Ok, I'm going to be the Negative Nelly in this thread but why in the world did the guy offer to shovel for free?! A senior discount would have sufficed. NEVER offer an old person something for free and then expect to get something. It just ain't gonna happen.

 

That's my advice to him...offer a discount, but don't advertise free. Then, if you do a driveway and you think the old person would struggle to come up with $10-$12, THEN you can tell them it's on the house (free). That way you control the free situation.

 

Cat he's a young kid doing something he's never really done before, so he didn't know any better. And he wasn't expecting anything from any individual household...but at the end of the day after doing 30 of them, he found it hard to believe that COLLECTIVELY no one offered anything.

That's my advice to him...offer a discount, but don't advertise free. Then, if you do a driveway and you think the old person would struggle to come up with $10-$12, THEN you can tell them it's on the house (free). That way you control the free situation.

 

Cat he's a young kid doing something he's never really done before, so he didn't know any better. And he wasn't expecting anything from any individual household...but at the end of the day after doing 30 of them, he found it hard to believe that COLLECTIVELY no one offered anything.

 

 

Yeah, I get that. Life lessons.

Bless him for fulfilling his promise though!

I once did a side computer job for a guy in Latonia. Much older guy. Very interesting man. . Took his PC, b/c it needed parts and a bunch of stuff. Brought it back the next day, and he wrote me a check for my services. About an hour later I had a missed call from him and he said and I quote "I'm old, I shouldn't have to pay you (poop) for fixing my computer for me. I've called the bank and put a stop on the check. Thanks"

 

I literally couldn't believe it. I didn't even try to recoup it even though I had about $150 in parts in it, b/c it just wasn't worth it, but at the time I was a new dad, newly divorced, with NO money. So I feel this guys pain. Even if he offered it for free, that's not right.

 

I'm in a much better state now, I'd like to help him out.

Edited February 19, 201511 yr by gold sunrise
Rule #8

Ok, I'm going to be the Negative Nelly in this thread but why in the world did the guy offer to shovel for free?! A senior discount would have sufficed. NEVER offer an old person something for free and then expect to get something. It just ain't gonna happen.

 

I loved my grandmother dearly and she was one of the most generous, kindhearted people I ever known. Wonder what happened to me?

 

That said before she passed I used to take her to dinner weekly (she was in a nursing home) and she insisted on paying. She had no concept of what an appropriate tip was and I always had to drop more money on the table when she wasn't looking. She once gave a waiter a $20.00 bill for a $19.50 tab and told him to keep the change. I excused myself to the restroom, found the guy and gave more. There was nothing malicious about it it's just the way some older people look at things. Free means free and tips aren't required.

In my experiences with the older generation, I've found them to be extreme in a matter like this. They are either extreme in generosity or extreme in being cheapskates. Seldom are they anywhere in the middle.

 

It doesn't surprise me that a lot of them failed to give anything. It does surprise me that all of them failed to give anything.

I once did a side computer job for a guy in Latonia. Much older guy. Very interesting man. . Took his PC, b/c it needed parts and a bunch of stuff. Brought it back the next day, and he wrote me a check for my services. About an hour later I had a missed call from him and he said and I quote "I'm old, I shouldn't have to pay you (poop) for fixing my computer for me. I've called the bank and put a stop on the check. Thanks"

 

I would have sent him an email with a virus in it. Real talk.

I would have sent him an email with a virus in it. Real talk.

 

Haha, I should have haha.

Me too. I've been go-funding quite a few different things lately...I'll go-fund this! Set it up!

 

Edit

Edited February 20, 201511 yr by John Anthony

PM me his address plz....gonna send him 1/2 the ridiculous $$ my kids got from shoveling the neighbors this week. Seriously.

I once did a side computer job for a guy in Latonia. Much older guy. Very interesting man. . Took his PC, b/c it needed parts and a bunch of stuff. Brought it back the next day, and he wrote me a check for my services. About an hour later I had a missed call from him and he said and I quote "I'm old, I shouldn't have to pay you (poop) for fixing my computer for me. I've called the bank and put a stop on the check. Thanks"

 

I literally couldn't believe it. I didn't even try to recoup it even though I had about $150 in parts in it, b/c it just wasn't worth it, but at the time I was a new dad, newly divorced, with NO money. So I feel this guys pain. Even if he offered it for free, that's not right.

 

I'm in a much better state now, I'd like to help him out.

 

WOW! I would have sent him a certified letter stating that if you did not get your money you would take him to court as well as for writing a bad check. Fight fire with fire. I am sure this guy has done stuff like this before and just expects people to always say "it's not worth it". But a little threat of legal action may do the trick.

I once did a side computer job for a guy in Latonia. Much older guy. Very interesting man. . Took his PC, b/c it needed parts and a bunch of stuff. Brought it back the next day, and he wrote me a check for my services. About an hour later I had a missed call from him and he said and I quote "I'm old, I shouldn't have to pay you (poop) for fixing my computer for me. I've called the bank and put a stop on the check. Thanks"

 

I literally couldn't believe it. I didn't even try to recoup it even though I had about $150 in parts in it, b/c it just wasn't worth it, but at the time I was a new dad, newly divorced, with NO money. So I feel this guys pain. Even if he offered it for free, that's not right.

 

I'm in a much better state now, I'd like to help him out.

 

 

Did it take you a month to fix it? :lol2:

I once did a side computer job for a guy in Latonia. Much older guy. Very interesting man. . Took his PC, b/c it needed parts and a bunch of stuff. Brought it back the next day, and he wrote me a check for my services. About an hour later I had a missed call from him and he said and I quote "I'm old, I shouldn't have to pay you (poop) for fixing my computer for me. I've called the bank and put a stop on the check. Thanks"

 

I literally couldn't believe it. I didn't even try to recoup it even though I had about $150 in parts in it, b/c it just wasn't worth it, but at the time I was a new dad, newly divorced, with NO money. So I feel this guys pain. Even if he offered it for free, that's not right.

 

I'm in a much better state now, I'd like to help him out.

 

I would've went back and told him he had two choices, either pay you, or give you the computer back. If he refused, I'd have called the cops. He stole from you plain and simple. See if he thinks he shouldn't pay if faced with going to jail.

Anytime you don't get your money up front you are taking a huge risk.

Ok, I'm going to be the Negative Nelly in this thread but why in the world did the guy offer to shovel for free?! A senior discount would have sufficed. NEVER offer an old person something for free and then expect to get something. It just ain't gonna happen.

 

I agree, if you offer it for free then you can't be surprised when people take you up on the free offer.

 

With that said, it is disappointing that not a SINGLE person out of 30 even tipped him.

 

Kudos to this young man for offering such a service, and for fulfilling it. It'll pay off in the long run.

In my experiences with the older generation, I've found them to be extreme in a matter like this. They are either extreme in generosity or extreme in being cheapskates. Seldom are they anywhere in the middle.

 

It doesn't surprise me that a lot of them failed to give anything. It does surprise me that all of them failed to give anything.

My dad is the biggest tightwad on the planet. But he always offers to give money when someone helps him out. I think it has more to do with character than age. Some people were just never programmed to do the right thing.