VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Frank F · Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 2:11 pm Post subject:

How much is your time worth?

How much money will it cost you to keep reveling in the anger and frustration of the situation?

How much does "good will" cost?

What is the value of the issue versus a poor reputation? The principle matters - to whom?

Each one of us must answer these questions before going off half-cocked and loaded for bear - even if the bullet is filled to the brim with truth.

Can your "brand" or reputation withstand the mud which will be slung toward you for taking a stand on an issue?

The ultimate end-users in these type situations did nothing wrong. Should they bear the brunt of the "truth"? All of those reading the story did nothing wrong, should "we" (those who read the story) be burdened with ALL of the "truth"?

Who's "truth" is it? There are two sides to every issue, have you heard the complete truth when you hear only one opinion on an issue?

After posting about a problem client, what will you do IF and when the situation is resolved? How will you take back the myriad of posts which have been copied and are hiding somewhere on the internet? Will you simply hit "delete"?

I rest my case.

Frank F
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Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com

Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 3:37 pm Post subject:

The last one is easy, Frank. If the person decides to pay what they owe for services rendered, then I will be happy to add a follow-up post indicating such.

I will make no attempts to delete the previous posts, because the history of this situation is important. Just because he may pay in a month does not excuse the several months prior that he refused.

Let the history of the event tell the whole story.
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Jeff
http://JeffreyKafer.com
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Mike Harrison · Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 4:01 pm Post subject:

ccpetersen said:

"If more of us told the truth (without invective) about poor service and shoddy merchandise, perhaps the merchandisers of such services and goods wouldn't get away with it quite so often."

Absolutely agreed. I have a friend who believes nothing good can come from speaking the truth about poor service or merchandise. I asked him what he would do if he found a restaurant meal unacceptable. He said he would say nothing and simply never return to that restaurant again. That serves no purpose except to make that person's life stress-free. Golly. The idea of reporting an inferior meal is not to insult the chef, but to let the owner of the restaurant know there may be a problem. We cannot fix what we do not know is broken. What professional wouldn't want to be alerted to a potential problem and thus be given a chance to correct it?

Principles do mean something... to a lot of people. We were taught to have and foster good principles. We were taught not to lie, cheat and steal. On that note, I'm pretty sure that part of the reason we have so much corruption in government (i.e. elected officials cheating us) is because too many people don't say anything. How can we expect bad behavior to stop when we say nothing? This is extreme, but should police stop writing traffic tickets? Where is the line drawn between when something should be said and when we remain silent?

I would like to believe that good principles are at work (in the form of the truth; i.e. factual statements) when I come to a forum such as this and read things my professional peers have posted, presumably for the benefit of all who choose to read. A thread's subject line can usually provide enough for a person to decide whether or not they want to read it and participate; no one is forced to read anything. Do we all believe to be true (factual statements) what is broadcast every evening under the guise of fair and balanced news reporting?

To each, their own. But I would much rather be known as someone who takes enough pride in myself and my work to defend, than be someone who simply rolls over.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

Frank F · Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 5:37 pm Post subject:

Where, in which post, at what time in my life, did I ever say: "just roll-over"?

Please read what I have written. When I say take out the trash, I mean literally take out the trash. Do whatever is necessary, and legal, to recover what is due - or to stand up for yourself and your rights. You must decide how much time, effort, and money you are willing to spend on an issue. How much is it worth to you?

Are you being pro-active in your resolve or are you just reacting to the moment? What is the cost?

Jeff,

Writing a "follow-up post", still leaves the possibility of mis-interpretation. What was posted early-on may be anywhere on the internet forever.

One must always be thinking of how an episode taking place now will effect them in the future. Again, how much is it worth to you to waste several hours of your time on a trivial matter? If the value is equal to or more than what you feel acceptable, then by all means pursue the issue - legally. Let someone else do the dirty work.

An attorney will charge you a couple hundred dollars, a collection agent will charge thirty per cent of the recovery, your time working is worth something; so what are you going to do?

I wish you all luck in your dealings.

Frank F
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Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com

Mike Harrison · Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 8:48 pm Post subject:

Sorry for the confusion, Frank. No offense intended. I wasn't quoting you with 'rolling over;' I just used that term because it seems unnatural to me for someone to have been cheated (or otherwise wronged) and not respond in some way.

To me, the cost of NOT calling someone out for having cheated me is far greater than saying nothing. If someone is robbed on the street, should they not call the police and press charges because it takes time and money? Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you're saying. Does it appear to you that I am dragging my two experiences on and on? Not so. I got past them when they ended. I only brought them up again because Jeffrey recently became an unfortunate victim, and I think it's time that those who think they can simply take food off another person's plate should have to pay... in one way or another.

If someone who has been wronged posts something about his or her deadbeat client that isn't true, well, that's a serious mistake and they may have to pay for it. But if true, the deadbeat has to deal with being exposed as such... embarrassment for which they have no one to blame but themselves.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

Rob Ellis · M&M Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 2385 Location: Detroit

I haven't read this entire thread, so.....here we go.

I would only pursue it with zeal if there were a lot of money at stake, and I mean A LOT.

The mental and emotional drain, and potential PR damage had better be worth it to me, otherwise I move on AFTER I have made reasonable efforts for a reasonable amount of time in a businesslike fashion.

Staying reasonable and businesslike are the key words for me.

kgenus · Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 10:09 am Post subject:

This need not become a source of ambivalence, it's a fact of business that musicians have dealt with forever. Man up, get a pair of balls and a lawyer to draft a generic cease and desist template letter. Get the letter notarized (all post offices have a notary on staff) and sent requiring proof of delivery. Include copies of any contracts. If there is no change, follow up for two additional months with similar letters which include references to the previous cease and desist letters, noting their dates of issuance and receipt. Still no change? Well now you've got your documented paper trail and can head off to small claims court. That's all you can do. THEN once you have a judgment, which is public material, you can share it freely.

Remember....

"In law, defamation -- also called calumny, libel (for written words), slander (for spoken words), and vilification -- is the communication of a statement that makes a claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may give an individual, business, product, group, government or nation a negative image. It is usually, but not always,[1] a requirement that this claim be false and that the publication is communicated to someone other than the person defamed (the claimant)." --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defamation

And...

See the positive in the negative -- I know of one vo talent who chose to take his client to one of the court TV shows and I clearly remember laughing my ass off as the judge ripped them both and nobody really won. He can't use the clip on his website, but maybe you'll win and you can use it on yours.
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Genus

Bill Campbell · DC Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 621

Jeff...

If it's enough money, a collection agency can be very annoying.

If it's NOT a lot of money, it's the cost of doing business.
EVERY business deals with this kind of thing.

If it paralyzes you with anger, hire a business manager (even p/t) to handle it for you.

Are you running a business or a hobby?

It really comes down to how much money is involved.
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toddschick · Joined: 03 Aug 2009 Posts: 10

Lizden · Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:35 pm Post subject:

Well....yes, IVR can be a challenge at times, but I do IVR & MOH work everyday with regular clients comming back weekly.
THAT'S what's great about IVR...once you're the voice of their system, they always come back! Laugh

I guess it's like any other VO niche with its own peculiarities & issues.
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English/French Bilingual VO w/ ISDN
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Lee Gordon · Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:46 pm Post subject:

thebearair · Joined: 28 May 2009 Posts: 23 Location: Florida

I have really enjoyed reading this discussion over the last few days, but now find it even more fasinating an ironic; as I sit after completion of a 3 week project that envolved VO and singing for a national kids product that I was supposed to be paid in full by last Friday and now can't seem to get any resopnse thru email or cell.... Just keep repeating...I love my job..I love my job..I love my job... as an old friend in the FLorida Keys once said "It's better than pullin crab traps" Best of luck to you Jeff.
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