Another kick in the teeth

[BipolarGuy]

I ordered SN a week or two ago and had it delivered.
Vendor sends me another package that I only know about because of tracking. It gets delivered - more SN!

I make a plan to end my life at the weekend (although I did postpone late last week), then on Saturday morning I get a message through offering me a job which I first interviewed for in 2019.
"Life is saying not to do it", I thought.
"Oh, wait....I can't actually afford the travel because I've been out of work for so long", I though.
So I start getting anxious, and contact the job centre to ask if they can help. Turns out they'll pay for my car insurance, tax and fuel money - great!

I go and meet the guy today. Only just got back, actually.

The WhatsApp message he sent me alluded to some weird stuff that has been going on with one of the businesses over the past year, and we sit down and talk about everything.....and it's one of the most convoluted stories I've ever heard (see post #5 below)!

Anyway, one of his companies has gone into administration. I knew this already because of the WhatsApp message.
But it has a strong balance sheet and I assumed from subsequent messages that he was going to work through the administration and get it back running (there is actually nothing wrong with the business, it's all part of the convoluted story).
But no, he's letting it go.

He has also downsized (significantly) the other business he owns.

Long story short, it has gone from the job where I was being asked to oversee this and that last year, to just preparing the accounts as a one off.

I'm now going to go and sit in a coffee shop and think about what I'm going to do, but for Christ sake, this has turned out to be another kick in the teeth.
I'm not blaming him of course, but how things has turned out is just unbelievable.

 

[TheQ22]

The world is sometimes a crazy, unfair place.

 

[Deleted member 19654]

Damn, I'm sorry things didn't work out.

 

[Ghost2211]

Wow, that's messed up. I'm sorry friend. If life didn't want to make things work out it could have at least not kept sending you more and more SN...

 

[BipolarGuy]

This is the convoluted story, and even this doesn't go into every detail:


The guy owns a business distributing helicopters in the UK and America - he is the sole distributor for several helicopter manufacturers and their parts!
It's an international, multi-million pound business, as you can imagine.

He purchases a second-hand helicopter from Australia (or somewhere) and asks for it to be delivered to his North American office.
At some point during the journey, one of the articulated vehicles that this helicopter is being carried in is involved in a road traffic collision.
The truck overturns and the helicopter is damaged.

He contacts a local American Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) licensed helicopter repair station to get it fixed.

The repair station, he says, used substandard parts to fix the helicopter rather than 'official' parts manufactured by the helicopter manufacturer. This is sometimes done by companies to save money, but safety is jeopardised and this practice is highly illegal.
In addition, the data plate on the helicopter was replaced with another, which you're not allowed to do.

The FAA sign off on the helicopter as being airworthy.

He then sells the helicopter.

All fine so far, except the incident about the helicopter being damaged in a chance road traffic accident.

Now, at some point this guy fires an employee who works in the stock room because he was found to be stealing.
He was apparently taking pictures of parts and putting them on ebay, then selling the parts as if he was the supplier!

This employee, feeling bad about being fired, goes to the FAA and reports the guy for something or other to do with this helicopter.
The FAA and Department of Transport get involved at this point regarding this helicopter.
They approach him regarding issues with this helicopter, but he shows them the letter from the FAA saying it's airworthy etc, meaning he can sell it.
As far as he's concerned up to this point he's done everything by the book. You trust a garage to fix your car correctly, not being a mechanic yourself......

The FAA however, having been made aware of the issues, then take back their certificate of airworthiness for the helicopter, meaning that the person he sold the helicopter to can't fly it!
The guy I met today then gets sued by the guy that purchased the helicopter from him, because of this.

The guy I met then goes back to the repair station who he trusted to repair the helicopter originally, only to find that the guy who owns that repair station has been taken in on gun smuggling charges!

Apparently the guy I met today was held for over 8 months in an American detention centre and repeatedly questioned about all this.

Edit: Because he wasn't in the UK running the other business too or his UK operation of the same business, as he was in detention in the US, his suppliers weren't getting paid and obviously had issues contacting him.
Well, the assets and accounts for the company were frozen, presumably because suppier(s) put the business into administration.

 

[Deleted member 19654]

That is a wild story. BG, you could sell your personal story and have it be made into a movie or tv show lol.

 

[BipolarGuy]

That is a wild story. BG, you could sell your personal story and have it be made into a movie or tv show lol.

It's crazy mate. Fucking crazy!

 

[TheQ22]

So if he did nothing wrong and wasn't aware of any issues with said helicopter, then how did the fired store room guy know to report it?

 

[Ghost2211]

It sounds like your skill set is not common. You repair helicopters? Does that make work harder to get since not a ton of demand or easier to get since specialized?

 

[BipolarGuy]

It sounds like your skill set is not common. You repair helicopters? Does that make work harder to get since not a ton of demand or easier to get since specialized?

Me?

I don't repair helicopters.
I'm a finance guy.

So if he did nothing wrong and wasn't aware of any issues with said helicopter, then how did the fired store room guy know to report it?

Well there is that.
I don't know the exact timing of how everything played out or what was said by who.

 

[Ghost2211]

Me?

I don't repair helicopters.
I'm a finance guy.

Ah I see. If work is the deciding factor for living or dying is it possible to find more work? It just seems the prospect of a good job improved things.

 

[BipolarGuy]

Ah I see. If work is the deciding factor for living or dying is it possible to find more work? It just seems the prospect of a good job improved things.

It made me think that there might be a way out, yes.
Sadly it turned out to be one last kick in the teeth coupled with an absolutely crazy story.

 

[TheQ22]

Ah I see. If work is the deciding factor for living or dying is it possible to find more work? It just seems the prospect of a good job improved things.

That;s also my issue, finding enough work. I've got an interesting job in at the moment, but it'll only last maybe a month then I've got to find some more.

It's a never ending cycle, if only I could get a job... but they're a bit thin on the ground at the minute.

 

[Ghost2211]

It made me think that there might be a way out, yes.
Sadly it turned out to be one last kick in the teeth coupled with an absolutely crazy story.

Yeah, it's for sure worse to have no opportunity rather be given one and it be taken away. It sucks you had to deal with that rollercoaster. What are your plans now?

 

[TheQ22]

It made me think that there might be a way out, yes.
Sadly it turned out to be one last kick in the teeth coupled with an absolutely crazy story.

Would you be doing the work from home, or would you need to go to their offices?

And also how long would the work last, and is he paying you well?

If it's only a month or so and you need to borrow money for travel, etc then if you could do it without the travel that would be better?

 

[BipolarGuy]

What are your plans now?

I have some people who really seem to care about me on this site, some of whom have my personal details.....
I don't know what my plans are. But I know I need to go out and sit and think, so I'm now going to do that.

Would you be doing the work from home, or would you need to go to their offices?

And also how long would the work last, and is he paying you well?

If it's only a month or so and you need to borrow money for travel, etc then if you could do it without the travel that would be better?

No travel involved as I'd be doing it from home.
The way I work, it might take me a month, possibly 2 - there are two years worth of accounts, bookkeeping and VAT to catch up on which just haven't been done.
Christ knows what his finance employee was doing all day.

He'd pay well, but it's not a lot.
Same situation in a month or 2.

 

[mahakaliSS_MahaDurga]

I have some people who really seem to care about me on this site, some of whom have my personal details.....
I don't know what my plans are. But I know I need to go out and sit and think, so I'm now going to do that.

No travel involved as I'd be doing it from home.
The way I work, it might take me a month, possibly 2 - there are two years worth of accounts, bookkeeping and VAT to catch up on which just haven't been done.
Christ knows what his finance employee was doing all day.

He'd pay well, but it's not a lot.
Same situation in a month or 2.

A lot can change in a month or two.

 

[BipolarGuy]

A lot can change in a month or two.

Yes, I might be offered a job by an American helicopter repair station whose owner can't manage his finances because he's in prison for gun smuggling.

Knowing my luck, I'd fly out to meet him then get hit by a bus and killed while out there...

 

[TheQ22]

Well now that the gun running guy is in custody, there'll be a gap in the market for smuggling guns. You've seen that Tom Cruise film? And you are a pilot.

 

[BipolarGuy]

Well now that the gun running guy is in custody, there'll be a gap in the market for smuggling guns. You've seen that Tom Cruise film? And you are a pilot.

Exactly.

I could fill the market in gun smuggling, supplying N and offer an additional service arranging funerals.

The company will be called
Guns N Roses

 

[Acopia]

My life is so boring.

If you take the job, even just to tide you over while you re-plan; is there a chance you'll get sucked into some illegal conspiracy?
It seems all the people involved in this story have committed one bizarre crime or another.
-A.Xx

 

[BipolarGuy]

My life is so boring.

If you take the job, even just to tide you over while you re-plan; is there a chance you'll get sucked into some illegal conspiracy?
It seems all the people involved in this story have committed one bizarre crime or another.
-A.Xx

Boring?
What does that mean?

I've got all this personal shit going on, then I uncover fraud within a church (ex-client), then get sent extra free SN, then job offer which turns up all this crap about broken helicopters and gun smuggling.

Fucking unbelievable.

 

[Soulless Angel]

Ive been following your posts since you tagged other day, I am gutted this hasn't given you the chance you thought you could have, to move forward, I am sorry that things just seem to be so shite for you at this current time,
I would run from that situation so fast and far, it doesn't sound like something worth getting involved in, he wants you to do books? Fiddle them or what?!!
Not worth the risk and making you feel worse then you already do.

 

[BipolarGuy]

Ive been following your posts since you tagged other day, I am gutted this hasn't given you the chance you thought you could have, to move forward, I am sorry that things just seem to be so shite for you at this current time,
I would run from that situation so fast and far, it doesn't sound like something worth getting involved in, he wants you to do books? Fiddle them or what?!!
Not worth the risk and making you feel worse then you already do.

Last year the job was managing the finance department, overseeing the transition to another accounting system for 2 businesses, changing the way parts of data processing works to make things more efficient, etc.

With everything that has happened, he has asked me to just do his accounts.
I looked through it today: 7 fucking binder folders rammed full of sales invoices, supplier invoices, shitty bits of paperwork that have nothing to do with anything, half done VAT returns and incomplete corporation tax info from 3 years ago.
No VAT returns have been done for the last year either.

What have his finance employees been doing?

 

[Lilacmoon]

I'm not very smart so I can't really offer much advice, but here, a hug! I hope you're able to figure things out. You're a funny guy to joke around with :( Your poor teeth deserve better. (And you do too!)

 

[TheQ22]

I guess his finance employees have all been fired/made redundant now?

Sounds like they didn't do anything

 

[BipolarGuy]

I guess his finance employees have all been fired/made redundant now?

Sounds like they didn't do anything

Yes they have, that side of the business is being handled by a firm of administrators.

They did nothing, literally nothing.

 

[Sinkinshyp]

I'm so sorry it turned out to be this. You need to write a book- gun smuggling, FAA arrests, double SN whoa... Take what bit of work he has and try to find another job in the meantime while you're doing this work. sneding you hugs I'm so sorry this wasn't what we all were hoping it was

 

[BipolarGuy]

Oh and to top it all off, tonight was the night that I had postponed my suicide to, and it's a really nice night for doing it on the beach:

Not too cold but a slight chill in the air
Clear sky full of stars
Bright moon
Hasn't been chucking it down all day

My life isn't boring for sure, but I'm a magnet for crazy stories, be it uncovering fraud within a church, convoluted stories within aviation, .....

I held off because of this

 

[Acopia]

I guess his finance employees have all been fired/made redundant now?

Sounds like they didn't do anything

They're probably all in prison.

Oh and to top it all off, tonight was the night that I had postponed my suicide to, and it's a really nice night for doing it on the beach:

Not too cold but a slight chill in the air
Clear sky full of stars
Bright moon
Hasn't been chucking it down all day

My life isn't boring for sure, but I'm a magnet for crazy stories, be it uncovering fraud within a church, convoluted stories within aviation, .....

I held off because of this

There'll be other perfect days, don't stress on that.

In the meantime, have you considered tending your CV to the FBI?

Seriously though, I've been stalking you a bit since your post the other day, are there any other job opportunities in the pipeline? Even if it's not paid (I assume you're on UC or PIP if you're not working) just something to fill your time up a bit while you re-collect your thoughts?

Gentle hugs
-A.