Pluto
119 posts
Jan 02, 2011
8:26 AM
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I hope its not too soon to ask an important question ( to me any way).
What will become of his business? A month before he died, I prepaid for several Buddha harps.
I didn't know Chris except for the electronic exchange we had to order the harps.
Can anyone out there give me a recommendations
Respectfully,
Pluto
Last Edited by on Jan 02, 2011 8:27 AM
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harpdude61
593 posts
Jan 02, 2011
8:39 AM
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I was lucky enough to get my harps the day before Chris passed, but I have wondered about people with your dilema.
My guess is he worked on many harps and harp sets at once so there are many like you. He may have been behind because my 6 harps were ordered in June with a promise date of August, but I didn't receive them until December.
I know if your harps were started that a paint marker was used with your name on the harp box. Some said they want theirs, even if unfinished...but I would guess there is a good chance he had not started on your harps.
Very tough situation indeed for those with investments in new Buddah harps.
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eharp
1046 posts
Jan 02, 2011
8:47 AM
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i think calling his widow and inquiring would be the best way to go.
but i would wait another couple of weeks.
starting the conversation with your condolences is pretty much a given.
you can try an email, also.
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jim
620 posts
Jan 02, 2011
8:52 AM
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I offered to finish one or two of his orders for free but the community told me to fuck off.
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www.truechromatic.com
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groyster1
673 posts
Jan 02, 2011
9:01 AM
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@jim
sorry and surprised you were treated that way since you were offering to help
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eharp
1047 posts
Jan 02, 2011
9:21 AM
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there were other mitigating circumstances involved, if i recall, jim.
to prove it, offer your services up again on a new thread.
it is a very kind offer from you.
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jim
621 posts
Jan 02, 2011
9:29 AM
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if Pluto asks Chris's wife to send me his instruments, I'll finish them.
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www.truechromatic.com
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rharley5652
338 posts
Jan 02, 2011
4:57 PM
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@ Jim ,..
Wonderful Kind Heart <> Not to many would offer Pro-bono !
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Simply Unique Kustom Mic's By Rharley
Last Edited by on Jan 02, 2011 5:00 PM
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6SN7
135 posts
Jan 02, 2011
6:38 PM
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I'd be pretty concerned if I invested 300$/harp upfront, 8 months in advanced, no delivery months after the promised date and the best I might get is a box of parts. If harpdude was out 1800$, i bet he would be pretty effing upset.
Pluto, it's a legit post and topic.
Last Edited by on Jan 03, 2011 8:48 PM
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Joe_L
952 posts
Jan 02, 2011
6:38 PM
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I wonder how the members of the "Order of The Purple Monkey Fist" will feel about that?
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Kyzer Sosa
937 posts
Jan 02, 2011
7:03 PM
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I imagine Laurie is keen to the fact that Chris had so many irons in the fire. It should be obvious when she looks at his work area. Additionally, I'll bet there is some kind of record keeping that went on there, and she may even have been a part of that. If that isn't the case, those of you who Pre-paid can do yourselves a good service and kiss it all goodbye. Lesson learned. Even if it were $1800 I paid. That's the risk you take with such things. If I were in a similar situation as Mrs. Buddha, and needed the $, a box of unfinished work/parts is the best you would get.
Not being mean, just trying to shoot you all straight
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Kyzer's Artwork
"Music in the soul can be heard by the universe." - Lao Tzu
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shbamac
39 posts
Jan 02, 2011
7:10 PM
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I was lucky enough to get most of my money back. I paid through paypal and filed a claim. Even though it was over the time limit, under the cirumstances they agreed to make it active. If you paid via paypal I would contact them. If not I would contact his wife. I wouldn't wait. But yes, approach her gently.
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LIP RIPPER
361 posts
Jan 03, 2011
7:21 AM
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I've sent her a letter.
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HTrain
29 posts
Jan 03, 2011
9:44 AM
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I ordered a Buddha harp (as a bucket list thing) and had pretty much written it off even though I was told it was very close. Seeing this discussion gives me possible hope to even get it "as is". Any suggestions from those who know the family as to how to respectfully get more info with better timing would be appreciated as well as appropriate contact info.
There are more important things that Laurie has to deal with but ..........
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Tin Lizzie
180 posts
Jan 03, 2011
9:52 AM
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I am curious how many outstanding orders Buddha had.
Poor Laurie. I think any business like his would be a nightmare to try and straighten out. I remember how hard it was when my dad died and he had a farm with no customers. Outstanding orders like this would be awful to deal with.
It seems most of us with outstanding orders would like our unfinished harps but not a refund. That's what I would like.
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Tin Lizzie
Last Edited by on Jan 03, 2011 9:54 AM
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HarpNinja
918 posts
Jan 03, 2011
9:56 AM
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I bet he had near $10,000 in orders. I had a dozen or so emails on this topic that first week. Thos totaled at least $5,000. I only even say this to further emphasize how difficult this will be to sort out for all invovled. :-(
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Mike
Quicksilver Harmonicas
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ReedSqueal
49 posts
Jan 03, 2011
10:01 AM
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I think it was suggested at one point that if someone lives nearby Chris's house, they would volunteer to go through all of the outstanding orders. One would have to assume there is some type of paper trail as to who's harps are on the bench or waiting. Or complete.
If I were anywhere near, within a few hours driving distance, I would certainly volunteer my time to help. But I am on the far West coast.
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Go ahead and play the blues if it'll make you happy.
-Dan Castellaneta
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harpdude61
599 posts
Jan 03, 2011
11:39 AM
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Many business runs on "float' and cash flow. I have no idea, but I guess it is possible that funds may not be readily available if everyone wanted a 100% refund.
I respectfully disagree Kyzer. Sure, if it were my best friend or my brother, I would probably take the loss, but you cannot expect people who paid for harps not to at least try. I'm sure his wife realizes this as well.
Attempting to get your harps or your money is no way a sign of disrespect.
I'm sure this happens to small business owners occasionaly..and I'm sure it makes customers as well as customizers think about these things.
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harpwrench
409 posts
Jan 03, 2011
12:33 PM
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If I pass, my wife has instructions. But you'll need to give her enough time to collect the life insurance, not to mention grieve....
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Joe
www.spiersharmonicas.com
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conjob
109 posts
Jan 03, 2011
1:06 PM
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i also ordered in june with an estimated completion date of august, a few weeks before he passed chris told me my harp was nearly done. harpdude i think you were the last one to recieve harps and i might be the first one to not get mine.
i would feel bad taking my money back (although i understand others wanting thiers) but if anyone sorts out a way for us to recieve our harps "as is" i would be interested.
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oldwailer
1485 posts
Jan 03, 2011
2:34 PM
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@Joe_L wrote: "I wonder how the members of the "Order of The Purple Monkey Fist" will feel about that?"
I guess I'm one of those Monkeys--and I think a very caring and gentle letter should be written to Laurie about what you feel you are owed. All sentiment aside, when somebody passes away, the debts still remain the debts--and people expect to be paid or in some way recompensed.
I think sooner than later would be good--Laurie (or somebody) is probably trying to piece things together now--and getting some surprise bill in three weeks from now won't help her--she needs to know about these debts so she can add them up and see where she stands now--then she can move on as best she can.
Grieving will come and go for years--I personally would want to face the full reality now and get busy with it.
Just my two bits worth as a Monkey--from what I know of the Master--he would want things made as right as possible. . .
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Always be yourself--unless you suck. . .
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harmonicanick
1041 posts
Jan 03, 2011
2:45 PM
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Surely the lawyers for the Estate of the deceased will be handling any issues related to unfinished business of the late 'Buddah'
It should not be for an internet forum to discuss or advise in these very personal matters.
With the deepest respect,
Nick
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oldwailer
1486 posts
Jan 03, 2011
3:47 PM
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I completely agree, Nick--enough said. . .
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Always be yourself--unless you suck. . .
-Joss Whedon
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harpdude61
601 posts
Jan 03, 2011
5:13 PM
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C'mon Nick, No one here is offering legal advice to the estate or customers. I don't think any "very personal matters" have been discussed either and everything that has been discussed has been done with the utmost respect and sympathy for Chris family.
Wailer, you advised "get busy with it" and then agreed with him.
Sounds to me like the customers on the forum are looking for the proper and respectful way in which to handle these matters...geez
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exdmd
9 posts
Jan 03, 2011
7:34 PM
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Unless his widow issues a refund for a product not delivered, you will need to file a claim against the estate with the probate court.
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Pluto
120 posts
Jan 03, 2011
8:08 PM
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Hey we're all adults here. We respected Buddha, and this forum is a prefect place to discuss how to broach this issue. Having said that, I don't think its necessary to discuss "what ifs". Thank you 6NS7, lip ripper, ninja and harpwrench. Jim, I never sent him any instruments. Thanks anyway for your offer.
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Micha
143 posts
Jan 06, 2011
1:26 AM
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Chris also had a harp for me that was almost finished. In his last email, he said that I was gonna receive it soon.
I didn't dare to ask about this, because I don't want to be disrespectful. After all, I would much rather lose the harp and have Buddha back. Anyhow, as writing a letter/email seems to be the way to go. Does anybody have an idea of where I can get the address or email address of Laurie?
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MrVerylongusername
1456 posts
Jan 06, 2011
1:45 AM
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I've tried of stay out of this stuff, and I'm not criticising anyone here, but frankly I think the only letters anyone should be writing to Laurie are simple messages of sympathy.
For heaven's sake her husband died. Let her grieve in peace.
As nIck said above - lawyers deal with this stuff.
Would it be possible for someone to post the contact details for the lawyers handling Chris' estate to save a grieving widow any more stress?
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GermanHarpist
1936 posts
Jan 06, 2011
1:50 AM
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I was waiting for three harps myself with the total value of about 400$. He said he'd ship it three weeks before his death. So it could be that it is somewhere in customs.
Also if not, I think MrV is right. We should leave his wife the time to grieve.
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The MBH thread-thread thread!
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GermanHarpist
1937 posts
Jan 06, 2011
1:51 AM
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RIP Buddha.
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The MBH thread-thread thread!
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Micha
145 posts
Jan 06, 2011
2:18 AM
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@MrVlun: that would be much better indeed! But before someone releases those details, there will be much more questions like this.
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nacoran
3579 posts
Jan 06, 2011
8:47 AM
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I'm actually glad people are discussing this here. I think people are trying to figure out how to approach a sensitive subject without causing undue hardship for Chris's widow.
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Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
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EddieT
52 posts
Jan 10, 2011
10:20 AM
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If anyone gets information I would like to hear it as well. I also ordered 3 Buddha harps in April of 2010. I was told for the past several months that they were just about finished and assume (or hope) that they are sitting somewhere with my name on them. I would take them in whatever condition they are in. I am sorry for the loss and he will be missed.
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-Edward Tomaine
YouTube
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harpdude61
617 posts
Jan 10, 2011
11:56 AM
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@ EddieT...I ordered my six in June with a promise by August. I started inquiring almost weekly in late October because I was going to have to buy 4 stock harps to play gigs that I promised. I ended up buying more harps.
Mine were always on the finishing block or just a hair off. The last two weeks he said he was working exclsively on mine.
He could sense my frustration.
We had two great phone chats that were fun and educational for me....the next day I got my harps. He paid the $40 and had them overnighted.
He said he normally had one day of the week that he shipped harps. I hope I am wrong, but I doubt he has very many finished harps that didn't get shipped.
@nacaron...exactly.
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rharley5652
352 posts
Jan 10, 2011
2:09 PM
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exdmd said it all
"Unless his widow issues a refund for a product not delivered, you will need to file a claim against the estate with the probate court.
A notice will be in the local papers in the city he lived in ,.You'll have 4-6 months to file a claim against his Estate w/probate court.
I'm not a lawyer ,.but just went through it all with my Wife who's Mother passed last yr,.
After dealing with our Lawyer,. the way I understand it is Basically after that 4-6 month period & the Estate is settled,.Buddha's wife can toss those harps in the garbage with no recourse.
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Simply Unique Kustom Mic's By Rharley
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Todd Parrott
312 posts
Jan 10, 2011
3:29 PM
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I will be posting 2 Buddha harps for sale on Ebay and will post the details in the "For Sale Page: 2011" thread.
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Rubes
206 posts
Jan 10, 2011
5:02 PM
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Hey Todd, don't mean to jump the gun but I could be VERY keen for one of those Bharps! :~)
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kudzurunner
2229 posts
Jan 10, 2011
5:02 PM
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The key question that is emerging is: Did Chris have a business partner other than his wife? If not, did he appoint an executor to handle his business in the event of his premature demise?
I suspect that the answer to both questions is no.
What's needed at this point is a family friend who can speak to his wife, secure her blessings, and begin to asses what's left of the business.
I have no iron in this fire, nor do I know his wife, nor do I know who that friend might be. But I'm sure there is one. Can somebody give us a name and an email address?
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isaacullah
1350 posts
Jan 10, 2011
7:12 PM
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I was Chris's friend, but I didn't know his wife very well, having met her only once before his funeral. I'm local, but I would feel very very weird contacting her about any of this stuff. As far as I knew, Chris ran his business old school. On a pledge and a handshake. As far as I know, he had no legal devices set up for dealing with this kind of event. I certainly could be wrong about that, since I never discussed anything about the business side of what Chris did with him, but he never struck me as the kind of guy who planned everything out to every contingency.
If you are concerned about your money, then I suppose the only thing to do is the probate court thing. If all you want is your harps, regardless of the state, I would just sit tight. I'm sure that once she's finally ready, emotionally, to deal with Chris's workshop, Laurie will eventually contact one of Chris's friends from the harmonica world to help sort out his last orders. He had contact info for everyone he took orders from, but I doubt it's the first thing on Laurie's mind right now.
~Isaac
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== I S A A C ==
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EddieT
53 posts
Jan 11, 2011
11:16 AM
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Thank you for the information Isaac. I will wait and hopefully get my harmonicas. The last thing I want is to do the court thing to get my money back.
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-Edward Tomaine
YouTube
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LIP RIPPER
365 posts
Jan 11, 2011
11:38 AM
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I have a little different situation. After receiving my long awaited B-rad I just didn't care for it. So I contacted Chris about a trade which he was excited about. I was asking for a used one of his but he said he'd make me a new one so I was patiently waiting knowing I would take a back seat to the cash paying customers. I did wait a couple weeks after his passing and then wrote his widow a letter explaining our deal. Judging from comments that Chris had made I think Laurie knows bits and pieces of his harp business. I simply asked for the B-rad back.
I'm sorry that she has been put in this position and it should make us all stop and think.
LR
Last Edited by on Jan 11, 2011 11:40 AM
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Miles Dewar
596 posts
Jan 11, 2011
12:21 PM
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$400.oo is a HUGE chunk of money for some people nowadays.
There's nothing wrong with trying to find avenues to get your money back. If this was Walmart, would we not be trying to get our money right away. If you run a Business, plans and precautions need to be taken.
Not all of us know Chris from places other than the internet. so unless you want people to just show up at Chris' doorstep,
THIS IS THE PLACE TO DISCUSS THIS PROBLEM.
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isaacullah
1352 posts
Jan 11, 2011
12:32 PM
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There is a big difference between Walmart and a small business. When one makes a choice to patronize small business over large conglomerates, one should be aware that it is much much less likely that the small business will have every contingency covered. This is the risk of choosing to support small businesses (which I believe is still a good thing to do), which is probably one of the reasons that the Walmarts of the world have become so successful at replacing mom & pop shops. It's easy to file a claim for recompense at a large corporation like Walmart, or even Hohner. It will always be much more difficult with small businesses, and that's the simple reality. Yes, many small business may have taken good precautions, but many of them simply cannot afford to do so because they a run really close to the "break even" line.
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ncpacemaker
104 posts
Jan 11, 2011
8:54 PM
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The man died people. Leave him and his old lady alone. Take the loss and forget it. It ain't gonna break ya.
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Last Edited by on Jan 12, 2011 8:16 AM
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robdee
46 posts
Jan 12, 2011
9:02 PM
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@ncpacemaker I respectfully disagree. I had 1000 dollars on order for 6 months. Fortunately, my 5 harps were shipped on Dec 14th. If they had not been shipped do you think I should just shrug it off and accept the loss? That to me is a bit much sir. Anybody who had an order is entitled to search out a way to recover their money in my opinion. Maybe these people won't be able to recover their funds but really I think it's crude to say they should just suck it up. Easy to say if it's not you who's out the dollars. And yes, I do appreciate the situation.
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Miles Dewar
600 posts
Jan 12, 2011
9:48 PM
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@Isaac,
I wasn't talking about that. I was saying that someone trying to find avenues to get their money back no matter how soon after a passing isn't a bad thing (And they did so pretty respectfully).
A large amount of people who bought something from Chris did not have a higher friendship with the man.
If they did, then Maybe it Could be looked as by them to be morally wrong. But we shouldn't think of them as morally corrupt or whatever. After all, the ones who paid for something they did not recieve no matter who was involved deserve to be able to find avenues of getting their money back.
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ncpacemaker
124 posts
Jan 13, 2011
5:52 AM
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Yeah, that's a lot of bread. My bad.
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isaacullah
1356 posts
Jan 13, 2011
8:52 AM
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@Miles: I certainly agree with that. I was just pointing out that one of the risks of choosing to patronize a small business, especially one that requires up front payment and long waits, is that if something goes wrong, you have less of a chance of easily getting a refund. I'm a proponent of small businesses, and I choose to frequent them over large corporations, but that is my own choice, which I have made known full well the risks involved.
So what I meant to show with my post is, yes, try to get your money or your harps back if that is important to you. But no one can cry "foul" if the process for recouping that loss is not straight forward. They should have all known the risk they were taking fronting money for services to be rendered at a later date. Chris, when he was alive, was a fully trustworthy individual and would have made the harps as promised for all his transactions. But clearly he did not forsee his own death, and therefore didn't have the best plan in place for this tragic event. That was part of the risk of doing business with him, or any mall business and it should have factored into everyone's choice to send him money. A preventitive step would be to ask the businessman or woman what contingencies they have in case of a disaster or tragedy. That's a legitimate question to ask before sending someone upwards of $1000. Think about it. If just one person had asked that question, it probably would have made this process easier on all the customers, and especially, on his widow.
So: Of course it is not morally wrong to try to get your money back (or harps). I probably would try to do so to, if I were a customer out that much cash. But I would know that some of the blame was on me for engaging in a transaction that carried some inherent risk, without taking the necessary precautions. That's all.
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Miles Dewar
601 posts
Jan 13, 2011
10:25 AM
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I understand what you are saying.
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