Imagine trying to work out a business deal, spending several hours negotiating, only to doubt the other person’s motives. This happened to an online user who recently turned to an online community and shared the steps they took when they were wrongly left with a bill for over $10,000!
They Had to Sell Everything After Vendor Left $12,000 Bill
In this case, the OP (Original Poster) had to close their physical office and needed to sell off everything in it. They had a vendor with whom they had to cancel a contract, resulting in a $12,000 bill.
Trade the Office Furniture for the Bill?
The vendor in question had an office just down the hall, so OP approached one of their sales managers, who explained that they were planning to expand and might want OP’s office space while the space is a deal with the building, they could trade the office furniture for the bill.
Vendor Drags His Feet
This should be a done deal, right? Wrong! With just a few weeks to go until moving day, OP had a distinct impression that the vendor was dragging their feet intentionally.
Should They Hire Waste Contractor to Remove Furniture
So, they decided to speak to the building management about hiring their waste contractor to haul it all out.
Will OP Abandon the Furniture
Building management mentioned to OP that the vendor had said they might want to buy the furniture, so this had come up in conversations OP wasn’t privy to. Building management continued to ask OP if they would abandon the furniture altogether.
Who Wants to Lose Twice?
OP confirmed this but explained that the furniture was originally going to be traded for the large bill received earlier and stated clearly that they weren’t going to pay the bill and give the vendor the furniture. Who wants to lose twice?
Waste Contractor Invited
OP later met with the waste contractor, who sounded familiar with the situation and offered to do anything left behind at an extremely low rate…
Vendor Unreliable
It’s now two weeks before everything needs to be removed from OP’s office space, and the vendor is still giving unreliable answers to OP’s questions.
Furniture Dismantled
Without a clear line of communication in place, OP decided that he wouldn’t get anywhere with this deal and completely disassembled all of the office furniture and piled it all up in the center of the office.
It Took OP 5 Days
It’s clear at this point that OP had his suspicions that the vendor intended to charge OP $12,000 and take the office furniture free of charge. It took OP 5 days to complete the reverse Ikea process, and, by the sounds of it was worth every second.
Well Done
Many commentators agree with OP, with one saying, “Well done. The only thing I might have done differently was to hold on to the nuts, bolts, and plates and offer to sell them to the vendor guy/building guy for the 12K or thereabouts. You get paid AND own them at the same time.”
Should Have Been More Extreme
Others agree with OP’s decision but would have taken it to more extreme lengths.
“I would not have taken the furniture apart. I would have taken a hammer to it. I’m not making anyone’s job easier in these circumstances.”
He Left The Office
OP turned in the keys and paid the waste contractor’s bill the day before the lease was up.
Where Are the Parts?
A week later, they received a polite email from the building management asking whether they had the screws and parts to put the furniture back together.
He Threw Them Away
OP responded and explained that they had brought everything home and thrown it away since the vendor had yet to follow through with their part of the deal.
OP Called
A few days later, the vendor called OP to ask what was left in the space. OP quickly responded that if they weren’t going to exchange the furniture for the original bill, then OP wouldn’t give it to them free of charge!
You Can’t Have It For Free
Anybody in business can benefit from understanding that “If you don’t buy it, you can’t have it for free.”
Negotiations Are Tricky
Negotiations can be tricky to navigate since you have to weigh your interests against those of the other side.
She Committed Adultery with Her Son in Law and Silently Fell in Love, but Knowing She Had to Protect Her Daughter’s Marriage, She Was Forced to Move to a Distant City
After committing a cardinal sin with her son-in-law, she can’t bring herself to confess and destroy her daughter’s marriage, so she moves to another city despite her heartbreak at leaving her grandchildren. She Committed Adultery with Her Son in Law and Silently Fell in Love, but Knowing She Had to Protect Her Daughter’s Marriage, She Was Forced to Move to a Distant City
When a Female Driver Is Unable to Park in a Disabled Parking Space, She Spots an Expensive Car Illegally Parked over Two Disabled Spaces and Decides to Teach the Perpetrator an Expensive Lesson
The female owner of a disabled parking permit was livid when a gigantic Escalade parked across two designated disabled spots. Cue the fury of someone who had to deal with this all the time; she decided to take matters into her own hands. When a Female Driver Is Unable to Park in a Disabled Parking Space, She Spots an Expensive Car Illegally Parked over Two Disabled Spaces and Decides to Teach the Perpetrator an Expensive Lesson
“Park in My Driveway and I’ll Park in Yours!” A Woman Tires of Asking Her Neighbors to Stop Parking in Her Spot, so Eventually She Creates a Situation That Means She Has to Use Their Spot, and They’re Not Impressed!
When her neighbors refuse to address an ongoing parking issue, she creates a situation so that she has to park in their spot, and there’s nothing they can do about it. But it works! “Park in My Driveway and I’ll Park in Yours!” A Woman Tires of Asking Her Neighbors to Stop Parking in Her Spot, so Eventually She Creates a Situation That Means She Has to Use Their Spot, and They’re Not Impressed!
One of His Supervisors Tried Calling Him in after He Quit, and She Didn’t Seem to Understand That There Were Dangerous Connotations Behind His Request for Protection
He had a psychotic ex that stalked him at work, and he simply asked to leave via a different route. But when his supervisors refuse to accept his measly ‘excuses,’ he is forced to quit, and they’re not letting him go easily! One of His Supervisors Tried Calling Him in after He Quit, and She Didn’t Seem to Understand That There Were Dangerous Connotations Behind His Request for Protection
Man Buys Every Last Doughnut When Crafty Drivers Steal His Parking Space, and They’re Horrified after Waiting in a Long Line
While reversing into a parking spot, a cheeky driver steals his spot, so he seeks revenge in the most petty (but satisfying!) manner possible! Man Buys Every Last Doughnut When Crafty Drivers Steal His Parking Space, and They’re Horrified after Waiting in a Long Line