i got SCREWWED

yes the employees screwed up but I'm willing to bet this wasn't the first time they did it...if that's the case the time to take action against employees was the first time they did a job without paperwork. Not now.

I'm with those who say small claims court. But before you go to small claims court, make sure you're committed. Committed...like the hog at a ham & egg breakfast. (The chicken is interested, the hog is committed.)



First, file suit for money owed less the value of the fence. This addresses her story straight on. She will state that she thought the value of the metal would cover your costs. Your documents will show that it didn't.

On court date this is what you bring:

The receipt from the yard for the metal

A report from your payroll system for the moneys paid to the employees

A detailed listing of the mileages and operating costs

Do you spell out "we charge for demolition" in your Angie's listing? if yes, print that out and bring it with you

did she write a review of your services? if yes, print that out and bring it with you.

go on google maps and see if you can find a "before" photo, especially if street view. print that out and bring it.

And finally, go to the police again and request an "incident" report relating to your call. If they don't provide one, ask to report a theft. Have dates, times, dollar amounts, employee names and employee drivers license numbers. Don't ask the cops to be bill collectors -- if you had that expectation when you called them, you made it easy for them to push the turd back to your plate. You simply wish to report a theft. If the cop won't do it, ask again, and if they won't allow you to report a theft, or to get an incident report from your previous call, file a complaint against him with the State of New Jersey...

Director of the Office of Law Enforcement Professional Standards
Department of Law and Public Safety
P.O. Box 080
Trenton, NJ 08625.

If she calls you after being served, tell her you will drop the charges if she pays.

If she doesn't call you, I'm willing to bet she won't show up, at which point you hand your judgement to the sheriff.

The law provides a way, albeit time consuming, to make it right. As long as you're committed.

rhetorical question....is there ever a good scrapping story involving a chain link fence?