So this customer brings in a mower.....

[PTmowerMech]

It's a old Troybilt with a briggs single on it. Close to a qt. low on oil. Charging system is screwed up. It keeps throwing the belt, because he's go no guides that cover the spindle pulleys. The engine surges like crazy. He's an old friend of mine who's wife just had a baby. The poor guy is like 50. Surprise surprise. But he's using it to make extra money because of the new baby.
Long story short, I get everything finished up. I got maybe $35 in parts and about 2 hours labor in it. I just buttoned it up and was pulling it out in the finish line, when suddenly in starts knocking. It knock for about 5 seconds and BAM.. Big hole in the block.

Calling him and giving him the news was hard to do. He was very upset. Not so much with me, I don't think. But just at the situation. The last time I worked on this POS, I told him to sell it while it was good. I told him when he brought it in, that he'd better sell it after I fix it this time.

If it was anyone else, besides an old friend, I'd still be due all the costs. But I can't bring myself to charge him anything now.

 

[Westman]

You are a good man. If the world had more like you, we'd be in fine shape!

 

[PTmowerMech]

You are a good man. If the world had more like you, we'd be in fine shape!

I'm not sure if my lesson was that doing nice things to help those is a good thing. Or to not have friends. lol

But thinking about it, if I didn't know the guy, they would not even worry about picking up the mower, so the end re$ult is the same. No money.

 

[PTmowerMech]

Well so much for being the good guy. The guy shows up wanting to take his mower. So I told him, "Fine, take the mower. But pay the bill first."
Simply because I still had parts & labor in it. After a little chit chat, he agreed. But his wife didn't. So he take her side and says he taking the mower and not paying me anything. And that if I wanted to, I could take the new parts off. Soooo, I said fine, if you're going to be that way, I'll take the parts off and charge you the labor for doing so. In which the bill would still be about the same. Or, you can just walk away from this without paying anything.
So he starts trying to load up the mower onto a small trailer with another mower already on it. Of course it won't fit.
All of this while I'm calling the cops.
Since the mower won't fit, he yanks the batter off of it, breaking the cable ends. he pushes the mower back over to the building, raises and latches the gate on his trailer, just before the cops show up. So when they walk up, he says he's not trying to take the mower. But they didn't buy it.

Cops tell me it's a civil matter and that it's his mower and that I should let him have it. I say fine, he can have it. But ONLY after the bill is paid. It was like a light went on in the cops head.
I ended up keeping the mower and the battery. And giving them a receipt for the $40 he left last week.


Dayum shame to end a friendship over a POS mower and $50.

And the funny thing about it, I have an engine around back that I could've put on it for about $150, installed. Because he was a friend.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

Sorry you had all that happen. Haven't had one of those in a long while. Depending on the state you can file a mechanic's lien on the equipment but usually not worth the effort for what you are out. Welcome to the business world.

 

[Scrubcadet10]

The Debt Collectors........ hint hint

 

[Mower King]

In business...seems like people don't appreciate someone trying to do them a favor....it almost always comes back to bite ya!

 

[Hammermechanicman]

I'll have to see if Guido is still free lancing. The Corona virus has really cut into his leg breaking collection work for the mob. I will check and see if he is out on bail. I have his number here somewhere if you need it.

 

[bertsmobile1]

The Debt Collectors........ hint hint

Being a motorised bicyclist collecting debts was never a problem.
Round up a few friends with noisy bikes, full leather kit then go say hello.
We actually did this for a couple of our customers when we had the transport business.
Amazing how well it works, particulalry when you turn up at dinner time at the offenders home address.

 

[PTmowerMech]

There was a thousand better ways that could have all went down.