Folks, this is along one... This is a 4 month saga of non payment for services rendered. I am looking for any other people who have worked for either of these companies, and had similar experiences. I think it is fraud by wire, and I am going to present it to the AG of the appropriate states. They hire installers and do not pay them. They continue to run ads, and hire new "installers" under misleading promises when they have have unpaid employees.
Ok, it starts like this. You are a tradesperson looking for work. You do a search, and come aross - United Temporary Services. Skilled labor needed - Tank welders, pipefitters, pipewelders, millwrights, journeyman electricians, crane operators 22-30 $/hr. Call John Reagan 317-430-8012
John says - "no, I'm not hiring electricians, but I'm hiring installers." "I've got a lot of this work, and you can make good money at it." " A guy can make a couple of thousand dollars a week easy on a lot of these jobs." I've made a lot of money." He goes on to describe a job just finished for Ping Golf, and talks about a job for Benjamin Moore Paints. Then he says "I have a job to install these monitors in Home Depot." "It takes about 15 minutes, and it pays $50.00 apiece", "a guy could do 5 or 6 of them a day -easy."
So, I am interested. John sends me a list of 262 Home Depots. I am in Acworth, GA. There are 4 on the list in the Atlanta area. I start looking at Florida, and there are 44 in Florida... They lay out down the east and west coast's in a string, looks like a potato chip route and I have a potatochip truck. I do a little figuring and it would pay $2,400.00
The truck does real good on gas, you can figure around 20mpg. I calculate the mileage and figure in a few nights in a motel. I think I can make $1500 at the least. I ask John what the time frame is to do the job, and ask him how quickly I will be paid. He tells me " I usually have all the installers paid within a week." So I tell him I am interested in doing Florida, and Georgia.
They ship me these interactive monitors for an LG steam washing machine. It's a demonstration tool, looks like a computer monitor. When UPS delivers the monitors there are 44, and 2 more on the way.
I call John because my count is not coming out right, I should have 48 coming. John tells me that he has given a couple of the monitor installations to a girl in Florida, who worked on the Ping Golf project with them. So, I am losing a $100.00, before I have even left...
There is also one damaged in shipping. He tells me to call Rob Sandwich at RPM direct for directions on what to do with the damaged one. All of the information I have on this job has come from RPM direct, forwarded through John Reagan of United Temporary Services. Apparently Rob is the "project manager"
Rob instructs me to send the damaged unit back, and gives me an authorization. I have lost another one... $150.00 less. Then the list keeps evolving, and I lose several more waiting for the 2 still with UPS in transit.
In the meantime John Reagan says if I will go up to Chattanooga and install 2 of the monitors up there he will make it right with me, "because I'm a good 'ol boy really I am." So, I go to Chattanooga, Tn. About 90 miles one way I think, and install 2 of the monitors. About 3 hours driving and a hour for the installations. Not too bad, looks like I can do ok.
The bulk of these jobs are in Miami, and the Orlando area. Well by the time I get the "corrected" list (s). I have lost all of the installations in the Orlando area, and I am still waiting for the 2 monitors that UPS has in shipment. (There is more to the story here - but for the sake of length will condense it.)
So this isnt looking nearly as hot now, I am cut out of $400.00 before I leave. I run this route I am supposed to have 14 days to do, but only have 7 because we cant reconcile the lists they have sent me... Getting list from both John, and Rob. Changes, different addresses, etc. Previously I have spent considerable time mapquesting these locations to have a plan. My plan has went to hell... My investment in time is growing, I can install them faster than I can plan a route...
There are a dozen in Miami, if you arent effective here you could lose some time. So, I buy a GPS, becuse I dont trust the list. Works great, I run the route and is going ok. Then I am down to 3 left, 2 in Jacksonville and 1 in Orange Park. Call to tell them I am coming, and find they have been installed - allegedly a couple of weeks previous.
Call John Reagan, he knows nothing. Tells me to call Rob, Rob is not available.By the time I get a hold of Rob I am in Jacksonville, and could have cut across the state and saved some time. After checking Rob finds they have been installed. He informs me John has double booked me and will have to pay me for the 3 of them. I ask him how soon I can expect payment, and he tells me within a couple of weeks.
I head on back to Acworth, with the 3 remaining units.in the meantime the other 2 have arrived via UPS. A month later I am sitting with 5 of these units that were supposed to be installed in 2 weeks and havent heard a word about getting paid.
I have talked to Rob Sandwich a few times, before leaving Florida he has asked me about doing another job in Gray, Ga. Finally in May Rob calls and asks me "how much would you want to forward the 5 remaining units to another installer for me?" I tell him that if he will expedite my payment for the installations I will do it for free. Which I do. But no payment comes...
Then we make some arrangements for this Gray, Ga job. It is repairs to a Benjamin Moore Paint display, in an Ace Hardware store. I give Rob a price of $250.00, its about 60 miles there. Pretty good money. Job takes about a hour tops. During the course of this job, the subject of the payment for the Home Depot work comes up. I make sure that Rob knows I havent been paid... About another month lapses and I havent been paid for either job, we are 90 days into this-still no money...
Rob calls me up and asks me, " I guess I should ask you if you have been paid for the Home Depot job first?" I inform him that I have not (like he doesnt know...), and ask him about payment for the Gray job as well. He says "I will get a check out to you first thing next week." The check is in the mail story...
He then asks if I would be interested in going to Philadelphia, Pa. And disassembling a 5 piece display, and bringing it back to Kennesaw, Ga and warehousing it for about a month and then reassembling it. I dont have the money to get there and tell him as much. He tells me he can rent a truck and arrange motels, and meals but wouldnt be able to get me the gas money until my return.
There is just no way I can make this work, especially because I need to find a helper too. I dont want the burden of paying any help, when I cant get paid myself. Their not paying me has cost me the opportunity to make $3900.00... (do you suppose they would have paid for this work???) lol. I decline the work, but receive an email from Rob wanting to know if I would be available for the reassembly...
By now I am out of my head wanting my money for something. The check Rob was a gonna send -well it didnt come. So, I start calling John Reagan. John tells me that RPM is not paying him. He assures me I will get paid. I am just catching on to the fact that there may be 2 seperate companies here... I have never really been sure just who I was working for. A lot of these outfits sidestep the liability by having some shill handle certain issues...
So anyway, John tells me he is paying people out of his own pocket. But... He says he is going to the president of RPM and "they are going to pay me everything they owe me this week." Well... Another week goes by. I dont hear nothing from 'ol John boy. I give him a call first of the week, and he tells me "I'll pay you this week." I keep goin to the mail box, I know there aint nothing gonna come.
I decide I am going to force someones hand. I send them them both an email, and detail how I am going to paint this story on the side of my 30' long truck and go down to Home Depot... I do a lot of business there, they know me.
Well now I will tell you I have got some hot action. Phone calls, emails. John Reagan says " I will pay you this week myself." Sounds kind of frantic and maniacal. The problem is John doesnt even know how much I am owed... He thinks it is a $1000.00 I realize there is a serious problem.
Now, John has this crazy claim that RPM direct has breached "his contract with me" and that I am contractually bound to him. I havent signed anything with anyone, no one has asked for my tax information up to this point. I am not aware that I have a "contract" with anyone... I was hired with the agreement I would install 48 of these monitors for $50.00 each. I wasnt sure just who was going to pay me. It could have been Home Depot, or LG for all I know. Guess I wont till someone pays me...
An interesting point comes up here. John told me he was "hiring installers", he didnt say for whom, although a look at his website indicates he has an in house accounting department. He claims to pay the same day on the job. My experience has been that he doesnt pay at all.
John didnt say he was looking for subcontractors, and ask for the documentation a legitimate sub would have. Later on he used the term "independent contractor" (some people call this a bo-jacker) -and I realized any burdens of liability insurance, or responsibility for loss of the product would be an issue of my responsibility. (see my description of shill above)
You have to wonder if the merchants know what the situation is here. Who do you suppose would pay if a monitor dropped on someones child during an installation, and the installer was responsible? There is a reason these people do this work this way on these jobs, and that a guy like John Reagan is involved.
Anyhow, these emails I sent has it all heated up. RPM has offered to take care of the payment, but they wont mention a figure. Just that they "can only pay me for the 40 I installed." They claim all the changes were made by John Reagan, and any changes in payment will have to be worked out with him.
I of course want to be compensated for the changes... I accepted a job to install 48, and I want to be paid for it. RPM claims that they are bound by this contract they have with John. But... They are willing to pay me. They want a figure, so I ask for $4000.00, cant do that. I ask for a counter offer. No reply.
Next thing you know I have a letter from some lawyer saying that I am contacting Home Depot, LG, and Transworld. (whomever they are) and demanding payment. He says I am intent on destroying RPM's good name, and doing their business harm. He says I must cease and desist any contact I have with them.
He goes on to say that I may be aware that John Reagan of United Temporary Services has misappropriated funds, and has been paid in full for this work. He says John Reagan is the party responsible for my compensation. He says they will keep me appraised of the situation and let me know of any new developements...
I email a response asking for documentation of the payments, and forward it to all parties so everyone is on the same page. There is a lot of lying going on, and I want everyone to be aware of the fact that while their stories are entertaining, I have ceased to be amused...
I dont know if RPM has a "good name" or not. All this last week they were prepared to "pay me immediately", (after they had told me "they would pay me this week" and I told them "this week never comes.")
Ok, RPM says they have paid John Reagan in full. John Reagan says they havent. RPM is willing to pay, but they havent. John Reagan has now called and says he will pay me next Tuesday..., but claims that the installs only paid $25.00 each now... Talk about throw you for a loop. Lol.
Both of these outfits are shysters, it all sounds good but doesnt pan out. I did this job on the promise of all the "good" work they had, when in fact they dont pay and then hire someone else for the next job...
If you have any experience with either United Temporary Services, or RPM direct out of Schaumburg, Il. Please get in contact. I think it's time to put an end to this.
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