A matter of principle

If you hire me to do work, I will do it.

I expect you to compensate me for my work.

I will not ask a penny more than what was agreed.

I do the work correctly and on time, you pay.  It is not my problem that I am a subcontractor and the people that hired you have not paid you.  It is not my problem that you forgot to buy stamps.  It is not my problem that the check the people who hired you sent was held by the bank for five days.  It is not my problem that you "got busy".  It is not my problem that you are not going to profit from this job.

None of those things are my problem.  Those are your problems.  You strung me along and it felt like you lied from the very beginning.  I am especially unsympathetic about your failure to make money from the job.  That's mismanagement.  I made money on the job; I know what I am doing here and how much to ask for the work.

If you don't like these realities, you should not be running a business.

It is especially sad that you will likely be needing my services again and I will either decline to work for you or demand cash up front.

It is also especially galling that I took the job without a time constraint and you called every night asking if it had been completed; now you acted put out because I am called once a week to see why I didn't have my payment.

I was very patient with you about getting paid.  My end of the work was finished in June, 2010.  Near the end of October 2010 you told me that payment was eminent.  Goody!  Two weeks later I ask about a timeline.  You say soon.  Then you ask to confirm my mailing address.  I do so; thinking it must be soon.

So I wait 8 days (one day is a holiday).  You claimed to be out of checks and had no chance to get to the bank; but would be doing that the next day.

So I waited 6 more days, plenty of time for the bank to send you new checks and for your check to arrive here.  Nothing.  I ask, WTF!  You say that there was a five day hold put on the check they sent you.  Gee, that shouldn't have mattered since you said you had the money 6 days ago.  You claim to have gotten a money order drawn.

So I wait a week (on holiday day).  You tell me to calm down.  You claim you are at UPS "right now" and are overnighting it.  You claim you've been "busy".

I ask you, did your mortgage get paid?  Did your electric bill get paid?  Did your water bill get paid?  Did your sewer bill get paid?  Did your phone company get paid?  Did your cell phone bill get paid?  I am betting those all got paid because they don't take excuses.

Yeah, I got paid, but this was excessive.  I even waited nearly a whole year to post the rant about it to make sure I was still pissed off about it.  Yup.  Still mad.