Comments on: Your Word is Your Bond

By: Marissa Sweazy

Marissa Sweazy — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:31:00 +0000

So true, C.C. Sorry you had a bad experience!

By: Stop! Get out of the way! | The Road to the Future

Stop! Get out of the way! | The Road to the Future — Thu, 03 May 2012 01:47:53 +0000

[...] Your Word is Your Bond (cc-chapman.com) [...]

By: Welsh Laura

Welsh Laura — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:13:00 +0000

That is unfortunate though, hopefully this is a temporary feeling CC……some people may need a hand, a thought, some insight from someone like you “for free”………it is a balance in your world I understand. Stay who you are…….most people will respect it and honor it!

By: C.C. Chapman

C.C. Chapman — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:05:00 +0000

I sent them the link and they are dead to me. I’m moving forward. Too many GOOD companies out there who want to work with me to worry about the bad apples out there.

By: hightechdad

hightechdad — Wed, 02 May 2012 22:36:00 +0000

Part of me says hang em out to dry so that others will be warned. But the other side is about karma. If you sent them the link to this, that’s probably enough. I guess time to pack up and move on.

By: C.C. Chapman

C.C. Chapman — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:36:00 +0000

Exactly.

I grew up in small town New Hampshire and I’ve always held it close to my heart that your reputation is all you have.

By: dblacombe

dblacombe — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:56:00 +0000

C.C. – sorry to hear this. What a pain! In Calgary (where you visited us for Third Tuesday) it’s an odd mix of handshake deals (your pic above could easily be here) and oil and gas lawyers. More often than not I do handshake deals or the equivalent with multi-billion dollar companies. It’s all about the trust and relationships. But the odd time some asshat tries to squeeze out what they don’t deserve. Or completely reneges on a deal. Arggh!

At a million people Calgary is too small to burn bridges, but now North America, the world is too small to burn bridges!

I love your positive “moving on” attitude! Joke ‘em if they can’t take a …

Karma’s on your side sir. Carry on!

By: C.C. Chapman

C.C. Chapman — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:30:00 +0000

I do have a board where I share stupid pitches if you need a laugh.

http://pinterest.com/cc_chapman/idiots-who-pitch-me/

But, I know what you mean and I think that there are circles of friends who DO share this information. I know I’ve got a group of friends who we all keep each other updated on events, companies and people that we should all avoid working with.

By: C.C. Chapman

C.C. Chapman — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:29:00 +0000

It sucks for sure and sorry to hear you went through it recently too. Is it a full moon right now or something?

It is hard to take positives away from something like this, but I always try to look at it more along the lines of learning what NOT to do next time. That is really the only positive as your more prepared and cautious in the future.

By: C.C. Chapman

C.C. Chapman — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:27:00 +0000

Exactly and that is why life moves on and remains positive.

By: swbuehler

swbuehler — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:25:00 +0000

The good thing is that for every idiot who takes advantage of you, there are usually a half-dozen or more who genuinely appreciate and acknowledge your generosity.

By: C.C. Chapman

C.C. Chapman — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:24:00 +0000

*wicked grin* No, that is not needed or warranted here.

Just a company not appreciating a favor or living up to their part of the agreement.

With me once trust is broken, you are dead to me. As they are now.

By: whitneyhoffman

whitneyhoffman — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:23:00 +0000

Um, do you need your lawyer to send them a reminder of what honor is all about????? This could happen.

By: Gavin Llewellyn

Gavin Llewellyn — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:21:00 +0000

Wow, this post couldn’t be more timely for me!

Only this week I have had to deal with a very difficult person who I started a project with and then bailed just as we got started. In many ways it feels as though all the work I had put into building the project has been for nothing.

But what I found most disturbing was the other person’s attitude. Instead of just saying they no longer wanted to continue, they simply stopped responding to my emails and phone calls and ignored me!

I’ve tried to take positives away from the experience but it’s nevertheless made me a little wary of working with others again whom I do not know well.

“…in the end it was a complete one sided
relationship where they got plenty out of it and all I was left with was
frustration and a complete distrust of everyone involved…”

That’s exactly how I felt.

By: C.C. Chapman

C.C. Chapman — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:18:00 +0000

Who says I haven’t already?

By: BobGoyetche

BobGoyetche — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:15:00 +0000

I’d email them a link to this post, though

By: C.C. Chapman

C.C. Chapman — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:14:00 +0000

Right? Basic principals that far too many people grow up and forget about or never learn.

By: C.C. Chapman

C.C. Chapman — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:14:00 +0000

True and this is nothing that even with a contract would have been brought to that level. In the grand scheme it is water under the bridge and I won’t lose any sleep over, but it felt like a good time to remind people.

By: C.C. Chapman

C.C. Chapman — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:13:00 +0000

Well it WAS clearly laid out in e-mail which is what angered me even more. I went back to make sure I wasn’t imagining things.

But, live and learn. Not all people are honest enough to stick by their words. Honestly in this case it was a little thing and in the end I’m going to forget about it, but I’ll never forget about them and what they did. They certainly won’t get good references when asked about.

By: C.C. Chapman

C.C. Chapman — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:13:00 +0000

No need and it wouldn’t do any good for me or them.

By: C.C. Chapman

C.C. Chapman — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:13:00 +0000

Karma is a bitch! I have no doubt about it.

By: C.C. Chapman

C.C. Chapman — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:12:00 +0000

Amen to that!!!

It sucks, but at least I took the high road and didn’t hang them out to dry like originally crossed my mind.

By: C.C. Chapman

C.C. Chapman — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:11:00 +0000

And it always feels good when it works that way.

I just cashed a couple of checks as well from great companies that I’ll work with again in the future. I think I just need to stop doing anything for free. It is amazing how much better you are treated when they are paying you for your time and work

By: C.C. Chapman

C.C. Chapman — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:11:00 +0000

That is hysterical!!!

By: C.C. Chapman

C.C. Chapman — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:11:00 +0000

Exactly and thankfully the good and honest people far exceed the people like this in my experience.

By: Frank Jonen

Frank Jonen — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:10:00 +0000

There should be a public place to pin those companies. Like a Pinterest for asshats. Pinatarest.com or something. In our network of peers we just have a list where each of us posts the whats and the whys of the story with full names of all people involved. Problematic to do in a public place, but this is private among peers. However it’s an important tool for us in avoiding problems and steer clear of bad business.

By: Dave Delaney

Dave Delaney — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

So sorry to read this C.C. What jerks.
I want to Ragu their houses!

By: Danielle Smith

Danielle Smith — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:19:00 +0000

So truly disappointing C.C….. I’ve had similar experiences and unfortunately, it makes you less trusting of the ‘simple handshake’ deals with good people. The good news….you are the kind to stand by your word and will continue to do so, despite a poor experience like this…

By: Deb Ng

Deb Ng — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:11:00 +0000

All we have is our word and our name, C.C. and if we go back on one, the other takes a hit. I wish handshakes still held the same value as they did back in the day. Sorry you had such an unfavorable experience.

By: Steve Garfield

Steve Garfield — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I got two checks in the mail this week. One was for something I did two weeks ago, and the other was for something I did last week! Both engagements were done over email with people that I’ve developed relationships with over the past few years. Each engagement was a pleasure from start to finish. I was happy to share via social media. No contract needed. They agreed to pay me to do what I do. I did it, they paid. We’ll work together again.

By: Javery8

Javery8 — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:56:00 +0000

Are you going to tell us who the asshats are?

By: Krista Neher

Krista Neher — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:56:00 +0000

I’ve had things like this happen a number of times, and it sucks. Now, I always make sure that all agreements are in writing (even if only email) so that there isn’t ambiguity of the responsibilities of each party.

By: Justin Kownacki

Justin Kownacki — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:54:00 +0000

I wish I could say that a well-written contract can defend against this, but that only applies if you can afford to see it through in court. Ultimately, those who want to take advantage of people will. Luckily, that still seems to be the minority of humans. (A powerful minority, perhaps, but…)

By: Jim Spencer

Jim Spencer — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:54:00 +0000

It’s a pity when folks grow up without knowing and acting based on the Golden Rule.

By: BobGoyetche

BobGoyetche — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:54:00 +0000

Online, and in real life, Karma is real, and will get them.

Don’t change who you are too much because of these asshats.