Im a crook...YOU decide and give .02 worth

[Himark]

I have feud going with a coworker/friend. Anway I will lay it out there un-biased and you decide.

Background, I manage a GM shop and two of the mechanics have been keeping take off items and customer parts that were still good but unwanted by the customer, stuff was unclaimed.

I am headed to a annual auto swap meet in April of 2010 with a trailer load of things to sell of MY own. Mechanic #2 comes to me and asks if I will take some items with me that they have and put them out for sale. I agree and take mechanic #2 items and he tells mechanic #1 whats going on. Mechanic #1 brings items to me himself to add to the pile.

Swap meets over and I bring them a tally of SOLD items and pay 100% of the cash they brought to mechanic #2, #2 then disperses cash to #1.

TODAY, 1 year 7 months later, mechanic #1 has chance to sell one of the items that did not sell and calls me for the item. I do not have any of the items as I cleaned out my storage garage and threw everything away nearly a year ago..

Here is the arguement. #1 says they had value and I should pay him.

I said if they were so valued why didnt you ask for them back in the year and 7 months?

He is demanding payment. I said fine, a monthly storage fee it will wash....he said "you are a crook"

It is a silly arguement IMO and I feel if they were worth so much why did I have to deal with them for nearly 2 years. I did throw the stuff away without calling them and I did appologize for that.

Whats your opinion?

 

[jim9006]

"Swap meets over and I bring them a tally of SOLD items and pay 100% of the cash they brought to mechanic #2, #2 then disperses cash to #1."

Need more info here... What was said about the parts you came back with at that time?

 

[Scott]

--If something isn't yours, you shouldn't throw it away.


--If it takes you a year and half to ask for something that's yours, you aren't too concerned about it.

 

[Stray cat]

They should have collected items that didn't said within a few weeks, if they didn't you should have told them to come get them or let them know your plans when you cleaned out your garage. parts were free tell em sorry and move on

 

[Himark]

"Swap meets over and I bring them a tally of SOLD items and pay 100% of the cash they brought to mechanic #2, #2 then disperses cash to #1."

Need more info here... What was said about the parts you came back with at that time?

They said nothing about the parts that were not sold. Never asked never said anything. I put them in storage with my parts that were not sold and at later time I cleaned out my storage.

 

[Himark]

--If it takes you a year and half to ask for something that's yours, you aren't too concerned about it.

This is the very reason I tossed the storage buildings contents without calling them. Regretfully now, hindsight is 20/20

 

[jim9006]

They said nothing about the parts that were not sold. Never asked never said anything. I put them in storage with my parts that were not sold and at later time I cleaned out my storage.

Ok then, here's what you say... "Since you brought it up, those parts you left me with cost me labor, storage and disposal fees, to say nothing of my comission on the sale of the ones that did sell. So the way I see it you owe me X$" Then you can call him a dead beat debtor and have grounds to attach his wadges or maybe even fire him! Yeah... I like it!

 

[Scott]

Ok then, here's what you say... "Since you brought it up, those parts you left me with cost me labor, storage and disposal fees, to say nothing of my comission on the sale of the ones that did sell. So the way I see it you owe me X$" Then you can call him a dead beat debtor and have grounds to attach his wadges or maybe even fire him! Yeah... I like it!

Yeah.

And too bad the communication wasn't more clear a year and a half ago.
Didn't you ask him what he wanted to do with the stuff that didn't sell? Seems like that should have been brought up right away.

 

[Racer220]

It is what it is at this point. I 1/2 agree with Scott on the fact that if they thought they could get money for the stuff they would have tried to move it sooner.

People will always try to take advantage of a situation only when they think it will benefit them. When things don't work out because one thing or another is when they start to show their true colors. You could make a counter claim about the whole storage/disposal fees, commission, yada........, but that stuff is null and void since it was never brought up in the first place. Just like the plaintiff never told the OP about what he wanted done with the stuff that didn't sell.

To the OP, tell the plaintiff to get over it. If he wants to be a little baby over it, advise him to be more specific about what he wants done with *cough* *cough* 'his stuff' in the future. Just my .02

racer

 

[newmy1]

1. He is an idiot for not asking for UNSOLD parts when you returned from the swap. Couldn't have been worth much if he didn't ask for them.
2. Him being an idiot does not make you the owner of UNSOLD parts, therefore you didn't have any right to throw them out. Couldn't have been worth much if you didn't see the need to keep them.

With that said, IMO you both f'd up here and need to come to a middle ground on the issue. If you can't do that, tell him to eat it as you are the boss If that doens't get you to middle ground, fire his azz for some other reason.

 

[winter brew]

What was the approx. value of this part?? I think that is important. Is it $5 or $5,000 ???

 

[ruffryder]

They said nothing about the parts that were not sold. Never asked never said anything. I put them in storage with my parts that were not sold and at later time I cleaned out my storage.

Why didn't you say anything? Seems like an error on your part.

 

[Dartos]

Background, I manage a GM shop and two of the mechanics have been keeping take off items and customer parts that were still good but unwanted by the customer, stuff was unclaimed.

It sounds like the manager has a prime opportunity to make a policy change and not allow individuals to take customer parts for personal gain. That will prevent this from happening in the future.

Since the parts cost him nothing, tell him to go pound sand up his azz. (Politely of course) He is out zero dollars in real money.

Brilliant thought just now!!!!
I look at as you did nothing different then they did.

Mechanic #1 and #2 took unclaimed parts and did with them as they saw fit.
You took unclaimed parts and did with them as you saw fit.

 

[PJ-Hunter]

It sounds like the manager has a prime opportunity to make a policy change and not allow individuals to take customer parts for personal gain. That will prevent this from happening in the future.

Since the parts cost him nothing, tell him to go pound sand up his azz. (Politely of course) He is out zero dollars in real money.

Brilliant thought just now!!!!
I look at as you did nothing different then they did.

Mechanic #1 and #2 took unclaimed parts and did with them as they saw fit.
You took unclaimed parts and did with them as you saw fit.

Since you are the manager, implement this idea. Then fire Mech #1 for being an AS$CLOWN. Problem solved.

 

[Himark]

Why didn't you say anything? Seems like an error on your part.

agreed...and as stated. hindsight 20/20. I did tell him this and for that told him "sorry"

I seen them as not to valuable as he never asked and I had a entire building full of the stuff that had to be delt with.

 

[Himark]

What was the approx. value of this part?? I think that is important. Is it $5 or $5,000 ???

Good question.

Parts are high value if needed. ie, a mirror from a 2002 chevy truck low profile manual mirror no power no heat, base model truck. Value GM new 200 plus bux. Swap meet lucky to get anything. Heck power mirrors same style sell on ebay for 30-40 bux.

So givin that in a PERFECT world if I had a buyer that needed each part they had. Value would of been 3-400 bux.

In comparison to parts I trashed I would of scrapped well over 10,000.00$ in the same haul.

Keep in mind its not a perfect world and these parts are "obsolesence inventory" for most part.

 

[Mafesto]

I'm just glad to know that when I pay overpriced costs for replacement parts, some of the parts removed can be sold as good parts.
No wonder repairs are so azzfreaking expensive!

 

[HDEMWET]

You did the guy a favor, don't feel guilty. You never charged him commission and you got stiffed with storing stuff on your dime. As was mentioned, if he was that interested in the extra parts, he would have picked them up sooner than a year and a half later.

 

[BossRev]

I agree with Dartos.

The customers are customers of the shop. the work was preformed in the shop on shop hours, there for the parts belong to the shop..

They're all crooks for taking the shops parts for personal gain. IMO..

 

[av8er]

I would tell them they are gone , and tough cookie

also I would tell them that they owe you a commission on the money you gave to them for the parts, I would also tell them that if they give you any more guff about it that you will change the store policy, and not let any of them keep the takeoff parts ever.