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Gawd I cant hardly afford gas for it...I shudder to think wat tires cost now!!!!

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diafel...
You are really keeping us in suspense here.
What happened next ?

Sorry. It's a bit lengthy to explain, and because of it, I've been putting it off, but I will be on tomorrow with the update. I have had school starting for my now 6 year old, 2 birthday parties to attend and one to plan and host. It's been nuts.
I was going to post last night but fell asleep from exhaustion.
I promise I will post tomorrow....
Cheers!

errr yes he is and its been proven time and again...but admin saw fit to only suspend him so he is now thru his punishment and back to his boring old tricks

Diafel I dont think any right minded person thinks anything like that of you

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

Thank you, Morgan. I appreciate it.
Now, to finish the "story".
Something I forgot to mention: KJ made arrangements to pick up the gear on Friday evening.
Got no call, no nothing until Saturday morning at around 10:30am when he called asking to pick up the gear with no apology or anything about the previous night except he "couldn't get a vehicle".
I knew he had no car ATM but he said his parents would let him use theirs and indeed they have been letting him, so it shouldn't have been an issue, but a call would have been nice.

So he uses my gear on the Saturday night and told me when he picked it up that it would be returned on Sunday morning, while on his way to work in a neighboring town.
So I get up early (7:00am!) just to be ready to speak to him about using my gear without permission, etc. I wait ALL morning with not even a phone call. In the meantime, I need to get my daughter to a birthday party that afternoon, So I leave a sealed note on the door for him with instructions to drop off the gear in a utility trailer parked in the carport and that he could stash the cash in a mic case.
I get home after 5:00 pm and there is message on my answering machine that he will be back in town (a neighboring one) around 5:00 or 5:30 and he will call me again at that time. He said he could either bring me my gear for 8:00 pm setup or I can come pick it up sooner if that"s what I wanted.
5:30 comes and goes and it starts getting later and later with no call.
By 7:00 I'm starting to worry because I need the mixer for my show set up at 8:00. Hubby finally decides he will go and drag out the venue's monstrosity of a board for me to use and get it set up for me. I am highly irritated at the thought because the way the board is, it will mean that I will have to have my back turned to the audience for any sound mixing I wish to do and I will be "trapped" by audio cables from sneaking off the stage while a singer is singing. So off hubby goes at 8:00pm (when the venue opens) so that I at least can do the show.
8:25, the phone rings and it's guess who! He says he's sorry and that his car broke down and that's why he's late, but he will bring my gear up to me right away.
I don't argue with him at this point, as I just want my gear.
From his town to mine, should be a 20 minute drive.
He arrives at 8:45 and walks in with my board, makes a quick apology and goes back out. I assume he's bringing in the rest of my gear.
I busied myself tearing down the other board and hooking up mine. After 10 minutes, I notice he hasn't come in with anything else and my daughter walks in and says "he told me to tell you he's really sorry...."
WAIT!!! HE WHAT??? Where is he??? HE LEFT? WTF!!!
He left. Apparently, he got my daughter to open my van and he dumped (LITERALLY) everything into it, helter skelter and then high-tailed it out of there.
I asked my daughter if he gave her any money and of course he didn't.
He should have paid me $75 for Saturday night plus he owed me for a gig from a few weeks before.
Now I'm mad, but I become livid when I find a bunch of gear missing. My power bar, a mic cable, an RCA to 1/4" adapter and 3 extra long RCA audio cables that I NEED! Luckily, I had spares and rigged it up.
My board had also been put away with an RCA to 1/4" adapter left plugged into it. A HUGE NO-NO!!!! Easy way to break the board!
The paper request slips are just tossed in the bag that holds the cables without being elastic-ed together like they were when I gave them to him. Also, about half or more are missing. He was given enough to last at least 10 gigs!
So I immediately call him from my cell and leave a message that I would like my money and my gear. I was NOT rude and actually managed to sound nonchalant and friendly, given the situation.
No call back.
I call early the next morning (Monday) and leave another message.
Half an hour later, BF calls and leaves a message that he can drop off the money and gear at BF's store in that town as BF will be working there that day until 5:30.
I leave 2 Facebook messages asking him to contact me.
End of the day, no money or gear and no call. I call again that evening. No return.
I call again on Tuesday and again on Wednesday. NADA
Thursday night is my usual gig in his town.
I haul the owner aside when I get there and let him know the situation. That this KJ had delivered my gear late, nearly costing me my gig, had delivered it with items missing, and had not paid me any money at all. I let him know that KJ was extremely unreliable and that he had returned none of my calls during the week and that all attempts at contact were fruitless. I told him that because of this, I would not be allowing KJ to use my gear on Saturday and that he should consider the gig canceled. He also agreed that KJ was unreliable as he had tried to get KJ to call him on several occasions with the same result.
Halfway through the night, while I'm singing, guess who comes waltzing in and starts filling out request slips like there's never been an issue?
When I'm done my song, KJ comes over and tells me again he's sorry and I ask him where my money was. He said he was sorry he was in such a flustered state he "forgot" to pay me. Yeah right!
But then he indicates money on my table. I count it but it's missing the money from the previous gig he owed me for. I haul him outside.
He says he hasn't been paid for the previous gig yet (This WAS a rental). I let him know that that is not my concern as I rented the gear to him, not to the other guy, therefore HE was responsible to pay me.
I let him know in no uncertain terms that using my gear without authorization was not acceptable and I mentioned wear and tear, etc.
I told him that even though the charity was a worthy cause I should have the right to decide who I donate to and also should be able to get a tax slip for that. Because of what he did, I was denied both.
I tell him that returning my gear late and without a phone call to even let me know it wouldn't be delivered that morning as agreed was unacceptable.
I let him know he could have cost me the gig and I let him know that this is how I make my money and it's not a game for me.
I tell him that it's one thing to have the aggravation of missing gear and gear delivered late. That's to be expected from time to time, but to not even get paid for it makes it definitely not worth it.
Now his gigs are COSTING me money.
He said " I know I like to make money too. This is how I make my pocket money".
I just looked at him and told him: "This is NOT pocket money for me. This is how I put food on the table and pay my bills. This is NOT a game! If I don't have my gear, I can't pay my mortgage and I can't feed my family.It's NOT pocket money that I can do without."
I then asked him why he hadn't returned any of my calls.
He told me he was getting back from work too late at night, sometimes 10:00 or 10:30 and he felt it was too late to call. What bout Facebook, where we've ironed out most of our previous deals to begin with?
No answer for that one.
He then said: "Well, it's not been working real well for me. I get back from work so late and I can barely make the Saturdays."
I just looked at him and said "It's not working well for me either". We left it at that and he sang a few more tunes.
He left with a half hour left to go in the night and didn't say goodbye to me or ask me about gear for Saturday or anything.
At the end of the night, the venue owner told me that KJ had insisted he will be there Saturday. I let venue owner know that if he was there, that it wouldn't be with my gear.
So... Saturday....
My daughter has a birthday party to attend at 1:30pm until 4:00 pm and the family as whole has another to attend at 5:30 pm. I expect to get a call from KJ asking about gear, but didn't.
We go the kids party and I get home at 4:30. There has been a call and message from a number I didn't recognize at 3:30 with the message "Hello? Hello?" and then a hang up. 4:20 pm is another from the same number. It's him. He was asking when could he pick up the gear, or am I delivering it? Or am I doing the gig or does he need to find another rig to use? (Good luck with that one!)
Now I'm even more miffed. Does expect me to just sit around and wait till he calls to arrange for gear? Should I just put my life on hold to be at his whim when he finally feels like arranging gear pick up?
He's got gall.
Since I've already been very clear to the venue owner (had spoken to him again on Friday afternoon) that my gear was not going to be used by him and that it was highly unlikely that the gig would go on, and that I would have nothing further to do with it because the KJ was unreliable, I decide to give KJ what he gave me.
No return call.
At 7:30 pm KJ posts on his Facebook that there will be no karaoke with him that night or any other night.
I might add that he had my cell number as well as hubby's and made ZERO attempt to call either.
As an aside, hubby tried him out for a DJ gig the previous week and he botched it so bad that the people wanted their money back. He was unprofessional, "needy" (I don't know what that means, just what the clients said) and he told them it was his first gig.

Also, the previous gig that he had RENTED equipment from me, I had arranged to bring the gear to hubby's store at a designated time for him to pick up. I waited 20 minutes and called him. He "forgot" and asked me to wait another 15 minutes for him! I was pretty mad about that because I had other things to do.
Just pointing this out because he has a history of not showing when he says he will and being late.
Three strikes, you're out!
And he is!

Wow ! bad experience.

I'm sorry you had to deal with that and I'm so glad you sent him packing.

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The good news here is that this looser obviously lacks the skill, the responsibility and the motivation to become a competitor that you have to worry about. Sounds young and irresponsible. Needs to do some growing up. Perhaps you may have helped him with that

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-Kona

That's pretty much what hubby said!
And it's definitely true.
If he can"t get his crap together for one gig with my gear, how on earth is he going to manage to get his own gear and then get and KEEP gigs?
He did express a desire to get his own rig one day, but he can't even get and keep a vehicle of his own on the road.
And if he treats his own gear the way he treated mine, it will be broken and / or missing pieces in no time.
I have nothing to worry about, at least not for quite some time.

You definitely did the right thing diafel. I'm sorry for your bad experience. This guy has some serious issues to work out

Maybe there is someone else in your regular crowd that might be worth to give it a try?
I have 2 guys who occasionally help me out with gigs and they're both very reliable, good with customers and well liked by my regulars.

Your experience was just the worst case scenario. Don't give up that gig just for one idiot. There's no way it can get worse than what you experienced already.

He could have stolen my gear. I was actually beginning to thin he had....

Terrible experience, but I think it could have been worse. He sounds like the type that if you had let him use your gear again he would have come back and said "I had just loaded the stuff in my car, and somebody STOLE IT." Then we would probably have seen you on the evening news being led away in HANDCUFFS. Headline reads: Woman (Murderlizes employee). Or better yet, you might have made it on an episode of COPS. Bad boy's, Bad boy's, What you gonna do when they come for you? This episode was filmed on location, by the men and women of law enforcement.

Srnitynow

Well, I hope you at least get the money he owes you, but don't count on it. I wouldn't let him sing at my show if he still owed me equipment rent money.

This guy is one step above a panhandler, probably won't ever change. Possible, but improbable.

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KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

I see the point that is being made. I may not agree how it was made but we all need to look in the mirror at our own operations prior to pointing towards someone else.

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No venue to big or too small. From your den to the local club or event, we have the music most requested. Great sounding system!

We ALL understand the point being made.
However, it's irrelevant to the thread because it has NOTHING whatsoever to do with the topic at hand.
Besides, the question was answered LONG BEFORE it was ever asked and then answered AGAIN, TWICE more, yet he still insisted on harping at it. The way he went about it was akin to accusing me of piracy, which I don't take kindly to.

I'm considering suing for the previous gig money and for the cost of replacing the missing gear. I have my days free and can dedicate a few hours to write up and file a suit in small claims.

Diafel, I know you DEPLORE violence, but, a Loiueville Slugger is MUCH cheaper.
Watch Carrie Underwood video a couple of times, and have at it.

Srnitynow

I was just following the thread as it was developing and I was just interptering what I was reading. I want to apologize if I offended you. As for Piracy,it is such an emotional issue that I take very seriously since it directly affects my business, and I get protective. Fot that no apologizes.

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No venue to big or too small. From your den to the local club or event, we have the music most requested. Great sounding system!

Sadly I dont even think you think you would get any money.
Even if the court orderes it.

Not trying to be rude, but the thread is about using gear without authorization, NOT piracy. Let's please try to stay on topic, even though it did wander for a bit.



I would have to go to court again to garnishee wages or to place a lien on anything he owns. But I'm willing to do that. I have the time. Like I said, my days are free.

And you're not in a huge metropolis -- easier in that situation I would think, where people know him. What a jerkoff.