Was I Wrong??

[TC]

I just wanted to run this by you guys and get your opinion. Here's the deal I own a small apartment complex and one of my good friends used to live in one of them, but he broke up with his girlfriend and moved out. His girlfriend still lives there, and he still comes by a few times a week to see her. And I really have no problem letting him use my tools or go into my garage, but I do ask that he tells me that he's doing it. Well yesterday I'm sitting here talking with you guys and I heard my garage door open, I look out the window and he's got his truck parked in front of the garage and he's getting my air hose out because his tire is low. Anyway, he didn't call me, so I do a "hey" to him out the window and he just blows me off, so I again go, "hey, you could have called", and he just blows me off again. Anyway he finishes up, just throws the air hose onto the floor of the garage, closes the door and takes off. So not only did he not call me, he didn't even roll the hose back up. So I text him and say, "Hey, I don't walking into your house without asking, if your going to get into my garage you need to ask", I also added this,"and since you have a house now you really need to think about getting your stuff out of my garage as I need the room." Anyway I wasn't really that pissed at him, but he freaked out, was all pissed off, came and got his motor and stuff out of my garage and is trying to make me out as the bad guy because I wanted him to tell me when he gets into my garage.

Also I've been letting him store his '64 Malibu for free in this back area we have for many years now. And the other day before this all happened, I asked him when he was going to move it to his new house. And his response was, ask your friend Larry if you can borrow his trailer so that I can move it. So basically he's putting it on me to get his car out of there.

So what do you guys think, am I the bad guy here??

[62-impala-ss]

Re: Was I Wrong??

Put a mechanics lien on the car. With friends like that, who needs enemies?

[BigBlockMopar]

Re: Was I Wrong??

If the only way to get rid of the guy is to piss him off, what's the problem then?
Piss him off. Tow his car onto the street and give him a call his car is 'ready for transport'.
Oh, and I would change the lock on the garagedoor aswell.

[Eliteman76]

Re: Was I Wrong??

eh...sounds like what happened to me back in april, same but different.
Had the GTS at a buddies shop while I was out of work...he was under alot of stress, things S-L-O-W beyond belief, and he suddenly kicked my ass out of the shop with no explanation. I was pissed for a while, but got over it, and was like he needed the room, his shop.

As far as your buddy there, the air hose thing, that would irritate me a bit, but maybe there is some stuff going on, and he's having problems.
As far as the car deal...if it's been there a long time, let it roll for a bit. If he split with the woman, he's probably in a screwed up state of mind. Lord knows years back i was with a girl 4+ years and got screwed over BAD.
The fact I am still alive and here to annoy the rest of you guys with stupid random thoughts is proof enough some times stuff needs to just mellow for a bit.

[min301]

Re: Was I Wrong??

Alex, would you think twice about pissing me off?

[jays67]

Re: Was I Wrong??

no not a bad guy
i told my buddy when his folks threw him out he could stay with me till he got thing figured out just keep a clean house {bath room after use etc...}
and through me like $100 a mounth fo rfood as my wife was feeding him too
he got pissed when i asked him to clean the second bathroom up and the room he was staying in {was a mess when he was there}
same thing freaked on me would complane to friends but then got more pissed when they would side with me lol
anyway
i see no problem with you wanting to know when he is useing your stuff it is yours
but if he is a good friend after a while he will see your point and you will still be friends


the car storage thats ballsie though like you the bad guy for storing it for him
hate when people act that way but been there too
tell him your are thinking about a lien and see what he does

[TC]

Re: Was I Wrong??

Locking the garage door is kind of hard, it has a automatic opener, and I have a switch hidden so I don't have to always carry the remote. I guess I could disconnect he switch.

And I'll be honest, this is all kind of stemming from about a month ago when he bought a car and the timing belt took a crap. Since he moved out of his girlfriends place he put all his stuff in storage, so I told him he could use my tools, which was all fine and dandy, until I asked him if he put everything back. And his response was better than you had them, so a few days later I go to get into my box and my sockets are laying every which way, and I look at my wrench drawer and the wrenches are all greasy, and not even put back in the right order. And I'm like going to myself, this isn't better than I had them. And then I had just bought a brand new aluminum floor jack, and he used that instead of my other floor jack, and on top of it got the thing all oiled and greased up, took a big chunk out of the rubber pad, and then just gave it back to me looking like that. But being the mellow natured guy that I am, I didn't say anything about the tools, but did see him later that day, and when he asked me what I was doing, I said, "waiting for you to clean my jack". And he even tried to play like it was just a jack and it was going to get that way anyways. And my response was, it's brand new. So he cleaned it.

And the funny thing is he's the type of guy that would have a cow, I mean go totally ballistic, if I did this stuff to him. So I'm not really feeling to bad in calling him on it.

[min301]

Re: Was I Wrong??

You didn't answer my question. :D

[TC]

Re: Was I Wrong??

Ya, I'd think twice about it, you got banning powers. ;) ;D

But if I still felt strongly about it after thinking about it the second time, I'd do it.

[outlaw57]

Re: Was I Wrong??

no no bad at all, after a while people take your stuff for granted, think it's theirs. If he got pissy over that, he's not worth the trouble. trust me, i went through a similar deal a little over a year ago, and looking back he was not a loss at all.

[66SS396]

Re: Was I Wrong??

Nah, you weren't wrong. We all have friends like that. They kind of abuse the "relationship" and it really isn't fair. You call them on it and you are made to feel like a jerk.

Ever since I was a kid I've tried to take good care of my things. I guess it is a type "A" personality trait. Anyway, if you do take care of your things they'll last, and you won't be the guy who is always dealing with the same nonsense time and time again because he loses this, breaks that, and has no idea about the other. Guys see my air compressor, tool box, shop-vac, etc., and want to borrow things. I'd rather they come over to my place and use them, and I expect a little common courtesy in the process.

I loaned my shop-vac to a good friend and he returned it filthy and full of trash. I took one look at it and asked him if it was that way when he got it from me. He said no. I said OK, if you ever want to borrow anything from me ever again you'll clean it up and return it in the same condition it was in when you got it. He did the same thing with my chainsaw and again with some hand tools. He tried to return them dirty/greasy and I made him clean them up before I'd take them back. I was on the phone with him every week for 2 months about the chiansaw. I wasn't breaking his back about it, but I did let him know that I wanted it back and I expected it to be clean.

You've looked out for your buddy and he doesn't seem to appreciate it. Don't feel bad about anything.

[Falcon67]

Re: Was I Wrong??

I hate borrowing stuff - I'd rather do without or buy it. But if I do, I try like hell to bring it back as good or better and if something happens I take responsibility. Friend or not, its just right. I borrowed a two wheel dolly a while back from a guy in the car club. He said to watch the lights, they work sometimes then not. So, I just went over the thing and fixed 'em before I took it back. Sorta like paying some rent, I think.

So no, you're in line - your space, your place, your time, etc. People coming inside that circle should be respectful.

[Schtauffer]

Re: Was I Wrong??

Nothing is more valuable than being at peace with everyone you know. Enemies are easy to make and hard to get rid of.

My advice-- don't say a word, but secure the place. I can give you a couple of ways to deal with the electric opener on the garage door.

[62-impala-ss]

Re: Was I Wrong??

The fact that you are asking here shows that you care more than the other guys does.
Our tools are a thing of pride. If you use them, clean them and put them back in the same place. If you break them, they are yours!!

[shaun callaway]

Re: Was I Wrong??

heres my take on the situation

baseball bat and brass knuckles i dont give a sh!t who you are.