Indiana Team Virtual

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 18, 2017/11/14) */
I don't even know how to respond to this complaint. I was paid for 5 hours of work and completed 7 hours of work (without charging for the additional hours because I was so excited about helping [redacted] because I knew he needed the help). My best...

friend of 20 years (most of my life) has been battling cancer for 13 years. On Aug 26th, when my friend called and told me that she wasn't going to make it this time and it was now only a matter of days, I called and left [redacted] a voicemail indicating that the Sept 1st appointment that we scheduled would need to be put on hold because my plan was to stay in the hospital by her side until she was called home to Heaven. I mentioned in that message that I did 7 hours instead of 5 and wasn't charging him for the extra hours. I also stated that I was very eager to share with him what I was able to complete for him in the previous month, and that I would send him a report as soon as I could but needed to focus on my friend for now. I didn't hear anything from him until September 1st when he called to complain about the invoice he received (which is automated to go out on the first of each month). I explained to him that it was just generated by the system and he didn't owe anything yet until we met again because I didn't know how long it would be until my friend lost her battle. I was in no state of mind to be thinking about canceling my automated processes that make my business run effectively. My friend was like a sister to me, in fact, she is the ONLY person in my entire life that I was able to open up fully to and loved her so much. We'd been through everything together, good times, bad times, the greatest of times, the worst of times, had our babies together, were baptized together on Mother's Day before she passed. I was there for her when she was first diagnosed with cancer and I was there holding her hand, laying in the bed with her crying
as I thought about what I was losing as she lost her battle and took her last breathe. To say it was the most devastating experience of my life would be an understatement. I've never lost someone before and it felt like a cruel joke to take the person that I was closest to as my very first loss in life. I didn't know how to process the emotions or to be 'me' again. I still don't, but I'm trying to take it one day at a time. After many messages back and forth with [redacted] (during the worst month of my life), I could tell that he was just one of those guys that wasn't willing to cooperate. Therefore, I did send him the report he asked for and I never heard back from him. The report is in his email. The work is done. There is no justification for a refund. At one point, I did say that I was almost willing to give him the refund just to make him leave me alone because I was having a difficult time as it was. I didn't need someone kicking me while I was down, but my attorney advised me otherwise. I did state in one of my emails to him that I do understand that business is business and my lack of communication after my friend passed is a fair reason for him to not want to continue to do business with me going forward, but that I would not offer a refund because I did the work and I have proof that I did the work. I know that in life we lose loved ones, but I never knew how paralyzing it would be. Having to re-live this nightmare all over again to explain this is testing every bit of my strength. I've been trying to respond to this since I received the notification of the complaint. I've tried many times and haven't been able to get it through. Today, I've been siting here for 4 hours and 10 minutes trying to get this out. It's just really hard to remember these moments. Thankfully with digital technology today, I didn't have to remember much detail, as it is all in email and voicemail. But the feelings rushing back are rough. I can't imagine having to live it all over again in a court of law. It just doesn't seem fair. At the same time, I don't think it's right to give a refund for something that I worked hard on - no matter how arrogant the other party is. It's not right to give someone what they want just to make them cooperate or be nice. I'd be happy to still sit down with [redacted] and show him all that I did to ease his mind, but he stopped taking my calls and emails and is unwilling to work things out. It is my hope that he will some day be mature and professional about this and allow us to end without all this animosity.