A few years ago...
A few years ago with the onset of the recession I was forced, or rather took the opportunity to take some consultancy work.

Now what I do is rather industry specific so I wont go into details with regards to the exact sector, but the clients I took on weren't exactly 'legit'. They were the most scary, tattooed faced, platinum teethed, carry this wadge of cash, different car every day, the scar on my face is from a stab type people you will never like to meet.

I was set to procure several different items, (I really wish I could go into specifics) (this was all above board) I did so, waiting for an order, several suppliers after initial orders to this day wont speak to me.

I may have been stupid, I may have been naive, but in total I was running around like a tool for 18 months, doing this doing that, running up courier costs, phone costs, every other expense you can imagine, all the while only getting a few quid here and there.

I pulled in a few shipments, I made a shockingly little amount of money. But then I was taken to court, for failure to pay something that one of my 'clients' should have paid. I fought the orders, and had them set aside, however they still sit on my record.

I was a mug to think I could make a buck out of the deals, dealing with properly nasty horrible people, who will be your best friend one minute, but put you in the back of a car and dump you in a wood the next. I cant say how much I am down, its lots, a decent car, there will be no way I can recuperate any of the monies. No way I can ever set aside the writ without a proper lawyer.

So if ever, when you're struggling, and something seems to come for nothing, then as the old adage says, well I dont know what the old adage says, but don't struggle for empty promises.
(feedingtimeatthezoo day 1 of his bikini diet started, Fri 3 Aug 2012, 16:30, 7 replies)

I'm pretty sure this isn't Star Wars,
which is a small mercy.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Fri 3 Aug 2012, 16:43, closed)

I wish it was star trek, but it really was my life!
(feedingtimeatthezoo day 1 of his bikini diet started, Fri 3 Aug 2012, 16:50, closed)

Really? It reads like your rehashing the plot of a film,
being cagey with the details so as not to give the game away.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Fri 3 Aug 2012, 17:40, closed)

Were you an ice-cream man?
What tune did it play?
( Jeccius Steam Borderlands 2 junkie, Fri 3 Aug 2012, 16:50, closed)

yes, but your mommy told you when I played my music I was empty (as I had just been with your mommy)

(feedingtimeatthezoo day 1 of his bikini diet started, Fri 3 Aug 2012, 17:09, closed)

No Fair
You make it sound like drug dealing but you say it's legit. Enough with the guessing games. You're anonymous here, so just say it. We won't tell anyone.
(Mrs.Fonebone, Sat 4 Aug 2012, 1:42, closed)

Hmmmmmmm...
I was contacted to help develop a small business in a certain sector, as that is my speciality. I was contacted out of the blue from a forum that I used to write on helping people out with questions, pointing them in the right direction, giving them contacts and such.

The person that contacted me was having supply problems so I pointed him in the right direction, but he happened to live just a stones throw away, so we arranged a meeting. We began starting to sort out his problems, I gave him guidance, I helped him set up his back of a fag packet business, sort his website - only basics, but he didnt have a clue.

He had obviously been impressed with what I was able to do, really relatively simple things, but putting it all in order and sort of managing him. When he introduced me to the people that were financing him, they wanted to do the same - quick buck and all that, so I got drawn in.

I negotiated percentages of any orders, 15%. Any proper orders they made that's how I would make my money, I also took a small cut from the factories on the side(India and china).

The large orders never came, I had the 'nice' guy from the initial contact go behind my back after he found out the supplier I was working with. I had the other two people constantly requesting small changes, after small changes, going back on what they had asked for. Forgetting what they had initially asked for, it was a never ending circle.

It finally got so much of a ball ache that I was barely sleeping, I was awake until stupid hours dealing with suppliers wanting to know when their orders were coming in. Then the one chap finally did confirm an order. About 20k USD worth, it came in, it was late, it wasn't completely correct. Chap was happy, I got paid. But then after a month I got an invoice for the duty and vat. In my companies name, I was no longer speaking to said people, I'd washed my hands of the whole thing, it was too much and not enough money, they were cocking about and not playing nicely. So I was landed with a few grands worth of debt. They took me to court, I won, They took it to another court, they didnt comply with certain orders (court orders) so now it stands as a mark against me. I can't afford to fight it anymore.

It really broke me, I guess it also taught me a lesson to not trust people at face value, nor believe empty promises. Not to see a fist full of money and get excited. Not to work for people without payment upfront. Not to be desperate.

And not to deal with people that actually scare you!
(feedingtimeatthezoo day 1 of his bikini diet started, Sun 5 Aug 2012, 14:33, closed)