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Author Topic: Deadbeats in the industry (see page 7 for current info on Ron Purtee) Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-16-2009 10:00 PM                     Scott, Send em a regestered letter giving them 7 days to pay you unless your state laws say different. You have been patient enough and waited long enough already! In the letter let them know you will file a mechanics lein against them as well as take them to small claims court if they don't pay up in the specified time. The court will obviously find in your favor so it won't cost you a dime to go to small clamis with it as they will have to pay the court costs also. This way you will get paid by the court and the court collects the money from them. The biggest problem you have is that they may dissolve before you can get this done, thats why the 7 day pay up. Once you file for a court date they can't get out of it no matter what. If they don't show up they may still be found liable for the payments they owe you... depends on the court but a no show for something like this may automatically make them guilty. Time is of the essence in a case like this because they may not be around much longer... In 32 years in this biz I've only been stiffed once and all it took was a letter from my attorney to get my money... that was easy but it is not always so. When I was at CLACO they got stiffed by quite a number of customers and sent em to collections... you are lucky to get 50% of your money back by doing that. Doing a careful credit check before hand is the best way to avoid this. You may want to do this on future jobs for these people... Mark  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-16-2009 10:08 PM                        Everyone has always paid me (more or less) on time before, so my invoices have never said anything about interest or late fees. (They will in the future.) If nothing else, this has been a learning experience. I'd prefer to settle this out of court, as the maximum amount recoverable in small claims court in their state is $2500. On the other hand, $2500 is better than $0, and I am concerned that the organization may fold. I have sent them a letter that says, essentially, "call me ASAP" via Fedex, but it won't arrive for another day or two. I have sent them a couple of copies of the invoice over the last two months via regular mail and have received no response to any of those. Isn't a lein only useful if they have actual assets (real estate, etc.)? As far as I know, they don't. At this point, I would say that it is extremely unlikely that I will work for this organization again without 100% cash up front.  |  IP: Logged Rick Raskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1100 From: Manassas Virginia Registered: Jan 2003 posted 08-17-2009 06:38 AM                     Scott: ASAP is one of those fuzzy phrases that means different things to different people. Mark is right about using specific time lines. I'd give them 7 days to respond and then turn up the flame thrower. BTW, I'm not so sure that the court in their state will pay you the claim. In Virginia they will only issue a judgment and getting paid is another issue entirely. At the very least then, you could write off the bad debt on your taxes. Good luck. ...Rick  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 08-17-2009 10:00 AM                        In Kentucky you only have about 60 days to file a mechanic's lien. After that, it is too late. Also the lien is worthless unless they "own the property" or have possession of something you sold them. Good luck, been there many times. (I'm not so soft hearted now as I was 2 years ago.) Debtor's prison. . . . that's the answer! Louis  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-17-2009 11:15 AM                        I was reading an article in a magazine about "how to deal with a debt collector." It said the collector has the right to contact you until they "receive a letter telling them to stop." Then it said that, if you are receiving calls from a collector, you should write them a letter telling them to stop calling! WTF?! The collector is also not allowed to tell you that "not paying the bill" is a crime. Well, WHY ISN'T IT a crime? It should be the same as stealing with all the appropriate penalties. This is a prime example of what's wrong with this country IMHO.  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-17-2009 11:44 AM                        Not paying a bill is a civil, not criminal offense. Hence, no debtor's prisons anymore  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 08-17-2009 11:53 AM                        Yeah, really too bad! Louis  |  IP: Logged Cody Martin Expert Film Handler Posts: 214 From: Edinburgh, IN, USA Registered: Jun 2004 posted 08-17-2009 03:48 PM                        Gonna have to agree with Louis on this one, debtors prison is the only solution for those deadbeats ;-).  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 08-17-2009 04:13 PM                     quote: Martin McCaffery Not paying a bill is a civil, not criminal offense. And even not paying a COURT-ORDERED judgement is not a criminal offense. In fact, I just had a case of this transferred to Superior Court so I could put a lien on the business in question that's yet to pay for the damages they were ordered to pay.  |  IP: Logged Adam Fraser Master Film Handler Posts: 499 From: Houghton Lake, MI, USA Registered: Dec 2001 posted 08-22-2009 04:33 PM                        Yep, even a court ordered judgment is not a crime. The person I mentioned a few pages ago that we won the lawsuit against has not yet paid a cent of the six figure judgement we won. There are no police out looking for her. Do not ever deal with Diane Scofield, Phoenix Digital Solutions, or whatever she is calling her scam now.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 08-22-2009 08:10 PM                       Bricks and baseball bats, guys. Bricks and baseball bats.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-25-2009 08:55 AM                        I'm officially sick and tired of several weeks' worth of unanswered phone calls and letters. I will no longer be nice about this. The festival that screwed me over is the Newport International Film Festival in Newport, RI. I would advise against dealing with this organization until it makes good on its past debts. I will edit this post if and when they pay me what I am owed. In the meantime, I have sent letters to the board members. edit 7/20/2010: NIFF is dead, but "Newport Film, Inc." has formed, with the same executive director and several of the same staff members. I would recommend not doing business with them, as old bills have not been paid and the ethics of forming a new organization in order to avoid doing so are questionable at best. [ 07-20-2010, 07:54 AM: Message edited by: Scott Norwood ]  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-25-2009 10:14 AM                     quote: Tim Reed Bricks and baseball bats, guys. Bricks and baseball bats. Oh, is that how you truckers do it??? Ya have to be very careful going that route... just ask the Local 110 memners that are still in prison that used baseball bats on a theater manager not too long ago... Mark  |  IP: Logged Jarret Chessell Master Film Handler Posts: 288 From: London, Ontario, Canada Registered: Jan 2009 posted 08-25-2009 10:40 AM                     On my invoices I have "TO BE PAID WITHIN 30 DAYS OF INVOICE DATE" written directly to the left of the total I've had some people take longer than 30 days to pay me, but you know they're good for it if you've done lots of stuff for them (and they want you to come back). The 30 day thing gets you out of people trying to wait forever, and you have an actual time frame if you want to go after them. I recommend someone have something like that on their invoice. The only deals i've been screwed on were ones where I didn't hand over a proper invoice on site.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 08-25-2009 10:55 AM                       quote: Mark Gulbrandsen Oh, is that how you truckers do it??? Ya have to be very careful going that route... just ask the Local 110 memners that are still in prison that used baseball bats on a theater manager not too long ago... You're an idiot.  |  IP: Logged

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