Friends and Equipment

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

To make a long story short I lent a pressure washer to a guy that snowplows for me in May. After a few days he mentioned buying it. We agreed on a price about week later. Then he begin stalling on paying for it. At one point he lost his job and started a new one. So I knew there was gaps of income. So I gave him the benefit of the doubt. For a while it was next pay day. Then my pressure washer broke. I told him to give me the other one back or pay for it. He made excuses about it being at a family members house, being out of town, and now hes just ignoring me. As of now he only paid 1/3 of the agreed upon price and I'm beyond frustrated with the games. Not sure what to do here. I dont really want to call the cops but I dont see this being resolved short of me showing up and forcefully taking it and risk being arrested myself. I learned my lesson about lending out equipment. That wont happen again. Now what the heck should I do?

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South Eastern Connecticut Landscaping /Lawn Care /Pressure Washing /Snow Removal /Gutter Cleaning
52" Brutus/52" Super Surfer/44" Pro Line/60" ZMaster
EB630/EB802/EBZ7150/EBZ8000/BR400/Billy Goat 8Hp
FS55&90/FC95/km110/L322&326/TR2350S
HC150/HC155/CHTZ2460
CS440/MS290
Case 1816 Skid

[Grass Doctor]

Lawn care business tips

time to break some knee caps

[CHEESE2009]

I feel you man.

I hate being involved in awkward situations. It's not easy.

Try to consider the fact that he's trying to take advantage of you, then use that as fuel to demand your pressure washer back.

Leave him a message to play with his mind;

"I want the pressure washer back, you have till 7/xx/2012."


... Even then, it's still awkward. Damn, I hate friends... You could be annoying, keep sending him text messages that say, "Pressure Washer".

Send him two per day, or more.

[willshome]

I would ask him:
what the problem is and how are you going to have him plow for you this year if not fixed soon. why is a dime holding up a dollar

[wat5150]

I would show up and just take it back. I mean whos in the wrong here??

[Liberty Landscaping LLC]

My friend you are no longer in a situation in most states where police get involved. You are in a he said she said. He can say i paid because you took some payment its most likely a cicil matter meaning court. Don't just take it because you have taken something money at this point.

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

Originally Posted by wat5150

I would show up and just take it back. I mean whos in the wrong here??

I just had a trimmer stolen and when telling the police if I see it for sale on CL that I was going to show up and take it back. I was advised not to do that. This was actually stolen from me not some punk refusing to pay.

I do have the text going back in forth of him promising to pay and making excuses. I never delete a text or email that involves money.

I might have to go rent a unit wed and if I do Ill be billing him for it along with the rest of the money owed. This will at least cover me if I have to deal with small claims. For a few bucks I can send him a debt letter that goes on your credit report.

[wandfsmall]

Originally Posted by SECTLANDSCAPING

I just had a trimmer stolen and when telling the police if I see it for sale on CL that I was going to show up and take it back. I was advised not to do that. This was actually stolen from me not some punk refusing to pay.

I do have the text going back in forth of him promising to pay and making excuses. I never delete a text or email that involves money.

I might have to go rent a unit wed and if I do Ill be billing him for it along with the rest of the money owed. This will at least cover me if I have to deal with small claims. For a few bucks I can send him a debt letter that goes on your credit report.

I doubt you will win rental fees as well in court but about the only thing you can do about this is sue him. And good luck, we have had this happen to us on letting a customer make payments, most of the time dealing with it cost more then you get back.

[dpld]

being you made a deal with a freind and you have nothing to document the transaction it is hard to say what you can and can not do and get the end result you wish for.
i would just spend the rest of my life haunting him about the money and never let him forget he owes you until he gets so sick of it that he eventually pays you.

or if you have proof that you bought and own the machine call the police and tell them that you rented it to your freind and he has yet to return it as well as claims to have lent it out himself against you wishes.

the bottom line, just chock it up for experience that you never let freinds borrow equipment and never sell equipment to freinds as well as never hire freinds.
it never works out and only complicates things when it goes sour and if what you sold them breaks shortly after they think you ripped them off.

when i started out in business 23 years ago i made mistakes like that and learned the hard way and everyone older always told me don't do it and i said "ah, he is my freind and it is not like that " and they always told me, " you will see, and you can not say you were not warned " and now they seem like profits with words of wisdom.
as the old saying goes " never do business with freinds if you want to stay freinds " because in life you have more of a chance of getting screwed by someone you know or a family member then a total stranger.

with a stranger you already have your gaurd up and are looking out to not get screwed and with freinds and family we all have a tendency to think " they are not gonna do that to me ".