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  • Report:  #374494

Complaint Review: Ole Handyman - Mike Finch - Princeton TX 75407 Texas

Reported By:
- Allen, Texas,
Submitted:
Updated:

Ole Handyman - Mike Finch
279 Hailee Cr Princeton TX 75407, 75407 Texas, U.S.A.
Web:
N/A
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?
Mike Finch, owner of Ole Handyman requested that I build a website for him and his partners for a new power toy business. I did as he asked and was never paid for it. The amount was $404.94.

He owes me an additional $1200.00 for site maintenance not included in our original contract for his olehandyman.com website.

He also ordered a magazine ad from me in the amount of $757.75.

I billed him for all 3 items and he returned my invoices to me saying he was refusing to pay. Mike stated to me that he was waiting to get his draw to pay me and that he would take care of it as soon possible. The same conversation took place two weeks in a row, several times. Then he stopped returning my calls and returned my invoices.

I have since been told by several other people not to trust him that he did THE EXACT SAME THING to them!!!

I took down his website for non-payment and he threatened me with criminal prosecution. I have since restored his website not wanting to press the issue. I'm still not sure whether I have legal rights to do that.

I also removed him from the magazine at the last moment.

I did his original website for him with a contract and he paid me for it. When I asked him about the other projects he said that he didn't need contracts. His word was gold. I didn't argue since I had already had a positive experience with him. I'm assuming that's because he knew he wasn't going to pay me for anything.

I have done honest work for him and I just want to be paid for the work that I have done. He gets paid for what he does but does not pay others what he owes them! He still owes me $1200 for site maintenance and $404.94 for the toy website. I have filed a complaint with The Better Business Bureau. I am also filing a suit against him.

He was recently voted Handyman of the Year 2008 but I don't know how he sleeps at night. From a business perspective, it's not a good idea to treat other people in the community the way he has!

Txgraphicsgirl

Allen, Texas

U.S.A.


4 Updates & Rebuttals

Justdon''tgetit

The Colony,
Texas,
USA
Kim Holt

#2

Wed, August 19, 2009

Txgraphicsgirl has a lot of nerve talking about someone owing her money! She took money from an apartment complex last December and promised services that were never done. We have tried many attempts to collect this money! She will not respond to our emails!! The apartment complex is a low income property and when promised that she would provide a Christmas party for the residents we were thrilled. Then the first of December she canceled promising to send the $400.00 back. It is now August still no money! Anyone out there do not deal with this person she will take your money and ignore you!!


Olehandyman

Princeton,
Texas,
U.S.A.
Hard -working honest Handyman

#3REBUTTAL Owner of company

Thu, February 19, 2009

Kim Holt upgrade my existing web page in February 2008. She sent me a sample of her work which I approved and paid in full $700.00 with check #12958 dated 3-1-08. July 14,2008 she emailed me that she had not had time to complete my upgrades as she was too busy working on the magazine. There is still additional pictures that I paid her for that was never added to the web page. The Allen Style magazine ad was to be published in March 2008. In July the magazine still had not be published. To my knowledge the magazine still has not gone to print. I do not think I should pay for a service not rendered. She sent me a sample of the 'Toy' web page which I never approved to go forward with. I should not have to pay for a web page I never approved. She put a block on my web page which I own. I contacted the District Attorney which advised me that she legelly could not do this as it was a felony.They advised me to give her 24 hour notice before I filed any charges. She did restore the web page in timely manner and I thought this matter was resolved. I do not appreciate the slander which she has personally put on myself and my company. I have serviced over 3000 customers (many of them repeat) in 24 years of business. I have had only 1 complaint at Better Business Bureau which was dismissed after I presented the invoices of serviced rendered. My accountant has sent me a letter to advise me that they have not been able to contact her by mail or phone to process Mrs. Holts 2008-1099 form .


Tara

Hurst,
Texas,
U.S.A.
You can't take his site down but you can remove your own work product.

#4Consumer Suggestion

Sun, September 28, 2008

Hey Coder, You are kind of in a hard place. You did a website for him that he paid for so now you have to ask yourself specific questions: Did you do a completely new page for his 'toys' or was it an extension of his previous tree? If it was a totally new website then sure you can take the site down. You have every right to remove your intellectual property if you have not been paid for your services. See what you have is a contract which was written to reflect that in exchange for $xxx.xx from your client you are providing a service which involves a creative service on your part. In other words; until he pays for the product which he is now benefitting from you still own it. Your product is your creativity and he hasn't paid for the end result so therefore you still own it and can do with it as you please. He has no grounds to sue you unless he can present solid proof that he paid, you deposited and there is some paper trail to show that the funds were remitted. Now if it is just an extension off his previous tree then you can return the site to the state it was before you made the changes, remove the extension pages for the 'toys' and let him try and hire someone else to do it. Who registered the domain and who paid for it? When I build a site I register and pay with my credit card. If you set up the registration and paid through your own funds then technically you own that site, the domain, and all data contained within. With that said, you can do anything you want with that site. Put pink fairies and purple puppies on the thing if that is what makes you happy. The moral of the story is if you did the work and he didn't pay then you still own that work..... failure to pay for services rendered means that there has been no transfer of ownership and while it may really suck that you have a hosting plan and domain that you can't do jack with at least you know he won't be making money off cheating you. And since you guys had a verbal contract keep this in mind....... He will try to say that you guys had a verbal contract that permitted for him to pay over net terms or you did it out of the goodness of your heart for an old client. Stand your ground baby........ Look at him and say "yes we did have a verbal contract, I don't work for free and you have failed to pay me for the work which has been performed. As such you have breeched our verbal contract which means that I can't not and will not provide you with the product until you pay for the product." Make sure you have all your ducks in a row though, get your receipts for the hosting package and the domain and a breakdown of what your labor costs entailed and your standard charge for those services. Good Luck! A Fellow Code-monkey


Txgraphicsgirl

Allen,
Texas,
U.S.A.
I would like to add...

#5Author of original report

Sun, September 21, 2008

I still want to get paid, but I have decided not to file a suit against him. I am tired of losing sleep over this matter and he's just not worth it. He obviously takes good care of his clients, just not those that help him achieve his success. This is a hard lesson learned for me to always get contracts no matter what!

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