The Crook Carpet Cleaner

Home Forums Decaffeinated Coffee The Crook Carpet Cleaner

Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 25 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #611101
    pixelate
    Member

    So I recently got a carpet job in my house. I found a cheap guy, looked him up online and found excellent ratings and experiences with him, so I ignored a post that read just “he’s that he’s a cheater”, because it was drowned in fabulous ratings.

    I called the carpet cleaner (an Italian) and he came over to give me an estimate: $300.

    next week, I get a bill in the mail for $500!

    I called up to complain, so he told me very calmly it was just a ‘guesstimate’, and it turned out to be “more complicated” and he hangs right up on me!

    $200 is more than a lawyer fee, so I sent a check right away.

    I realized this is his scheme, so

    Right after I paid, filled with indignation, I called up my brother, who is very tech savvy, and he gave him the worst ratings, and shredded his business apart. literally.

    about three months later, I get a call from the carpet cleaner, and he tells me he figured out I posted all over, and he offers me straight off the bat to give me a FULL REFUND if I take it all down.

    I live in a frum community and I feel he will just cheat them. would you accept his offer?

    #984169
    keepitcoming
    Member

    well why did u post the bad information? to get him upset and make him regret that he overcharged u or to make sure other ppl dont use him?

    #984170
    sharp
    Member

    pixelate, that’s called being between a rock and a hard place….. 😉

    On a separate note; just so you know, I’ve added this to my favorites.

    #984171
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    Get you money back, take down the posts, but put up new ones.

    #984172
    mms601
    Participant

    Deny it’s you and ignore him. You can also inform him of the laws of a binding estimate.

    #984173
    popa_bar_abba
    Participant

    Heh heh agree with DY. The guy is dumb since the problem with extortion is you can always extort again.

    Careful to not do actual legal extortion though. Google it.

    #984174
    Bookworm120
    Participant

    @mms601 – Good point. Technically, the OP wasn’t the one who shredded him. 😛

    By the way, I pity you. I have reason not to trust these sort of people anymore myself.

    This probably sounds silly, but from now on, I highly recommend going DIY whenever possible. A certain video-hosting website that begins with Y has plenty of tutorials for just about everything under the sun, and you can always ask around at your local hardware store.

    I hope that guy gets what he deserves for what he’s been doing to countless people in your area!

    #984175
    WIY
    Member

    Pix

    Not sure what the question is. Halachically you prob can’t take the refund because he deserves to be paid for his work. Additionally this would be extortion which is a form of geneiva.

    Also, the guy is bad news. You already did a public service by posting it online. . Why would you take it down? The guy is bad and people should know to stay away. At most you can offer that you will edit it and write that he has agreed to the original price and returned the extra you paid him. You should not remove the review though.

    #984176
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    WIY, he offered the refund, why can’t he take it? Where’s the extortion?

    #984177
    WIY
    Member

    Dy

    Because he is offering a FULL refund due to the nasty review because everyone wants it removed. That’s extortion even if he initiates the offer.

    #984178
    TheGoq
    Participant

    Whats the point of telling us he is an Italian? there are plenty of “frum” crooks too.

    #984179
    popa_bar_abba
    Participant

    The point of telling us he is italian is so that nobody would recommend talking behind his back about him in italian. Blazes, does every piece of a story have to be nitpicked?

    #984180
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    WIY, extortion is, by definition, initiated by the extortionist, not the victim. Look it up.

    Goq, sometimes, when dealing with Jews, the legal code in Shulchan Aruch dictates the law, rather than secular law. “Non Jewish” could be a pertinent description (Italian would seem irrelevant, though).

    #984182
    yaakov doe
    Participant

    The unanswered questions are – Did he do a good job and was the final cost of $500 a fair price for the job? A low estimate can be either intentional or an error. It appears that his good reputation in cyberspace is worth $500 to him.

    #984183
    WIY
    Member

    Dy

    Its probably closer to blackmail than extortion but legally it seems that the threat must be initiated by the other party an implied (even if unintended for that purpose) threat may not be enough.

    I still think on halachik grounds she can’t take a full refund only a refund of what he overcharged.

    #984184
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    WIY, I thought about a partial refund, because it is more equitable, but if offered a full one, why can’t be take it?

    #984185

    DY, that’s true and you’re correct. But if the op had mentioned it was a non-jew rather than saying it was an Italian, she would have taken even more grief since then the wolf’s of this board would (incorrectly) start krechtzing that it makes no difference whether he is or isn’t. By putting it the way the op put it, it was more subtle but still told us that point.

    #984186
    WIY
    Member

    DY

    I think that al pi Halacha it’s like you coerced it out of him. He wants at the minimum to be paid for the job he did. He isn’t refunding out of the goodness of his heart but rather he has no choice he wants that bad review removed because you killed his business.

    #984187
    pixelate
    Member

    yaakovdoe- Did he do a good job and was the final cost of $500 a fair price for the job?

    He did do a good job, but not good enough for 500 dollars. My neighbor, who has the same exact layout as me, (including radiators which is why the guy said he charged more) got the same job a year earlier for $400 from a professional company!

    My brother told me he also reported him to the BBB, but once the guy called to offer a full refund, I asked my brother to withdraw the claim. but i did not acknowlrdge I had anything to do with the posts.

    #984188

    WIY: But she has no obligation to remove her honest negative reviews she posted on review sites. She paid $500 of which $300 was legitimate and $200 was an overcharge. The $200 she is entitled to be refunded regardless. The $300 he is paying her to remove the bad reviews. But she has no obligation to remove the bad reviews; they were honest reviews. She is entitled to leave them up. If he wants her to remove them she can accept payment for her to remove the online reviews that she isn’t obligated to remove.

    #984189
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    He isn’t refunding out of the goodness of his heart but rather he has no choice he wants that bad review removed because you killed his business.

    So? Still doesn’t make it coercion.

    #984190
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    Luvtobejewish, I agree.

    #984191
    WIY
    Member

    DY

    You think she can take $300 to have reviews removed and then not remove them? How is that different from any agreement where you are paid to do something and then not do it? If she accepts the money she has to do what she said she would.

    #984192
    🐵 ⌨ Gamanit
    Participant

    WIY- I don’t see what’s wrong with taking two hundred and then modifying them to say that you got the two hundred back.

    #984193
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    I said (s)he should remove them.

Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 25 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.