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+--- Thread: Stood up (/showthread.php?tid=507)
Stood up - jtmellon - 05-31-2013
Had two carpet jobs booked yesterday 5/30. They both booked on 5/29, one was a lived in home the other I was told was a rental and the tenant kept asking me how fast can I do the job because they needed to get their security deposit back by Friday 5/31. (Red Flag).
First job went great, did work got paid.
Now I have a sense about things and when it tells me something is up it usually is, I don't know if it's from getting older or just dealing with people all these years.
So on the night of 5/29, I was in bed and in my head came the idea of cash on arrival on the rental job, no pay me when the work is done type thing that we all do.
So on the morning of 5/30 I call the rental job tenants and explain to them since it's a rental and house is empty it will be cash before I start the job. He says sure not a problem.
So we drive 50 mins in traffic to get to the job and no one is there, my two older kids are with me, so we wait 15 mins and no one, shows. So I call their number and it goes into an answering machine, I tell them we are at the job site and to call me back and we wait another 15 min and nothing, so we left. Never a phone call.
Now either I hurt their feelings or I caught onto their game of trying to cheat me, you know: Hi, start the job and I will run to the mac machine and be back in about 30 mins to pay you. Then you never see them again and since it's a rental you have no other address and so your out of money after you did the work.
Like my kids said "Dad you know when you get this feeling it's always right". Anyway, I wasted an afternoon, but at least I was out with my kids and we had McDonalds after.
So much for Craigslist customer's, I guess you get what you pay for.
RE: Stood up - MikeB - 05-31-2013
Well at least your intuition saved you from doing free work! I'm always leery of those kind of jobs too and as far as craigslist....never yet had a paying job from it.
RE: Stood up - wecarecleaningservices - 05-31-2013
Think we've all been there at one time or another. It's funny, but children often have it right.............go with your gut!
Craigslist - an absolute joke! Don't even spend anytime on it anymore thinking good jobs will come from it.
RE: Stood up - Ed E - 05-31-2013
I tried Craigslist about a year ago. I did get one legit job, but then the spam started flowing. I stopped advertising less than two weeks after I started, but the spam continues....
RE: Stood up - jtmellon - 05-31-2013
Craigslist is hit or miss, I do it just to make a quick buck and some times you do get a good customer. Had a job a few months ago, Air Force MSGT was moving to a new base so he found me on CL, I went to Ft Dix, house was just outside the base and gave him a good deal, I ended up with a nice tip from him and he was very happy with the job.
So it's just hit or miss, it makes me some extra money at times and some times when I am finished I feel like I need a shower. This was my first loser customer yesterday, for the most part they all have been ok, they want cheap and I give them the basic service. They pay and we are all happy.
One thing Ed, when you put your email address in the box at the top of the ad, always set it for no contact, then put your info in the ad itself, that's what I do. If you put your email as allow for contact you will get spam.
RE: Stood up - cleancorp - 06-02-2013
I use craigslist exclusively and have great success. In 4 yrs only had one lady not pay. She was crazy by the way.
RE: Stood up - MikeB - 06-02-2013
Cleancorp, what details can you give on your craigslist ad that might help others out?
I haven't had luck at all with it.