|
|
|
|
Click to visit the
Official Town Site
|
|
|
|
|
|
Employees at Computer Store Discuss Problems
January 12, 2011
As the iStore on Main Street in Cornwall remains shuttered, former employees of the store are speaking out, saying that they, too, were duped by the storeowner, Tim Richard, who on Tuesday told News from Cornwall and Cornwall-on-Hudson that problems at the store were unintentional and resulted from lack of planning. Last week, several customers came forward to complain about the store that they said took their money and gave them used products – or none at all.
Store manager Hayley Doulin says that she is owed more than $6,000 for her work at the store, which opened its doors on October 30. Kevin Considine worked for more than a month repairing Ipods and says he and two other technicians finally received partial payment on Sunday.
Doulin said that during December the only people on the staff who were paid were three minors because the mother of one of them visited the store repeatedly to demand that her son get paid. She says that she and others kept working for free because she and others wanted to believe that Richard would make good on his promise to pay them.
“It is sad,” she said. “We are a compassionate group of people who worked for him, believed in him and kept going without getting paid. It’s sad on a lot of levels -- for the employees and the customers.” Last month she told employees that they shouldn’t come in any more because she didn’t see any chance for them to be paid, she said.
Richard says that he knows he is responsible for the problems. In an email, he wrote, “"Believe me, I take full responsibility for what happened with this business. I have never opened a brick and mortar store before, and I should have consulted with more current business owners in the area on what to expect and prepare for."
Richard is facing eviction from the building and he says that he is working very hard to make sure "each and every customer" with a pending order or repair is taken care. “We will do whatever we can to make this right," he wrote.
Employees who worked with him, however, accuse Richard of exploiting them for profit. Ted Dibble of Middletown was Richard’s partner in an online sales site for six months last year and he echoed employees who criticized Richard’s business ethics. He says he began to suspect that the profits were not being shared when he saw money being transferred out from the business account. He says that in June of 2010 he took money that he figured was his share of the sales. Richard threatened legal action but charges were never filed against Dibble.
At least two employees, including Doulin, say they are still waiting to be paid. One man who worked with Tim Richard to build up his online sales business says he is out about two thousand dollars. This man, who spoke on the condition that his identity remain anonymous, said that he was optimistic when the store opened, although he was concerned because they had advertised that Ipods would be for sale on opening day and not a single Ipod was available, except for six that were being given away as prizes. “We were all very embarrassed not to have Ipods on opening day,” he recounted recently. “His idea was to pre-sell the Ipods then purchase them somewhere else for re-sale.”
Doulin says that by late November, the employees’ biggest headache was dealing with the customers who came into the iStore asking for the computers, Ipods and Iphones they had ordered or left for repair.
Kevin Considine described one woman’s angry inquiries about her Iphone that had been left for repairs for three weeks. He says that he had to scavenge other phones left for repair to get the parts needed. Doulin said that Richard kept telling her that repair parts were on order, but when she checked with the supply company, no orders were pending.
"This situation stemmed from one place - lack of planning,” Richard wrote. “I rolled this business out with the greatest of intentions. Unfortunately, there were quite a few things I did not realize when I was going through the planning phases.”
Doulin says she is going to the Department of Labor with a claim for her unpaid labor.
Meanwhile Cornwall police last Friday charged a New Windsor man with criminal mischief in the third degree after he allegedly got into a verbal argument with Richard and damaged a chair in the store.
Comments:
|
I understand the point of telling both sides of the story here but I'd like to let everybody know that Tim Richards, is a con artist, and as long as he can he will ride out on his lies...
posted by Kevin Considine on 01/11/11 at 6:14 PM
|
|
There is often a thin line between an incompetent proprietor and a scam artist. This one seems pretty clear to me. Good luck getting your money/items folks.
posted by J Klein on 01/11/11 at 9:49 PM
|
|
This guy is a total jerk. I knew him personally through one of my best friends that had the unfortunate experience of dating him. I hope that all who were the unfortunate dupes to his "charm" get their money back. I praise the people who were willing to work for free as that is a rare find in this economy. I truly hope you get your paychecks in full but unfortunately, I doubt that will happen.
posted by Kelly Offerman on 01/12/11 at 3:23 PM
|
|
He is a liar and a scam!!!
posted by Kelly Offerman on 01/12/11 at 9:15 PM
|
|
Im from newburgh ,ny and have a brother and sister that live in cornwall...they told me about this store and what happened there....It is sad to see people get taken advantage of....there used to be a time were someones word to another ment something and Mr.Richard proved the antithisis of this...its people like this that are tearing are country apart and if we cant rely on our fellow man to stick to his word then how is this country better then any other....I can only hope that Tim makes the right decision to pay these people and regain what respect from the people around him....sorry for rambeling but this guy needs to sleep in his bed now that hes made it...let the light shine thru the dark cloud tim richard has brought over cornwall.....
posted by Greg Mott on 01/13/11 at 11:57 AM
|
|
Dear Cornwall Residents,
My name is Sean Sarnecky, Manager of The PC Surgeon, located at 330 Main Street, Cornwall. I happened across the iStore and want to help those affected. The owner of The PC Surgeon, Ben Dawson, and I, would like to extend our services in helping anyone who has been affected by the iStore incidents. We are willing to offer, free of charge labor to those affected and will assist in any way possible to resolve their issues. The PC Surgeon has been located in Cornwall for five years now and service numerous local residents and businesses. Our business is primarily location based. We come to you or can meet clients at our office location, on an appointment basis. We will also furnish all that request, residential and professional references. Thank you very much for your time and consideration, my contact information is below and I look forward to helping all that need our assistance.
Kind Regards,
Sean Sarnecky
The PC Surgeon
330 Main St.
Cornwall, NY 12518
(845) 496-7870
[email protected]
posted by Sean Sarnecky on 01/13/11 at 3:19 PM
|
|
This story continues to evolve and as more information comes out about Tim Richard, the case against him is very compelling. First, an overwhelming amount of disgruntled customers have come forward. All of them citing an incredible amount and variety of fraudulent business practices. Now, his employees are coming forward revealing these massive and wide-spread unpaid wages. Theft of services is a serious matter, especially when some of those employees are minors. In his correspondence, Tim Richard indicates that his only intention is to "Make this right." It seems that he should have made this "right" way before the local Police and the local Newspaper intervened. I am sure that this recent public statement is little comfort to his employees who have reportedly waited months to be paid for their work and are still waiting for those unpaid wages. Let me be clear, the current New York State labor laws are designed for and precisely in place to protect employees from predators like Tim Richard. It is important for the employees who were victimized to follow up. The employees that have been affected should file formal complaints with the New York State Department of Labor. For those employees under the age of 18, the parents of these minors should file a formal complaint on behalf of their child. As I have said before, the important thing is to guarantee that no else be victimized by Tim Richard, be them customer or employee.
Here are a few important phone numbers and links that could help you,
New York State Department of Labor:
Unpaid Wage Claim Form - http://www.labor.state.ny.us/formsdocs/wp/LS223.PDF
Unpaid Commissions Form - http://www.labor.state.ny.us/formsdocs/wp/LS425.PDF
Unpaid Commissions Recap Form - http://www.labor.state.ny.us/workerprotection/laborstandards/PDFs/LS223_1.PDF
Mail Submitted Forms To: NYS DOL
Division of Labor Standards
State Office Campus
Building 12, Room 185C
Albany, NY 12240
Filing a Small Claim:
Maximum Amount of Recovery - $3,000
File Your Claim At: Town of Cornwall Justice Court Office
183 Main Street
Cornwall, NY 12518
(One Time $15 Filing Fee)
Contact Your Representative in Congress:
Congresswoman Nan Hayworth
Web Form - https://hayworth.house.gov/contact-me/email-me
New York Office Phone # 1-845-291-4100
New York Office Fax # 1-845-291-4164
Washington Office Phone # 1-202-225-5441
Washington Office Fax # 1-202-225-3289
New York Office Mailing Address: 255 Main St., Suite 3232G
Goshen, NY 10924
Washington Office Mailing Address: 1440 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
posted by Greg Spector on 01/13/11 at 5:56 PM
|
|
I want to give The PC Surgeon two thumbs up. I was one of the lucky people who recovered their laptop (with the help of one of Tim's partners Brian who called me in response to my emails and officer Mannion of the Cornwall Police Department).
Sean and Ben ordered the replacement fan and installed it for free as per their offer. It took about 1 week for the parts to arrive and be installed.
I highly recommend The PC Surgeon for your computer needs. I wanted to support the small local businessman and picked the wrong one with Tim Richard. But that will not keep me from continuing to support our local businesses.
Thank you The PC Surgeon for making a bad situation better.
David
posted by David Stiles on 01/14/11 at 4:30 PM
|
Add a Comment:
Please signup or login to add a comment.
|
 |
|
|
|
