Ripped off!

Gunni · May 19, 2018

Rule of thumb: if a deposit is agreed upon it only covers identified material costs not future labor. Ask him politely to return your money and if he does not implement the rule of happy old-timers - Life is Too Short to Worry About This.

njlarry · May 19, 2018

For local knowledge I can't imagine that you could do any worse that getting your friend's opinion. Good luck and let us know how you make out. You are probably lucky not to have him anywhere near your boat.

The Shadow Knows · May 19, 2018

If who you hire is reputable,
NO upfront deposit should be required.

C'MON, polish upfront costs......REALLY!@#$%^!

Look on the bright side, you will NOT make the same MISTAKE again.
Sadly, you probably gave him just enough money to support his HABIT!

shemandr · May 19, 2018

At least it wasn't a contractor and it wasn't $30,000. You can sue him in small claims court but it will cost you more in aggravation and time lost and you may not be able to collect it. You could file a complaint with BBB, a local agency that does licensing, or trash him on the internet. It's not really worth it to tangle up with someone like this. If you trash him on the internet I would think you would be at risk of a suit for defamation of some sort.
Did you name or re name your boat after the defibrillator was implanted? That's funny - not your health situation, of course, but the name.

shemandr · May 20, 2018

Kool! Your design? My wife had one implanted in February. Prior to that I spent more time than I'd like to admit watching her heart beat on a monitor and freaking out with every irregularity. She's doing good now. A cardiac rehab program at the hospital has been very very helpful. Hope you are doing well.

Maine Sail · May 20, 2018

Jumpstart said:
I contacted a guy to compound and wax my boat. I traditionally do it myself but I can't operate a buffer anymore due to an implanted defibrillator. The guys ad said $10.00/foot. He came out to the boat looked at said he could finish it today. I gave him a 50% deposit and he left purportedly to buy some compound. Never returned. One excuse after another including his father had heart attack. A couple of days he claimed his dad died. 3 weeks went by and no action . He even promised to give the deposit back this week. He didn't and has become non responsive. I feel like an idiot but what would you do next. Call the cops? Talk to county prosecutor ( who is a member of my club)or forget about it, It seems that here in Ohio if you defraud a person over 65 for any amount of money it is a felony. For once I am a member of a protected class.

The materials here total maybe $20.00 total... Anyone requesting a 50% deposit on this type of work is a just a low-buget scammer.

wing15601 · May 20, 2018

You could be protecting others from this criminal if you have him prosecuted. I would give him 24 hours to return your money with a letter of admission or face criminal prosecution. Then publish the letter on Facebook.

Gene Neill · May 20, 2018

shemandr said:
You could file a complaint with BBB, a local agency that does licensing ...

BBB does nothing of the kind. They are a private entity. If the dirtbag is not a BBB member, you might as well scream at the sky.

Siamese · May 20, 2018

I would absolutely talk to the county prosecutor. Maybe the guy could be lured into coming to the marina and pulling the same scam on a plain clothes officer. I dunno, but I'd ask.

justsomeguy · May 20, 2018

Jumpstart said:
The guys ad said $10.00/foot.

Where was the advertisement posted?

nightowle · May 21, 2018

I think you should just mention the elder law felony possibilities to him and that you know a prosecutor. Maybe that will prompt him to proffer a refund.

Hydro Therapy · May 21, 2018

I would be tempted to call him from another phone and act like a new customer and request his service on a different boat at a different location. When he shows up maybe he will suddenly have your money.

Will Gilmore · May 21, 2018

Is there any possibility that the guy just got hit hard with a sick father who then died? If you have a way of getting in touch with him, ask for his address to send a sympathy card. You could hand deliver it along with a letter to request the deposit back with a law firm's letterhead on it. If the address isn't forthcoming, there is a clue that the law should be involved. If he's legitimate, the area boatyards would likely have heard of him.
Theft of more that $50 is grand larceny (at least it use to be. With inflation...?), so consequences would be pretty serious.

-Will (Dragonfly)

sailnoproblem · May 21, 2018

Will Gilmore said:
Is there any possibility that the guy just got hit hard with a sick father who then died? If you have a way of getting in touch with him, ask for his address to send a sympathy card. You could hand deliver it along with a letter to request the deposit back with a law firm's letterhead on it. If the address isn't forthcoming, there is a clue that the law should be involved. If he's legitimate, the area boatyards would likely have heard of him.
Theft of more that $50 is grand larceny (at least it use to be. With inflation...?), so consequences would be pretty serious.

-Will (Dragonfly)

Believe me it is not worth he time or energy to get the Law involved. The worst that this guy will get is a slap on the wrist. And if you take him to small claims court the judge will slap a judgment on him ( he probably will not show) the judgment means nothing. Not to mention you will waste a day sitting in a small claims court.
I speak from experience, just take this as a life lesson. Don't go with the cheapest quote, and always ask your fellow sailors for their recommendations.
The best thing you could do is spread his name around as a con to everyone at the yard.

Pirate Dave · May 21, 2018

Love the name. I have a friend who sell defibrillators . He has kind of the same graphic but the boat name is Flatline with the corresponding graphic

Gene Neill · May 21, 2018

I got conned the exact same way, about 30 years ago. It was on a car detailing job, not a boat, so there was less money involved ... but then again, I only made about $250 a week in those days.

The con artist was female, and sold me on some miraculous polishing product she supposedly had that was sooo much better than ordinary wax.

Justin_NSA · May 21, 2018

Shaming thieves on FB has gotten good results from what little I know about it from the news. I would imagine you have to be careful not to end up with a slander suit.