In the Inbox

I just rolled back into Salt Lake City after a long week in San Francisco… and I found this in my inbox from one of my friends. I don’t know who wrote it, but it sums up a pretty common scenario of clients (big and small!!… you’d be surprised) not understanding the value of photography and just using photos without permission. Its pretty common in the action sport scene, and ignorance is most often the case that is pleaded.

Here is a story about Bob:

I own a tv store. Bob comes into my store and tells me he wants to rent a 52″ sony bravia for a year. I tell Bob the TV costs $1000 to rent. He says that’s too expensive.. How about $200? I say no.. go rent a cheaper tv from somewhere else.

Well a month goes by.. a sony bravia 52″ turn up missing from my store and a friend says.. “Hey.. congrats on renting Bob that Sony Bravia”

I say, “I didnt rent bob a Sony Bravia” but am told if I go down the street Bob will be sitting in his livingroom watching a Sony Bravia with my store’s logo on it. 

So i stroll down and sure enough theres Bob sitting watching the Sony bravia he stole from the store.

I say “Hey Bob.. I told you that this Sony Bravia costs $1000 to rent for a year. You offered me $200 and i said no. How come you stole it from me?”

Bob claims he didnt know he wasnt allowed to steal it.

I realize that Bob must have a learning disablity. So i feel sorry and give him the bill for the full cost of renting for a year instead of calling the cops and having him charged for theft. He comes back with.. “how about $150 for a lifetime rental?” I say no deal.

I explain to Bob how stealing TVs is wrong.. and being a very rich man he shouldnt have to resort to stealing tvs from me. I go on his facebook and see that he has also been stealing bikes from 16 year old kids, but Bob doesn’t care because he’s making money.

8 months later.. Bob isn’t returning my phonecalls.

Bob’s an asshole. 

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 13th, 2008 at 2:29 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.