A question of legality perhaps

[Dark]

Just kinda musing here but I was reading the horror story about a tech getting assaulted by a dog, the owner offering weed then threatening the tech AND stiffing him on the bill.

I wonder if it would be legal to:
Install a program on customers computers when you repair them that locked the computer until you get paid and give them the code to unlock the computer. Once removed the program would automatically uninstall itself.

Thoughts?

 

[14049752]

I probably wouldn't want to risk messing with that, even if you could somehow justify it legally.

Honestly, the best way to make sure you get paid is by having good procedures and making sure your terms and conditions are solid.
Oh, and charging a professional fee (assuming you are a professional) so that you avoid deadbeats like the guy mentioned.

 

[Cybjun]

I really dont think that would be legal, It does depend on your location. I've been stiffed on location repairs, had a gun pulled on me, and threaten to be beaten to death.

I found the best way to handle those types of situations is legally and professionally. a bounced check is reported to the DA's office, a demand for payment letter is sent to the offender and if no progress is made I turn it over to a collections agent. I have a note in my disclaimer that if I witness any illegal activity I will report it to law enforcement. So if someone pulls a joint out and offers it to me, I will call the local sheriffs. the guy that pulled to gun on me happened when I worked with best buy, I would have called to police (happened in different area thats why its police and not sheriffs) on him but I was informed by my general manager if I did I would have been fired so I stopped doing onsite work for them and kept the job for a little longer.

 

[Appleby]

It could just be me but......

I've been in business over 4 years. 99% of my payments are made by checks. I've had about 3 checks max bounce every year and in every case, I eventually got my money.

I've had two customers actually stiff me totally in 4 years. One was a regular customer who just never mailed her check and seemed to disappear on me. I've called, I've written letters, mailed invoices, everything I am willing to do for a $65 bill and she never paid. After 1 year, I mailed one last letter and then cleared the debt from my books. The other was a nationally known pizza franchise that was a great customer of mine. I did alot of business with them and they always paid me within a day or two of receiving my invoice. The stuck me with about $350-$400 in labor when they started having major money problems and the owners sold the business. I could have gone after the new business owners but I elected not to, but instead tried to get their future business. That didn't happen I've heard I should be very glad because they are a pain to deal with. So I guess I'm glad that didn't work out.

So in 4 years I've lost under $500 in labor, no parts and both times it was by repeat customers that had paid me multiple times before and I'd never had a problem with them.

My point is, I don't know if I'm just lucky or what, but I do not understand all the talk of ways of making sure your customers pay you, no longer taking checks, getting all payments in advance, locking down systems to ensure payments and even ideas of repo-ing machines in case of non-payment. Maybe it's just because I'm in a small town or because I'm in the South or because I'm in Texas or because I've just been wildly lucky but I don't have a real issue with this in my opinion.

Knock on wood.

 

[JustMe]

Same here. Over 95% of my customers pay with checks as well. The other 5% pay with Visa/Mastercard or cash.

In 4+ years I've only had 3 bounce checks total. All 3 paid after my initial phone call. And I still let all 3 pay with checks and they all have been good since.

 

[Xander]

It's do-able

• Program runs as service with officially name in officialish place
• Tech, once declaring customer a deadbeat, edits a file on a server
• Program downloads text file and parses it for that computer's name
• If found, program finds a very large file and copies it to one of several innocuous locations, slowly filling the hard drive
• Program is set to run up increasingly greater CPU cycles as time goes by, slowly grinding the CPU to 0% idle over the course of a couple of weeks
• At any point, should a payment clear, the tech can re-edit the online file and the service uninstalls itself.

Just saying I've thought it out and could do it.... but only been tempted once.

 

[RegEdit]

A friend of mine told me a story about a freelance repair guy who used to secretively install a simple program that would essentially disable the computer after 30 days if it wasn't removed. He'd install this thing if someone said that they "couldn't pay him right now". If they followed through then he'd call them up and say "Oh. There was one more little thing I forgot to fix on your computer. Let me come over and fix it." Then he'd disable the time bomb program. Sounds pretty illegal to me, but how would someone prove it wasn't just a virus that got on there? Fortunately I live in a really upscale community where there is no such thing as crime. Haven't had someone stiff me yet. If someone does I'd just take 'em to small claims. Slam dunk case if you have a signed invoice that's worded properly.

 

[NeutronTech]

I really dont think that would be legal, It does depend on your location. I've been stiffed on location repairs, had a gun pulled on me, and threaten to be beaten to death.

I found the best way to handle those types of situations is legally and professionally. a bounced check is reported to the DA's office, a demand for payment letter is sent to the offender and if no progress is made I turn it over to a collections agent. I have a note in my disclaimer that if I witness any illegal activity I will report it to law enforcement. So if someone pulls a joint out and offers it to me, I will call the local sheriffs. the guy that pulled to gun on me happened when I worked with best buy, I would have called to police (happened in different area thats why its police and not sheriffs) on him but I was informed by my general manager if I did I would have been fired so I stopped doing onsite work for them and kept the job for a little longer.

Best Buy would have fired you for calling the police because a customer pulled a gun on you? Since when is the company's image or bottom line more important than an employees life? Did they expect you to disarm the customer and take the gun back to the store? Did they expect you to just forget about it and not worry about the guy showing up a Best Buy and waiting in the parking lot for you?

It's one thing to call the police about a customer smoking a joint and the company getting upset at you. I don't care what people do while I'm at their house as long as they aren't hurting me in any way. It's a completely different thing to call the cops because you've had a lethal weapon pulled on you.

 

[NeutronTech]

I don't send anyone a bill or do any type of NET Terms. Payment is due when work is completed for onsite jobs, and in shop jobs require payment before I release their computer.

 

[MobileTechie]

I think it's a really bad idea. No point in making that effort when 99% of people are straight up and just pay you with no problem. I'd guess it's probably not legal unless it was in your terms and if it was it would look pretty awful to most customers.

I wouldn't necessarily believe every story you read.

 

[Cybjun]

Best Buy would have fired you for calling the police because a customer pulled a gun on you? Since when is the company's image or bottom line more important than an employees life? Did they expect you to disarm the customer and take the gun back to the store? Did they expect you to just forget about it and not worry about the guy showing up a Best Buy and waiting in the parking lot for you?

It's one thing to call the police about a customer smoking a joint and the company getting upset at you. I don't care what people do while I'm at their house as long as they aren't hurting me in any way. It's a completely different thing to call the cops because you've had a lethal weapon pulled on you.

Its not company policy it was the managers at the store I was at didnt want to be involved, its the SoCal "not my responsibilty" mentality that you just can seem to avoid. Like I said I only was with BBY a few months after that before I moved on.

 

[RegEdit]

Like I said I only was with BBY a few months after that before I moved on.

BTW speaking of Best Buy do you happen to have a copy of BB's liability disclaimer that they have customer sign? It would say something about "we're not liable for data loss" etc.

 

[Cybjun]

BTW speaking of Best Buy do you happen to have a copy of BB's liability disclaimer that they have customer sign? It would say something about "we're not liable for data loss" etc.

yes, its the CA disclaimer in PDF, you want a copy PM me all send it to you