Get your $$ first!

[golfcart]

I agreed to build a system for a friend of a friend. It was basically a favor that I owed. Didn't get a down payment from the guy and now he says he found a "comparable system with monitor, speakers, mouse and keyboard for less money." I also told him I would fix it on site for a year no charge. He verbally agreed to $900.00 for the setup. This guy also already has a monitor, mouse and keyboard. Anyways now I'm stuck with it. Makes me wish I would have bought a better motherboard and video card. Heres what I built for him:

FIC AZ11
800 mhz T-Bird
45 GB IBM deskstar 7200
256 MB Micron PC133
32 MB ATI Xpert 128
Enlight 7237 w/300 watt PS
72x Kenwood CD
3.5" floppy
Creative 56k PCI modem
D-Link 10/100 ethernet
WinMe

I sure wish I knew where to get this "comparable system" for less money.
Oh well, Merry christmas to me I guess. I learned my lesson on this one.



[This message has been edited by golfcart (edited 12-24-2000).]

[Beemer]

It sounds like he has difined your friendship. Now you can tell him you agree with the terms of the friendship and off to small claims court.

Cheers!

[Ironforge]

sounds like a plan to me...

any friend that would just stiff you for 900 bucks.. heh..

I have built a few systems for friends.. but I always make sure I get the money up front..

I wish you luck and hope something good comes from this..

[phx]

i've built two systems for friends and both times, we both went shopping. We discussed what we needed, i pointed and THEY bought. it works nicely that way

[Steve R Jones]

Bad thing about building for friends->They don't hesitate to call at ANY hour of the day/night

[ablang]

I have never done it that way.

I've built at least 3 systems and i would "recommend" products to them and accompany them to buy, but would never buy it for them.

[codybear]

I ask how much they want to spend and what they will be using it for and then build and then deliver and then collect...never had a problem..
I would never ask someone to pay up front but then again I know my customers and they know my reputation....

sorry to hear of your problems but put it in the user to user and see if you get some bites and many of those parts can be replaced with better parts because if you bought them from reputable places then they will take them back usually with few questions ask..at least around here and the places I have bought from online I havent had problems

[golfcart]

Thanks for the support guys. I am not mad at my friend as he is truly sorry he even introduced me to this guy. I plan on trying to return some of the items and will keep most of it for myself. The stuff i cant return will probably go up in user to user in the next few days.

[Nuclear_Confusion]

Sounds like its time to start printing up invoices and getting a signature.

sorry to hear you got shafted


nukey

[Fudge]

900 dollars? Why don't you just put it up for sale? I'm positive somebody would buy it.
Sorry about yer luck though man. I do the same as most, I get THEM to buy the parts first. I was a NICE guy once! Then I got burnt and said NEVER again. Mind you I only got burnt for 200 bucks and I eventually got that back buy selling it to another individual (the item in question was a video card)
Anyways...good luck getting yer money back, and I hope you learned from it...
"in business...we have no friends"

Fudge

[This message has been edited by Fudge (edited 12-28-2000).]