Scandal!
Everyone loves a juicy scandal...why not create one?
Next time you go to see the lovely and statuesque "Gary" make sure your homework is done:
1) Dig up some dirt on him. If he's been unscrupulous in the past it shouldnt be hard to find. Figure out if anyone else has been stiffed by him - inquire on Craigslist or community boards, ask about his reputation at other mod shops.
2)Find out what charities, and how much he is contributing to. Compare that with how much he says he is giving.
3) And when you've got enough stuff tell him you're going to head to your local FoxTV affiliate. The irony of "Another Mans Treasure" is perfect for a story about a deceitful store owner. (it helps if you can name drop - make sure its someone that is actually associated with the station - producer/reporter/anchor, in case Gary tries to validate your threat.) If the news channel has an 'investigative' reporter you can usually find contact info on their website.
And if he still doesnt budge - follow through with it - see if the local press will bite. And definitely call the States AG and Better Business Bureau.
The key to all of this is to make as clear a case as possible. It has to be believable to Gary, and also an easy package for the local press to swallow. And wear a suit.
Consumer complaint link: http://www.myfoxmilwaukee.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=696041&v...
http://www.myfoxmilwaukee.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=696041&v...
lucifersum wrong message
lucifersum i am really surprised and disappointed in you!! .
after delivering your moralist sermon on how bad I am you start out with
Everyone loves a juicy scandal...why not create one?
Why not just list your good points your extra comments about starting a juicy scandal were not needed .
You Know there are three sides to the story you have not heard the other two.
You could not wait or hesitate to jump in to make your comments about me
starting scandals are never a good idea , evilness backfires!!
Modern is better, I respectfully disagree
In your interpretation that the dealer had done nothing wrong. Policies like rules and laws have elastic parameters.
As in law it is wrong to murder someone however, even though he was later proven "responsible" for the "deaths" of his wife and her friend, Mr. OJ Simpson still walks free.
I know it is an extreme example so lets go to the other extreme.
It is illegal to park in a posted no parking zone. If I am ticketed and go to court and can demonstrate a compelling reason for my car being in a no parking zone ( i.e. - medical emergency) the judge may dismiss the ticked - even though clearly the car was illegally parked and, thus the law broken.
In the case of this sofa; though the store policy is understood, the management has the right to amend it for whatever reason they seem fit. This is like the sign in a bar that states that they may choose not to serve you for ANY reason they seem fit. It is legal and prudent to leave policies open to change to the pleasure of management - for the purpose of good business.
I went to the TOP manager to arrange for two more days in order to have my wifes SUV out of the service shop to pick up this (non-Nakashima therefore insignificant piece of furniture) Chicklet sofa.
The manager, recognizing that I am a regular customer who has spent thousands of dollars at the store, cheerfully obliged my request on behalf of good business practices - and thus made an executive decision to amend the policy on behalf of good business practices.
Our friend Gary rather cleverly played the angle of all 30 or so employees, from the various work shifts likely were not collectively aware of this contractual agreement. "I really want that piece so I will subvert the agreement (read: verbal contract) between the righful owner and the General Manager by bribing some other unethical employee, and encouraging that person to NOT seek the blessing of their manager ( read: their boss who signs their checks and has the authority to modify policies ).
The bottom line here is that I had a legitimate agreement with the management of that store for more time to pick up my purchase.
Gary made a concerted, unethical effort to obtain an object of his desire in lieu of following protocol, because he knew that doing so would have precluded him from aquiring the
non-Nakashima (therefore worthless and historically and aestheticaly insignificant)sofa.
good lines
I do not disagree with you at all and if you check the threads i was one of your loudest and early supporters,
But when Lucifersum one of the moral compasses of the Design Addict forum makes suggestons and leads off "Everyone loves a juicy scandal...why not create one? I don't like it one bit i see NO humor in it. and if everyone heeded that advise we would be living in a sorry place.
When you try to dig a hole for someone you generally fall in.
You seem to be on the right path to
reach the right discion .
I think all of your friends on Design Addic have had fun giving you suggestions on how to get Gary
and that is all they are is suggestions . cause they are not there, it is left up to you what to do , and I think you have the intelligence to prevail ,
The only suggestion that i can give to you is Good Luck, You are honest, truth and Justice generally prevail in the USA ,
lynch mob
this thread seems to be more of a lynch mob than a group of people trying to solve a problem.
there are two sides of the story and perhaps those so intent on bringing the wrath of god on this poor little dealer man should look at why you are spewing such rage at such an insignificant little story.
going to the media? causing his life difficulty?, ruining his business? ever think that this guy may think he did nothing wrong as he talked to employees of the store ? it seems he did pay for it and didn't walk out with the thing. get real. you guys really should chill.
modernisbetter, once again...
modernisbetter,
Look, i'm not neccessarily saying that this dealer's
business should be ruined with bad publicity or a brick through his front window, but your classification of him as a "poor little dealer man" seems WAY off base. He should relinquish the sofa to goodlines at the same price the thrift store sold it to him.
Otherwise, get the Attorney General of Consumer Affairs all over his ass.
Assuming goodlines story to be accurate, he said:
"He told me that he saw the sofa the same day I bought it and also saw the sold tags on it. What he was also aware of was the special arrangements I had made with the management to pick it up."
goodlines made special arrangements with the store, essentially entering into a contract with them; "poor little dealer man" came in and talked them into not honoring their previous contract with goodlines, possibly with a bribe.
I'd hardly call that moral, not even remotely amoral. It is pure and utter slimy, dishonest tactics. Period.
Again, assuming goodlines' story to be accurate:
If this guy thinks he did nothing wrong, then i'd certainly hope i NEVER end up doing business with someone with him, a person with such sleazy business ethics.
Modernisbetter, could it be that your quick dismissal of goodlines plight might have something to do with this quote from you:
"these things happen in life and one simply cannot dwell on such trivial matters. it was a chicklet sofa not an original noguchi cloud sofa anyways."
Because you think the chicklet unworthy, that makes this situation okay? If it had been an original noguchi cloud sofa you might possibly side with goodlines?
I feel...
I feel all of our suggestions in this case should be:
1. Listen
2. Contemplate
3. Choose what you feel best suits your situation.
Now using weapons, make-up, and acting crazy do tend to work, Preparation and homework usually win the battle. We all are on your side and feel your pain. James 6:70 6:71
LRF
I hope you didnt misinterpret my meaning. I wasnt suggesting that Goodlines create a scandal for the sole purpose of creating a scandal.
However, what we have seen is that Gary has acted in a way that promotes his self interest: he circumvented an agreement in order to gain profit. His actions suggest that he is less than scrupulous when monetary gain is involved. It stands to reason that the best leverage Goodlines might have against a person like that is to threaten that profit. So - if Gary is unwilling to agree that the sofa rightfully belongs to Goodlines, then Goodlines should exert leverage to get the sofa back.
And just like you would want to protect someone from being ripped off, so should Goodlines. When I said "create a scandal" I meant it in a way that was publicly beneficial. If Gary is a crook it is in the public interest to be alerted to that.
I agree that it can feel a lot like a crusade to ruin a man, but I think each of us is acting out against any time we've been ripped off. Obviously whichever course of action that resolves the situation is going to be the best.
But isnt it fun for us to rail against the injustice?
I am big enough to say ...
I am big enough to say i stand corrected!!!!!
I just wish the guy would get the damn sofa back and this whole thing would be over.
If I find a chicklet sofa I am gonna buy the damn thing and give it to him as a present and you can mark that on your data base,
I hope goodlines and learned a valuable lesson. The people who work at thrift shops are not Rhodes Scholars or part of the Brain Trust (please no fricken post that your mother worked at a thrift store and sent you to architect school finding pennies in the sofa) We are all created equal some get a
little a head When I want something I want it now (part of that aggressive thing you referenced in your other thread ) so i would have my ass down with a truck picking the sofa up, knowing that slithering jerks hang around looking for something
that they can make a big buck off,
My hats off to you and like James said... I feel your pain... the only 670-671 I knew was the lounge chair from Herman Miller now I got a new bible story,
I don't subscribe to that book I am still with the original book ,
6:70 6:71
The 6:70 6:71 comes from a passage in the unwritten truth of design addiction. Race, Religion, looks, size, and income class don't matter here, only good design. Here's a passage "And they opened the door of Gary's shop and began a hellish judgement of the junk he sells". Oh boy, I'm sweating and my wife thinks I'm an idiot, two birds with one stone.
If you need any help, please contact us at – info@designaddict.com