Young fella

[ozwinner]

A young fella rocks up on site and asks if I need a brickies labourer?
Not just yet, but give me your phone number.

Later on I ring him to get more details.
Yep he seems fine, can you start Monday?
No probs says he.

Monday he works fine, asks me about me taking him on as an apprentice.
A bit soon to tell says I, I will have to see how you perform over a period of time before I can say.

Tuesday as Monday he works ok, and seem to know the basics of being a brickies labourer.

Wednesday I get a text message (I hate those things with a passion) "I cant come to work as Ive done my back and have gone to the docs for an Xray".
What? :confused:

This is at 7.00 Am.

I need paying please, here are my bank details.
But I need an invoice before I can pay him seeing as how he is working with an ABN.

Tryed ringing him to get him to send an invoice, all I got was a recorded.

Next day.
"Pay up or else!!" :eek:
Again tryed to ring him, again all I got was a recorded.

Next day,
"Its out of my hands now." :confused:

So I had to resort to the text message, (which I had to get my partner to type for me). "No invoice, no payment genious"

Within 30 minutes a "friend" of said genious rock up with an invoice


What the freek is wrong with young ppl?
One minute he wants me to take him on as an apprentice, the next he is threatening me.
I dont threaten easy by the way. :p :D

Al :confused:

[Gumby]

And they wonder why we are hesitant about employing people :mad:

[womble]

sounds like a scamming ferkwit to me... :cool:

[Gumby]

Yeah, I wonder when the Workers Comp claim will arrive. :mad:

[E. maculata]

Al I've got several of those twerps, luckily for each one, I've also got a good young'un, willing to work & doing a decent job of it. They're out there, just gotta sort the wheat from the chaff.

[ozwinner]

Yeah, I wonder when the Workers Comp claim will arrive. :mad:

I kept the text messages and the first says that he woke up with a back ache hes had for ages, so its not my problem.

Al :cool:

[ozwinner]

Just as a matter of interest, how do I copy the sms's to my computer?

Al :)

[Auld Bassoon]

Did you see the historical post that Clinton (I think) made recently? Makes one wnde about the calibre of apprentices today...

Guess that you're glad that you didn't take on the mongrel eh?

[Auld Bassoon]

Just as a matter of interest, how do I copy the sms's to my computer?

Al :)

Err, the keyboard??? Unless anyone has a better way? I know it should be easier, but I don't know how...:o

[Pat]

Al, I'd be getting in contact with your solictor, just to protect yourself.

This boy sounds like he's been coached, but has made an error with "back ache for ages" text. I'd see a solictor and maybe contact the Vico Workcover mob to protect yourself.

[ozwinner]

Err, the keyboard??? Unless anyone has a better way? I know it should be easier, but I don't know how...:o

Yeah my son ( 21 doing his final year at unin doing elec enginering ) said the same thing.



Guess that you're glad that you didn't take on the mongrel eh?

Owwwwh yeah, imagine if I had taken on the peice of shyte, Im glad he peaked when he did.


Al :D <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

[ss_11000]

young fella.....

most of the newer fones can be hooked up to the computer either by blue toothe or by a cable. then you just copy and paste or something like that. because when it is hooked up to the computer, you can access the messages and images etc on your fone.

if you've got an old fone, i dont think they can be hooked up so just type it in.

hth

btw, good luck with it ( the workcover case that may come out of it) :)

[Lignum]

Just foward it on (re send it) to your putter, its recorded that way:)

[black1]

just get the message up and find "save message" and keep it on ya fone if needed some smarty pants lawyer could take a photo of it for court records? :cool:

[Cliff Rogers]

Al, don't pay just yet, wait til you get the next threat, & then write him a letter & tell him you lost the invoice & can he pls send another one.
Then, don't pay just yet, wait til you get the next threat & then wait til the 'other hands' contact you & tell them you "don't have a copy of the original invoice & could they get one please?"
Then, wirte him & his other hands a letter asking for another copy of the invoice every day for a month & post it without a stamp or a return address.
Don't use SMS, he'll get the message & so will the 'other hands,' they will wipe him like a dirty nose. :D

[Cliff Rogers]

Al, I'd be getting in contact with your solictor, just to protect yourself.

This boy sounds like he's been coached, but has made an error with "back ache for ages" text. I'd see a solictor and maybe contact the Vico Workcover mob to protect yourself.

I'd ignore him to death....
If he is a subbie & he quoted an ABN then Workcover aren't interested.
Keep asking him for a copy of the invoice til he gets the message that 2 can play the game. ;)

[journeyman Mick]

....If he is a subbie & he quoted an ABN then Workcover aren't interested.......

Cliff,
don't know what the go is in Vic, but in Qld if you are trading a sole trader, and do not provice a readily identifiable component of a job (ie, you're on hourly rate or piece rate and you're not being paid for a result) then workcover deems you to be an employee, even if you've got an ABN and your own insurances, licenses etc etc.

Mick

[Stuart]

young fella.....

most of the newer fones can be hooked up to the computer either by blue toothe or by a cable. then you just copy and paste or something like that. because when it is hooked up to the computer, you can access the messages and images etc on your fone.

if you've got an old fone, i dont think they can be hooked up so just type it in.

hth

btw, good luck with it ( the workcover case that may come out of it) :)
Spot on Stirlo.

However, Al, definitely do keep it in the phone, as if there are proceedings, you don't want just the text, you will need the hidden headers etc that identify where the message came from. Hopefully they are retained in the original SMS.

As far as the young #### is concerned, I didn't realise SMS was a legal method of communication. I would expect that he would be required to notify you in writing of his intention to discontinue working for you in whatever capacity.

[Clinton1]

Al, what age was he?

[ozwinner]

Al, what age was he?

18 or 19.

I found out from another brickie working on the site next door that the labourer used to work for a gang of brickies that sat down all day doing nothing. :eek:

It would have been a shock to his system when he came to work for me. :p

With a good labourer I can put in about 1500 bricks on the long runs per day, thats 12 batches of mud plus bricks plus raking/brushing.

No wonder he buggered off. :p :D

Al :)

[Clinton1]

:D

I would have killed (or at least maimed) for a chance to get a trade when I was that age.
There was about 60% unemployment in the 17 - 24 year age bracket where I grew up.

I lined up to submit a job application for 2 council apprenticeship - bloody line was around the block and they got about 700+ applications for 2 jobs.

A bit different in the trades now.

[Sturdee]

I'd ignore him to death....
If he is a subbie & he quoted an ABN then Workcover aren't interested.
Keep asking him for a copy of the invoice til he gets the message that 2 can play the game. ;)

Al,

From what you said there is no way he could be considered to be a subbie neither could he be employed under an ABN, in my opinion he would be considered to be an employee under both tax laws and workcover laws.

I would pay him as an employee for the work done and deduct tax according to law from his wages. On the basis that no installment declaration has been lodged with you.

Also immediately upon receipt of a claim for workcover lodge full details with your claims agent and meanwhile save and do not delete the text messages received.

Any irrelevant delays about invoices or delay in payment of wages owed by you could land you in deep trouble.


Peter.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

http://www.ubeaut.biz/iagree.gif

In your shoes, I'd play it straight down the line. He sent the invoice? Pay him. I'd cover my butt by keeping the SMS (saved on the phone) but that's as far as I'd go. IF a workcover claim comes in, then I'd follow through. But if it doesn't, he's been fairly honest and I have been playing the bastard, then should it come to small-claims court, well... he ain't the one who'd be paying costs.

That's the problem with pre-emptive strikes... if you misread the situation then you come off looking like the American Foreign Policy. An arrogant a/hole. :rolleyes:

[HappyHammer]

just get the message up and find "save message" and keep it on ya fone if needed some smarty pants lawyer could take a photo of it for court records? :cool:

Or just take a photo of it yourself :p

HH.

[Auld Bassoon]

Al, don't pay just yet, wait til you get the next threat, & then write him a letter & tell him you lost the invoice & can he pls send another one.
Then, don't pay just yet, wait til you get the next threat & then wait til the 'other hands' contact you & tell them you "don't have a copy of the original invoice & could they get one please?"
Then, wirte him & his other hands a letter asking for another copy of the invoice every day for a month & post it without a stamp or a return address.
Don't use SMS, he'll get the message & so will the 'other hands,' they will wipe him like a dirty nose. :D

Been there Cliff? :D

[Auld Bassoon]

With a good labourer I can put in about 1500 bricks on the long runs per day, thats 12 batches of mud plus bricks plus raking/brushing.

Al :)

Gee, Al! That's around 3+/minute. Fast mover eh? As you said, that may have been a bit of a bombshell to the little tu#d :D :D

[ozwinner]

Settle down guys, I payed him as soon as I got the invoice.

He trades under the grand title of " P & L Bricklaying" or someting like it.
I did an ABN search with the ATO just to confurm that the little scrote actually has a ligite ABN.

You work, you get paid, thats my belief anyway, pity some builders I work for dont go by that rule.

I never had the intentions of not paying him, I was just suprised by the change in attitude. :confused:


Al :)

[ozwinner]

Gee, Al! That's around 3+/minute. Fast mover eh?

Im just a blur when Im going hard at it. :D :D :D :D :D

Al :rolleyes:

[Lignum]

You work, you get paid, thats my belief anyway, pity some builders I work for dont go by that rule.



Or people who order furniture and make life very difficult when it comes to paying

[Auld Bassoon]

Im just a blur when Im going hard at it. :D :D :D :D :D

Al :rolleyes:

At work too, it would seem :D :D :D :D

[Auld Bassoon]

Or people who order furniture and make life very difficult when it comes to paying

Some time ago I asked a general question on pricing, and I believe that the concensus opinion was - get a deposit that at least covers the cost of materials, and don't let the finished pieces out of the shop until the readies are passed over.

Easy for a hobbyist and customers as individuals, but perhaps sometimes a professional has to allow a bit more trust with commercial clients. I hope that this isn't a current issue for you and, if it is, that you get settlement. Otherwise set Cliff on the buggers :eek: :eek: :eek: :D :D :D

[Cliff Rogers]

Been there Cliff? :D
As the subbie. :mad: