Need advice on dealing with respected Pelicanite

Iowa911 · 12-03-2010, 08:05 AM

So I have a bit of a dilemma. About a year ago a well respected member of this forum offered to do me a very nice favor. I shipped an item (not of great monetary value) to him and he was going to perform a task and return it to me. Well after several PMs back and forth I was told he was done and I would see it in the mail soon. A month went by and I inquired about its whereabouts and he said he had lost my address. I replied with my address. No word from him since then. I was always polite and appreciative. I don't think I ticked him off, I went back and re-read all of our correspondence, and I didn't see anything on either end to cause a problem.

I have emailed and PM'd him several times, always being very nice, but I get no response. What should I do? It won't be the end of the world if I don't get it back, but I will be kind of bummed.

I didn't give details to avoid having people do a search through old posts to figure out the involved party. I am not trying to discredit anyone or cause a problem, I'm just not sure what to do.
Thanks

BK911 · BK911's Garage

Stealing is stealing, regardless of your "pelican status". Try the diplomatic approach until you get tired of trying. Then blast away.

5String43 · 12-03-2010, 08:17 AM

I don't know - what's it worth to cause a ruckus? How sure can you be that something catastrophic on his end hasn't happened? I think that if this widget is of little monetary value and is easy to replace, I'd maybe just chalk it up to lessons learned. Money is easy. Hard feelings are not. So I think I'd do whatever it takes to feel good about myself at the end of the day.

Iowa911 · 12-03-2010, 08:24 AM

Without giving details, it is not easily replaced. I do however agree it's not worth hard feelings. This guy is a wealth of knowledge and I hope to be able to contact him in the future when I have questions.
I prefer at this point to not start calling this "stealing" even if it fits the definition.

brads911sc · brads911sc's Garage

on the other hand.. we all send items to have work done... and I hope I never send this person anything.. so its perfectly fine to publish the information. amazing what peer pressure will do... you might all of a sudden get your item...

Iowa911 · 12-03-2010, 08:28 AM

That's what is so tough about this one. This guy is always doing great things for people and I don't want to be a blemish on an otherwise impeccable record.

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

I've sent manuals, test equipment and parts to people and have been lucky. No issues. The only probs I've ever had is from weenies on the off topic threads. Mostly cut and paste dorks that don't even have an original thought process.

Send the guy a PM and tell him you are gonna wanker him on the board...heck, send a link to this thread......

Canada Kev · 12-03-2010, 08:36 AM

Unless many of the "great things" he's doing are not publicized here and are similar to your situation...

Maybe find out if the person's still alive and hasn't had some sort of accident which might preclude him from contacting you. If he's still around and posting here, then perhaps try to contact him again and direct him to this thread, suggesting he straighten things out. If still he ignores you, then let loose the hounds and let public opinion do its thing.

Give a reasonable chance to make things right first, though.

tobluforu · tobluforu's Garage

If he posts/replies to threads on this board then he will read this and hopefully will man up. Wait, this was a year ago, if so blast away.

Gogar · 12-03-2010, 08:50 AM

Either he's

Doing what he said he would do,

Or he's not.

That's it.

If there's a reason, he needs to tell you.

Iowa911 · 12-03-2010, 09:01 AM

I do see him post regularly, that's what's so baffling to me. I cannot get a reply out of him.

Packy · Packy's Garage

Tell him respectfully in private that if you don't get a response and your said product back then you will have to disclose the specifics of his actions on the forums to protect the interest of others.

Fair is fair and business is business.

Geronimo '74 · 12-03-2010, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gogar

Either he's

Doing what he said he would do,

Or he's not.

That's it.

If there's a reason, he needs to tell you.

I agree, he either has a valid reason or he doesn't but the right thing to do is to let you know.

I understand the predicament though.

AlfonsoR · 12-03-2010, 09:54 AM

It takes more than just great skill and great attitude to run a successful business, it also takes great project management and time management skills, among other things.

Maybe this guy has just has not been able to get to all the things he has committed to?

I would do as others mentioned, try to contact him by phone, and ask where he is with the work. If you want to be done with it, then ask for your pieces back regardless of the state they are in (if feasible). In other words, give him a personal warning that he needs to move on this, else you will post a complaint on here.

If the pieces are much more valuable to you than a slam on Pelican, then you might consider taking a flight over and getting the parts back in person.

NY91184 · NY91184's Garage

From a prior experience in a similar situation heres what I think will happen. He will stumble on this thread and realize he has to make the situation right asap, or his reputation will be tarnished. Next thing you know, your item or the money for it will magically arrive. How far do you live from said person? I tend to use that as a levarage point if necessary.

Iowa911 · 12-03-2010, 11:08 AM

I hope that's how this gets resolved.

AlfonsoR · 12-03-2010, 11:33 AM

TTT to help out Dean

kidrock · 12-03-2010, 11:44 AM

I had a Good Samaratin Pelican ship me a fairly expensive part through the mail on his own dime, and it never arrived. I felt REALLY bad about it. But sometimes, these things are out of our control. The point being, the fella in question may or may not be aware of the issue. The best way to handle an issue where evidence of misbehavior is lacking, is to handle it with kid gloves.

When all the evidence is in, that's when the gloves come off.

SuperOldSchool · SuperOldSchool's Garage

If he's still actively posting, just add a comment to one of his chains/postings asking when he plans to ship the widget. If still no response, I agree with the others, let him know you're going to expose the situation unless it's rectified.

It's just not right.

McLovin · 12-03-2010, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kidrock

I had a Good Samaratin Pelican ship me a fairly expensive part through the mail on his own dime, and it never arrived. I felt REALLY bad about it. But sometimes, these things are out of our control. The point being, the fella in question may or may not be aware of the issue. The best way to handle an issue where evidence of misbehavior is lacking, is to handle it with kid gloves.

When all the evidence is in, that's when the gloves come off.

Not responding at all to multiple emails and PMs (i.e., a complete blow off) for weeks/months at a time, while still posting here (which shows he's still around and capable of responding), is NEVER ok. No further "evidence" needed.

I agree with the others. Forward him this tread to email and PM, give him a few days to respond, if you see he is still posting here but not responding, there's no choice but to name him. Which is totally fair. If he disagrees with what you say, he can post his disagreement.