Congratulations on crossing paths with professional scum bags. I imagine 208 grain Hornady ELD in .300 WM isn??t an option..... ?ÿ it may take some work to collect, but do your best to hold them accountable. They bank that you??ll just take your lumps and move on and they??ll get the service for free.?ÿ
Long ago, I worked for a guy who would lower the invoiced amount for basically anyone who came in and complained about how much it was.?ÿ I'm sure everyone in the community knew that all they had to do was complain and he would cut some off the bill.?ÿ Unfortunately, the invoices started out light to begin with.
My suggestion on what to do is to never, from this instance on, agree to lower or forget about a billed amount.
For your current situation, you can approach it in many ways.?ÿ All of which have been pointed out already and will have varying costs (money and/or time) for you.
- File a lien requires some specific steps in?ÿ some states and everything must be done properly.?ÿ If you are unsure of how to proceed, you should have an attorney take care of it for you.?ÿ Do you have to provide notice in a particular manner, what are the time frames, do you need a judgement to perfect your claim, etc...?ÿ One poster noted they would double the bill and file a lien - this would be illegal in my home state as the claimed amount is very clearly outlined as to what can be included.?ÿ This process has worked well for me the couple of times I have had to do it.
- Small claims court takes time away from concentrating on other work.?ÿ Either you or your attorney would be spending time on the matter.
- There is the potential for criminal charges of theft of services.?ÿ Depending on the invoice amount, it might range from a misdemeanor to a felony.?ÿ Also might have been negated by your agreement to remove stakes and drop bill (although the service was knowing where to put the stakes - which they still gained the advantage of).?ÿ Probably need to speak to an attorney on this one.
How much this will weigh on you is a big factor in how much your willing to spend time/money wise in following through.
I had a client that I provided too much time to.?ÿ So, I was outside the lien period for my services.?ÿ I let him know that I could not legally collect from him and fortunately for him - I'm not the type that he would need to worry about being found at the bottom of a large sinkhole over a few thousand bucks, but I would remember this instance and would make sure every surveyor I knew would know to collect in advance from him before doing anything.?ÿ A couple of years later, he actually called wanting some surveying done.?ÿ I didn't return his call and the next day I had a check for the prior work delivered to the office (which I took and cashed at his bank to make sure it was up to snuff).?ÿ Returned his call and pointed out that his business did not account for any of the previous years cash flow and I did okay, so I didn't figure I would need his business moving forward.?ÿ Life is too short to spend it dealing with people who are trying to use you (beyond normal/acceptable business interactions) if you can possibly avoid it.?ÿ He was not the last client I dumped.?ÿ Some clients are better when they aren't yours!
Well.. just an update... in Colorado you have to send a certified letter of "intent to file a lien".?ÿ I've done that step and now waiting the 10 days.?ÿ ?ÿThen will probably just file the lien if nothing is done soon.?ÿ ?ÿI'm waiting for this wacko to probably come back at me with a lawsuit or something.?ÿ ?ÿ
