Seriously... How Long can sign crooks last???

[Texas_Signmaker]

There is a company in one my my markets (not Frisco) that for years has done horrible work. I first got tipped off to them when I had a customer call and tell me they tried to get the company to fix their work but ghosted them.

They put in a 1/8" plexiglas panel with the copy running into the retainers. The board was cut short so they put a bunch of screws in the tracks to prop it up.

I got another call today from a company that tried to use them for an install, and they installed one sign and abandoned the project, leaving the signs on the grass and ghosted them as well.

I went to look them up again on Google and they used to have a TON of 1-star reviews with people warning of this company. Now it seems all those reviews are gone. Somehow he changed his phone number and got a fresh Google listing but same address and same name.

These people go on for YEARS ripping people off. You would think by now he would of figured out how to install signs properly.

The last guy that was another local sign legend who ripped off people for YEARS ended up serving time... Took almost 15 years before he landed in prison for what he was doing. Amazes me how these people go so long ripping people off and just keep going.

Any of y'all got straight up sign crooks in your town?

 

[AF]

Shoot straight and avoid the gallows.

 

[fresh]

I know of two, both of them were "independent contractors" who we would fabricate for since they didn't have their own shop.

One of them took a sign down for us to reface. Dropped it off at our location and then ghosted both us and the original client. I know they gave him a deposit, and we did part of the job but then he never came back to pick it up / screwed the client. I'm not even going to talk about the other dude because he's literally mental and I have a huge long string of text messages of him screwing me over. But whatever.

We did just re-do a job done by a shop a few miles away from us. The owner HAND CUT the vinyl window lettering. The client even provided proper vector artwork, and she hand cut it, circle graphic with 4 different colors and all. It looked like pppppp oooo oooo pppp. She tried to play it off like it that was normal and standard to hand cut vinyl and that it made more sense to layer multiple colors than it did to just print it. IDK. It was such an easy job, why screw it up?

 

[Andy D]

. The client even provided proper vector artwork, and she hand cut it, circle graphic with 4 different colors and all. It looked like pppppp oooo oooo pppp. She tried to play it off like it that was normal and standard to hand cut vinyl and that it made more sense to layer multiple colors than it did to just print it. IDK. It was such an easy job, why screw it up?

Her Cricut vinyl cutter must have died.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Around here it's usually garbage EMC's that get hung, then never get serviced. We have a large outfit south of me that specializes in doing big jobs poorly, then not returning phone calls or performing any service on their own stuff. I keep waiting for it to hit the fan, let them dig their own grave kind of thing...

If it's anything like here... they could go on for decades

 

[CanuckSigns]

There is a local sign hack in my area who's main source of referrals is to drive around and stick his contact info decals on other people's signs. He did it to us and we lost a LED message board job because the client thought they made it instead of us, now the client can't get him to return phone calls when the sign malfunctions.

Another shop we work with was installing a post and panel sign, went to grab some lunch while the concrete set, came back to 2 or 3 decals all over the faces of the brand new signs that he stick on, the job wasn't even done yet.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Took almost 15 years before he landed in prison for what he was doing. Amazes me how these people go so long ripping people off and just keep going.

I have to wonder how much of that is due to people not reporting wrong doing, because of the bad perception of "snitching".

Part of how they are able to get away with things for so long.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

I have to wonder how much of that is due to people not reporting wrong doing, because of the bad perception of "snitching".

Part of how they are able to get away with things for so long.

It's the way the law is.. All he was getting in trouble for was civil action. You can rip off a dozen people and all they can do is sue and that's it. I guess the DA or whoever eventually started filing criminal charges against him and he started serving time.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

It's the way the law is.. All he was getting in trouble for was civil action. You can rip off a dozen people and all they can do is sue and that's it. I guess the DA or whoever eventually started filing criminal charges against him and he started serving time.

It's probably (without knowing the specifics, I'm only speculating) the amount of everything (amount as in how many times these acts have been committed) elevated from just civil to criminal. However, it still has to be reported, it still has to go on public record, that's the thing.

Some, even on here, of course, I don't know if that's "internet muscles" or what, say that it's not worth going the legal way, so if they are going to seek "reparations"(this word seems to be in vogue, so I thought I would use it) their own way (or just chalk it up to "such is life"). Part of that apathy is how these people are able to get away with things for so long.

 

[James Burke]

Yep...same here. It sorted itself out in district court. On top of being a ne'er do well, it seems he got into a domestic scuffle with his wife, and she filed charges of her own...on top of what his customers had filed.

After it hit the fan, I ended up buying some of his equipment on the cheap, and I even did a few "charity" cases for the people he ripped off.

These were cemetery monuments we're talking about. There's nothing worse than grieving the loss of a loved one, and being robbed.


JB

 

[zspace]

There is a company in one my my markets (not Frisco) that for years has done horrible work. I first got tipped off to them when I had a customer call and tell me they tried to get the company to fix their work but ghosted them.

They put in a 1/8" plexiglas panel with the copy running into the retainers. The board was cut short so they put a bunch of screws in the tracks to prop it up.

I got another call today from a company that tried to use them for an install, and they installed one sign and abandoned the project, leaving the signs on the grass and ghosted them as well.

I went to look them up again on Google and they used to have a TON of 1-star reviews with people warning of this company. Now it seems all those reviews are gone. Somehow he changed his phone number and got a fresh Google listing but same address and same name.

These people go on for YEARS ripping people off. You would think by now he would of figured out how to install signs properly.

The last guy that was another local sign legend who ripped off people for YEARS ended up serving time... Took almost 15 years before he landed in prison for what he was doing. Amazes me how these people go so long ripping people off and just keep going.

Any of y'all got straight up sign crooks in your town?

You might try to get the customers to contact the BBB about the company so at least there is a file the crooks can't manipulate.

We still support the local BBB and encourage customers to check our ratings and our competitors. It used to be a strong sales tool, but now Google reviews - whether fake or real - seem to carry much more weight. I also try to point it out when all the positive Google ratings on a company came within a 2 week period.

 

[HulkSmash]

I use to worry about my competition, and what they charged, and how they worked. But 7 years ago when i changed my mindset, business blew up. Be true to your clients, Be fair, and just be there. They will always come back. The ones that choose those cheap 1 star companies.. over you because they're cheaper.. you DO NOT want them as your client.. trust me. It's a win win for you.

 

[Jeremiah]

Build your Business on your reputation , I never say BAD things about competition. I may make a few general comments. Positive comments and an unconditional Guarantee on YOUR work will make and keep you a star.

 

[Geneva Olson]

There is a company in one my my markets (not Frisco) that for years has done horrible work. I first got tipped off to them when I had a customer call and tell me they tried to get the company to fix their work but ghosted them.

They put in a 1/8" plexiglas panel with the copy running into the retainers. The board was cut short so they put a bunch of screws in the tracks to prop it up.

I got another call today from a company that tried to use them for an install, and they installed one sign and abandoned the project, leaving the signs on the grass and ghosted them as well.

I went to look them up again on Google and they used to have a TON of 1-star reviews with people warning of this company. Now it seems all those reviews are gone. Somehow he changed his phone number and got a fresh Google listing but same address and same name.

These people go on for YEARS ripping people off. You would think by now he would of figured out how to install signs properly.

The last guy that was another local sign legend who ripped off people for YEARS ended up serving time... Took almost 15 years before he landed in prison for what he was doing. Amazes me how these people go so long ripping people off and just keep going.

Any of y'all got straight up sign crooks in your town?

Yep. There's a tshirt company here. (Clear Lake, Texas). We started out as a tshirt shop and expanded when I bought a printer. This tshirt company will take orders and collect money and then ghosts people. They get their friends to make the google reviews and then when they start getting bad reviews they take the google page down and start over. Their M.O. is a little different. When they got wind that we had expanded, they started snooping around. We would see them in the shop next door. They went to the landlord (on site) and asked to see an empty spot. They dropped a google pin in an empty field across the street from us.
And it amazes me that they still get business.