OK. So about 6 months ago I saw an add for two old Mercedes in the local news paper. I call the man up and he tells me the cars are in great shape. I get there and only one is in decent shape the other is rotted beyond belief and you have to tear down a wall to get to it. I bought the decent one for his asking price, without question. We did the title, all was well. He guaranteed the car to run, it does not, but I'm not complaining, it was bought used and obviously checking it out was up to me. At the time he seemed like a pretty decent old fellow, and I enjoyed talking with him.
Fast forward to earlier this week, I found his phone # going through my cell phone and decided to call him to find out what ever became of the other car and he informs me he has drug it out of where it was and he has to sell it soon or send it to the crusher because it is in his way. He starts babbling on about how he has to have someone haul away 6 dead lawn mowers to get them out of his way aswell, and the guy he called to do it and take them away for free never showed up yet and he is frustrated. I told him I'd like to come out and take a closer look at the old rusty Mercedes now that it is out in the open and that if he wanted to I could haul the lawn mowers away if they were free. He replied ' of course they are free, they are junk ' and asked me why I would 'want another man's problems' and I replied that I knew several people who enjoy tinkering with broken mowers and would appreciate the gift. He said 'sure, come on over'.
I get to his house and the Mercedes is a complete mess with mold, rust holes, spiders and mice. He opens up a beat-up garage door and out falls tons of wood and useless crap, revealing a completely jam-packed garage with junk. He said ' here are the mowers you can have, I just want them gone out of my way, I want to be able to park my car in here ' We spent a half hour digging the mowers out of this junk, and quite frankly the mowers are most likely junk themselves, they are from the 50s-60s, missing parts, falling apart, leaking oil, etc. We tossed them in the back of my pick-up truck and he thanked me for taking away these 'neusences'. I told him how I'd probably give the ones that look salvageable to friends who might tinker with them, and the rest I will probably take in with a load of scrap metal. He thanked me, I thanked him, we shook hands and I left. I gave some of the more complete, (ALL non-running) mowers to friends who repair this type of stuff, as gifts, and the scrap ones are in the back of my truck awaiting the scrap yard.
While I was at his house, he kept telling me stories of how he will in the future sue this neighbor for this, that neighbor for that, someone is breaking into his house every day for the past year, someone stole this, someone stole that, the water department is out to get him, someone is draining their sewage water into his drinking water, theives and bandits are coming in through the holes in the roof and stealing his plants, etc, etc. It got to the point where he was rambling so much about ridiculous crap I said 'I'm late for work and I've gotta go.' He was sent his neighbors water bill by accident (wrong mail box) and he believes that they are trying to make him pay it and that his water will be shut off, so he went out and purchased over 300 one gallon jugs of water for when this happens.
Fast forward four days later (Friday) he calls me 12 times on my cell phone, all within an hour (while I'm at work and can't pick up) and leaves me 12 voice mails. Each one varies a little, but all consist of ' um um this is ****** you gotta bring those mowers I gave you back my son wants them for parts my phone number is, or uh uh this is ******* i got in trouble yesterday (he has his days mixed up) and my son wants those old mowers of mine i gave you so bring them back my phone number is'
I haven't yet called him back because I don't know what to say to him. He gave these away free, they were junk that had been untouched for years and he was glad to get rid of them. None of them run or look like they would be capable of running without any serious repair. I gave the decent ones to other people to repair/tinker with.
I planned on calling him back today but forgot, until he called just NOW at 1:40am in the morning ! ! ! and left a message ''this is ******* listen i have to have the truckload of mowers back or im turning it over to the police dept thank you buh buy'' WHAT?!?!
If I had not given the mowers to other people I would probably haul them back to him and say THANKS FOR WASTING MY TIME AND FUEL, but I'm kind of stuck on what course of action to take here...
I think the main reason this is bothering me and I can't just be like ' you gave them away, its over, screw you ' is because I'm an honest guy and I feel bad about being put on this spot, but he has put me in this spot !
He has my first name and cell #. I bought a car off of him 6 months ago. Geez what if I went to the scrap yard after leaving his place that day.
He gave them away FREE, I wouldn't have taken them otherwise. I did not get anything in writing, and only a neighbor of his was outside when I drove off, he saw the truck bed full of 6 lawn mowers. Yes I would not be able to get into his garage without his access.
I want to do the right thing here I am just appauled at this whole scenario ! His voicemails are not even ' sorry but I need to have them back ' it is more along the lines of ' call me immediately I need them mowers back now '. FOUR days passed since he gave them away. I thought I was doing this guy a favor. He helped load them into my truck and I thanked him for the scrap, heck they aren't even worth $10 in scrap. I did it to help him out since the 'scrap guy' he called and said could have them never showed up and in his words ' really screwed me over because I wanted him to take these danm mowers out of here im tired of looking at them' that is when I said ' well if they are decent I'll haul them away if they are free'. I made sure he said they were FREE, there was nothing else involved. I told him some would go to other poeple as gifts and he laughed and thought it was a stupid idea to give away broken mowers!
I am unsure of what to say when/if I call him, and what he would say in return, what could he concoct then? He has his days mixed up, he can't even think straight and is paranoid about everyone.
Those mowers sat in his garage for 20+ years untouched and unnoticed. When he was going through the garage he found junk he didn't even know he had. I was very respectful not to even step on extension cords or to leave the mowers on the drive where the oil could leak. I picked up some junk nails at the end of his drive to make sure he or anyone else wouldn't get a flat tire. I rang his door bell when I first arrived and greeted him with handshake.
What I think happened is he told his son that he gave all of the junk mowers away and his son who hasn't cared about the mowers in 20+ years all of the sudden said 'DAD I WANT THOSE MOWERS, GET THEM BACK' and now the old man is ringing my phone off the hook to get them back and what/how can go to the police? NO crime was committed, I can't even believe this mess !! He is going to call the police and claim ' I gave 6 free lawn mowers to a guy to haul away free and now four days later I changed my mind and want them back for my son and he won't return my phone calls, I'd like to file a report' HELLO? They were free. Shame on me for not getting something like that in writing but come on, who would in this situation? I was helping the guy out and four days ago he was thrilled to see that crap leave and now he flips his top and wants them all back?
All I was trying to do was help this man out!!
If I chose to call him tomorrow, here is what I have planned to say:
" Hello *****, this is ****** I received your voicemails, listen - you gave me the broken mowers free and I told you I was going to give them away to people who would fix them, that is what I did, I do not have them anymore, what are you wanting me to do here? This was on Tuesday, you called me on Friday, you gave them to me for free to haul out of your way, now you have changed your mind four days later? I don't understand? "
I left his house at 10am Tuesday morning. He called me Friday after 2pm. A little over four days passed. Then he called me today (Sunday morning) at 1:40am !
PLEASE, any advice would be very well appreciated ! !
Fast forward to earlier this week, I found his phone # going through my cell phone and decided to call him to find out what ever became of the other car and he informs me he has drug it out of where it was and he has to sell it soon or send it to the crusher because it is in his way. He starts babbling on about how he has to have someone haul away 6 dead lawn mowers to get them out of his way aswell, and the guy he called to do it and take them away for free never showed up yet and he is frustrated. I told him I'd like to come out and take a closer look at the old rusty Mercedes now that it is out in the open and that if he wanted to I could haul the lawn mowers away if they were free. He replied ' of course they are free, they are junk ' and asked me why I would 'want another man's problems' and I replied that I knew several people who enjoy tinkering with broken mowers and would appreciate the gift. He said 'sure, come on over'.
I get to his house and the Mercedes is a complete mess with mold, rust holes, spiders and mice. He opens up a beat-up garage door and out falls tons of wood and useless crap, revealing a completely jam-packed garage with junk. He said ' here are the mowers you can have, I just want them gone out of my way, I want to be able to park my car in here ' We spent a half hour digging the mowers out of this junk, and quite frankly the mowers are most likely junk themselves, they are from the 50s-60s, missing parts, falling apart, leaking oil, etc. We tossed them in the back of my pick-up truck and he thanked me for taking away these 'neusences'. I told him how I'd probably give the ones that look salvageable to friends who might tinker with them, and the rest I will probably take in with a load of scrap metal. He thanked me, I thanked him, we shook hands and I left. I gave some of the more complete, (ALL non-running) mowers to friends who repair this type of stuff, as gifts, and the scrap ones are in the back of my truck awaiting the scrap yard.
While I was at his house, he kept telling me stories of how he will in the future sue this neighbor for this, that neighbor for that, someone is breaking into his house every day for the past year, someone stole this, someone stole that, the water department is out to get him, someone is draining their sewage water into his drinking water, theives and bandits are coming in through the holes in the roof and stealing his plants, etc, etc. It got to the point where he was rambling so much about ridiculous crap I said 'I'm late for work and I've gotta go.' He was sent his neighbors water bill by accident (wrong mail box) and he believes that they are trying to make him pay it and that his water will be shut off, so he went out and purchased over 300 one gallon jugs of water for when this happens.
Fast forward four days later (Friday) he calls me 12 times on my cell phone, all within an hour (while I'm at work and can't pick up) and leaves me 12 voice mails. Each one varies a little, but all consist of ' um um this is ****** you gotta bring those mowers I gave you back my son wants them for parts my phone number is, or uh uh this is ******* i got in trouble yesterday (he has his days mixed up) and my son wants those old mowers of mine i gave you so bring them back my phone number is'
I haven't yet called him back because I don't know what to say to him. He gave these away free, they were junk that had been untouched for years and he was glad to get rid of them. None of them run or look like they would be capable of running without any serious repair. I gave the decent ones to other people to repair/tinker with.
I planned on calling him back today but forgot, until he called just NOW at 1:40am in the morning ! ! ! and left a message ''this is ******* listen i have to have the truckload of mowers back or im turning it over to the police dept thank you buh buy'' WHAT?!?!
If I had not given the mowers to other people I would probably haul them back to him and say THANKS FOR WASTING MY TIME AND FUEL, but I'm kind of stuck on what course of action to take here...
I think the main reason this is bothering me and I can't just be like ' you gave them away, its over, screw you ' is because I'm an honest guy and I feel bad about being put on this spot, but he has put me in this spot !
He has my first name and cell #. I bought a car off of him 6 months ago. Geez what if I went to the scrap yard after leaving his place that day.
He gave them away FREE, I wouldn't have taken them otherwise. I did not get anything in writing, and only a neighbor of his was outside when I drove off, he saw the truck bed full of 6 lawn mowers. Yes I would not be able to get into his garage without his access.
I want to do the right thing here I am just appauled at this whole scenario ! His voicemails are not even ' sorry but I need to have them back ' it is more along the lines of ' call me immediately I need them mowers back now '. FOUR days passed since he gave them away. I thought I was doing this guy a favor. He helped load them into my truck and I thanked him for the scrap, heck they aren't even worth $10 in scrap. I did it to help him out since the 'scrap guy' he called and said could have them never showed up and in his words ' really screwed me over because I wanted him to take these danm mowers out of here im tired of looking at them' that is when I said ' well if they are decent I'll haul them away if they are free'. I made sure he said they were FREE, there was nothing else involved. I told him some would go to other poeple as gifts and he laughed and thought it was a stupid idea to give away broken mowers!
I am unsure of what to say when/if I call him, and what he would say in return, what could he concoct then? He has his days mixed up, he can't even think straight and is paranoid about everyone.
Those mowers sat in his garage for 20+ years untouched and unnoticed. When he was going through the garage he found junk he didn't even know he had. I was very respectful not to even step on extension cords or to leave the mowers on the drive where the oil could leak. I picked up some junk nails at the end of his drive to make sure he or anyone else wouldn't get a flat tire. I rang his door bell when I first arrived and greeted him with handshake.
What I think happened is he told his son that he gave all of the junk mowers away and his son who hasn't cared about the mowers in 20+ years all of the sudden said 'DAD I WANT THOSE MOWERS, GET THEM BACK' and now the old man is ringing my phone off the hook to get them back and what/how can go to the police? NO crime was committed, I can't even believe this mess !! He is going to call the police and claim ' I gave 6 free lawn mowers to a guy to haul away free and now four days later I changed my mind and want them back for my son and he won't return my phone calls, I'd like to file a report' HELLO? They were free. Shame on me for not getting something like that in writing but come on, who would in this situation? I was helping the guy out and four days ago he was thrilled to see that crap leave and now he flips his top and wants them all back?
All I was trying to do was help this man out!!
If I chose to call him tomorrow, here is what I have planned to say:
" Hello *****, this is ****** I received your voicemails, listen - you gave me the broken mowers free and I told you I was going to give them away to people who would fix them, that is what I did, I do not have them anymore, what are you wanting me to do here? This was on Tuesday, you called me on Friday, you gave them to me for free to haul out of your way, now you have changed your mind four days later? I don't understand? "
I left his house at 10am Tuesday morning. He called me Friday after 2pm. A little over four days passed. Then he called me today (Sunday morning) at 1:40am !
PLEASE, any advice would be very well appreciated ! !
