To the friendly folks at BOINKS

A-man brother jerk his short and curly's RTS

Big companies like that will simply blame this all on some paperwork error on your part. Most insist on pointing to some obscure (very recent) "policy change" that YOU didn't comply with in your billing paperwork you submitted to them. I really hate new construction jobs where you think you're dealing with the end user (and you are actually) but all the paperwork for payment gets submitted to the (some big regional or national) general contractor for payment. Sometime it takes up to 2.5 years (the record for us so far) to get the paperwork just right so you can get paid. How many vendors just give up (or go out of business) before that? Plenty I bet. It is just another way to generate a profit for the big boys. As for any attorneys being upset by you bringing a case against them, I think not. It is just a another pay day for them. As for "BOINKS" as well as the other biggies, once you file a suit them both sides try to settle for pennies on the dollar and you probably won't get any more work from that general contractor (or "BOINKS"). Not that you'd want any new business with idiots like this, but when you get into big projects, sometimes you end up in a shotgun wedding with these guys.

I quit working for general contractors last year. I almost got roped into a project recently. I was told by the developer I would be working directly for him, and then at the first contractor's meeting with the general in charge of the project I was told the general would control all the purse strings, and authorize all payments. Add on huge liquidated damages, the fact that this contractor has put atleast a couple good quality specialties out of business in the past, and I was very skeptical. When the main dude for the general at the first specialty orientation meeting then proceeded to proudly tell a room full of specialty contractors that the job of a general contractor was to take the low bidder and make them perform like the high bidder I walked out.

It would have the biggest job I've ever done.

I learned my lesson. Doesn't matter how profitable a job is if the general can screw you out of the profits, and even take away your ability to pay expenses.

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@u72g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@u72g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...

Now they are going to really need to collect from "that other guy" so they can afford to pay you. I hear he has been strock piling coconuts in the unlikely event that he actually has to pay them.

Yeah, I like to be in the position to tell builders to piss off when they pull their crap. I contract with the homeowner, period. Don't like that? Call AD friggin T.

I haven't worked for a GC or a builder in years and wont ever again. I had my fill of the lies and price "re-negotiations" after the work is completed. That's the "trick" used around here. Towards the end of my dealings I was no longer giving "builder discounts" I was getting 1/2 of the entire job up front for the prewire. Half of the balance upon start up of the final. And even then got screwed out of the last payment (although I'd already been paid for the job, out of the previous payments.) It's not that I wasn't making the money it's just that I don't want the hassel of wondering where I'm going to be screwed next, waiting forever to get paid, when I can deal directly with the homeowner who pays up front. Looking back I can't even think of why I thought that doing business with builders and GC's was even inviting. Something about the possibility of growing the company faster or something, I guess. It's for the big companys, in my opinion. It's seems that it's just a rule of thumb for the builders. Get the little guys involved and promise them the world, then screw them because they're too small and don't have the resouces to persue you for compensation.

I watched Toll Brothers, a large multi-state builder, sink three small alarm dealers on the same developement. The forth, a larger company finally finished it. Promises of grandeur, which doesn't pay the bills, gets them everytime. I fell for it when I was young and luckily I survived those hard knocks.

And don't fail to mention large regional grocery companies for making promises and sinking companies. They will give you an ass pounding you'll never forget. You'll get their tit out of the wringer (pulling all nighters to get them their C of O - once they accelerate the opening schedule on a new store - or need a remoldel in a busy location for example) and as a reward they will put your tit in the wringer by stringing out payment for 6 months and never think twice about it. There are few better moments than telling the boys that think they have it all under control (including you) to FO and give them back there plans and the P.O.s. Suppliers that know exactly why they're getting strung out will hound you to no end for payment. Would they do the same to the large companies? Never in a million years. Big companies have one set of rules for payment terms and small companies have a whole different standard. If you want to get paid in anything less than 60 days you have to submit back dated invoices. It is easy to confuse a company with a good brand name for a good potential customer. But it ain't that way in real life.

I use to submit backdated invoices for exactly that same reason. And for the most part, it worked like a charm.

Before Rollins sold out to ADT, I had 5+ years of outstanding invoices with Rollins. It turned out that Rollins corporate had no idea their branch manager was hiring subcontractors to get large commercial jobs done on time. So when I finally had to go to arbitration to settle the past due invoices, I brought along paid invoices with the Rollins check stubs neatly attached to each paid invoice...Well it turned out the branch manager had a secret fund he used to push the invoices through locally...The ADT attorneys looked at my paid invoices and asked for copies. 5 minutes later their attorneys said I would get full payment plus 40 percent extra for the 5+ year delay...boy that was a nice payday when it finally arrived. The extra 40 percent more than covered my attorney cost.

Jim Rojas

Just Look> And don't fail to mention large regional grocery companies for making

I doubt it. "Boinks" has smaller fish to fry.