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I know this is not as exciting as falling in love with my best friend who's already married and will never love me, but I would really love some outside opinions on this one.
Here's the deal... I bid on a project for this woman for the total amount of $3500, including labor and materials. She approved this bid and we met to go over the job, at which point I told her I usually ask for the materials deposit beforehand ($500 in this case), and then 50% of the balance when I start the work ($1500). She offered to just write me a check for the $2000 then, and I agreed. I did the work, and on the day I finished I wrote her an invoice for the balance, $1500. When I handed it to her she asked, "Is this also for [X and Y]?" and I said, "No, that was my price for just [Z]." She said okay.
A few days later she calls and says she left me a check at the jobsite. I was elsewhere so I picked it up later - and saw that it was only for $1000. I am sooo passive and nonconfrontational that I actually considered just letting $500 (that I really need) disappear, to avoid having to ask her about it. But the next time I saw her I worked up the courage to say, "So, I got your check, but I noticed that it was for $1000 and I had the balance due as $1500." Whew. Then she says she thinks the balance was $1000. I just reiterate, no, I have it as $1500.
She asks how much she put down as the deposit and I say $2000. She thinks it was $2500. I tell her politely, "Well, I'll double check, but I'm pretty sure it was $2000." She says, well why don't I just look here in my checkbook, which was of the carbon copy variety - perfect, I thought. She flips through and finds it - $2500. Well what do you know.
I was really embarrassed and apologized, but as I stewed I just couldn't believe I'd forgotten about $500. So I checked my bank balance and sure enough I had deposited only $2000. I went to the bank and hearing my tale they actually tracked down and had faxed over a photocopy of the original check - sure enough it was for $2000, clear as day.
I would love to give my client the benefit of the doubt but the only explanation I can think of is she may have just scanned the checkbook for the right number, and the check she showed me was not made out to me - I was so nervous I just looked at the dollar amount myself. But the more likely explanation seems to be that she altered the carbon copy and lied to me. The horrible part is I have to continue to work for her for another 2-4 weeks. It's either that or be unemployed until I move out of state in a few weeks. And as I mentioned I am pathologically averse to confrontation and conflict. Should I say something, what would I say, how? And can you accuse a client of lying and still work for her? What would you do... help! |
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