small claims court up to 5k in florida…don’t know what the limit is in california.
and hey…there’s always Judge Judy (or one of the many carbon copies).
Dave,
Nice list. I’d send it to him certified mail or something so you’ve got a record should you decide that the courts need to be involved.
Some people just take take take and act like they’re victim. Sucks.
I dunno, maybe I look at things differently but it seems like you are letting this really get to you and are very bitter about it. Not to be a jerk, but you mention things like ‘I did this for 40 hours and it would have cost you $xx if you went anywhere else’ I hate to tell you, but unless you told him he had to pay you for all that stuff before hand there is no judge on the face on the Earth that is going to award you that money now. You can’t do something in goodwill when you are friends, and then when things go sour tell them they owe you money for all the stuff you did for them. Just like rent, you said he never offered you rent. You make it sound like you never told him he had to pay you, but you just expected him to ‘do the right thing’ and offer to chip in anyway. The courts dont care about what you expected or assumed, they only will care about what you both agreed upon in writing or orally.
Lastly, in my perspective its only money. You have your family and roof over your head. My friend loaned his father-in-law over $120k and after 6 months of not repaying the loan he told me friend that if he loaned it to him in the first place he obviously didnt need it as much as he did and he wasnt going to pay him back. My friend doesnt speak to him anymore, and won’t until he honors his debt. But he says its only money, he earned it in the first place and he will earn it again and then some. Expensive lesson learned. Don’t get all burned up over a few grand. Word will get around that his guy is a bum and no one will want to deal with him.
Hope things get better.
Jon
Hi Kawika,
I’d keep it simple. He was never your friend or partner. He used you. Your best business partner is your wife. Keep it simple and don’t do business with friends unless they understand, business is business, and pay like everyone else. No bro deals or any of that bulll-manure. Walk away from this sorry A…hole(akole?), count your losses, and never look back. Mike
Yeah, guys, obviously I’m bitter over it. I guess I just wanted someone else to know what I just had to deal with, and since we’re all in the same game here, you guys would understand and have the best advice. I am going to just chalk it all up to al loss and not lose anymore sleep over it. “I once was blind… but now I see…”
I wasnt trying to be harsh or anything. I’ve just have some pretty heavy things happen in my life over the past year and I’ve had to change my perspective on things alot. Its all for the better, I feel I live a better life now than I did just 1 year ago. You can’t control what other people are going to do, you can only control how you react to it.
Over the past year my wife and I have welcomed the birth of our second daughter. She was born 8 weeks early and was hospitalized for almost 2 months. Luckily she perfectly healthy now, but having your newborn in intensive care for 2 months makes you realize whats really important in life. After that, as if that wasnt enough, my wife developed severe postpartum depression and started drinking heavily and taking prescription pain killers. She got to the point where she was going to kill herself and couldnt stop. We had to take her to hospital more than once and on one occasion when they tested her she had a .42 BAC (.45 is fatal for about 50% of the population, BTW) She was drinking up to 1.5L a day of vodka and taking whatever pills she should steal or buy off the internet. All the while I am trying to take care of a newborn, a 2 year old, a small business, and a real estate investment we just got into. Long story short, after being in several short term rehabs that the insurance offered to pay for she used up all the benefits our plan offered. We had no choice but to do a quasi-intervention and get her into long term care. She wound up agreeing and she went to a rehab in Texas, one of the most highly regarded in the country. She is doing great now, sober for over 4 months and feeling better everyday.
Trust me, you will forget all about that prick in few months and probably be glad he is gone. I’ve checked out your website and you seem to have really lived life to its fullest thus far. Good luck with your boards and family you seem to have alot going for you.
Jon
Jon, thanks for the kind words. Sorry to hear about the plagues of your past… but the future sounds and looks promising. I’ll keep your family in my prayers.
Dave
For the trick shaping racks you want, contact Frank at Surfworks in San Clemente (949)547-3392. He makes those and display racks for shops amongst other welded things.
I saw so much of this coming up in the business, that I was well prepared for this sort of thing once I had my own place. Lockdown must be the default state. No, the default answer to every request for access, time and materials.
The rule is: no you can’t work in, fix your board in, or even visit my shop. I am often asked, “Can I come by and see your shop/fix my board?” by friends and acquaintances (not prospective or current clients). My first reply is “Why?” Usually that ends the thing. Some have an actual answer like, “I just want to see it/I dinged it.” To which I reply, “What’s your drive-by going to do for my business?” The ones that have an answer for that one might be candidates for access, I figure. There are exceptions to the rule, but they’d better have a damn good reason for taking up my time.
Once in the door, keep your footprint small and minimize the time needed to do your thing. Be respectful and remember you are a guest. And as Wank said, “My shop my rules.” Don’t like it? Go learn the trades, grow some balls, get the funds, locate the space, build it out, pay the rent every month, gather the accounts and do what YOU want in YOUR shop. In my shop, both you AND I do what I fucking please.
I am an absolute prick about the space I work so hard to maintain and pay for every month. Why shouldn’t I be? Both Bud and Wank can tell you I make it very clear from the start that they have my welcome, but I’m not going to put up with any shit whatsoever. They played by my rules and, with my help, are now able to build themselves all the boards they could want. Bud had built his own place, and Wank helps me maintain my mess-o-rama, lets me use certain tools I could buy, but would rather not, in exchange for shop time and materials to build boards. Neither one is a liar thief or leech. (Though Bud is a rental property manager, which I think technically is a subspecies of weasel)
No drama at my place. Business runs as smoothly as it can with me at the helm, and I can focus on doing my job. My trip has even benefitted certain grateful, intelligent types who managed to get through the firewall and learn the basics of my filthy craft.
Hey, Pete,
Thanks for the tip. I’ve seen his display racks at my buddy Jeff’s surf shop (Legends in Carlsbad). I didn’t realize he made shaping racks as well.
Dave
Point well taken… precisely put. I’m changing the locks today. Even so, to top it all off, and I don’t know if it was / is a coincidence, but the washing machine hose was pulled out of the drain, and I was standing in an inch of standing water, that made its way through every square inch of my shop. I have the garage door cracked and two fans blowing it out as we speak. Lovely. Oh what a tangled web we weave…
Howzit Kawika, Definitly sounds like sabotage to me. You should have changed the lock a long time ago. Has the guy come and picked up his stuff yet, if not I would tell him he’s got 2 days to get his crap out of there or it’s off to the dump.Aloha,Kokua
Thanks for the tip. I just met with Frank and he gave me some welded adjustable double enders that I can make a 2’ board or a 12’ board with… all adjustable… $350 brand new… although, I liked the look of Plus Ones “X” shaped saddle racks… but I didn’t have $500. $350 was pushing it, but Mellor iis buying my Wilken for that, so I guess I’m even.
Dave
Glad that you hooked up with Surfworks. I surfed with Frank today and he mentioned that he just sold you the racks. He backs up everything he sells, so don’t hestitate to contact him if you have any problems.
Let’s see some pics of those new racks.
That whole situation sucks. Some people just don’t understand no matter how hard you are going to try and explain things. If times were not what they were and people so ready to go to the police, I might suggest that a good old fashioned ass whoopin is in order. And the fact that you are younger then he does not give hime the right to be a prick.
Yeah… Frank is a stand-up guy. He gave me the racks before I even had the money to pay him. I sold my Wilken the same day, tracked him down before he headed back to San Clemente, and gave him $350 for the racks. They are SWEET!
I’ll post pics over the weekend.
Thanks for the kind words. I’m just picking up where I have to and I’m moving forward. I just finished another board, a 9’2" Skip Frye Eagle Nose Magic Tail Template… at Sugar Mill getting some new clothes… Red White and Blue Resin Swirl w/ Black Pinlines to wear to the winter formal as soon as those winter swells arrive! That’s my 4th board since I parted ways with J.I., and more than he ever got done in there… so I can’t say I’m doin’ too bad.