All Replies on What A Friggin Jerk!

If he is lying to his wife about being able to make box, that is not all he is lying to her about….

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

what happens after a sale……………who cares.

A friend bought his parents a solid maple dining set which happened to be pure plastic……….I said nothing, as nothing would be gained.

I put a garden in for a friend, lots of hostas, perrenials, his wife said “Look what a beautiful garden my husband made for me……….I said nothing as what could be gained.

Happy wife, Happy Life

-- "Good artists borrow, great artists steal”…..Picasso

Glad you stuck to your principles. I laughed when I read that he paid $200 more than at the show….seems like justice was served!

-- Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....

I would have made sure to have a business card or a brand or something in there so he would have got busted.

-- Jim in Cushing Oklahoma

I agree, justice served.
Take the extra $200 and treat your wife to something special.

-- Doug...

Greg,
It is the jerks that will always be with us. The poor, on the other hand, have potential.
Roger

-- "Everybody makes mistakes. A craftsman always fixes them." (Monty Kennedy, "The Checkering and Carving of Gunstocks", 1952)

You don’t brand your boxes?

Anyway – weird incident.

Loren made a good point. You should put some marking on the box that you made it. Even if he does tell her he made it at least it will have your mark on it so it can be traced back to you as one of your boxes.

-- Dan - "Collector of Hand Planes"

Your integrity is inspirational, Greg. My only suggestion is to change the title of the thread to reflect your behavior, not his. He deserves no more press. You, on the other hand, do.

-- "...in his brain, which is as dry as the remainder biscuit after a voyage, he hath strange places cramm'd with observation, the which he vents in mangled forms." --Shakespeare, "As You Like It"

Good for you man people like that get right up my nose you should have put a compliments slip under the lid
for his wife to find
Best
Trevor

-- God created wood that we may create. Trevor East Yorkshire UK

The guy would get a lot more mileage from the truth. That he really wanted to make her one and tried, making several, none of them were good enough to give her. He really wanted to give her what she wanted, so he found the guy who made the one she really wanted and bought one for her. That is a winning story.

I really glad to hear you tacked on the additional “jerk” fee to the price.

-- Dan - Valparaiso, Indiana, "A smart man changes his mind, a fool never does."

You could probably have charged him a few hundred for the “No Signature Option” – kind of like paying for an unlisted phone number.

-- "Too much hurry ruins the body. I'll sit easy … fan the spark" - I. Anderson

I would have given her the failed attempts and then the one I bought. I’m guessing if I explained that to the guy I was buying one from I might have saved $200 or more… lol

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

just like a photographer,you don’t want someone else taking credit for your work.

good read you had on the guy about the extra 200.00

-- may not always be right,but,never in doubt.

Greg it is very disheartening to learn that we have a jerk here in Louisiana, living among us. You handled him just as you should have. Well done!

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

Please tell me you signature is somewhere inside the box to be discovered later.

-- Make furniture that lasts as long as the tree - Ryan

ROTFLMAO!!! He got what he deserved.

-- ♫♪♪♫♫ Saddletramp, saddletramp, I'm as free as the breeze and I ride where I please, saddletramp ♪♪♪♫♪ ...... Bob W....NW Michigan (Traverse City area)

The only thing that would make this story better was if you had your name engraved discreetly somewhere in the box where his wife would find it later.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

I think he’ll be busted anyway. There’s no way he can duplicate your efforts in your finished boxes. The box will speak for itself…unless she is really naive. Then in that case they make a beautiful couple.

-- Pops ~ In So Cal...

I hope his wife’s sisters / mom / nieces , want one just like it only in different woods…....what do you think the jerk would do then ? LOL

-- When did quiet and quite become the same word ? I'm guessing about the same time as your and you're did.

enjoy the extra $200; that guy was lucky you let him buy one at all.

-- Rob, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Glad you added the ‘jerk fee’ to someone who deserves it! Now you have a reason to make sure that your signature is on all your boxes.

-- Karen - a little bit of stupid goes a long way

A $200 AGGRAVATION TAX! You are my hero. -Jack

Mrs YS and I thoroughly enjoyed your story Greg. It reminded me of my story here

-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business. http://www.folksy.com/shops/TreeGems

You may have a captive customer for life. Imagine what will happen when his wife shows off the gift and the amazing “talents” of her husband. Then his wife will say, “Dear, my sister would love to have a box like this for her birthday. Could you make one for her?”

Be sure to increase the price by $50 each time.

-- "Too much hurry ruins the body. I'll sit easy … fan the spark" - I. Anderson

Thanks everyone for the positive support and feedback. I knew i was doing the right thing because have no tolerance for someone asking me to help getr over on someone. I just is not right..
As far as what his wife believes..that is his problem…good or bad.

I always put a small laser engraved brass plate on the bottom of each box that has my name on it. I previously tried branding my work…bought one of those fancy electric branding irons from Rockler…but I somehow seem to get more of the branding messed up and half burned or unreadable since different woods handle the branding differently…and i can’t undo a botched branding. That is when i switched to the engraved nameplates. Wanted something I couldn’t mess up. Besides, when I removed the nameplate for him I can use it on something else.

-- Every step of any project should be considered your masterpiece if you want the finished product to reflect the quality of your work. http://www.FineArtBoxes.com

Guess his wife would be able to tell yours from another anyway as you have your uniqe character in the way you do it. If I could copy your work LOL there would still be a difference. Like a Krenov piece and the omage pieces?

Wonder how much BS he gives his customers?

Has the iron got a logo like a branding iron?

-- Cau Haus Designs, Thomas J. Tieffenbacher

My Uncle used to have a sign in his blacksmith shop
“HOURLY RATES”
$5. per hr if I do it.
$10. per hr if you sit and watch me do it.
$15. per hr if you help me do it
and
$25.per hour if you tried yourself first and couldn’t do it !

-- "My mission in life - make everyone smile !"

Its one thing for him to lie and tell his wife he made it. Thats all on him and his conscience… but to ask you to get rapped up in the lie, well, thats just flat out crossing the line. I don’t blame you for sticking it to him, after he tried sticking it to you. I sign all my pieces, unless they want to strip it down, sand my name out, and refinish the piece, good luck trying to pass it off as theirs.

-- There are many ways to skin a cat...... but, the butter knife is not recommended

Wow typical of a contractor though. These guys tend to not understand the difference of building a home and furniture grade items. I know because i am a contractor but I am also a artist/furniture builder.

this world has got em all, doesn’t it

-- Roger from KY. Work/Play/Travel Safe. Kentuk55@bellsouth.net

There’s all kinds of people out there. You did the right thing, on ALL accounts. You’re a stand up guy.

-- Backer boards, stop blocks, build oversized, and never buy a hand plane--

I hope the story that the guy had to pay $200 more is just dramatization. If it was indeed the case, allow me to disagree with many of the comments posted here. Yes, that guy was wrong to ask to you to lie for him, and you as the seller were absolutely right not to comply with his request. You had every right to tell him he was wrong or even refuse to sell the box to him. But why did you have to punish him the way you did, perhaps sensing he had no other options because of his commitment to his wife?

Don’t mistaken me, I am not here to defend the action of the buyer. He started on the wrong course right from the beginning. But to make him pay more because of his situation isn’t a much more honorable act in my view. If everyone behaves in a similar manner, this world will be full of people who judge and punish as they see fit. An eye for an eye rules? I feel sorry for the guy and his wife who are now $200 poorer. I do not share with the views expressed here in support of the seller’s punishing action. The degree of punishment is out of line.

-- The time I enjoy wasting is not time wasted

I think the $200.00 Idiot/A-hole/Jerk fee is completely appropriate considering the situation. I probably wouldn’t have sold him anything after he told me he lied to his wife like that. BUT I’m pretty stubborn that way!!!!!!! I would have told him “Good luck making your box, SEE YA!!!!!”

-- I have metal in my neck but wood in my blood!!

Chuck, I believe you are assuming the fee was because the jerk was in a bind. I choose to believe that the price at the show was “On Sale”, later on he had to pay the “regular price”. Or that it was well-deserved ’punishment’ for asking Greg to lie. :)

-- Backer boards, stop blocks, build oversized, and never buy a hand plane--

I rarely reply, but wish to share my thoughts. I agree with ChuckM to the extent that I would not have charged the lying husband an additional $200. I have no respect for a man who would lie to his wife, however, I believe taking advantage of his situation for personal profit is wrong too.

-- Randy, Tupelo, MS ~ A man who honors his wife will have children who honor their father.

Rance: “I choose to believe that the price at the show was “On Sale”, later on he had to pay the “regular price”. “

The seller doesn’t provide any info. on this and your assumption may be right or wrong. If the additional price was the normal mark-up, that was absolutely fine, but the seller was giving a different impression as he wrote:”I gave him a price $200 higher that when it was for sale at the show. He was pissed….” Not trying to split hair here: he wasn’t saying “I gave him the regular price.”

On the other hand, if he was indeed offering the buyer the regular price, all the comments singing praises about the seller’s “action” have been misplaced. What did the seller do to earn all the applause? The $200 extra he charged was just part of the normal thing in his business. He just did what he usually does with a customer coming forward after the sale period. I may have misread his point or the title of the thread is misleading, but the pouring of support and encouragement really surprised me. In my view, two wrongs don’t make a right. The seller might not be intentional but his course of action isn’t something I’d endorse.

-- The time I enjoy wasting is not time wasted

Meh… I don’t care about the credit, but it seems to mean a lot to him. I’d refuse to lie because he was being a little b* about it, and because he was too damned cocky and self sure at the show. A bit of humility would do a lot of people good.

ChuckM…
I did the right thing by charging him what I did. I was not the one asking someone to lie if necessary and I most certainly did not force him to dig into his pocket and take out his money…he had a choice to not buy it just as he had a choice to be honest. He could of easily told his wife the truth and saved money and would not have backed himself into a corner. I believe that if someone will lie that easily to anyone, whether it is a spouse, friend, stranger or whoever then they do not have my respect.
I spend alot of time creating my work and can charge whatever I like and it is up to each person to either decide it is worth the money or decide it is not worth the money.
I have also sold my work cheaper than my asking price to people I enjoyed meeting and took a liking to.
Sales is all about negotiating and this just happened to be negotiated in an upwards direction.

Randy Sharp…No one was taken advange of because I expressed my honest thoughts to him and he made the decision buy instead of walking away. There was no lies on my part. I stand up for what I believe.

-- Every step of any project should be considered your masterpiece if you want the finished product to reflect the quality of your work. http://www.FineArtBoxes.com

Grey: You haven’t clarified whether you charged the guy $200 more because he intended to lie. As a seller, you’re free to charge any price you think your work is worth. The impression of your first post and many of the responses to it, however, seem to be suggesting that the $200 extra was levied simply because this guy wanted to “cheat.”

For the record, I do not condone the guy’s action nor did I suggest your work be worth anything more or anything less. If you were just selling the box to him at the regular price, you might have sent a different message in your story.

Also, if a potential customer is a jerk, I, as some have expressed so too, will exercise my right as a seller not to sell. Of course, that’s me only—and every seller has his or her own considerations.

-- The time I enjoy wasting is not time wasted

Perhaps the $200 should be seen as the fee for performing a particularly onerous service – that of removing the brass plate from the bottom. After all, the plate is Greg’s advertising for future business. Without it there, he is potentially losing future work and so he should make the greatest possible profit up front on this box.

-- I may have lost my marbles, but I still have my love of woodworking

It is juts pure capitalism. A seller sets the price for each individual potential buyer at the maximum he believes that individual will pay.

Did you ever have to buy a bottle of water at an airport now that they won’t let you bring it in from outside the security zone?

-- "Too much hurry ruins the body. I'll sit easy … fan the spark" - I. Anderson

Pretty slimy. You can bet that’s not the only turd-like quality he possesses.

-- My dad and I built a 65 chev pick up.I killed trannys in that thing for some reason-Hog

ONLY 200 !!!!!! Betcha couda got 3

-- Rockbuster,Ft. Wayne,In It is far better to remain silent, and appear the fool, than it is to open ones mouth, and remove all doubt.

Please reread my posts. At no times did I challenge Grey’s right to set whatever price he wanted from the buyer. He can charge anything he likes; I am only openly voicing my concern about the views expressed by many that seem to suggest if the guy planned to cheat (one wrong), we could do another wrong based on his circumstances.

It’s not an issue about capitalism nor about the potential loss of revenue. If Grey came over here and told us he charged the guy $200 more for extra service because his nameplate was removed by request or because there would be a loss of potential sale (as remote as it might be—the guy wasn’t planning to put the piece in a gallery or museum for the public to view, was he?), fine. No one would think he charged the extra $200 to teach the guy a lesson (and that exactly is what it was based on his first post and that was why many sent in their applause). But that has not been the case. (By charging the guy $200 more this time, Grey was pretty much losing this customer for any future purchases. Grey might not care, but the point that the removal of the nameplate would cause loss of revenue is a moot point to try to argue that the $200 wasn’t a punishment in any way.)

I didn’t use words like overcharging, ripping off, or stealing to describe about the extra money Grey received from the guy. The guy did agree to pay that amount even though he was pissed off. If he had had a better option, he might have walked away. If he had done as WayneC suggested, he might not have had to pay the “penalty.”

No one is playing Saints here. Even if I am a lone voice (the majority are in silence out of some 700 views), I have to point out that I don’t go along with the notion that charging the buyer $200 in this case was something to be proud of or worth the kinds of praises or “congrats” we see here. And to suggest that this guy must have other bad qualities because of this one act or because he’s a contractor is pure emotion and beyond logic. At least he was trying to do something to please his wife. The intention is at least honorable though the method is wrong. There’re more gracious ways to treat this person and making him pay $200 more isn’t one of them, no matter how we spin it.

-- The time I enjoy wasting is not time wasted

Greg, would you have charged him the extra $200 if he simply wanted to buy it without the deception?

My first reaction when I read your account was similar to ChuckM’s. I found it odd that you would add $200 to the price simply because he asked you to lie for him, but then I thought that’s one way to discourage a sale without an outright refusal to sell to the guy. If so, you should have tacked on a $1000 to clearly convey the point.

The irony of this all is that if the guy had been honest with his wife in the first place and told her her had tried to make her the box himself but failed (and showed it), but as he only wanted the best for her, he took it upon himself to go out and purchase a box from a WW whose work she admired.
Now how many brownie points do you think that would have made…... and all the truth. Greg would be flattered, the guy could say he tried to make one personally but failed, And the lady would think he walked on water.

-- Roger-R, Republic of Texas. "Always look on the Bright Side of Life" - An eyeball to eyeball confrontation with a blind person is as complete waste of Time.

And thats the way some of the people on this earth are. you cant do anything after the sale but hey you got your jungle justice out of it.

-- http://aewoodworks.webs.com

If you knew where the guy lived, I’d stop buy and return the $200 to his wife (that you over charge) and tell her you felt gulity for charging her husband more for the box.

-- Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didin't do then by the ones you did. - Mark Twain

magicman: Best post yet!!!!!

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"