Business, Bad Business, Women & Cops
So, here I sit, trying to calm down......here's what happened. When I found that I needed more shirts, I called Kristen. Kristen used to own American Trophy in East Providence, RI, now her boyfriend, Peter owns it. Details on the takeover are hazy. All I know is that Peter talks down to everyone, he's very loud and his ego is in constant need of feeding. He once sprayed Lysol on his AA, Melissa because she sneezed. He threw a priest out - physically. He's often drunk, usually obnoxious and frequently smelly. He lies as easily as he breathes. He screams at Kristens dad, Mr G.....I think it's because Mr. G is a real artist and Peter learned his art from "Art for Dummies". Honest. He did. He also has Mr. G working - "for his own good".....right. Anyway, we had left American Trophy, for these reasons and also because the quality of the shirts had suffered and Peter's treatment of his employees is often criminal. Peter believes in neither equality nor quality, he believes that he is superior and therefore we should be grateful that he works with us. He also believes that anything he or his company produces - be it on a shirt or a canvas, is of such quality that to question it deserves abuse, ridicule, threats and if necessary, violence.
So, knowing all this, I still called Kristen and said sure......make these shirts. I mean how bad could they screw up two lines of print. Don't ask. Well, when the shirts were ready, I went to pick them up. It was almost 5:00 PM. on a Friday. Peter was in a huge hurry. I couldn't check the shirts, only count them.
Many, if not most of the shirts were third rate.
On Monday, I called American Trophy in East Providence, RI.
I told Peter.
He said "It sucks to be you"
Yup.
That's what he said.
I called a friend for comfort. She told me to put a stop payment on the checks. She said that stop payments were designed for this purpose.
I put a stop payment on three of the checks. I let the others go through - cause I wanted to be fair. I found out that fair doesn't cut it.
I sent a certified letter to Peter at American Trophy in East Providence, RI, saying that these shirts - approx $3900. 00 worth were unsellable and that I needed to have the money to continue business....cause I couldn't sell these shirts. I said that he could have these shirts back.
In the mean time, I forgot to subtract that stop payment fees (math was never my strong suite).....so ...go ahead...guess....yup....the checks bounced.
Now, I have three stop payments and three bounced checks.
That's bad. Very bad.
Today I received a call from an East Providence detective. They're ready to arrest me. The quality of the shirts is my problem. I can ask Peter for replacements....but it's not required that he produce quality goods.
I called a Providence detective. He told me that small businesses like mine are screwed. He told me that the only thing I can do is pay for all the shirts that I cannot sell and "drop back seven yards and punt". I don't really know what that means. I guess it means that I own $3900.00 worth of cleaning rags. He also said the stop payments are for when you lose your check books.
The Providence cop also said that I should call the Attoney Generals office on Monday morning and see if there was anything I could do - but he isn't hopeful.
Basically he said "You're screwed"
I wonder about Kristen & Melissa. I worry about Mr. G.
I wonder how Kristen can put up with this. I'm not the first business to have major problems with Peter. I can bet my last dollar I won't be the last. I wonder how Kristen can put up with Peter's verbal abuse. I wonder how Kristen can put up with Peter's violence. When one of his screen printers left his employ, he broke a desk drawer and threatened him. I wonder if he hits Kristen. I wonder how he took over a business that was started by Mr G over 50 years ago and calls it his.
I wonder about Peter talking down to a man in his seventies, and have him working making trophies - all day. I wonder where Kristens brother is. I heard he was trying to take the business back from Peter. I wish I knew him. I'd help all I could.
So - here I sit, on a dreary Saturday afternoon, wondering if I'm going to be arrested. I have the money to cover everything.......but it will be close. We'll have almost no money left in the account....of course we'll have shirts we can't sell...or as Peter as pointed out - won't sell.....
I'm appalled that someone can use the judicial system to further their own ends......but look at the example we have in the White House.
I'm proud of Mudpuppy. She's angry that Peter gets our money while we have shirts that we can't sell.
She's angry that mediocrity and arrogance are protected while quality is under siege.
I wonder how we can make sure this never happens again.
It won't happen to us. We've switched our business to a union shop with tons of quality control. It's the same union shop that produces the Farm Aid shirts, the Red Sox shirts and shirts for a whole bunch of left leaning companies. They're also going to be our fulfillment company. That means our shirts will be of excellent and consistent quality and professionally shipped. That's good.
If anyone is looking for a great company, call Mirror Image in Pawtucket, RI. They are the bomb!! Please tell them that you heard of them from us. We won't get anything but thanks and thats good enough.
If anyone has any ideas......feel free to e-mail us.
At this point, I'm at a loss.
So, knowing all this, I still called Kristen and said sure......make these shirts. I mean how bad could they screw up two lines of print. Don't ask. Well, when the shirts were ready, I went to pick them up. It was almost 5:00 PM. on a Friday. Peter was in a huge hurry. I couldn't check the shirts, only count them.
Many, if not most of the shirts were third rate.
On Monday, I called American Trophy in East Providence, RI.
I told Peter.
He said "It sucks to be you"
Yup.
That's what he said.
I called a friend for comfort. She told me to put a stop payment on the checks. She said that stop payments were designed for this purpose.
I put a stop payment on three of the checks. I let the others go through - cause I wanted to be fair. I found out that fair doesn't cut it.
I sent a certified letter to Peter at American Trophy in East Providence, RI, saying that these shirts - approx $3900. 00 worth were unsellable and that I needed to have the money to continue business....cause I couldn't sell these shirts. I said that he could have these shirts back.
In the mean time, I forgot to subtract that stop payment fees (math was never my strong suite).....so ...go ahead...guess....yup....the checks bounced.
Now, I have three stop payments and three bounced checks.
That's bad. Very bad.
Today I received a call from an East Providence detective. They're ready to arrest me. The quality of the shirts is my problem. I can ask Peter for replacements....but it's not required that he produce quality goods.
I called a Providence detective. He told me that small businesses like mine are screwed. He told me that the only thing I can do is pay for all the shirts that I cannot sell and "drop back seven yards and punt". I don't really know what that means. I guess it means that I own $3900.00 worth of cleaning rags. He also said the stop payments are for when you lose your check books.
The Providence cop also said that I should call the Attoney Generals office on Monday morning and see if there was anything I could do - but he isn't hopeful.
Basically he said "You're screwed"
I wonder about Kristen & Melissa. I worry about Mr. G.
I wonder how Kristen can put up with this. I'm not the first business to have major problems with Peter. I can bet my last dollar I won't be the last. I wonder how Kristen can put up with Peter's verbal abuse. I wonder how Kristen can put up with Peter's violence. When one of his screen printers left his employ, he broke a desk drawer and threatened him. I wonder if he hits Kristen. I wonder how he took over a business that was started by Mr G over 50 years ago and calls it his.
I wonder about Peter talking down to a man in his seventies, and have him working making trophies - all day. I wonder where Kristens brother is. I heard he was trying to take the business back from Peter. I wish I knew him. I'd help all I could.
So - here I sit, on a dreary Saturday afternoon, wondering if I'm going to be arrested. I have the money to cover everything.......but it will be close. We'll have almost no money left in the account....of course we'll have shirts we can't sell...or as Peter as pointed out - won't sell.....
I'm appalled that someone can use the judicial system to further their own ends......but look at the example we have in the White House.
I'm proud of Mudpuppy. She's angry that Peter gets our money while we have shirts that we can't sell.
She's angry that mediocrity and arrogance are protected while quality is under siege.
I wonder how we can make sure this never happens again.
It won't happen to us. We've switched our business to a union shop with tons of quality control. It's the same union shop that produces the Farm Aid shirts, the Red Sox shirts and shirts for a whole bunch of left leaning companies. They're also going to be our fulfillment company. That means our shirts will be of excellent and consistent quality and professionally shipped. That's good.
If anyone is looking for a great company, call Mirror Image in Pawtucket, RI. They are the bomb!! Please tell them that you heard of them from us. We won't get anything but thanks and thats good enough.
If anyone has any ideas......feel free to e-mail us.
At this point, I'm at a loss.
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