Wait, is this Ontario Australia, because last I checked it was frking Winter in Canadia.

Old news is so exciting!

Your move, Weed man.

Yo Mr Weedman, you think you're slick. You sold drugs to my sister and now she's sick. But if she should die because of your drugs, I'm gonna put in your culo a 38 slug.

No charge for the kickflip...

/might be a hardflip

Weed Man raped my lawn! It said no, but he kept going.

This has been going on for a while. Lawn care companies have gotten into the habit of treating lawns and then calling back to book followup visits. They present the followups as if they are part of the initial lawn care deal, show up and do the second treatment, and then bill for the work. It's weasely as hell but they get permission before doing the actual work.

Chemlawn tried to do something like this. They came by and tried to sell my wife on work. The first thing they did was talk about how they'd get rid of the "weeds" around our retaining wall. My wife told them "Get away from my violets you genocidal chemical warfare freaks!"

Later they called to "confirm" an appointment. I told them to fark themselves with a pitchfork.

Is this not illegal? How the fark do they get away with this?

anuran: They came by and tried to sell my wife

Wow. That's much worse......

Holy Crap: Is this not illegal? How the fark do they get away with this?

You want commie bureaucratic regulations?
Why do you hate Capitalism?
Why do you hate America?
Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!

More seriously, consumer protections have been systematically gutted. In Canada you have the Harper government. In the US both wings of the Republocrat Party have been lining up to give business complimentary rimjobs and sing the praises of deregulation.

Pert: anuran: They came by and tried to sell my wife

Wow. That's much worse......

It would have been The Ransom of Red Chief all over again.

Old and Busted: Mafia extortion.
New and Hotness: Landscapers extortion.

WTF_Are_You_Looking_At: Old and Busted: Mafia extortion.
New and Hotness: Landscapers extortion.

That's a nice shrubbery you've got there. Be a shame if anything happened to it.

You put your WEED in there.

BurnShrike: WTF_Are_You_Looking_At: Old and Busted: Mafia extortion.
New and Hotness: Landscapers extortion.

That's a nice shrubbery you've got there. Be a shame if anything happened to it.

Heh.

We canceled TruGreen (North Carolina) about 6 months ago. We called them and 100% walked through the 'we don't want you to do anything to our yard ever again' process and everything was fine until last week when a guy showed up at the front door while I was at work and informed my wife that he was going to start spraying for weeds. Obviously she said no, but for a split second she assumed I had started it back up without telling her, so thanks TruGreen for getting me in trouble for some dumb thing I didn't actually do.

At least he asked first I guess (something they never did when we used them) and didn't just bill us. Lawn guys are all (broad generalization) just out of work construction workers, so they're mostly shysters who spend their paychecks on meth.

Holy Crap: Is this not illegal? How the fark do they get away with this?

Maybe I'm nitpicking, but the video clearly stated that it IS illegal and they are not getting away with it.

Minor details, I know.

This is their other business:

Sounds almost like the Terminex scumbags. When I was buying my house almost three years ago, they wouldnt approve my loan until termites were taken care of out in the shed way in the back of the yard. Ridiculous, but that's a different story. So I went with the cheapest I could find to satisfy them. After they sprayed, they kept calling me and I said never contact me again for anything! They kept at it leaving me messages saying they are coming over for their annual inspection and to call them to confirm and whatever. I ignore them. They apparently felt it was OK to just show up with no one home, go into my yard, and do whatever. They left something on my front door saying they were here. I don't know if they tried to bill me or anything. I throw out any envelopes that say Terminex on them.

Set some speakers up with a dog barking on them when a trigger is past and leave a sign "ENTER AT OWN RISK"

AbbeySomeone: BurnShrike: WTF_Are_You_Looking_At: Old and Busted: Mafia extortion.
New and Hotness: Landscapers extortion.

That's a nice shrubbery you've got there. Be a shame if anything happened to it.

Heh.


Did someone say "shrubbery"?

Sounds like Obamacare.

Why are the dummies paying for it?

Alleyoop: Sounds like Obamacare.

Sounds like you're an ignorant farkstick who gets all his opinions as pre-digested pap form Fox News, the obese drug addict and Mikey Wiener

Weed Man, Weed Man
Doing the things a Weed Man can
What's he like? It's not important
Weed man

/Got nothing.

Small claims court.

Pert: anuran: They came by and tried to sell my wife

Wow. That's much worse......

Wow, selling you something you already own? That's government level shenanigans right there. How much did you pay for the second time?

ZAZ: There used to be a similar scam in the United States where companies would send you unsolicited merchandise and bill you for it. That's been illegal since 1970 (if the items are sent by US Mail).

Still going on. I got some DVD in the mail about combat shooting. Haven't even watched it. A month later I start getting bills that say 'send us back the DVD or pay us for it'. Now of course it says in small letters that I don't actualy have to pay for the dvd, since it was unsolicitied, but I can see how that would be easy to miss. I've thought about sending them back the bill with "Get Farked" written on it, but I don't feel like paying for the stamp. Meanwhile I've gotten about 4 'bills' from them. I guess they can just keep sending me fireplace tinder.

Sounds like most software agreements. "By not responding to this you are agreeing to everything."

GDubDub: This is their other business:

[s3-ec.buzzfed.com image 618x564]

You make it sound like a joke, but people actually do get scammed with stuff like that. Some guy puts up a website 'you' can enter your cell phone number in to sign up for a text messaging service. They then send you a text that says reply with 'xafsafeafdas' to cancel. If you don't they add a couple dollars a month charge to your cell phone bill.

Tell them to come and pick their &h!) up/

MythDragon: ZAZ: There used to be a similar scam in the United States where companies would send you unsolicited merchandise and bill you for it. That's been illegal since 1970 (if the items are sent by US Mail).

Still going on. I got some DVD in the mail about combat shooting. Haven't even watched it. A month later I start getting bills that say 'send us back the DVD or pay us for it'. Now of course it says in small letters that I don't actualy have to pay for the dvd, since it was unsolicitied, but I can see how that would be easy to miss. I've thought about sending them back the bill with "Get Farked" written on it, but I don't feel like paying for the stamp. Meanwhile I've gotten about 4 'bills' from them. I guess they can just keep sending me fireplace tinder.

Happens all the time with domain names, too. I've gotten invoice-like letters from "Domain Registry of America" (and emailed invoice-like messages from other companies) for the domains I own, saying that my domain is up for renewal soon, and that due to the domain market being "newly deregulated" I can take advantage of "new, low prices" on my domain renewal. All I have to do is renew my domain with that company by returning the signed letter by fax or postal mail, and my registration costs will be "lowered" to $35/year (compared to the $9/year I currently pay). Of course, back when the domain registry was owned and operated by Network Solutions it cost $35/year for domains, so it's a rip-off.

I guess they get enough people to make it worthwhile -- it looks like a bill, so I wouldn't be surprised if some paper-pusher at a company signs it, encloses payment, and mails it off. Personally, I like my registrar lock.

The subbys post is almost as long as the article

vodka: Sounds like most software agreements. "By not responding to this you are agreeing to everything."

I ordered a magazine a few years back and apparently there was a clause about automatically renewing once the subscription ran out. I was out of town when they sent a renewal notice and didn't respond so they billed me for another year and put a blurb on my credit report when they didn't get paid. These weed guys might do the same, and get away with it.

Sounds like the old "address number" scam that is rampant here in Los Angeles. Most areas have the address stenciled on the curb, and every now and then a group of people will come in and repaint all the addresses without asking, and later go door to door asking for ten dollars for the fifteen seconds of work they did. I never gave them shiat, but I'm sure a lot of people did.

oukewldave: Sounds almost like the Terminex scumbags. When I was buying my house almost three years ago, they wouldnt approve my loan until termites were taken care of out in the shed way in the back of the yard. Ridiculous, but that's a different story. So I went with the cheapest I could find to satisfy them. After they sprayed, they kept calling me and I said never contact me again for anything! They kept at it leaving me messages saying they are coming over for their annual inspection and to call them to confirm and whatever. I ignore them. They apparently felt it was OK to just show up with no one home, go into my yard, and do whatever. They left something on my front door saying they were here. I don't know if they tried to bill me or anything. I throw out any envelopes that say Terminex on them.

Um, an annual or bi-annual follow-up inspection is a standard part of the deal for termite (or bedbug, or several other rather hardcore pest) control, and you probably paid for it in the original contract, since one annual inspection is basically the minimum that they're allowed to do according to basic professional standards.

Short story: it's most likely not a scam. You should call 'em, verify that they aren't charging you anything in writing (or by recording the conversation), and let them do their job.

Came for "Get off my lawn." Leaving disappointed.

AbbeySomeone: vodka: Sounds like most software agreements. "By not responding to this you are agreeing to everything."

I ordered a magazine a few years back and apparently there was a clause about automatically renewing once the subscription ran out. I was out of town when they sent a renewal notice and didn't respond so they billed me for another year and put a blurb on my credit report when they didn't get paid. These weed guys might do the same, and get away with it.

Booksamillion used to pull this scam. If you spent over $50, they'd offer you six free months of sports illustrated. What you were never told, was that after that six months, you'd be automatically renewed. I never got any bill or even gave SI my credit card number. After I called twice to cancel the damn thing I decided it was just easier to go to the bank and get a new card.

sophus_tree: Came for "Get off my lawn." Leaving disappointed.

Doh! How could I miss such an obvious joke?

Now I'm disappointed too.

Karac: AbbeySomeone: vodka: Sounds like most software agreements. "By not responding to this you are agreeing to everything."

I ordered a magazine a few years back and apparently there was a clause about automatically renewing once the subscription ran out. I was out of town when they sent a renewal notice and didn't respond so they billed me for another year and put a blurb on my credit report when they didn't get paid. These weed guys might do the same, and get away with it.

Booksamillion used to pull this scam. If you spent over $50, they'd offer you six free months of sports illustrated. What you were never told, was that after that six months, you'd be automatically renewed. I never got any bill or even gave SI my credit card number. After I called twice to cancel the damn thing I decided it was just easier to go to the bank and get a new card.

This type of thing ("negative option billing") is now illegal in Ontario. The cable companies used to do it all the time too. They'd give you a week or whatever of all the specialty channels and after that ran out, they'd start charging you for them unless you called them up and specifically told them you didn't want the channels.

And the cable company always wondered why they had such low customer satisfaction and everyone hated them