How do you deal with a stingy person

[Dman]

I went detecting around an old house in a small town about 45 miles from my hometown. I was about done when a man comes up and asks what I was doing and I explained how my metal detector works. He asked me to come to his house and look for his wifes lost high school ring which she lost about 20 years ago. I follow him to his house and started to hunt for the ring. I dug a few pull tabs then got a penny/dime reading. I dug a penny and he wanted to see it. I gave it to him and he kept it. No problem. All this time he is following me around like a puppy. I got a quarter signal and dug a 1964 Washington. He kept that also. I started to see a pattern developing. I find the object, I dig the object, He keeps the good finds and lets me keep the pull tabs. I know I should have made a deal before detecting his yard but most people I deal with are reasonable. I asked him if I could have the quarter and he said he wanted to keep it. So I wandered around his yard for about 15 more minutes. I found 3 more quarters and 8 dime/penny signals but I didn't dig them. I gave him my phone number and told him to call me and we would make plans for me to come back. Next time we will have an agreement on who keeps what.

 

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[ericwt]

Do not deal with a stingy person.

Another option is to charge him an hourly rate. He will not go for that. But it is fun to watch their reaction.

 

[CodyCat Borat]

Your plan should be to go there when he's not home and dig up his yard.
That will teach him...

 

[Jack(IN)]

I like the hourly rate, I also would have sid that the cost to find the ring would be more than the coins he's keeping. I would have agreed to something first and if he said no, then thank him and wish him success in finding the ring!!

 

[captain Jack]

Tell him you'll come back and the ring (if found) is his. But the coins (if found) are yours. There is nothing unfair or unreasonable about that. Or, as previously stated, just don't go back. you won't be missing anything and maybe he'll learn a little something about acting that way.

 

[jimmatt_43]

The world is full of dip sticks,I try to avoid them.

 

[SomeGuy]

I asked him if I could have the quarter and he said he wanted to keep it.

"Oh my, look how late it's getting! I can't spend so much time here, I gotta go!"

Then leave. For good.

 

[Gribnitz]

I did this once. A relative of a man told me he had found a civil war bayonet at his home while digging holes for trees. I asked permission to detect and he let me, but he followed me everywhere. My only difference to your story is he kept every piece of crap I dug up. I dug up rusted iron junk, he snatched it before I could even look at it. I dug a piece of copper pipe, he grabbed it and put it in his pocket. It was insane. He didn't even ask me what the crap I was digging was. I knew where this was headed, so I told him I didn't want to dig anymore holes in his nice lawn and left. I guess I lasted 1/2 hour or so, but I could tell what I was going to end up with at the end up the day....zilch...so I got out of there.

The only other story I had like this was with a co-worker. She had an early 1900's home and let me detect. She didn't follow me around, but when I showed her the stuff I found, she took it ALL ! Luckily it wasn't much to speak of. Just a bunch of clad, an aluminum president coin game token, and couple wheat pennies. Oh well, live and learn.

 

[BioProfessor]

This post reminds me of one thing I want to do. I know you can buy fake gold doubloons, cobs, pieces of eight, etc. They look real. You know, all the stuff that people think of when they think of beach detecting and pirate's treasure. I am going to buy a big handful and keep them in a separate place in my pouch. When some smartass comes up to me and comments about the stupidity of MD or hunting the beach, I am going to pull out the coins and tell him today is going OK but yesterday was much better. Just want to see the reaction.

In this case, I would keep some real crappy coins and a few "good" ones (clad of course) in a place in my pouch. If they don't follow you around and then ask to see what you found, show them that stuff first and see their reaction. If it's positive, you can share more. But if you had no agreement and they just scoop all the stuff out of your hand, you know you've been had. No agreement means you can walk away with the real stuff and not feel guilty.

I think we have covered what you need to do if you have an agreement so I won't go there.

Daryl

 

[Sandman]

Daryl has the right idea. When I am approached to locate a lost item I get all the information I can as to where and when it was lost, etc. If I am already at the location I will look for it for free with the understanding that all else I find is mine. If I have to travel to where they want me to search, I used to charge 10% of the value. Now I just charge $50.00 an hour with first hour paid in advance. This way I keep the idiots from just wanting the nerd to waste his time looking for a Rolex that isn't even there. I've never kept more than the first hours pay even when I stays there trying for a couple hours. Few times I even gave the cash back because they turned out to just be nice people in a bind.

 

[mastereagle22]

Do not deal with a stingy person. Another option is to charge him an hourly rate. He will not go for that. But it is fun to watch their reaction.

Actually just made an hourly rate agreement with a local lunny. He "knows" there is burried jars of coins on his property and he wants me to find them. He tells me how long he wants me to search, pays me up front and then I give him everything I find. Not the best arrangement for me but I am trying to get enough money for a DFX or SE.

 

[UnEarthed72]

I would have maybe said i will search for the ring for you but in turn I'd like to keep anything else I may come across as payment for time and energy spent..If he wouldn't agree with those terms..well have fun trying to find the ring yourself.

Then again maybe it was his scheme to lure you into his yard just so he could see what was there,may have not even been a ring there seeing he was keeping all the finds

Daryl has the right idea. When I am approached to locate a lost item I get all the information I can as to where and when it was lost, etc. If I am already at the location I will look for it for free with the understanding that all else I find is mine. If I have to travel to where they want me to search, I used to charge 10% of the value. Now I just charge $50.00 an hour with first hour paid in advance. This way I keep the idiots from just wanting the nerd to waste his time looking for a Rolex that isn't even there. I've never kept more than the first hours pay even when I stays there trying for a couple hours. Few times I even gave the cash back because they turned out to just be nice people in a bind.

I totally agree with this method

 

[kindafoundabuckle]

The next time you go to HELP this man stop by a coin shop and get a reproduction of a rare and valuable coin and act like you dug it up then tell the sob I guess you want to keep that one also. Explain to him how rare of a find it is and it could be worth big bucks. He most likely will leave at that moment to go to the coin shop to cash in and you will have the rest of the day and yard alone. Leave a pile of pull tabs on his door step before you leave shaped in a smiley face.

Reproduction coin 2 bucks
AA batteries 6 bucks
Gas money 10 bucks
The look on someones face when they find out they have a fake.....priceless

I would do everthing I can to go back and have some fun with this guy. Some people just deserve it.

He asked you to find something for him and you are doing the right thing by helping but he turns around and treats you like that.....I see a prank in your future if not the one I described think of something. Im sorry but Im a big jokester and this is how my mind works.

HH

Tom

 

[wildrider]

Fully Loaded 357 Magnum

Hollow points at close range... 8)

Thats how we roll...

Nick Nick Nick...

Shouldn't you be helping people get out of the arch?

Burt

 

[wildrider]

Seriously though...

If he wanted me to come find a ring, I charge a $20/hour flat rate-one hour minimum paid in advance.

If I wanted to hunt his yard, I'd work out a deal like; I'll look for your ring, but I get to keep anything else I find. If you work out this sort of deal, I don't worry if they follow me around, I just drop things in my pouch. If he decides to run me off before the ring is found, I just take the goodies with me (I've never had this happen though).

Just some ideas that worked for me.

Burt

 

[ivan salis]

very good chance there was no ring--he was just a cheap and greedy sob who wanted to "pimp"you ---you get to spend your time and effort working for him for free and he gets everything---most likey whatever "ring" you might have found if a ladys was his "wifes" ring---if a mans ring --GIMME --now get off my property and get lost--- SADLY SOME FOLKS WILL PLAY YA LIKE THAT-- after the "first coin" we would have had a "chat" --lesson learned---if someone "asks' me to find a ring---heres the drill ---what does it look like ? (to keep them from "claiming" just any ring found as moms or wifes or their "ring") then I explain for my expense of buying the equiptment,time ,effort , batteries and gas ---I keep anything "other" than said "described" ring as "payment" for "my" sevices---if not have a nice day and good luck on finding it---fair is fair and that way you don't get "pimped"---- that weasel's house I wouldn't go back to if he begged me too-- if you do go back to his house WARNING --get the agreement up front and in writing otherwize if you find a "goodie" and don't "give" it to him upon "demand"--- he'll very likely call the cops saying you were tresspassing when he drove up and saw you "pocket" something- and that he wants it----if you just up and leave he'll say he saw you "take" something when he saw you "tresspassing" and that you fled when he said something to you--and give them your "tag" number from your car to hunt you down with----some folks are like that sadly--- their eat up with greed---Ivan

 

[gallileo60]

Man, what a jerk.........

 

[piggman1]

When I go hunt for someones lost item, I do it on the basis that I keep everything else I find, and a donation of what they want to give to cover the gas and a drink on the way home. That's at their house. If it is a park or somewhere else I charge a flat rate of $20.00 per hour, first hour paid in advance. That's even if I don't find it.

 

[gallileo60]

I'd probably go home, get on my computer, and make up some "business cards", saying that you find lost items for a fee, put my number and name on it, and leave it on his door when he is not home.

Some people are stingy - others just don't think about it. Give him the "hint".

B

Great idea.....

 

[ashleen]

I'd just stay away from the guy!