somebody such as myself should turn him in. Payback if you will. I understand that nice guys finish last and all that, but it sucks that our society has become one where you can't help anybody because odds are you will just get screwed in the end... and I sure like being able to help people... it's how I was raised, to help others if so possible.
