Don't mess around. Take care of it and get it out of your hair. Send a cordial letter. While your waiting for the letter to get there, call him twice a day. Its your stuff. The onus is on him to make everything cool.
__________________
--J Brunner, The Prints of Darkness
I am assuming that your interest is in getting your equipment back, or appropriately replaced, rather than compensation for your loss of use the equipment. If you do intend to press a "loss of use" claim, seek legal advice, and don't follow the suggestion that follows.
I'd suggest a registered letter where you make it clear that you expect your property back, or its value in compensation, but offer him the opportunity to return the items and explain why he hasn't returned them earlier - make it clear that if you get your stuff back, you will be relieved and thankful.
There is a tiny chance that the reason he hasn't dealt with this, is that he is embarrassed and has just put it off to avoid the reality of having to face up to his shoddy treatment of you. If you give him a chance to save face, he might take you up on it.
It may get you nowhere, but (subject to my initial warning) it cannot hurt.
A friend of mine lent another friend a large amount of money to help purchase a new bike. A year and a bit went by and this guy quit riding, starting selling legal drugs (i dunno, don't ask me) and never ended up paying him. my friend went to the guys house and took the bike back but since then its depreciated in value alot and he cant even sell it for the portion of the money he loaned the guy for it. I always though that he shoulda used excessive force but its his choice...
i think you should get in your car and drive over there and ask him for your stuff back. youve lost a friend but at least you get your stuff back. if not what can the guy do? explain he sold it? I can't imagine anyone being able to NOT pay you after something like that.
Yes, I would confront the guy. What, after all, do you have to lose? If he is still a 'friend', he'll aplogize and return your stuff; if he isn't, then you can have at him and at least unload how you feel about his being a schmuck. If you do nothing, you lose your stuff, swallow your anger/irritation/hurt/whatever and have it churning inside you, which is unhealthy and totally unproductive.
.....
My feelings exactly.
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This is good advice.
I do not lend out photo books anymore as I have been burned on many occasions.
Send a letter that is non confrontational, If you do not get a satisfactory reply , go get your gear.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Curt
Rule Number one; never loan tools.
Rule Number two; never loan photo equipment.
Norm from the New Yankee Workshop has a sign in his shop.
"I never loan tools; I don't want to lose my tools and I don't want to lose my friends."
Now he's a VP of Sales and Marketing for a paper company, owns a B&B, etc.
Are you sure he didn't get a lucrative contract being the subject of a mockumentary detailing his each and every embarassing moves?
More seriously, if he is in business and not selling crack to minors, he has an incentive to keep his name untarnished. Can you reach him at his office? Someone may be able to account for his whereabouts, so that could help you figure out what he's up to. A firm but cordial registered letter would be the next obvious step, as others have mentioned.
__________________ Using film since before it was hip.
If all the above fails, make some Italian friends in the scrap metal recycling business in New Jersey, and ask them to make a polite request of your ex-friend to return the property. Oh, and give them the chit on the loan to go and collect, at Sicilian interest rates.
The hard part is when I bought everything, it was a struggle, over a 3 year period and I just resent the fact that I'm giving up 3 years of working extra jobs, living cheap, etc. (as it would be now to replace it)
erie
Do you think this is the kind of guy who would have put in this extra time to get something and then just let it be taken from him? Thought not! I'd certainly want to work out the actual cost of all this equipment when you loaned it to him as he is probably the kind of guy who can relate to hard figures. If it was a car and he'd put 10K on the clock you'd probably expect him to cover the hit on depreciation, so don't immediately write off any value over the time of borrowing.
If he gets away with screwing his friends, he'll be far worse with others he deals with, so do many unknowns a favour and get after him now!
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