Got Screwed Out Of $500, Looking For Legal Advice

[Cono Este]

My advice?

Stay in school. Or live with your parents when you get out until you are at least 40.

[highangle]

a real rocket scientist would pound the fuck out of the shiteatin little propellerheads til they coughed up the cash, plus vig

show em the fucking math

[Danno]

That's what I was going to say but I was afraid of coming off like a jackass (go figure, huh?).

Taking this to court (let alone winning) would end up costing you multiples of $500. Unless the douche who didn't pay up is a complete moron he will realise you're bluffing and probably laugh at you. Sucks, but that's the way it is.

Um, wrong. Small claims courts are set up precisely to handle -- wait for it -- small claims. He doesn't need legal representation and the fees are usually low. Not saying he'll win, but you're patently wrong in saying it will cost him multiples of $500 to pursue this. Moreover, small claims court need not be his first step.

If you don't have it in writing, you're pretty much screwed.

Also absolutely incorrect. Verbal contracts are as enforceable as written ones (with some small exceptions due to the statute of frauds). The issue of course is proving the existence of the verbal contract, but if he went to small claims court witha couple of witnesses to the agreement, that could be taken care of.

To the OP: Honestly, I don't know exactly how this will play out. I suggest you write a letter indicating the agreement, perhaps attaching a printout of the email where he agreed, and demanding he remit the $500 by a particular date (if you're not sure what exactly to write, perhaps do a google search for "demand letter"). Don't start with a threat of small claims court. If he does not respond, send another letter threatening small claims court if he does not remit by a particular date. If he fails again, sue him or drop it, your choice.

[wanghoeby]

To the OP: Honestly, I don't know exactly how this will play out. I suggest you write a letter indicating the agreement, perhaps attaching a printout of the email where he agreed, and demanding he remit the $500 by a particular date (if you're not sure what exactly to write, perhaps do a google search for "demand letter"). Don't start with a threat of small claims court. If he does not respond, send another letter threatening small claims court if he does not remit by a particular date. If he fails again, sue him or drop it, your choice.

Sound advice. I think I'll take this plan of action.

[pepperdawg]

Sell your design to Iran/Hezbullah/Hamas.......get loot.

[Danno]

Let me also add that the first letter should probably treat the whole thing as an oversight. Don't corner him and treat him as if he's trying to weasel out of paying. But also be firm, after reminding him of the agreement don't say "it'd be great if you could pay me", say something more like "please pay me the agreed upon amount by October 15th." Any "or else" should be 100% implied and not stated whatsoever in the letter.

[TexER]

I can't believe I read this whole thing, but since you are asking for advice:

You are asking a question you already know the answer to. You are reaching the point in life where you must decide: Tourist or Traveler?

Take the high road. Life is full of weak, souless tourists for whom life is one giant scam. They do whatever they are going to do because it is impossible for them not to. And even when they appear to do the right thing, it is only because others are watching, and the good act only serves to continue whichever impression they are currently trying to project. You will find them everywhere. In every setting. The words flow like water: "Can I borrow, Mine broke can I use yours, I forgot, It is not my fault, I didn't know, I was going to, It's not fair, They didn't tell me"

The good news: The farther you get afield, the harder the journey, the fewer bragging rights for having been, the fewer tourists you will be bogged down by.

Be a traveler. Take your lumps without complaint. Don't be muddied by a debate over the obvious. Technicalities, Rules, and Rulings are no victory. Hold the high ground: Honor, Character, Truth. Once you fall to their level there is no returning to the high ground and there is an endless supply of Tourists waiting to do the same to you.

Eventually in life you will find enough persons of similar character to yours that you can exclude the others. You will have friends, a family, business partners, mentors. My life is a string of unreturned books, unpaid debts, stolen equipment, unreciprocated kindness. Fuck 'em all because I can look every one of them in the eye, and they know what it really is and cower away like the maggot tourists they are.

Even with all of the money, and my shit back (particularly my SCUBA gear, Biography of Burton, Rossi 4S 203s... you know who you are if are reading this) I would not be ahead of where I am now. Because the other Travelers have tested me over years and I am one of them. And now that I know, I can freely reach in my pocket for my last dollar and know that I will get it back when it matters, hand over my prized 8 weight and it will be returned with a new fly tied on, and one for the box. Any kindness shown to a Traveler is always returned ten fold. Give abundantly and your life is enriched beyond measure. Count every change and keep an account book of that given and returned... you are a Tourist destined to have a life limited by the balance of those accounts.

The price sucks, but you are paying for a lifestyle that can't be bought any other way. When you see the weak bastard that owes you the $500 he will know, and you will know, but eventually it won't matter to you anymore... and he will always be a Tourist.

[Danno]

what the fuck is that?

[Jackie Treehorn]

That's what I was going to say but I was afraid of coming off like a jackass (go figure, huh?).

Taking this to court (let alone winning) would end up costing you multiples of $500. Unless the douche who didn't pay up is a complete moron he will realise you're bluffing and probably laugh at you. Sucks, but that's the way it is.

Pretty sure it costs like 20 bucks to file in small claims court in Mass. And I think anything under 2 grand can be considered small claims. He wouldn't need to get a lawyer either.

[Obstruction]

Congrats on the win btw.

On the $$$ what exactly is your case going to be based on? The legal claim I mean. This guy failed to fulfill the terms of a contract and pay you an agreed upon sum for work performed by you? This guy promised to give you money and then reneged? They were mean to you?

You all participated in a contest and you got fucked into doing all the work. The legit authority doles the $$$ out to the registered participants. Then you make an agreement after the fact that they will give a certain amount back to you. I ain't a lawyer or even Judge Judy but it sounds to me like your "agreement" to get the $$ back is purely voluntary. There ain't no offer, no acceptance, no consideration, no nothin.

In short to quote that famous philosopher Otter from Animal House, "You fucked up you trusted us."

[Danno]

It's not clear when the agreement was entered into, before the work for the competition was done, before the winner was announced, or after the award. So it's kind of hard for you or me to make a legal judgment. Regardless, he can still send a demand letter.

[mock vomit]

Hey... post up some pics of the rocket already. (I would'a asked for pics of the girlfriend, but he's a rocket scientist... knowwhatimean? )

Seriously, yes... congrats on the win!!! Oh, I we would love to see pics. NO WAY you invested that much time and don't have a series of pics from early in process to completed vehicle.

[legallyillegal]

$500? choke a bitch

some fucker ripped me off for less than that, but still a fairly significant sum of money, and then just disappeared (as in maybe jumped off a bridge into a bottomless pit of dicks disappeared)

oh well, life's tough, blog about it

[Blurred]

Broke college student gets a check for $500, and then is expected to act out of goodwill and give it to you? He's saying to himself, fuck that guy, I was part of the team.

Right or wrong, that's what's up.

Lets see pics of the rocket.

[wanghoeby]

Sorry, I botched the attachment on the post in the previous page.

Okay, we did have the smallest rocket. Ours was under 4 feet tall and weighed less than 2 kilograms, while most were nearly twice as tall and many times our weight. The challenge was to make a two stage "dart" (the upper stage doesn't have a motor) rocket go as high as possible, using a standardized motor, and having a diameter of at least 4 inches on the booster stage.

While it may look goofy. It ousted the competition. Peak speed was around 0.9 Mach and the dart went between 6-8,000 feet, nearly doubling the next place. Had it not been for a premature ejection charge , (not something teams could control) it would have been an ideal flight. If you're still not convinced, I'm sure pechelman can vouch for its design. Or maybe just ask the team of 5 aerospace engineers who spent a year working on theirs as their senior project, only to get topped by a biomedical physicist.

[Grange]

Looks like you built the worlds largest Balsa wood slip bobber, with wings! I'd like the see the fish that could submerge that thing.

[Downbound Train]

Can you get your Prof. to send the guy a strongly worded suggestion to pay up with a vailed threat of future scollastic fuckage if he doesn't do the right thing?

[PNWbrit]

Chin strap?

[johngenx]

Make a rocket and nuke the fucker. Normally that would be an outrageous suggestion, but you are one of the few people that can actually do it.

Congrats on the win, and I hope the dude does right and coughs it up for you, but even if he won't, don't burn an ulcer over it. Not worth it.

[Conundrum]

It's amazing that people are saying "ah, it's only $500 bucks". That was two months rent when I was working and going to school. Yeah, I lived in shithole because that's what I could afford. Anyone willing to give up two months rent or two months mortgage because someone took something that wasn't theirs? Probably not.

Second, it sucks to get things taken from you or to have someone back out of an agreement like that. Karma will get the guy it still sucks for the OP.

Small claims might be an answer but I think your first step should be looking into free legal advice that many schools offer. At my school, attornies did some pro bono work to help students with legal advice. See if your school has that and take advantage of it if they do.

The long and the short of it is basically what blurred said. If a guy is lazy enough to put zero time into a group project in school, he's probably the kind of guy who liked the free $500 bucks and that money has been spent.

Take the high road to start though and get ahold of him while not being accusatory. Could be a simple mistake...chances are it's not but you will look like a big asshole if you go for the jugular and he has been traveling without checking his mail.

[DoWork]

So where is this guy? Boston? If you're willing to split it, I might be willing to go look up this Elton John wannabe for you. I could use $250. Sounds like you could too.

[AdironRider]

Rocketman, suck it up and deal, it was a collegiate rocket competition and youre arguing over what is in essence chump change. If youre still in school how do you expect to pay for all the legal proceedings, and then even if you win, they cant physically force him to pay. You didnt have anything in writing, and if I was the judge Id probably throw it out and tell you to stop wasting my time. Something tells me you probably were a dick to him the whole time anyways.

My buddy took an old roomate to court back in the day over something like 750 bucks and he won in small claims. The kid still told him to fuck off and he never saw a dime. Its not like they can garnish his wages or anything.

[Snowdeprived]

I think you are operating under the assumption that compensation in life's endeavors should be fair. Yeah, right. You have heard about the 6 stages of a Project: 1) Enthusiasm; 2) Disillusionment; 3) Blame; 4) Search for the Guilty; 5) Punishment of the innocent; and 6) Praise and Glory for the non-participants. I think you did OK considering everything.

What if you hadn't won? You would have nothing.

Anyway, I would send a firm note reminding the guy of the agreed-upon split, but I wouldn't get too bent out of shape if you didn't get anything. You will encounter far greater injustices later in life.

[cramer]

500 bucks is worth taking him to court over. Fuck that guy, get the money you deserve. And im one of the ones making 10 times as much as you. 50 bucks is one thing, 5 hundy is another. Thats a car payment. I'd goto his house and confront the bastard. Be nice about it, offer to take payments. If he's being a dick, hello court. Thats a no brainer, you'll win. Fuck sending him mail. Call him or confront him face to face if he's in the same general area as you.

[gh444]

School sponsored team and they let you keep any of the money?

Just wait till you make/save tons of money for a boss/owner who hasn't shown up for a day of work in his whole life. All while he pays you a tiny fraction of the profit.

If the people who awarded the prize decided that it needed to be split evenly, for what ever reason, then I'm guessing you have little to no legs to stand on. Go buy a nice dinner for you and a date. Then realize that the rest goes towards fixing your transportation problem and be thankful that you have that prize money to put towards it at all. Plus it sounds like you sandbagged the competition.