# Be careful out there...



## crazyskier537 (Dec 31, 2010)

Well, this is the first time I ever got scammed, and boy, did I learn my lesson.

Back in December, I was doing a walkway, and some guy comes up to me, and says that he is the son of this homeowner that is next door to the guy I already do. He said how much ya want? I'll hire you for the whole season. I said yeah, but the rates will vary from storm to storm. He says, "ahhh watever man, i'll pay ya". 

Boom, next storm rolls in (end of December). I do this person, that only has a sidewalk and steps- no driveway. The guy said to put the bill in the mailbox, ok i'll do that. I go up to the mailbox, and oh no, it's full, and there's mail between the doors. Hmmm, maybe their out of town for Christmas break? Ok, no biggie, i'll keep the bill for now.Around 3 events that required the blower since, and i've been salting there every couple days because they have heaters on the roof, which cause the water to drip down and create a huge ice puddle. They are elderly people, and I decided i'd waste some more salt, just in case. I also put some icy surface signs out... just to be safe.

3 months later, I have a couple hundred in bills, and nowhere to go. Apparently, they are in Florida, and won't be back this winter. I asked some neighbors, and got a phone number to their true son. Called him up, explained all this (turns out he is a plower as well) and he said he has no idea who that could have been. We are both checking again, if it wasn't a neighbor or anything, but I am certain it isn't, since the guy claimed he is the son. I

I should have realized this when I saw that he had a salter, blower etc., and was doing others on my block. He knows I do snow, and I know where he has an account (damn i hope that was his lol). I went to the lady to ask if you need any snow removal. She said she already has a guy. I said, then why is there snow on your drive.She replied good question. So I undercut the guy by $50 (asked $30, she gave me $40). We'll see what happens next. I just hope I didn't lowball some legit person, or one of you hahahaha.:laughing:

I also had a guy almost take my blower. He pulls up to me, looks at it, then me, then my neighbor (cop on duty) walks out. Damn,you could smell that rubber burnin lol.

Just needed to rant/ vent. It's a crazy world out there guys. Stay safe and carry something to protect yourself just in case.


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## LVHardscape (Jan 29, 2011)

crazyskier537;1227783 said:


> It's a crazy world out there guys. Stay safe and carry something to protect yourself just in case.


.45 w/ hollowpoints, locked cocked and ready to rock,

I had my truck around front of a mc donalds, I was on the other side of the building salting with a push spreader, when i turned around there was a guy standing toe to spreader with me, just staring at me. Now mind you it was 3 AM, 2 inches of snow on the ground and here's this guy with sneakers, jeans and Tshirt.......so he starts asking me for cigarettes, light, asking what i'm doing in the parking lot, blah blah blah.....but he was deffinately up to no good. It's hard to trust someone at 3AM when they purposely sneak up on ya. I'm lucky since i normally leave my truck idling, hah.

Hope you get your guy. there's lots of "hungry people" out there always looking to undercut and stomp on the honest guys!


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## qualitycut (Jan 13, 2008)

Im confused so some random guy told you to plow his parents house and its not really he parents just so you would waste your time? Or was that the guy who plows it normally and figured he would pawn it off on you.


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## crazyskier537 (Dec 31, 2010)

qualitycut;1229238 said:


> Im confused so some random guy told you to plow his parents house and its not really he parents just so you would waste your time? Or was that the guy who plows it normally and figured he would pawn it off on you.


Nobody does there snow. Some people just make a pass on their sidewalk as a friendly gesture, and occasionally do their steps. I don't know what was in this guy's head, but I hope I find out.

Yeah, if I could I would get a concealcarry permit, but oh wait, this is illinois. Right now, I think I need to get some mace or pepper spray...


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## supercuts (Dec 8, 2009)

this is stupid, you did work for a guy, you dont even know his name, phone number, etc, never gave a real price, had no way to get in touch with him, and you kept doing the work? if it walks like a duck.......


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## crazyskier537 (Dec 31, 2010)

supercuts;1230151 said:


> this is stupid, you did work for a guy, you dont even know his name, phone number, etc, never gave a real price, had no way to get in touch with him, and you kept doing the work? if it walks like a duck.......


I had to keep doing the work. I was too far in. The last thing I need is for someone to trip on a half-ass done sidewalk that I half-ass did. I started, so I had to finish.

The point is, that most guys luck out, and never encounter problems like these. They never know when they will, so just saying to be prepared.


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## old.goalie (Jan 10, 2011)

When I was 13, like most kids i would shovel driveways for cash money...$10-20 per.
I met this recently widowed women who instructed me to shovel every-time it snowed (0.5 to 25cm) and drop the sheet in the mailbox every second week and she would write me a check (with an extra $5 on it for the hassle, i did this for 2 winters)...anyways 6 weeks go past (since i was last paid) and i haven't been paid (assumed she was in Florida, just like year b4). Turns out she passed away in her sleep. I found this out because i was shoveling the driveway and her son and daughter showed up. We spoke and I mentioned the money owing and both of em said they weren't paying for it...so i thought what A$$holes, the neighbors told me that the kids were just trying to get their hands on every penny their mom had.....fast forward a couple of weeks, the snow has turned to a nice hard ice from being driven on (they were carting out the possessions to sell) and the real estate agent and the kids lawyer show up to inspect the property....well Karma got them good, no sooner had they stepped out of their cars than they fell hard to the ice...me and my friends laughed our a$$'$ off and the lawyer was screaming at me that he was going to sue, the son was trying to blame me for not doing my job that his mom had hired me to do. So then the neighbor came out and stood up for me saying he was a crown attorney (prosecutor in the USA) and they better pay me before he calls the cops and has them charged (lord knows with what, i was just a kid).

The lawyer had a broken arm for sure, and I'm positive that he sued the son and daughter for damages. The real estate agent had a large bump on her forehead. Since then I have been a firm believer in Karma, what goes around, comes around.


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## 03Duramax89 (Feb 28, 2011)

Gotta love karma. Glad it worked out for you. Sorry for the old lady tho


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