Hi All,
My name is Patrick and I have a story that I hope will help some people trying to do business with this individual. I have dedicated many hours on projects which he had outsourced to me from the areas of Oakland California. Many times, he would phone and ask for changes on the fly because he was going into meetings, seeing clients. All this from 3000 miles away. I live in Newfoundland, Canada btw. The trust was there in the beginning, he paid using direct deposit on time. This would happen for months. Until Christmas time came around one year, it was very difficult to get money for work already done. None the less, we resolved out issues, the trust came back and we continued to work jointly. I must over the time, I have learned a lot, and again payments would be regular. Unfortunately, you know where this is going, Christmas time came around again, and he didn't pay. I had work of his that needed to be done, but refused to pay. He bullied, threated to sue, of course, and demanded he deposit some money owed. Wasn't I right in doing this? So finished this work, probably knowing that I would not be paid but did the work anyway in good faith. Today, he owes over $1,500. To some of you, this may not seem like a lot, but it is to me. For a long time, I have contacted him, he promised to pay and so on. Why didn't I have a contract with this individual you might ask, I did. But he is on the other side of this country. To meet him face to face would be a big expense.
I have two points. If you know this individual, and are contemplating doing business with him, ask him to pay up front. If he asks you to supply a retainer, I might think twice.
The sad part is this, I think he is a very smart individual, with a lot of talent and he's built a fair size firm and involves a lot of different individuals. I was fortunate to be a part of that. I had a conversation over the phone with him, he explaining why he was not able to pay. He had to move back home to Vancouver, and deal with serious family illnesses. I can respect that. But can it go on for 8 months. He also mentioned tht right now, where he is not taking on any more projects, he has cut back the amount of projects. He mentioned to me that he was "used to" earning over $10,000 per month. And that now, he is not earning that, he "can't" afford to pay me. What?
Anyways, if anyone can tell me his where abouts now, and if you has been "earning" his usual income, let me know, or let him know, that you just don't do that to people.
