First, sorry for the long post. There's a lot of experience on here. I had to pull the starter out of 931B Cat and had help. The person helping is funding/sponsoring an addition to my MX track. He wanted to put in a flat track and after contacting a couple of other tracks that said no, I said why not, I have the zoning. Anyway I found an O/O with JD 850J WLT to do the bulk of clearing the brush for the track and was originally going to put a couple thousand dollars into the project and help out with the smaller landscaping and clearing. I took a week off in the summer and spent a lot of it with the Cat operator to let him know what we wanted, etc. We ended up getting more work done and I contributed $3600 to the $8750 paid. More than I initially wanted to contribute. Fast forward to last weekend and we had to pull the starter out my Cat because it wouldn't disengage. I had a smooth edge on my bucket for sand but bought all new teeth to help move dirt for the new flat track. I booked the week of Nov. 21st off to haul some sand from the neighbors to the MX track and also do some work on the flat track. The guy is self employed so dropped the starter off and picked it up on Friday with the intention of helping me put it back in on Sat. at 11am. I had the money to pay him back. He called Sat. at 9am and said his electrician that was supposed to be at his shop at 9 couldn't make it till 11 and if we could plan for later in the afternoon. I said no problem, I have to go the West end anyway and can stop by your shop and see how you're making out. He said just bang on the door and he'll open it. I got to his shop and my starter was sitting on a door mat outside his door. I banged a few times and no one came so I figured maybe he had to go get some electrical stuff or something. I called him and there was no answer and his voice mail was full. I took the starter and went to another place close by to look for something else and went back to his shop about 20 minutes later and banged hard on the door 6 or 7 times. No answer so went home. The starter and belly pan, etc. needs 2 people to install. I came home, there was no message, no apology, no nothing. I found some other help on Sunday and we got it back together only to discover the alternator isn't charging but it's a lot easier to R&R. The guy is hosting a meeting on Monday with the Flat Track club and originally I said I could attend to talk about the track and progress being made. Since he let me down when I really needed help and didn't even have the common courtesy to call me, I don't think I'm available for this meeting. MY GF says to let him contact me and anything less than a medical emergency is unacceptable. I think my time off will be spent on my MX track and to heck with flat track. He wants to get the O/O back with his smaller cat but I think I'll let him arrange everything and not be so available. I think he was more concerned with sprucing up his new location for this meeting than honouring his commitment to me. Do you think I'm justified in not really being available after I bent over backwards for him? I can put the kibosh on the whole flat track anytime I want if I choose but not ready to do that yet. This isn't the first time he's backed out of a commitment to me either but was the worst because I badly needed help to get the Cat fixed to help on his project. Would you do anything different?
Just lay the cards on the table, so to speak. I'd start out by saying: I REALLY needed your help & this isn't the 1st time you left me hangin'.. I'm trying to do YOU a favor and this is how I get repaid?? YOU KNEW it was a 2 man job.. I got it done but had to PAY for some help.. Thanks for nothing... DO NOT ask him WHAT HAPPENED.. He'll only lie to you and that'll make it worse.. a friend of my aunts cousins dog was sick and I had to drive them to the vet..
A large sector of the population simply does not understand the value of a man's word. They give their word and then think it's subject to whatever else comes along. There have been times I've given my word and a third party suggested I do something else. When I explained I had already committed myself to a previous engagement, they would try to sell me on the "convenience" of not keeping my word. Whenever I meet someone who doesn't respect the value of a man's word, I place them in the "low expectations" category because it's foolhardy to depend on them for anything. Unfortunately it seems the unreliable sector has grown in proportion in the last 40 years by leaps and bounds. Neither public schools nor television ever seem to lift a finger to instill the values of reliability.
Well said, check..
In the converse, I had appointments one day at 4:15 and the other day at 5:00, this was for an estimate for plowing, I do a little on the side. Both parties were shocked that I arrived on time to when I said I'd be there, it seems they're very used to make an appointment and then never hear back for some number of days after the appointment has passed. Sounds like the first case is more the norm, appointments and agreements hold little value.
Really appreciate the responses. I understand things come up but putting in some more plug ins in his shop doesn't seem like a real emergency when you've already committed to something else you knew about for a week. He could have at least left a note on the starter or something. His shop is closed Friday's. Why not have the electrician come then or any other time during the week when he's there anyway? Maybe the electrician is a friend that is helping him on the weekends, I don't know but the other time he couldn't make it out was because his furnace quit and the electrician was late on a Saturday. All he had to do was call me or leave a message and see if Sunday would work. A bunch of people are hounding him about when the track will be ready and they can schedule races, etc. Maybe when he pulls his head out of his azz and realizes I can't do it all and he needs to step up to the plate. The real stupid thing is he was wondering all along if I was really committed to the flat track. $3600 plus $150 for new teeth and keepers, getting the Cat, getting a 140H grader from the gravel pit(for free) to level it out, countless hours being there to coordinate the work, using my holidays to work on the flat track, etc. No I'm not behind the project at all!
I can see where that would get your goat.. TO MANY ways around his appointment especially when he committed his time to you already. I would have left the door unlocked and "blue taped" the areas that needed a plug and kept my original appointment with you.. But hey.. that's me..
Maybe his wife could have met the electrician. His wife seems really nice but I wonder if she might be behind him not being available to help at the track or fix the Cat? I'm waiting for the call that "Hey, Dave, I thought you were coming to the meeting?" LoL
Here's the latest update. He left a message on my home phone finally. He said sorry about Sunday, he had to leave with the electrician and tried calling my cell phone but it's never on. I told him before to call my home phone because I only use my cell phone if I really need to and don't leave it on. Why not call me at home later that night? I guess I'm the odd man out that I don't spend every waking minute on a damn cell phone. I don't know how 75% of the population today could have lived in the days before cell phones. Wouldn't most people call the other number and try to get ahold of the person or leave a message on both phones? And what's with Sunday? It was Saturday. He also said he missed me at the meeting and they voted to have Wed. night practices at another track that is really crappy and too small with banked corners. Now his wife's dad flew in from Texas and he has to go out of town and won't be back till Thursday but could help next weekend. I'm not working all of next weekend on my last days off. As far as the track, I thought the club was supposed to be all in with the new track? If I have to compete with the other crappy track it, the club obviously isn't all on board. Now here's the real kicker, he dropped his cell phone and doesn't have a phone now. He said I could call the shop and leave a message. Holy crap!
Sounds like my week.. The dealer screwed me over on my new car purchase. drove 150 miles for nothing. Gotta turn the rental in on Saturday. Dr. screwed me by not sending the updated office notes to insurance co. so no disability check. No call from local agent about my total loss check arriving. and STILL waiting on 2 pumps to come in the mail.. Well, at least I got my health.. oh wait.. that's screwed too.. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.. lol