"clams casino" wrote

Nancy Young wrote:

Indeed.

Best to filter Rod.

Thank you. There are plenty of his type and they are best
ignored.

nancy

clams casino wrote:
Best to filter Rod.

Yeah.

He reached the PLONK stage in only 3 days.

Rod Speed wrote:


MORE DRIVEL

Rod, you have nothing positive to contribute.

PLONK

Bye.

jJim McLaughlin wrote:
Rod Speed wrote:


MORE DRIVEL

Rod, you have nothing positive to contribute.

PLONK

Bye.



What would you expect from a welfare loser whose work history
consists of a few hours at a fast food job.
Door to door people never bother Rod because they take one look at
his hovel and see he can not afford even a magazine subscription.

By the way, those magazine ales people often become victims. They are
placed in roach motels,their pay is withheld and they are abused.

"William Souden" wrote

By the way, those magazine ales people often become victims. They are
placed in roach motels,their pay is withheld and they are abused.

You are correct. I really don't understand how the whole thing
works, but it's a nasty little business all around.

nancy

Nancy Young wrote:
"William Souden" wrote

By the way, those magazine ales people often become victims. They are
placed in roach motels,their pay is withheld and they are abused.

You are correct. I really don't understand how the whole thing
works, but it's a nasty little business all around.

nancy


From news stories I have read they recruit kids with the promise of
seeing the country while making money. They aim for those who a e
vulnerable (abusive families,criminal records,etc,). They travel in vans
from city to city and only after they start are they told that expenses
are being deducted from their pay, The stories also reported beatings
and other abuse.
Each outfit on the chain starting with the magazines hire independent
contractors to shield them from liability.

--
To reply via e-mail please delete 1 c from paccbell

Your local police must be very skilled and have a lot of time
on their hands if they get involved in civil small claims issues
and are expert enough to evaluate the chemicals the workers are
using. In most jurisdictions they wouldn't have the expertise
or authority.



D Murphy wrote:
Ignoramus6369 wrote in news:8oidnaJil-
:

Would you think that the police would have any interest?

Maybe, maybe not. Depends if the cops are on the take, how busy they are,
and if the seal coaters are out and out scamming, as in spraying used motor

Yes, committing a serious crime is the best way to make up
for your own ignorant mistakes. Preventing them from leaving
is unlawful restraint.

George Grapman wrote:
Ignoramus6369 wrote:
....
So. I am aware that the general wisdom says do not give work to any
"drive by" people. But I would like to know, let's say that due to
poor judgment, it happened to me and these artists demand extra $50 to
finish. What would be a sensible thing to do in these lousy
circumstances?
i
Block the driveway with your car.

What's the difference? They may have "interest" but their
ability to do anything (other than demand they obey local
licensing ordinances) is minimal. It would not get your
neighbor a refund.

Ignoramus6369 wrote:
On Sat, 12 May 2007 21:11:23 -0400, Shawn Hirn wrote:
Well, if you were foolish enough to take that deal, you would probably
also be foolish enough to pay the additional $50. Your neighbor should
have turned around and demanded his money back after quietly calling the
cops.

My main question is, would cops be interested in these people or not.

i

Mike Berger wrote:
Yes, committing a serious crime is the best way to make up
for your own ignorant mistakes. Preventing them from leaving
is unlawful restraint.

Somehow I do not envision them calling the police about the blocked
driveway.

George Grapman wrote:
Ignoramus6369 wrote:
...
So. I am aware that the general wisdom says do not give work to any
"drive by" people. But I would like to know, let's say that due to
poor judgment, it happened to me and these artists demand extra $50 to
finish. What would be a sensible thing to do in these lousy
circumstances?
i
Block the driveway with your car.



--
To reply via e-mail please delete 1 c from paccbell

In article ,
Mike Berger wrote:

Your local police must be very skilled and have a lot of time
on their hands if they get involved in civil small claims issues
and are expert enough to evaluate the chemicals the workers are
using. In most jurisdictions they wouldn't have the expertise
or authority.

They would have the authority in an jurisdiction in the US. It is
called criminal fraud. The expertise is another kettle of fish, but that
is easily bought on the open market.

On Mon, 14 May 2007 11:41:50 -0500, Mike Berger wrote:
What's the difference? They may have "interest" but their
ability to do anything (other than demand they obey local
licensing ordinances) is minimal. It would not get your
neighbor a refund.

My own thinking is that these people probably have other issues with
"the law" and do not want contact with the police.

i

Ignoramus6369 wrote:
On Sat, 12 May 2007 21:11:23 -0400, Shawn Hirn wrote:
Well, if you were foolish enough to take that deal, you would probably
also be foolish enough to pay the additional $50. Your neighbor should
have turned around and demanded his money back after quietly calling the
cops.

My main question is, would cops be interested in these people or not.

i

Kurt Ullman wrote:
In article ,
Mike Berger wrote:

Your local police must be very skilled and have a lot of time
on their hands if they get involved in civil small claims issues
and are expert enough to evaluate the chemicals the workers are
using. In most jurisdictions they wouldn't have the expertise
or authority.

They would have the authority in an jurisdiction in the US. It is
called criminal fraud. The expertise is another kettle of fish, but that
is easily bought on the open market.

A California it is a misdemeanor for a unlicensed contractor to
perform a job in excess of $500 which gives the police a valid interest .

--
To reply via e-mail please delete 1 c from paccbell

Simple rules to avoid this problem.

Never deal with door to door contractors.
Upon your initial contact with a contractor get their business card.In
most states it must have their contractors license number.
Do not pay until the job is completed.
Use a credit card to pay.

In article ,
George Grapman wrote:

Simple rules to avoid this problem.

Never deal with door to door contractors.
Upon your initial contact with a contractor get their business card.In
most states it must have their contractors license number.
Do not pay until the job is completed.
Use a credit card to pay.

Call local building dept see if licensed properly. Ask for and
followup with references. Run in the opposite direction.

Leo Lichtman wrote:
"Jon Danniken" wrote: Hehe, I lived on "meat about to go bad" when I was
in college - thanks to the local Albertson's for selling it to me at half
price!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
How is that different from aging, which sells for MORE?

When they age meat, they put it in a place full of mold so that it gets
all moldy.

--
Boycott KFC
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...10/nkfc110.xml

Another risk with an unlicensed contractor:

If they are not licensed they may be breaking other laws such as not
having insurance or workers comp. If a worker gets injured on the job
you could be sued.

"Ignoramus6369" wrote in message
...
It happened yesterday. A truck cruised in our neighborhood and I saw
them stop by our neighbor's house (we have a concrete driveway, his is
asphalt) and they talked. Then I went to do something else, the next
thing I know is that my neighbor's asphalt driveway was sprayed with
some tar like substance. So I went to talk to see what happened.

He said that he was scammed: they first agreed on a certain price
($175), they took the money, sprayed half of his driveway, then acted
all surprised and said that "it takes a lot more coating than they
expected" and demanded $50 more for finishing the work. I guess with
the implication that if he did not pay, they would drive off with his
driveway half sprayed looking really stupid. So, he said he paid extra
$50 and they finished the work.

So. I am aware that the general wisdom says do not give work to any
"drive by" people. But I would like to know, let's say that due to
poor judgment, it happened to me and these artists demand extra $50 to
finish. What would be a sensible thing to do in these lousy
circumstances?

i

Personally, we never do any business from people who call or knock on our
door selling stuff. This includes those guys selling meat from pick-up
trucks. "You're neighbor down the street ordered too much meat...".
Usually, there is not even a neighbor home when these guys stop here. If we
need something fixed, painted, sealed etc. we search out reputable locally
owned companies.

Melissa

William Souden wrote:

jJim McLaughlin wrote:

Rod Speed wrote:


MORE DRIVEL

Rod, you have nothing positive to contribute.

PLONK

Bye.



What would you expect from a welfare loser whose work history consists
of a few hours at a fast food job.
Door to door people never bother Rod because they take one look at his
hovel and see he can not afford even a magazine subscription.


Bill, you have nothing positive to contribute.

PLONK

Bye.

(crosspost to rec.crafts.metalworking broken)
"Leo Lichtman" writes:
"Jon Danniken" wrote: Hehe, I lived on "meat about to go bad" when I was
in college - thanks to the local Albertson's for selling it to me at half
price!

How is that different from aging, which sells for MORE?

The conditions for aging meat are very controlled... temp, air circulation,
and humidity. In a dry age, there is typically a layer of fat that
is later trimmed off (along with any mold growth).

There is also wet aging, which is under shrink wrap. That is usually what
happens between slaughterhouse and store.

At the store, the wet aged meat is then opened and processed.
You'll loose the fat layer, and the meat is exposed to more bacteria.

I've had plenty of "use today or freeze" meats... and i've eaten a good
bit of meat that's gone a bit towards the slimey side.

Properly aged meat is no comparison.

--
flip
Just on the border of your waking mind, There lies - Another time,
Where darkness & light - are one. And as you tread the halls of sanity,
You feel so glad to be, Unable to go beyond. ELO - Twilight Prologue
In my email replace SeeEmmYou.EeeDeeYou with CMU.EDU

Kurt Ullman wrote
Mike Berger wrote

Your local police must be very skilled and have a lot of time on
their hands if they get involved in civil small claims issues and
are expert enough to evaluate the chemicals the workers are using.
In most jurisdictions they wouldn't have the expertise or authority.

They would have the authority in an jurisdiction in the US. It is called criminal fraud.

That expertise is required to work out the difference between
deliberate criminal fraud and just plain hopeless operators that
dont have enough of a clue to use the appropriate materials.

The expertise is another kettle of fish, but
that is easily bought on the open market.

Its MUCH more complicated than that with the proof beyond reasonable
doubt required to prove alleged criminal fraud as opposed to incompetance.

Ignoramus20083 wrote:
On Mon, 14 May 2007 11:41:50 -0500, Mike Berger
wrote:
What's the difference? They may have "interest" but their
ability to do anything (other than demand they obey local
licensing ordinances) is minimal. It would not get your
neighbor a refund.

My own thinking is that these people probably have other issues with
"the law" and do not want contact with the police.

Maybe not, but that doesnt mean you will get a refund or the job dont properly either.

And like the worst of them will be happy to tell you, they know where you live.


Ignoramus6369 wrote:
On Sat, 12 May 2007 21:11:23 -0400, Shawn Hirn
wrote:
Well, if you were foolish enough to take that deal, you would
probably also be foolish enough to pay the additional $50. Your
neighbor should have turned around and demanded his money back
after quietly calling the cops.

My main question is, would cops be interested in these people or
not.

i

Rod Speed wrote:

Ignoramus20083 wrote:
On Mon, 14 May 2007 11:41:50 -0500, Mike Berger
wrote:
What's the difference? They may have "interest" but their
ability to do anything (other than demand they obey local
licensing ordinances) is minimal. It would not get your
neighbor a refund.

My own thinking is that these people probably have other issues with
"the law" and do not want contact with the police.

Maybe not, but that doesnt mean you will get a refund or the job dont properly either.

And like the worst of them will be happy to tell you, they know where you live.

Ignoramus6369 wrote:
On Sat, 12 May 2007 21:11:23 -0400, Shawn Hirn
wrote:
Well, if you were foolish enough to take that deal, you would
probably also be foolish enough to pay the additional $50. Your
neighbor should have turned around and demanded his money back
after quietly calling the cops.

My main question is, would cops be interested in these people or
not.


Check out this article on Traveler and Rom scammers....

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...63/ai_15658023

hope helps....have fun.....sno

--
No matter how dangerous nuclear power may or
may not be.....
Is it any more dangerous then what we are doing
now.....???

This tag line is generated by:
SLNTG (Silly Little Nuclear Tagline Generator)

"jJim McLaughlin" wrote in message
...
clams casino wrote:
Best to filter Rod.

Yeah.

He reached the PLONK stage in only 3 days.
Chuckle. You must be new here. Rod keeps rotating 'from' addresses, so you
have to watch for his signature writing patterns, and add the new addy every
month or so.

aem sends...

"Mike Berger" wrote in message
...
Yes, committing a serious crime is the best way to make up
for your own ignorant mistakes. Preventing them from leaving
is unlawful restraint.

George Grapman wrote:
Ignoramus6369 wrote:
...
So. I am aware that the general wisdom says do not give work to any
"drive by" people. But I would like to know, let's say that due to
poor judgment, it happened to me and these artists demand extra $50 to
finish. What would be a sensible thing to do in these lousy
circumstances?
i
Block the driveway with your car.

Nobody else said it so I will- if they just painted the drive, their truck
will be in the street, and probably no way to block it in. But even if there
was, still a stupid idea. A few bucks ain't worth risking a knife or a gun
in your face, and many of these travelling hucksters aren't real civilized
when cornered.

Never hire a door-to-door tradesman, and if you have a moment of weakness in
the face of a good BSer and get screwed, well, write down the plate, call
the cops, and basically write it off to experience.

aem sends....

Mike Berger wrote in :

Your local police must be very skilled and have a lot of time
on their hands if they get involved in civil small claims issues
and are expert enough to evaluate the chemicals the workers are
using. In most jurisdictions they wouldn't have the expertise
or authority.

http://www.dupageco.org/sheriff/Medi...senior%20seal%
20coating%20scam.htm

http://www.dupageco.org/sheriff/Medi...eal%20coating%
20scam.htm

Yeah, I guess they are skilled and more importantly, interested.

--

Dan

CNC Videos - http://tinyurl.com/yzdt6d

D Murphy wrote
Mike Berger wrote

Your local police must be very skilled and have a lot of time on their
hands if they get involved in civil small claims issues and are expert
enough to evaluate the chemicals the workers are using. In most
jurisdictions they wouldn't have the expertise or authority.

http://www.dupageco.org/sheriff/MediaCenter/pressreleases/senior%20seal%20coating%20scam.htm

http://www.dupageco.org/sheriff/MediaCenter/pressreleases/Seal%20coating%20scam.htm

Yeah, I guess they are skilled

Doesnt mean they got a conviction.

and more importantly, interested.

Thats all you have substantiated with that particular jurisdiction.

On Tue, 15 May 2007 14:14:07 +1000, Rod Speed wrote:
D Murphy wrote
Mike Berger wrote

Your local police must be very skilled and have a lot of time on their
hands if they get involved in civil small claims issues and are expert
enough to evaluate the chemicals the workers are using. In most
jurisdictions they wouldn't have the expertise or authority.

http://www.dupageco.org/sheriff/MediaCenter/pressreleases/senior%20seal%20coating%20scam.htm

http://www.dupageco.org/sheriff/MediaCenter/pressreleases/Seal%20coating%20scam.htm

Yeah, I guess they are skilled

Doesnt mean they got a conviction.

and more importantly, interested.

Thats all you have substantiated with that particular jurisdiction.



Hm, that's our county, and we did in fact write down their license
plate number. I will ask my wife for that piece of paper where we
wrote it down.

i

"Ignoramus10518" wrote


Hm, that's our county, and we did in fact write down their license
plate number. I will ask my wife for that piece of paper where we
wrote it down.

i

However, getting someone to "run" it for you is a different matter. You can
take it to the police and give it to them, and explain the situation. If
they do "run" the plate, you will probably receive none of the information.
If it does get a "hit", then they will follow up on it. If you know a
police officer real good, they can do it and tell you what the results were,
even though they are not supposed to. (It's done all the time)

When I started dating my wife years ago, she gave my license number to her
daughter, a police officer, to get me checked out. I must have passed.

Steve

On Wed, 16 May 2007 14:04:49 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:


"Ignoramus10518" wrote


Hm, that's our county, and we did in fact write down their license
plate number. I will ask my wife for that piece of paper where we
wrote it down.

i

However, getting someone to "run" it for you is a different matter. You can
take it to the police and give it to them, and explain the situation. If
they do "run" the plate, you will probably receive none of the information.
If it does get a "hit", then they will follow up on it. If you know a
police officer real good, they can do it and tell you what the results were,
even though they are not supposed to. (It's done all the time)

DOJ NCIC terminals require a "sign-in log" for offices - required for
audit. Only qualified folks are allowed in this terminal/secure area
and they receive serious training.


When I started dating my wife years ago, she gave my license number to her
daughter, a police officer, to get me checked out. I must have passed.

When I dated my wife I looked at her teeth; kind of like what you
would do when buying a horse or mule!

I was checked every five years for over 30 years, I'm surprised how
far they can get a microscope that far up my ass; especially when I
was sued by a Nigerian Prince, circa '83. He lost his case!

--
Oren

"I don't have anything against work. I just figure, why deprive somebody who really loves it."

On May 13, 2:23 pm, "Steve B" wrote:
"New Leaf" wrote

I had the same thing happen with guys delivering mulch years ago. When
they asked for more than the original estimate and I said I wouldn't
pay more, they stared me down and said, "It's not like we don't know
where you live." It was crappy mulch, too.

Viv

They also can take note of such things as: what kind of a car you drive so
they know if you're home or not, bicycles, other cars, tools, mowers, if you
have a dog or not, other items convertible to cash.

Doing business with people who solicit door to door is dangerous stuff.

Steve

It was a good lesson to learn with a relatively small amount of money.

These guys had cashed my check in the 10 minutes it took to call my
bank and put a stop on it. The person at the bank (back when you knew
people in your individual branch and didn't call a 1-800 number) told
me how sorry they were and that I wasn't the first person that day who
had been scammed. My neighbour's husband came home and said, "How
stupid were you that you hadn't heard of mulch scammers?!?!?" Well,
gee, pretty stupid I guess.

Viv

On 17 May 2007 11:47:45 -0700, New Leaf wrote:
These guys had cashed my check in the 10 minutes it took to call my
bank and put a stop on it. The person at the bank (back when you knew
people in your individual branch and didn't call a 1-800 number) told
me how sorry they were and that I wasn't the first person that day who
had been scammed. My neighbour's husband came home and said, "How
stupid were you that you hadn't heard of mulch scammers?!?!?" Well,
gee, pretty stupid I guess.

Viv, I never heard of mulch scammers either. Do you know what they do
specifically? Leave "free mulch" with radioactive contamination? Hide
cameras in mulch? Dump mulch without asking and demand payment for
removal?

i

On Mon, 14 May 2007 07:39:14 -0700, jJim McLaughlin wrote:

clams casino wrote:
Best to filter Rod.

Yeah.

He reached the PLONK stage in only 3 days.

Admittedly, he's not quite as bad as the ones I've filtered after 3 _posts_. ;-)

Cheers!
Rich

On May 17, 3:03 pm, Ignoramus30426 ignoramus30...@NOSPAM.
30426.invalid wrote:
On 17 May 2007 11:47:45 -0700, New Leaf wrote:

These guys had cashed my check in the 10 minutes it took to call my
bank and put a stop on it. The person at the bank (back when you knew
people in your individual branch and didn't call a 1-800 number) told
me how sorry they were and that I wasn't the first person that day who
had been scammed. My neighbour's husband came home and said, "How
stupid were you that you hadn't heard of mulch scammers?!?!?" Well,
gee, pretty stupid I guess.

Viv, I never heard of mulch scammers either. Do you know what they do
specifically? Leave "free mulch" with radioactive contamination? Hide
cameras in mulch? Dump mulch without asking and demand payment for
removal?

i

LOL! All of the above, practically.

Basically, this is how it goes. In Memphis, if you want any sort of
annuals to stay alive in your garden over the summer, you need to
mulch heavily. The combination of bad clay soil and hot weather kills
anything off otherwise. I was actually contemplating a run to the
garden centre to buy some mulch for the front flower beds when these
guys knocked on the door. They had a pickup truck half full of mulch.
The guy had a basket and showed me the quality and said they were just
heading back to Mississippi after a landscaping job and did I need
some mulch? Memphis is right next to the Tennessee/Mississippi border,
and a lot of landscaping companies come over to do jobs during the
day, so this all sounded above-board.

I asked how much. He said 15 baskets would cover the two front beds. I
asked how much per basket. He said, "$5 a bushel." I calculated that
out and it was about $20 more than I'd have to pay by the bag at the
garden centre, but that would have required two trips with two
toddlers in car seats plus they were going to spread it. I agreed.

They did the job quickly, spread the mulch neatly, cleaned up the
sidewalks, and came to the door. I had $80 ready, $75 plus a $5 tip.
The big guy said, "That will be $375." ?!?!?!?!?!?!? I said, "No you
told me $5 a basket and you'd need 15 baskets to cover it." He said,
"Well ma'am, these are 5 bushel baskets." Now I thought that a bushel
basket held about the same as 10 gallons. I remembered learning that
in school. I said that the basket he showed me was a bushel basket. He
put a foot in the door and said "Don't tell me my business. This is a
5 bushel basket." That's when he gave me the line about knowing where
I lived. I wrote a cheque and they took off fast.

When I went out to check it closer, the mulch was so bad I had to pull
it off. It definitely wasn't the good stuff he'd shown me in the
basket. If you use cedar as mulch, it needs to sit for a while so it
stops "cooking" and also because it is quite acidic, and that has to
be washed out. You can't just put cedar through a woodchipper and use
it as mulch. To make this fresh stuff look aged, they had mixed in oil
of some sort.

Viv

Ignoramus6369 wrote:

On Sat, 12 May 2007 20:29:58 GMT, Mike Dobony wrote:

"Ignoramus6369" wrote in message
...
It happened yesterday. A truck cruised in our neighborhood and I saw
them stop by our neighbor's house (we have a concrete driveway, his is
asphalt) and they talked. Then I went to do something else, the next
thing I know is that my neighbor's asphalt driveway was sprayed with
some tar like substance. So I went to talk to see what happened.

He said that he was scammed: they first agreed on a certain price
($175), they took the money, sprayed half of his driveway, then acted
all surprised and said that "it takes a lot more coating than they
expected" and demanded $50 more for finishing the work. I guess with
the implication that if he did not pay, they would drive off with his
driveway half sprayed looking really stupid. So, he said he paid extra
$50 and they finished the work.

So. I am aware that the general wisdom says do not give work to any
"drive by" people. But I would like to know, let's say that due to
poor judgment, it happened to me and these artists demand extra $50 to
finish. What would be a sensible thing to do in these lousy
circumstances?

i

Poor judgment in the first place. Second, having work done without a signed
contract. Third, not taking their license number and calling the police.



Would you think that the police would have any interest?

In my town soliciting door to door requires a permit or notificiation to the police
station. If your neighbor reported them for going door to door, the police would
check if they have met the requirements. If not, our police would be more than
happy to stop by and have have a chat.

If an actual scam or fraud is reported, they will start the criminal process. They
are also happy to do a full commercial vehicle inspection as well, never know what
those can turn up.

Marissa Payton wrote:
Ignoramus6369 wrote:

On Sat, 12 May 2007 20:29:58 GMT, Mike Dobony
wrote:

"Ignoramus6369" wrote in
message
...
It happened yesterday. A truck cruised in our neighborhood
and I
saw them stop by our neighbor's house (we have a concrete
driveway, his is asphalt) and they talked. Then I went to do
something else, the next thing I know is that my neighbor's
asphalt driveway was sprayed with some tar like substance. So
I
went to talk to see what happened.

He said that he was scammed: they first agreed on a certain
price
($175), they took the money, sprayed half of his driveway,
then
acted all surprised and said that "it takes a lot more
coating
than they expected" and demanded $50 more for finishing the
work.
I guess with the implication that if he did not pay, they
would
drive off with his driveway half sprayed looking really
stupid.
So, he said he paid extra $50 and they finished the work.

So. I am aware that the general wisdom says do not give work
to any
"drive by" people. But I would like to know, let's say that
due to
poor judgment, it happened to me and these artists demand
extra
$50 to finish. What would be a sensible thing to do in these
lousy
circumstances?

i

Poor judgment in the first place. Second, having work done
without
a signed contract. Third, not taking their license number and
calling the police.



Would you think that the police would have any interest?

In my town soliciting door to door requires a permit or
notificiation
to the police station. If your neighbor reported them for going
door
to door, the police would check if they have met the
requirements.
If not, our police would be more than happy to stop by and have
have
a chat.

If an actual scam or fraud is reported, they will start the
criminal
process. They are also happy to do a full commercial vehicle
inspection as well, never know what those can turn up.

Though it would be wrong to accuse anyone without evidence this is
a species of fraud characteristic of an American group called "The
Irish
Travelers" which operates in the Eastern and Southern part of the
country.
There was a very interesting documentary about them on the box
some
years ago.

Their itinerant and elusive modus operandi has made legal action
against
them very difficult.

Regards,

Edward Hennessey

Three simple solutions:

Ask for their contractors license and immediately verify it. A
legitimate firm will be glad to oblige.

While you are asking for than information write down the license plate
on the truck.

Pay by credit card.

On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:45:02 -0700, Abe wrote:

It happened yesterday. A truck cruised in our neighborhood and I saw
them stop by our neighbor's house (we have a concrete driveway, his is
asphalt) and they talked. Then I went to do something else, the next
thing I know is that my neighbor's asphalt driveway was sprayed with
some tar like substance. So I went to talk to see what happened.

He said that he was scammed: they first agreed on a certain price
($175), they took the money, sprayed half of his driveway, then acted
all surprised and said that "it takes a lot more coating than they
expected" and demanded $50 more for finishing the work. I guess with
the implication that if he did not pay, they would drive off with his
driveway half sprayed looking really stupid. So, he said he paid extra
$50 and they finished the work.
Everyone is responding like he did get scammed, but I'm not so sure.
Was the work done illegally? Almost surely, I'm not arguing that. But
to be scammed, he must have not gotten his money's worth.

Did they do a good job and use a good product on the driveway? Did the
driveway have alot of cracks and other imperfections before they
started? Are they well filled now? $50 extra is not really that much
if there WAS in fact alot of existing damage. Just because they didn't
price it right at first and had to ask for more doesn't mean your
neighbor was scammed, it just means they didn't price the job
correctly.

It's *spraying a driveway* not something with hidden complexity.
Presumably the driveway was completely visible and measurable. Unless
the homeowner somehow changed the scope of the job in mid-work, this
is indeed a scam. If you price the job too low you eat the difference
and do better the next time. Integrity and all that stuff..
Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

Abe wrote in article
...

Everyone is responding like he did get scammed, but I'm not so sure.
Was the work done illegally? Almost surely, I'm not arguing that. But
to be scammed, he must have not gotten his money's worth.

Did they do a good job and use a good product on the driveway? Did the
driveway have alot of cracks and other imperfections before they
started? Are they well filled now? $50 extra is not really that much
if there WAS in fact alot of existing damage. Just because they didn't
price it right at first and had to ask for more doesn't mean your
neighbor was scammed, it just means they didn't price the job
correctly.




Is your last name "Williams" by any chance?