Jury Duty?

Hey,

I'm sure I can't be the only guy out there pretty much working solo. What do you do? I have jobs scheduled, service calls to take care, clients calling me for new stuff.

I have enough RMR to cover the bills, but that doesn't pay for all the equipment sitting on the shelves and in the field for new jobs underway. New construction is what makes my boat payment, helps with family obligations and makes up for the customers who don't pay their bills.

I broke my leg and was off my feet for almost three months a few years back. I very nearly went under back then, and I had a guy working for me, and a friend helping out where he could back then. Even so I could make calls, field customer issues, and talk techs through problems on my cell phone from my wheel chair. I had to be on the phone constantly to make it work. No cell phones allowed in the courthouse though.

Being on jury duty is worse. No cell phones or pagers in the courthouse, and you don't know when it will end. What if I get stuck on some capitol case that lasts for six months or a year or more. I'll be back to working all night and weekends to survive. Finally I'm at the point where I don't normally have to do that anymore, and the state wants to force me to. I don't have anybody working for me right now who can cover either. Not good.

What's worse, if find myself working weekends to just survive, then there goes my fishing time too. If I don't get my fishing time I might go crazy, and then you all will get called on for jury duty when they try me for going nuts and doing something stupid.

Reply to
Bob La Londe
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It's easy to get out of it in AZ.

All you havta do is tell them you are sole provider for your family and cannot take time off from work...it would cause severe hardship financially emortionally and physically. That usually works.

If it doesn' t chances of y ou actually being assigned a case is pretty slim...and thats when you be come a real "bigot"

Reply to
Crash Gordon

No problem John. I understand I sell out from under you guys on the other end sometimes. Long waits for service, and slow time lags on bigger system quotes.

We each have what we can give our customers.

Yes, I am sure one of my competitors whom I have helped out a couple times would be glad to cover service calls for me, but that isn't all that needs to be done. There is billing, service and maintenance for maintenance contracts, new installs, bid estimating, etc etc...

Normally I have a couple guys on part time or piece work I can use to fill in, but my good guy and my trainee are both out of town right now.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

Well, I am not the sole provider for my family, but I have a lot of recurring debt that needs to be covered on a monthly basis.

I hesitate to do that. Some judges will throw you in jail for contempt if they think you are just being less than your norma;

Reply to
Bob La Londe

Ha! Hit the wrong keys somehow.

normal self just to get out of jury duty.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

That I did. Made some calls. I was told no. I would have to talk to the judge about it. They were pretty snotty and inconsistant in what they said to.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

They've changed the rules a little, a few years ago. Used to be that you had to sign a statement saying you were sole proprietor, and you didn't have to show up. A few years ago I received notice that no one is automatically exempt and you must send them a letter requesting exemption and state the reason. If I remember right they sent me a request for corporate tax and/or payroll info and then they sent an exemption. A few months ago, I think they think that they sent me another notice to appear (unregistered mail). I never got it in the mail. The post office isn't perfect, I guess.

Reply to
Jim

Well you don't have to be obvious, i was exaggerating too. A lot of times they might ask if your divorced and its a divorce case if you say yes (if true of course) you'd probably be disqualified.

Easiest is to tell the truth, they'll probably let you out of it.

Reply to
Crash Gordon

ps...I've gotten out of it 4 times in phoenix...being the owner of a small business employing 14 people, if I had taken off from selling...14 people would have nothing to do...I would have had to lay them off until I could get back in the field to sell enough to employee them again.

Reply to
Crash Gordon

I'd rather do the jury duty than stick it on my wife, it would be less painful in the long run

Doug L

Reply to
Doug L

Now THAT'S where the subtlety comes in. For instance, a long, long, LONG time ago, (young and naive) I learned the ropes out of desperation and chance. I was called for jury duty and actually went and waited for days, to be picked for a case. It was four days and I was thinking that if I got called for a case then, it would be possible I could be on it for a long time, going into the next week or who knows how long. And my employer wasn't paying me for the days off. On the fifth day I was called for an auto accident case. When questioned by the attorneys, if I thought there was any reason for me to be diquaified as a juror, I asked (very wide eyed and innocently)if the fact that both my mother and wife had back injuries from being in an automobile accident would be a reason. (true) They didn't pick me.

THEN ...... I got the picture.

Ya just can't be negative about it, that's all. Act like you want to, but give them a reason that they can't possibly pick you. Be subtle, is all I can say.

I don't know what the rules are in your state, but get right on it now and write a letter to them stating that you are a sole propriator and send copies of your payroll/tax forms showning no one on your payroll, (if you can) Or if you can't ..... explain some employees as part time inexperienced help for bigger jobs that there is no one, office help to do the day to day necessities. Tell them that the security business is demanding and cannot leave you're clients unattended due to the fact of the very nature of the business of protecting thousands of dollars of your clients homes, businesses and posessions. Get that out, in the mail asap .... to whomever. Request at least a postponement at this time so that you can inquire further into the requirements of being called for duty. TA DA, TA DA, TA DA. If you delay, there'll be no time for them to make a decision either way and with out any decision or at least correspondence from them, you are bound to attened.

Squeaky hinge theory.

Reply to
Jim

No offense Bob, but that's what we used to sell against the one-man-show. Great service until something goes down. Is there someone in the business that you are close to in your area? Maybe you could work something out to cover each other's backs without stepping on each other's toes.

Reply to
J. Sloud

bob, tell them go bug someone else that cares :-)

Reply to
cctvbahamas

I remember long ago in New York I received a Jury Duty notice. Once they found out I was self employed, they said that exempts me from the program. You might want to make some phone calls to see if AZ has a similar exemption.

Jim Rojas

Reply to
Jim Rojas

I was able to get my wife to take my place at jury duty. usualy when self employed and n a critical job they will bypass you.

Reply to
Nick Markowitz

Heh... Let's see... "Your normal self"...

Love Harley's (the bigger the better) Love huntin' those bass Hate anything to do with "large corporations" (including the phone company) Still haven't got DIYComponents back on line... *at least get the FAQ site back up again, for pete's sake*!!!!

FWIW, walk into the courtroom after not having shaved for at least a month, with those mirrored type sun glasses, the full "leathers" and the "mushroom helmet"... and I figure any attorney worth his "salt" wouldn't look twice at ya... :-))

Reply to
Frank Olson

Bob....claim "financial hardship" if you are away from your 24 hour a day business......

Norm Mugford

Reply to
Norm Mugford

Being a senior citizen, I sent them a slip from my doctor stating I had an enlarged prostate. I let them know I would be happy to serve on a jury but under the disabilities act, I was handicapped and would require the use of a restroom every 15 minutes, and by law they had to make this available to me and could not exclude me from a jury because of my disability. Of course, this would have been quite disruptive. They mailed me back a letter saying they determined I wasn't handicapped but that I was being excused for medical reasons.

Bob

Reply to
Roberto

Roberto...your excuse is a real "pisser"

Norm

Reply to
Norm Mugford

Excellent... Let's put a different "spin" on it for Bob L. specifically. He's addicted to fishing. If he doesn't get his "fix" regularily he'll start exhibiting signs of "withdrawl", which might include wearing his "lucky lure" hat, and casting for bass in the courtroom... In Supreme Court (in Canada), they still wear wigs... Imagine "snaggin'" one of those... The judge'd be holding on to it for dear life and Bob would just be "reelin' him in"... :-))

Reply to
Frank Olson

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