Hello All.
I've been keeping tabs on the complaints regard Jim Willing. I'm also
someone who has items owed to me by Jim.
Unfortunately, I just don't see this situation being resolved by Jim
anytime soon. I consider Jim a friend, and I know that if it was within
his means he would take care of this immediately. I've only known him to
be honorable. However, he seems to be compounding one bad move with
another, and the last thing I want to see is more trouble for Jim that he
just won't be able to handle. As much as it sucks to get stiffed, getting
the police involved or filing lawsuits won't make the situation any
better. Jim apparently just doesn't have the resources to follow through
on his commitments. The economy has ruined a lot of people, and it hit
Jim hard, perhaps harder than most. Keep that in mind.
That being said, I think the best way to go would be as follows: one or
two people who are close to Yates Center, Kansas, should arrange a visit
with Jim. They should bring boxes and packaging materials (tape, foam
peanuts, etc.) Anything that can be packed and shipped should be packed
up with Jim's help. Those packages and the remaining items should then be
loaded into the vehicle and driven off. Jim is no longer in the picture
and he can try to deal with life free from this burden.
The packed items can be taken to the local UPS or Fedex center and sent
off. The rest of the items can be distributed based on specific
arrangements to be decided.
I'm assuming that whatever money Jim received for both the items and
shipping has been spent on bills, so it would be wise to simply write this
off. Those folks who have already paid for shipping have two options:
either send more money for shipping (to the persons who are handling the
pickup) or try to arrange some way for items to be brought to them
through some relay mechanism.
I would also call on Jim to relinquish anything else of value that can be
added to the load when it's picked up. These items can be sold off by a
neutral party and the funds distributed proportionally to those folks who
are owed money for shipping.
I think the best way to coordinate this will be to have everyone who is
owed something write to me, and I'll form a small mailing list so we can
figure everything out.
None of this is to be construed as my acquiring responsibility for this.
I am just trying to find a solution that will remove Jim from the picture
and get everyone their stuff. Everyone will lose from this,
unfortunately. Jim stiffed a lot of people. However, there's no point in
trying to "ruin" Jim. That's already happened. Getting him in trouble
will most likely only guarantee that you'll never get what you paid for.
The best solution at this point is to work together to resolve the issue
in a manner that gets everyone what they are owed.
This is just a suggestion. No one is obligated to adhere to it. Anyone
is free to take their own independent course of action.
That being said, anyone who is interested please e-mail me and I'll
coordinate the effort. But this all rests on having at least two people
near Kansas who can take on the burden of the drive and the effort
required to retrieve the items.
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
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Received on Thu Sep 18 2003 - 12:45:00 BST