My Competitor Is NOT Playing Nice... HELP Please

[Y11URS]

Since Setting up, ive had nothing but hassle and trouble with my local competitor...

I wont name and shame because i dont really agree with slamming people over the internet.

Ive had the Police involved, after he endlessly used to come to MY workshop with his boys causing trouble, and using threatening behaviour.. Ive had signs ripped down, Ive had customers poached left right and centre, and its not really got to me untill this week...

I missed a court date, for dailing to produce my documents, and therefore was put in the paper for No Insurance, MOT, and Licence. Ive since been back to court and produced and got all fines, and points dropped.

Now my copetitor found the need to go to my local trade customers, and blow the newspaper add up, and write my business name and my name on the bit of paper. He must of sent about 100 letters out becuase ive had so many calls about this.

Now i find this on a Google Map Review:


"

The after sales service of this company is appalling. I had tom of solar shades tint my landrover discovery and it had white spots all over the window. I called him several times to complain and each time he promised to come round and replace it but he never did. I was so fed up with his excuses i paid again to have Protint on the granby remove the film and replace it which I am now very happy with. I just wished i had gone to protint first, but they quoted slightly higher so i went for the cheaper option, much to my regret. Protint did me a good deal because of the trouble i had gone to so i have wrote them a good review. Solar shades seems to have moved on as his registered addresses are either empty of they have not heard of him. I have passed on all the information i have to ... appalling. I had tom of solar shades tint my landrover discovery and it had white spots all over the window. I called him several times to complain and each time he promised to come round and replace it but he never did. I was so fed up with his excuses i paid again to have Protint on the granby remove the film and replace it which I am now very happy with. I just wished i had gone to protint first, but they quoted slightly higher so i went for the cheaper option, much to my regret. Protint did me a good deal because of the trouble i had gone to so i have wrote them a good review. Solar shades seems to have moved on as his registered addresses are either empty of they have not heard of him. I have passed on all the information i have to trading standards so we will see if they have any luck tracking down this rip off company. I have read in the echo this week that tom of solar shades has been convicted of having no vehicle insurance. That just makes me more angry that i let him lose on my car uninsured! Avoid solar shades at all costs"

What can i do... Because this is really getting to me.....

argh!

 

[Esk247]

well i think this has crossed from just being a moody competitor to being a police matter to be honest.

You should take this matter up with a solicitor and the police to see the legal standing and what they suggest you do to move forward.

 

[mike.davis]

Normally I would feel sorry for you, however the guy has done one of the dumbest things I have ever seen in my life so you should feel happy...

I just tracked your review down, he left it from his companies Google account !!!

If you click it, it goes to his company name "ProTint" (I have no worries naming and shaming) and shows a positive review for himself (which you should report). Also his other positive review is clearly fake because the guy has reviewed 5 window tint companies

Take screenshots of this immediately and get a solicitor, due to the stupidity of the guy, you should have no problem suing him.

 

[mike.davis]

Woops I got confused there, It's not left from his account, but the account has reviewed 5 window tint companies and left negatives for 4 and the only positive is for protint, still enough grounds to sue.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

I agree with Mike. Don't say anything to this person just yet. Take screenshots and start building up as much evidence as you can.

 

[mike.davis]

He even mentions protint redoing it in his review

This guy is beyond stupid, please keep us updated when you sue him

 

[Y11URS]

The Guy is a <profanity removed by MOD>. Considering hes 40 odd, with Kids, it makes me feel very mature.

What about the Photocopying of the News Paper clipping which hes sent to my customers, and associates? Is this a Criminal Matter Too?

 

[Working First Aid]

It does seem like he's tied his own rope for you - just be sure to have everything recorded and screensnapped.

As an aside, do screenshots have any weight in a court of law, given how easy it would be to photoshop in whatever you wanted to? In this case with google maps it would be irellivent, as google would I'm sure keep records of what data was entered. Whether or not they would release that information is of course another story...

Smirks

 

[mike.davis]

The Guy is a . Considering hes 40 odd, with Kids, it makes me feel very mature.

What about the Photocopying of the News Paper clipping which hes sent to my customers, and associates? Is this a Criminal Matter Too?

Keep everything you can, and make sure you see a solicitor as soon as possible (tomorrow morning) if he researches at all it won't take him long to find this thread. (if he has google alerts he would have already found it) and start deleting things.

It's amazing the things some people think they can get away with

 

[Y11URS]

What are Google alerts????

 

[popunder]

A restaurant client of mine had a similar problem and ended up with a bad newspaper review.

Contact some of your best clients and ask them to post positive reviews for you on Google, you only need a few and these will push the bogus one off the front page where very few people will ever see it. Before this get someone to post "the previous review is false and has been reported" or something similar.

I don't think you'll get far legally unless you're prepared to spend big on solicitors, but Google may eventually remove the review when presented with the evidence.

The restaurant actually found their clients were shocked by the bogus newspaper review, disbelieved it totally, wrote to the paper to complain, and rallied round to book tables; they were busier than ever! So your clients may take the same view of this guy's underhand tactics. I'd be more worried about him personally than his efforts at online slander.

 

[Y11URS]

And How much would it cost me to Sue his monkey butt?

 

[popunder]

The Guy is a . Considering hes 40 odd, with Kids, it makes me feel very mature.

What about the Photocopying of the News Paper clipping which hes sent to my customers, and associates? Is this a Criminal Matter Too?

No it's not an offence to photocopy things and send them to people, unless they're offensive or illegal images!

 

[Y11URS]

No it's not an offence to photocopy things and send them to people, unless they're offensive or illegal images!

I agree with that...

But surely if its in a "mallis" way in its a Defamation of Character, is Harrasment?

 

[mike.davis]

What are Google alerts????

One of the best tools available for tracking people talking about your business, it alerts you when the keywords you provide are mentioned...

http://www.aimclearblog.com/2009/03/16/how-to-build-a-reputation-monitoring-dashboard/


Ignore the advice below, you can't just let people get away with as the poster themselves calls it online slander, and as for "i would be more worried about him" so you're suggesting running and hiding

A restaurant client of mine had a similar problem and ended up with a bad newspaper review.

Contact some of your best clients and ask them to post positive reviews for you on Google, you only need a few and these will push the bogus one off the front page where very few people will ever see it. Before this get someone to post "the previous review is false and has been reported" or something similar.

I don't think you'll get far legally unless you're prepared to spend big on solicitors, but Google may eventually remove the review when presented with the evidence.

The restaurant actually found their clients were shocked by the bogus newspaper review, disbelieved it totally, wrote to the paper to complain, and rallied round to book tables; they were busier than ever! So your clients may take the same view of this guy's underhand tactics. I'd be more worried about him personally than his efforts at online slander.

 

[popunder]

If you're worried about the Google review then the quickest way to deal with it is to push it off the page not to arse about trying to sue someone - there are thousands of slanderous reviews on Google and Google to be honest don't give a toss. Check their support forum and see the non-responses people get when they complain.

If you want to go through solicitors then feel free but all the time this review will be sat there online doing you more damage. Be businesslike - solve the problem first and then get even.

 

[Esk247]

I'm more concerned by these paragraphs:

Ive had the Police involved, after he endlessly used to come to MY workshop with his boys causing trouble, and using threatening behaviour.. Ive had signs ripped down, Ive had customers poached left right and centre, and its not really got to me untill this week...

and

Now my copetitor found the need to go to my local trade customers, and blow the newspaper add up, and write my business name and my name on the bit of paper. He must of sent about 100 letters out becuase ive had so many calls about this.

this isn't just a Google review gone bad is it?

 

[Freshtints]

Thomas,
You have been told before. If your gonna post for sympathy you need to tell the whole story and not just your "i am a victim" point of view. Here are the important bits you missed out when crying like a girl that you are being persecuted.

you used to work for your competitor
you failed to turn up for work cos you lied about being stuck on holiday
you staged a break in your competitors workshop and drew penises on the walls like a ten year old
the things you did above and other immature stupid stuff caused you to get sacked
you setup in the same business trade less than half a mile away from him to try to poach work from him
you and your mate setup and a job in london to put him out of business and your mate still owes £5k. Whilst you were there you stole an expensive film cutter
you left a message on his voicemail at 3am thretening his children. You have been arrested for this and charged.
you sent an email to another business thretening to abuse his children
you have been arrested and charged with harrassment whereas your competitor hasnt.
you have moved several times to different buildings coz your an a**hole and nobody likes you

Oh and btw you were in the paper again for having no MOT, which you were fined for (again).

now you are claiming he has left false reviews and is sending out letters.


Now lets talk about who should sue.

 

[guest_12]

it appears as if the window tinting underworld business is darker than the finished windows themselves.....

 

[kulture]

There are always two sides to every argument. Each side tend to believe they are in the right. Here both sides seem to be acting like children. This is a business forum not a playground. Both parties are behaving like children, kicking sand in each others face. Both sides should grow up, start acting like adults, and concentrate on running your own businesses. There is no rule saying someone should not open up in the same business half a mile down the road from another. Indeed if I was in the same business I would be tempted to open up between both premises and probably outdo both of you.