I wouldn't allow the onslaught to continue. I'd either put a stop to it by speaking over her to stop her slander immediately (same booming but controlled voice as used with my kids when a sibling fight is in full swing) or I would simply hang up.
Follow up with written correspondence that such slander will not be tolerated and if she expects to continue conducting business with me, it will never occur again. One of two things happens: 1) she responds by retracting her offensive statements and modifies her behavior in future delings, or 2) the business relationship ends.
Either result is acceptable.
I didn't tolerate it
There was a very old fence that did not follow the aliquot, but appeared that it might have been placed to mark the boundary. I had some good physical evidence that tended to support the fence, but not quite enough to accept it over a surveyed breakdown.
hey you are contradicting what you said in another post. in the other post, you mentioned that PHYSICAL EVIDENCE would override any new survey corners. since the fence is old dating back 80 years or as old as the living grand daughter of the previous owner right?
why did you not follow the old fence?
A number of years ago (I've mellowed since then and would be nicer but just as firm now) I had an old guy come to the office and call me a liar to my face. As soon as he said it, I was in his face with the file, calcs, records, you name it. Practically through him out. Didn't think much more about it till another client was talking to me about a new project and mentioned he heard I'd had a run in with Joe. Asked how he'd heard. Guess this guy was running his mouth all over the county. I got a little nervous at first then the client laughed and said I shouldn't worry, everyone new this guys rep. as a nut and hot head. That made me feel a little better. If you treat everyone fairly and that's known, you've got little to fear from one disgruntled client.
"I was too busy to attend to it and just provided them a couple of other surveyor's names."
Wouldn't do that in a million years!
> In most cases I think it boils down to two major kinds of 'assaults':
In my opinion, if it's to the point that someone is actually calling you a liar, it is only one kind of assault. (not the same as client: "but yesterday you said..." and you: "hey are you calling me a liar?" type of exchange.) I mean if someone is absolutely saying "you're a liar", I don't think there is any doubt that they are not open to listening to the other side.
?@
There was reasonably nice but excessively loquacious client that was referred to me by another surveyor that was "too busy". It was in the early days of my solo practice and I really appreciated the referral until I spent several hours on site listening to her about this small lot job. I then referred her to another surveyor that spent several hours listening to her. She was the client that kept on giving and all of the surveyors involved are still friends. Sometimes giving referrals can be a great source of entertainment.
> Wouldn't do that in a million years!
Why would you not refer her to someone that might be able to help get it done?
I actually had started a larger development that took all of the resources of my very small company.
I could not get to it in the time frame they wanted.
I provided her basically the phone book of surveyors in the area (essentially 3 names).
All of them would have been familiar with the issue as we tend to seek advice or another professional ear to talk over sticky boundary issues.
you have lost control
you have lost control. that is okay, no one controls everything in their lives.
Them's fightin' words..
Not me. I slowly remove my gloves and give them a slap across the lip with them, tell them "Sir you have offended me, I challenge you to a duel. Pistols at dawn!"
Them's fightin' words..
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Careful there Norman
> Some things men don't say to other men unless they want a punch in the mouth.
A few months before the old POB Board went defunct, I said just about exactly what you said here and a bunch of sissies, crybabies, and bedwetters virtually screamed (untruthfully) that I had threatened another thread participant with violence.
There were outraged calls to have me banned immediately and forever from the site, all because I said that when one man calls another a liar, he's risking a punch in the nose.
Timing is important
> ... I said just about exactly what you said .... that I had threatened another .. with violence.
If I say it when I'm intimately involved it's a threat, if I say it when I'm not a primary party it's an observation.
Timing is important
I agree. Context is very important. The context of my comment then was very near identical to the context here. I guess there were just some people wanting to be offended that day and some others ready to join an online lynch mob without going back to read actual posts, so the reaction was very different.
Just sayin'. Half kidding- half not.