Mason County Full Court Press

[XLFD]

The Ludington Torch since 2009 has always been the area's free press without the annoying pop-ups and side ads that you get at our other local media sources that do their work in order to make some bucks.  I usually hog the article by-lines, but I welcome other folks that want to contribute to the community dialog, especially those that are concerned with many of the out-of-control government agencies and agents along with favored businesses and businesspeople that populate the area and are typically propped and feted by the other for-profit media, like the City of Ludington Daily News (COLDNews) and the Mason Clown Depressed Mason County Press (MCP).

A controversy has arisen between the Phoenix Rising Tattoo Shop (PRTS) concerning marketing fees that they reportedly paid out in the middle of 2017, and the MCP, who claims they never received the money.  The PRTS fired a cannonade on Monday morning on Facebook at the MCP, and as of 36 hours later, the post has been shared 35 times, emoji-ed 240 times, and commented on 43 times, much of those responses telling their own horror story of the Rob Alway enterprise known as MCP.

Missing over that day and a half period is any response by the MCP on their website, their Facebook page, or on the PRTS complaint which goes as follows:

Phoenix Rising:  You know, I've got to take a moment to address Mason County Press. Not only for doing absolutely none of what you'd promised to us in regards to advertising: A video interview that never happened. Articles that never happened. What did we get for $155 a month? A 1 inch banner at the very bottom of the arraignments page. Ok, no biggie there. You live, you learn. I paid the contract and I'm done with them...

But WAIT! They've "lost" my final payment! And now that they can't "find" that envelope with $320 cash that we left for your employee to pick up (Spoiler Alert: It's because it happened in JUNE 2017.) And your "ad rep" contacts us almost 5 MONTHS LATER in October to tell us that since basic math escapes you, that we must shell out an additional $550.

I've attemtped to show both your "ad rep" danny v and your editor Mr. Alway this very simple mistake. Danny keeps saying he "doesn't deal with that." , and Mr. Alway just keeps sending copies of the faulty payment history (edit: until this morning. All I was told was that he's been advised by his attorney to have me contact him instead.") But since no one wants to admit this incredibly negligible act of losing my final payment, and since having me served with papers is easier than checking your own ego, I figured this was the best way to get you to pay attention to how you handle customers in the future.

I trusted you and your company. If I took a payment for someone's tattoo, then walked in the back room and came back out, and said' "I seem to have lost your money. You'll have to pay it again, along with a late fee. You've been served. We'll see you in court." You could see how things would go south for us real quick.

What you've done is absolutely criminal. I cannot wait to see you boys in court [END POST].

We encourage the MCP to address this issue in an open and honest manner like Calvin Kortge (PRTS) appears to have, rather than keep it contained to a court that will likely have to make a decision on who they trust better.  And I bet if it comes down to a "he said, he said" situation, the judge will  trust somebody who can give them favorable headlines, rather than a nice tattoo or body piercing.

If you are a person or business who has been wronged in similar fashion by the MCP, or directly know of somebody who has, please let us know and state the problem.  We are only seeking the truth here, and a fair outcome.  Likewise, we welcome any contribution by the MCP to make this an open dialog, but we are not impressed with their record of transparency to the public.  

[Willy]

I have no skin in this situation, tattooed or not but, "cash"? "CASH"?  and no receipt. I don't know how PRTS does business but handing out cash, no matter how it's done, without receiving a receipt is asking for trouble and guess what? Trouble has found a home. I certainly wouldn't go public with this when I had no proof that the payment has actually taken place. I see a situation that will end badly for all involved, when this could all have been avoided.

 

[Freedom Seeker]

Well said, Willy and so true. But maybe the MCP aso should not accept cash without providing a receipt-- that's the way it is going in many places where businesses don't have direct oversight and maybe don't want to tempt employees.

[Willy]

That's the problem. We don't know what happened and it sounds like PRTS doesn't either. Going public with his problems is not the way to solve it. If MCP misquoted PRTS or posted false information then of course that would be a public exposure and would provide an excuse to include the community in focusing on his problem but a dispute over a bill? Come on. No judge is going to side with PRTS if he does not produce proof of payment.

[AQUAMAN]

You guys hit the nail quite on the head, speaking from 40 years business experience. In business, you usually use your business checks to pay all your bills to start with. If someone does insist on cash, always get a paid receipt, don't leave that office without it. PRTS seems to be lacking in common business practices, and will surely lose this case, unless some MCP witness admits they did receive an envelope of cash, which I doubt will happen. Going public on the matter isn't the best option left either, could result in even more legal costs, for libel & slander perhaps.

[XLFD]

I can't disagree with what anybody has said thus far, and I likely wouldn't have introduced it here except that in the comments to the Facebook post there seemed to be others aggrieved by the MCP and its collection methods and collectors.  It's difficult to assess whether it's more than just embellished commiserating or an established pattern, that goes beyond the PRTS incident, where it seems they were too complacent in paying the significant sum with a careless payment method that may have resulted in somebody else being $320 richer.  

If I were publicly trying to right a perceived wrong in a similar situation, and unfortunately that's what I often wind up doing, I would show the written contract between the MCP and PRTS, point out that an article and video that were promised in said contract were never delivered.  I would explain how I made sure that the MCP representative was given the envelope with the money after a receipt was signed.  The absence of said contract showing promised stuff and receipt is why even if everything said in the post is true, that MCP will win in court, at least partially. 

We continue to invite those who may have suffered similar dust-ups with the MCP suitably documented and will assume in their absence that these other gripes may have questionable basis.

Mr. Kortje made a mistake that most readers of the Ludington Torch have learned not to make:  he trusted the local mainstream media a lot more than he should have.  

[Willy]

This is an interesting topic X and a good learning lesson for doing any kind of business dealing with money. Another thing to learn from this is that taking a complaint as PRTS has done and putting it out on a public forum will prod people into giving opinions that PRTS may not agree with,. Also, the fact that this situation now has immortality out in the electronic world of communication should make people wary of airing their laundry for everyone to see because years from now, even if this situation is patched up between the MCP and PRTS, that complaint posted in face book will still be floating around. I might add that there is a big difference between what takes place on this forum and Facebook. This forum is about public discourse regarding public interests while PRTS post on Facebook is personal business.