What is going on here?

[janedoe]

We did some work for a friend's company. He's had a hard time paying. His dad died last spring so we let it go but then he wanted us to do more so we said we needed some of the money before we did. So he started talking about his mom and the fact that she was traveling but that it was on her money. He has since cut us a check for part of the amount.

I hate to be pessimistic but would this be a 50 something guy with a company that's more than 20 years old who thought that his mom would provide backing instead of living out her golden years after her husband passed?

[smartrock]

Maybe his parents provided the start up money for the company and he's given them the same song and dance about difficult finances that he's giving you guys. Maybe they've provided a safety net for him all along. Or he's trying to get something for nothing and his parents' finances have nothing to do with it, just make a convenient excuse not to meet his own financial obligations. Or maybe he's just the front man for a parent-owned company and he really isn't the one in charge. Maybe Mom does hold the reigns and isn't interested in letting go. Living out her golden years? Ha! Not if it means letting go of control over sonny boy. Lots of possibilities. It would make me leery about doing business with him either way.

[JC001]

My first thoughts were similar to Smartrock's. It he the owner or just the front man for a family run company where his parents control things? Or maybe mom is his accountant and she handles paying his company's bill. Was it a struggle for him to pay when his dad died because he didn't have the money or because of how the family needed to adjust to his death both personally or related to the business?

I hope what you think isn't happening, and hope he isn't taking advantage of her or impacting her golden years, but maybe she can afford it and wants to help him out if "his" company is struggling.

[LucyTudeOn4Feet]

It's clearly not an independent man running his own company, using his own company's money. For whatever reason; and there are many.

[janedoe]

It's just so unfortunate. I looked the company up online and he's listed as CEO. Fifty years old and talking about his mom and her money when it comes to paying his bills. We need to cut him off.