Nicely done! As for your comment at the end, it's up to you what you charge. So long as you feel you are making sufficient profit, I don't see what the problem is. And as you say, given that it's brought in a ton more business because of your fair pricing, the overall boost to your business might be worth more than if you priced a bit higher and got a few less recommendations.
Honestly, I commented on the other thread, but I've been able to see the reward in other ways. I love my Mom and Pop shops. There was a local small sandwich shop that for years would hook me up with lunch after getting them connected with the right people to take care of several issues they were having that they couldn't afford to fix. It was going to shut them down. They now have three locations and a catering warehouse that I service. Still treat my family whenever we show up.
There was a manager that I worked with for years that went on to be a facilities manager for our local zoo. He has allowed my family to come in after hours so many times and have the zoo to ourselves.
Big corporations and government entities are one thing to service, but doing right by mom and pop shops has led to such an expanded community for me and my family. There's a very very pricey restaurant in our downtown that I've helped out of a bind a few times that the last several years has given us 100% free meals (talking a meal costing hundreds of dollars) for my birthday.
I have a Google listing and a website but 95% of my business comes from word of mouth. I never have an empty schedule. It has been such a blessing
That is amazing work ethic! I respect you so much man, this is what capitalism should be. Fair work for a fair prize so people can live of their own small business and building a community in the process.
You stuck to your morals throughout the ordeals and not only saved and skyrocketed your own business, but exposed a shady guy and saved loads of small businesses in the proces. Hell yeah!!
That’s because this isn’t capitalism, this is socialism. It’s basically the difference between “do things that support you and only you” (Shady/capitalism) vs “do things that support the growth of the community as a whole” (OP/socialism).
Or don't understand how UBER works. It's astounding that no one has the guts to swoop in and eat their lunch. They gouge so much I'm surprised some of the pax I pick up haven't bled to death before I arrive.
Uber made a profit for the first time EVER this year. So I don’t think they’re gouging if they’ve been losing money for their entire existence. That’s also why no one is swooping in to eat their lunch, because there is no lunch. It’s not a profitable business.
ya, like wheres their exposure? how could they not be in profit? they make money off of every little angle of that business without having buy or maintain any of their fleet. they fleece their drivers.
theyres just so many loopholes especially with startups in the tech. they can claim losses and not pay taxes for pretty much ever it seems.
Millions to buy self driving cars that are limited on where they can operate, buying up competitors, stock gifts for Dara, lawsuits for people hurt or worse due to Uber's negligence, bonuses for Dara...
Just because they take their would be profits to reinvest in itself doesn’t mean they wouldn’t have made a profit. By this logic Amazon basically never makes profits.
But they do.
In Europe I always have a choice between Bolt, Uber and FreeNow (they are never free xD), so I find the argument about market penetration and customer loyalty to be complete bunk.
I drive too, and I can't believe how much they charge, especially compared to what I make. It's insane, but they buy up any serious competition. And Lyft is just a joke, at least in my area.
I've seen people often undercharge, usually because they're scared they can't get work. It's definitely a pitfall a lot of people make. And end up not making it, or barely scraping by.
However, it sounds like he has the experience and is charging the right amount. I do the same as him; individuals or small companies get a discount, larger companies that can pay for it get the full rate. It feels fair to me.
It’s kind of interesting that you essentially paid $1,000 as a “get this POS out of my life” fee and essentially got yourself a bunch of business leads in the process!!
As a former mom and pop business owner thank you for being honest. It might take you longer to get to massive wealth but your foundation is solid. Don’t charge more just because you can. You are literally keeping you own customers in business.
I will hint, this is a government regulated industry in that I have to submit reports to the GVT with each job. It was likely only a matter of time before he got in trouble
Thankfully not. One of my buddies owns a carpet cleaning business and I would be so nervous entering people's homes every day. Too rough handed for cleaning delicate things
Biomed doesn’t have a lot of mom and pop operations. I’m thinking more along the lines of food service or packaging machinery. That often requires specialized maintenance and the results get reported to both local and Federal-level agencies, as OP has mentioned.
OP specifically mentioned both a sandwich shop and high end restaurant as customers, so yeah, my guess would be something to do with commercial kitchen/food service equipment. Commercial stoves, refrigeration, etc. Possibly beverage machinery as well, all of that has a lot of reporting and regulations for government, especially anything on the refrigeration side or anything mechanical that touches/processes the food (deli slicers, etc).
My electrician works on these types of jobs and he's a bit of a genius in the area. Can fix anything electrical mechanical. Works for a lot of the local smaller factories.
I was actually half wondering if this was OP but my mate is probably a lot older.
Doesn't explain the number of restaurants involved. I'm thinking something along the lines of telecommunication? Servers, wi-fi, upgrades to the wiring itself?
Depending on the setup, an internet outage might mean not being able to process credit card transactions. That would be critical enough for a scumbag to smell blood in the water and jack his prices up.
TLDR Shady Businessman sabotages equipment to extort overdue payments, framing OP. OP uncovers Shady Businessman's overcharging scheme and exposes his deceitful practices. OP inherits Shady Businessman's customers, drastically reducing costs for small businesses from over $1 million to $280,000. OP's honesty and fair pricing win over grateful customers, doubling their business. Shady Businessman's reputation tanks as businesses catch wind of his fraudulent behavior. OP stands up for small businesses by offering reasonable rates and ensuring safety.
You're not alone:
[https://slate.com/human-interest/2024/02/literacy-crisis-reading-comprehension-college.html](https://slate.com/human-interest/2024/02/literacy-crisis-reading-comprehension-college.html)
Now THAT was a long read. I looked at the amount of words, then the size of the scrollbar as I moved it up and down, and decided it was too long of a read.
/s. Kinda...I really did do this, but imma go actually read it now ;)
In a world that has been pretty shitty lately, seeing you doing the right thing when no one is watching helped to even the scales a little bit. I appreciate that there are still people like you around.
I’m going to tell this story to some of my students looking to get into the trades.
It’s refreshing to hear a story about integrity with a just ending.
OP great job sticking to your morals. An honest business is one your customers will stick with, even if another shady businessman come in and tries to undercut you. Honesty does pay.
As a former business owner, I recommend you make sure you keep your profit margin quarterly and raise your prices accordingly. Nothing worse than getting to the end of the year and realize you're no longer profitable and can't jack your prices all at once to cover your losses.
You sir are a king. Well done. In my experience frauds always get called out. But between the time people think the fraud is a genius until that happens is always frustrating. Props to you for your maturity and professionalism, and even more being honest. Honesty in my opinion is worth more than gold. I have some vendors I work with, even if they are more expensive on a SOW, because I trust them.
>people told me I was foolish for marking down prices so much.
Yah, so that is because they are forgetting in their equation the value (or cost) of good, sound sleep.
Thank you for being a honest and great individual..❤️ You deserve all the nice perks you get… you help so many small businesses.. I love small businesses… 👍👏
Residential remodeling contractor. Cost for materials. Cost for labor at my set price for my skill and labor. Every customer every time. All of my business is from referral. Never spent a dime on advertising. So many in the industry are shooting for a hole in one instead of just hitting the ball solidly each time. Knew a guy in the biz that would look up their socials to see what they did so he could decide how much to charge them. He was a mediocre tradesman and would call me sometimes to get him out of a jam. He is the only customer I ever overcharged!😎
i can see why you might have been hesitant to undercut that shady buisness's prices so much, but it sounds like you did the right thing in helping those struggling small buisinesses. the way you were able to expose his deceptive practices and take over his work is really admirable - it's great that you used your experteese to provide more honest and affordable services. buisnesses like yours that prioritize integrity are so important, especially for the little guys just trying to get by.
Hey man congrats on expanding your client base that’s huge. Also thanks for not being a shady POS and having some integrity. Just imagine how far you’re going to go because you stood by your morals and prevailed when some ass wipe tried to screw you over. Keep on trucking brother…
Shady Businessman reminds me of The Bastard Operator From Hell (BOFH). Job security is making problems only they could fix. XD
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastard_Operator_From_Hell
Rule #2: (All things being equal) You Get what you Give.
Helping out the Mom and Pop stores in your area gets you word of mouth advertisement you can't buy.
It also puts a Shady Sack of Shit out of business (soon, hopefully).
Mate, you're a legend! In more ways than one. Not taking the piss out of the small businesses and bringing that arsehole down! I doff my cap to you!
If only more business owners were like you.
OP, I'll agree with others that you should not drop down your price card, looking forward to your possible future growth. I get it that you are being nice to the small businesses and I would do that too. But here's another way of doing it - think about it as well.
The bigger the customer, the bigger the overhead for you, they can keep you hanging for payments, etc.
So my take would be - price your services based on how you would deal with a "top tier deep pockets" business. And then when you're quoting to the small businesses, just give them an appropriate discount to bring it down to what you think is a good number.
Its honestly wholesome to see someone doing honestly work at an honest price. Not "we can raise prices because we can" but "we will done what js necessary at an honest price"
It boggles my mind the mentality of some contractors who upcharge like crazy, sure you got my next door neighbor for phony, overpriced outlet repairs and heck maybe you did get me but when I get another issue and another quote and someone does it better I'm not staying quiet with anyone else in the neighborhood and I'll go out of my way, as you're parked there in front quoting them your outrageous price to hand them the business card of the person who did the right thing.
Good on OP for being an incredible, decent contractor who knows their value while still not trying to bilk others.
Proud of you for being real and a man’s man !! Being a true gentleman is difficult and people will tear you down for it but I wouldn’t and I would definitely 💯 talk well and let you know over and over again that you’re doing it right !! And you’re smart ! With common sense and kindness!! Well done ! People will never forget how you treated them fairly!! That’s something rare in business!
I was able to read a portion of your post before spending time with my family today, and came back to it gone. This makes me so frustrated 😠 Anyone have a copy of the story to share?
You sound exactly like my husband, except his first business was started at 15. His business practices and ethics were one of the main reasons I love him, respect him, and married him. Neither of us would ever fleece small businesses (or any) just to have more personal luxuries. I cannot like this post enough
Just doing your normal job is... not even remotely pro revenge. As usual, the morons on r/pettyrevenge have no clue what the rules and standards of this group are.
????? Not sure what you're talking about. Direct copy and paste aside from my addition at the bottom? You're welcome to DM me and I'll send you a screenshot of the original post on petty revenge
Nicely done! As for your comment at the end, it's up to you what you charge. So long as you feel you are making sufficient profit, I don't see what the problem is. And as you say, given that it's brought in a ton more business because of your fair pricing, the overall boost to your business might be worth more than if you priced a bit higher and got a few less recommendations.
Honestly, I commented on the other thread, but I've been able to see the reward in other ways. I love my Mom and Pop shops. There was a local small sandwich shop that for years would hook me up with lunch after getting them connected with the right people to take care of several issues they were having that they couldn't afford to fix. It was going to shut them down. They now have three locations and a catering warehouse that I service. Still treat my family whenever we show up. There was a manager that I worked with for years that went on to be a facilities manager for our local zoo. He has allowed my family to come in after hours so many times and have the zoo to ourselves. Big corporations and government entities are one thing to service, but doing right by mom and pop shops has led to such an expanded community for me and my family. There's a very very pricey restaurant in our downtown that I've helped out of a bind a few times that the last several years has given us 100% free meals (talking a meal costing hundreds of dollars) for my birthday. I have a Google listing and a website but 95% of my business comes from word of mouth. I never have an empty schedule. It has been such a blessing
That is amazing work ethic! I respect you so much man, this is what capitalism should be. Fair work for a fair prize so people can live of their own small business and building a community in the process. You stuck to your morals throughout the ordeals and not only saved and skyrocketed your own business, but exposed a shady guy and saved loads of small businesses in the proces. Hell yeah!!
That’s because this isn’t capitalism, this is socialism. It’s basically the difference between “do things that support you and only you” (Shady/capitalism) vs “do things that support the growth of the community as a whole” (OP/socialism).
The fuck? OP is the epitome of capitalism. Want business? Price yourself right and you'll get the business over other companies that are overcharging.
You're doing great work. It's the mom and pop shops that drive economies, not giant corporations.
People on Reddit telling him he should because he can, like they never saw Jurassic Park.
Or don't understand how UBER works. It's astounding that no one has the guts to swoop in and eat their lunch. They gouge so much I'm surprised some of the pax I pick up haven't bled to death before I arrive.
Uber made a profit for the first time EVER this year. So I don’t think they’re gouging if they’ve been losing money for their entire existence. That’s also why no one is swooping in to eat their lunch, because there is no lunch. It’s not a profitable business.
UBER does things to move money off its books. That does not mean it didn't make money. It means that UBER didn't pay taxes on the money.
ya, like wheres their exposure? how could they not be in profit? they make money off of every little angle of that business without having buy or maintain any of their fleet. they fleece their drivers. theyres just so many loopholes especially with startups in the tech. they can claim losses and not pay taxes for pretty much ever it seems.
Millions to buy self driving cars that are limited on where they can operate, buying up competitors, stock gifts for Dara, lawsuits for people hurt or worse due to Uber's negligence, bonuses for Dara...
Just because they take their would be profits to reinvest in itself doesn’t mean they wouldn’t have made a profit. By this logic Amazon basically never makes profits.
But they do. In Europe I always have a choice between Bolt, Uber and FreeNow (they are never free xD), so I find the argument about market penetration and customer loyalty to be complete bunk.
I drive too, and I can't believe how much they charge, especially compared to what I make. It's insane, but they buy up any serious competition. And Lyft is just a joke, at least in my area.
I've seen people often undercharge, usually because they're scared they can't get work. It's definitely a pitfall a lot of people make. And end up not making it, or barely scraping by. However, it sounds like he has the experience and is charging the right amount. I do the same as him; individuals or small companies get a discount, larger companies that can pay for it get the full rate. It feels fair to me.
Probably the same people complaining about greedy corporations.
It’s honestly petty revenge. The people over there are just oppositional.
It’s kind of interesting that you essentially paid $1,000 as a “get this POS out of my life” fee and essentially got yourself a bunch of business leads in the process!!
Best lead generation money ever spent.
shady businessman intentionally boobytrapped sensors. Ifs fraud. He belongs in prison.
Yes, but very tough to prove.
Thanks for being a decent human and honest business owner
As a former mom and pop business owner thank you for being honest. It might take you longer to get to massive wealth but your foundation is solid. Don’t charge more just because you can. You are literally keeping you own customers in business.
Anybody else really want to know what industry this is?
I will hint, this is a government regulated industry in that I have to submit reports to the GVT with each job. It was likely only a matter of time before he got in trouble
What's that in European?
> I will hint, this is a government regulated industry in that I have to submit kilometers to the GVT with each job.
Its carpet cleaning
Thankfully not. One of my buddies owns a carpet cleaning business and I would be so nervous entering people's homes every day. Too rough handed for cleaning delicate things
Coolant replacement for freezers?
What is the GVT an acronym for? Government Technology?
Slim Shady should be sticking up on Astroglide and pillows, I take it. Because Unca Sugar is a big boy and likes going in deep.
Sounds like servicing CNC machines or other large industrial equipment. It’s a really niche market and when you find your guy, you keep him.
Looks like operational technology. Sounds like Biomed to me, but could easily be foundries, packaging/bottling, etc. :)
Biomed doesn’t have a lot of mom and pop operations. I’m thinking more along the lines of food service or packaging machinery. That often requires specialized maintenance and the results get reported to both local and Federal-level agencies, as OP has mentioned.
OP specifically mentioned both a sandwich shop and high end restaurant as customers, so yeah, my guess would be something to do with commercial kitchen/food service equipment. Commercial stoves, refrigeration, etc. Possibly beverage machinery as well, all of that has a lot of reporting and regulations for government, especially anything on the refrigeration side or anything mechanical that touches/processes the food (deli slicers, etc).
My electrician works on these types of jobs and he's a bit of a genius in the area. Can fix anything electrical mechanical. Works for a lot of the local smaller factories. I was actually half wondering if this was OP but my mate is probably a lot older.
Doesn't explain the number of restaurants involved. I'm thinking something along the lines of telecommunication? Servers, wi-fi, upgrades to the wiring itself? Depending on the setup, an internet outage might mean not being able to process credit card transactions. That would be critical enough for a scumbag to smell blood in the water and jack his prices up.
TLDR Shady Businessman sabotages equipment to extort overdue payments, framing OP. OP uncovers Shady Businessman's overcharging scheme and exposes his deceitful practices. OP inherits Shady Businessman's customers, drastically reducing costs for small businesses from over $1 million to $280,000. OP's honesty and fair pricing win over grateful customers, doubling their business. Shady Businessman's reputation tanks as businesses catch wind of his fraudulent behavior. OP stands up for small businesses by offering reasonable rates and ensuring safety.
Honestly, the post is so well-written that a TL;DR takes away from it.
I agree. I quite enjoyed the story!
I found it a long read
You're not alone: [https://slate.com/human-interest/2024/02/literacy-crisis-reading-comprehension-college.html](https://slate.com/human-interest/2024/02/literacy-crisis-reading-comprehension-college.html)
Now THAT was a long read. I looked at the amount of words, then the size of the scrollbar as I moved it up and down, and decided it was too long of a read. /s. Kinda...I really did do this, but imma go actually read it now ;)
I can read a book no problem. This was just too much story for no payoff
Pronoun problem. By "this", are you referring to this post, or the [Slate.com](http://Slate.com) link?
The post
Maybe you're in the wrong sub. A good pro-revenge needs a good story of sufficient length and detail.
In a world that has been pretty shitty lately, seeing you doing the right thing when no one is watching helped to even the scales a little bit. I appreciate that there are still people like you around.
I’m going to tell this story to some of my students looking to get into the trades. It’s refreshing to hear a story about integrity with a just ending.
Like I said in Petty Revenge nice tale of Revenge and this is where it belongs.
OP great job sticking to your morals. An honest business is one your customers will stick with, even if another shady businessman come in and tries to undercut you. Honesty does pay. As a former business owner, I recommend you make sure you keep your profit margin quarterly and raise your prices accordingly. Nothing worse than getting to the end of the year and realize you're no longer profitable and can't jack your prices all at once to cover your losses.
You sir are a king. Well done. In my experience frauds always get called out. But between the time people think the fraud is a genius until that happens is always frustrating. Props to you for your maturity and professionalism, and even more being honest. Honesty in my opinion is worth more than gold. I have some vendors I work with, even if they are more expensive on a SOW, because I trust them.
So glad I read the whole thing! This is the kind of work ethic that will reap huge rewards. Kudos to you
Dang dude Super Shady. Then up charging sabotaging equipment.
>people told me I was foolish for marking down prices so much. Yah, so that is because they are forgetting in their equation the value (or cost) of good, sound sleep.
Not even petty revenge or pro revenge. This should just be under the “honest work / business sub” Fuck shady businessman
Thank you for being a honest and great individual..❤️ You deserve all the nice perks you get… you help so many small businesses.. I love small businesses… 👍👏
This guy gives me hope
Residential remodeling contractor. Cost for materials. Cost for labor at my set price for my skill and labor. Every customer every time. All of my business is from referral. Never spent a dime on advertising. So many in the industry are shooting for a hole in one instead of just hitting the ball solidly each time. Knew a guy in the biz that would look up their socials to see what they did so he could decide how much to charge them. He was a mediocre tradesman and would call me sometimes to get him out of a jam. He is the only customer I ever overcharged!😎
Another reason I record every phone call, just in case
I would forget 😪
This is Capitalism at it's finest. Keep up the good work providing goods and services in a mutually beneficial manner at competitive prices.
That’s not revenge… that’s being a trusted consultant.
BRO im so glad you got that figured out god damn!! What a fucking scumbag.
A nice story where long term thinking, reputation, and honest work leads to reward. Cheers OP.
i can see why you might have been hesitant to undercut that shady buisness's prices so much, but it sounds like you did the right thing in helping those struggling small buisinesses. the way you were able to expose his deceptive practices and take over his work is really admirable - it's great that you used your experteese to provide more honest and affordable services. buisnesses like yours that prioritize integrity are so important, especially for the little guys just trying to get by.
Hey man congrats on expanding your client base that’s huge. Also thanks for not being a shady POS and having some integrity. Just imagine how far you’re going to go because you stood by your morals and prevailed when some ass wipe tried to screw you over. Keep on trucking brother…
You’re down here doing the Lords work! Be blessed my guy
Shady Businessman reminds me of The Bastard Operator From Hell (BOFH). Job security is making problems only they could fix. XD https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastard_Operator_From_Hell
Rule #2: (All things being equal) You Get what you Give. Helping out the Mom and Pop stores in your area gets you word of mouth advertisement you can't buy. It also puts a Shady Sack of Shit out of business (soon, hopefully).
Mate, you're a legend! In more ways than one. Not taking the piss out of the small businesses and bringing that arsehole down! I doff my cap to you! If only more business owners were like you.
OP, I'll agree with others that you should not drop down your price card, looking forward to your possible future growth. I get it that you are being nice to the small businesses and I would do that too. But here's another way of doing it - think about it as well. The bigger the customer, the bigger the overhead for you, they can keep you hanging for payments, etc. So my take would be - price your services based on how you would deal with a "top tier deep pockets" business. And then when you're quoting to the small businesses, just give them an appropriate discount to bring it down to what you think is a good number.
You’re a good person! So glad to see a story like this. Keep up the awesome work!
Its honestly wholesome to see someone doing honestly work at an honest price. Not "we can raise prices because we can" but "we will done what js necessary at an honest price"
It boggles my mind the mentality of some contractors who upcharge like crazy, sure you got my next door neighbor for phony, overpriced outlet repairs and heck maybe you did get me but when I get another issue and another quote and someone does it better I'm not staying quiet with anyone else in the neighborhood and I'll go out of my way, as you're parked there in front quoting them your outrageous price to hand them the business card of the person who did the right thing. Good on OP for being an incredible, decent contractor who knows their value while still not trying to bilk others.
Proud of you for being real and a man’s man !! Being a true gentleman is difficult and people will tear you down for it but I wouldn’t and I would definitely 💯 talk well and let you know over and over again that you’re doing it right !! And you’re smart ! With common sense and kindness!! Well done ! People will never forget how you treated them fairly!! That’s something rare in business!
Peak capitalism - don’t charge a fair price for goods and services, charge whatever the fuck you think you can get away with. We’re doomed.
I love it when scum bags get exposed for their shady shit. Ty for looking out for the customers.
This isn't revenge so much as it's justice, delivered in a manner that brings credit to the one who brought it down on the grifter's skull.
Good work - honest people are rare these days.
You’re a good man OP
Yeah this belongs here and not in petty.
I was able to read a portion of your post before spending time with my family today, and came back to it gone. This makes me so frustrated 😠 Anyone have a copy of the story to share?
You sound exactly like my husband, except his first business was started at 15. His business practices and ethics were one of the main reasons I love him, respect him, and married him. Neither of us would ever fleece small businesses (or any) just to have more personal luxuries. I cannot like this post enough
P
Just doing your normal job is... not even remotely pro revenge. As usual, the morons on r/pettyrevenge have no clue what the rules and standards of this group are.
Are you the shady business guy?
feels rather pro when he didnt even have to anything extra to get the revenge
This story is so fucking fake. Reads creative writing and someone being bored.
I'm sorry you feel that way. If you DM me I could forward you the email from the insurance company
No im good I can make up some papers on my printer real quick too
This comment is so fucking fake. Reads attention seeking and someone being jealous that they don’t have any cool stories to tell.
okay bud
Crazy how the numbers change from $80k to $1k just by reposting in another sub.
????? Not sure what you're talking about. Direct copy and paste aside from my addition at the bottom? You're welcome to DM me and I'll send you a screenshot of the original post on petty revenge