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Response to Hello Peter.
Hello Peter is a website that makes money from blackmailing businesses into responding. Anyone can make any allegations against you on the site and you have no recourse unless you pay the owner of the site.
Two allegations have been made against me, Guy McLaren. I am accused of taking deposits and not delivering goods in Pretoria. I don't know who made the allegation but apparently I am famous for it. For starters that would be fraud. Taking a deposit and not delivering is fraud. If I am known for it, surely many charges have been laid against me and the Police are looking for me.
Look how good a job I do of hiding, I have numerous websites and if you Google my name, There are numerous links to me, and even photos of me. If anyone wants to find me they can, If they haven't found me it's because they are not looking.
I had a disagreement with one client that went to court in Pretoria. Although I don't think this person is responsible. I have never run away with anyone's deposit. I don't think going to jail for a few thousand rand is in my best interests.
Next I have a client also with a nom de plume, but she is easy to identify. She claims and I paraphrase that I did substandard work and she is unhappy because I insist on getting paid.
When I issue a quote, I attach a set of terms and conditions in order to ensure that I get paid on time as well as to cover my behind against bad clients. We allow a retention for snags. One of the clauses on my agreement covers snags, No job ever gets done without there being something that gets overlooked. It is really as simple as when I send someone to do a job, they tell me it's done, I ask for payment. Every client has the right to list any faults in a specific order. The agreement says the snag list should be supplied within 24 hours. This is enough time for anyone to check a job and ensure that it is satisfactory.
I asked the client for a snag list after the 24 hours, I asked again and again, she sent me an SMS saying she was still busy with the snag list. After 2 weeks I sent a final demand. You would agree that that is not unreasonable right? I then got sent a few photos which are unclear, and told that I would have to come after hours, despite my agreement with her that I would have unfettered access and that we work standard business hours.
It is beyond me why people agree to the terms of an agreement and then ignore them totally. I get a few customers a year that think that they are above the law and can change any contract to suit them.
It seems that the lawlessness in South Africa means that even having a contract to protect you is really a waste of time. This year I have two clients so far that are trying to rewrite agreements, so I will not be surprised if yet another person makes accusations.
Something I fail to understand is that I am the bad Guy when people don't pay as per contract, I am the bad Guy when people refuse to do their part. If you are planning to be a bad client, please go to my opposition, I don't need more bad clients. I have an office full of goods that I cannot deliver because the client wants to change the contract. She also changed the contract with the builder, He is still waiting for money that was due in December. There is no way I install anything if she wants to unilaterally change the contract, but I will be the person that is offering bad service, that is ripping off clients.
Small business like mine suffer very badly when payments are withheld for reasons that make no sense. People like me end up selling their equipment because they installed the goods against better judgement. I am not planning to get any deeper in a hole by doing something against my better judgement.
Hello Peter will not allow me to respond without payment which because of non payment by a client I can ill afford. My business is close to the rocks, the lighthouse beckons but I will find a way through this as well.
