The Spray Bottle Incident

  During a hot, sultry August in 1997, I was working for a TV shop in town, and the local competition down the street borrowed our big screen cleaning kit. This kit consisted of a spray bottle of special fluid, a soft cloth, and a special brush, much like the type which were used to clean records (records were bakelite or vinyl disks impressed with grooves, which when rotated with a needle riding in the groove reproduced sounds, much like today’s cd`s). A few days passed and the kit was returned, and nothing more was thought of the matter. However, two weeks later, I was sent into a customers home to clean her big screen TV, and much to my chagrin, the spray bottle not only did not spray the special fluid onto the screen but also dripped this fluid all over the nice lady’s clean white carpet. The top had apparently been broken off and reattached with a piece of scotch tape! Since she was watching, I found this personally very embarrassing, but since the fluid is clear, she didn’t complain. Unfortunately this cost our shop a house call, as we had only one kit and couldn’t afford another one (they cost about ten dollars!). We lost many potential cleaning jobs due to this, and our sister shop up the street heard of the grim situation. They responded with an outpouring of sympathy and support, as our wrongdoer had also abused them in the past also... A series of letters followed...


Public Notice

  The management of G & C Television would like to state for the public record that they are very disappointed in Bill from Video Center of Escondido due to the fact that he:


1).borrowed the big screen cleaning kit from LKTV and returned it without telling LKTV that he accidentally broke it.

2).didn’t offer to replace it .

  We here at G&C feel that this indicative of low moral and business ethics and due to this incident feel we can no longer loan Bill the parts, schematics, and technical help he seems to need to compete against us. We can only imagine how he must treat his customers after witnessing his dealings recently with our friends down the street at LKTV, and think it is unfortunate that this is their reward for helping a struggling shop here in our town.

The Management


A Prayer of Thanks...

  The owners and employees of L.K.T.V. would like to publicly thank the good, caring, Christian people of G&C Television for their heartfelt letter of support for us during our time of disappointment and loss. We are still trying to get used to having to tell our customers that we can no longer clean their big screens due to Bill Bookbinder of Video Center of Escondido breaking our spray bottle and then hiding this cowardly act of destruction with a piece of tape. Our pain runs deep, and the outstretched hand of sympathy and compassion from G&C has made this very difficult time for us so much easier to bear. In times of trial it is so comforting to know that there are still those who truly care for the victims of wrongdoing. When we read your letter we sobbed bitter tears of joy from the realization that we had friends and support we didn’t know we had.
   Thank you all so very much. God bless you all. Tom, Bob, Jim, Marvin, and Dominic-LKTV.


The Apology...

  Bill Bookbinder from video center of Escondido has indicated to me that there will be no written apology from him in regards to the spray bottle incident. A priest which I have consulted has indicated to me that Mr. Bookbinder is suffering form the sin of PRIDE, and hence this is what is preventing him from making the gracious gesture which would reinstate him as a fellow beneficiary of our help with copy’s of schematic diagrams, loan of parts, and technical consultation which he so desperately needs to continue in his competition with us in this business. Since my boss has a camcorder which needs fixing, and the person he stole from G&C Television, Vitas, is the only person who might fix it works now for Video Center, my boss has indicated to me that it would be to his advantage if I were to settle my differences with Bill, and to welcome him with open arms back to LKTV. In the interests of Christian harmony, I have prepared a multiple choice apology for Mr. Bookbinder, which might help him in his state of prideful denial of what he has done to me to mollify this terrible situation. Even though Bill has no feelings of guilt or remorse for what he has done to us, perhaps filling out this multiple-choice questionnaire and signing it will be enough.

Question One-
I, William Bookbinder, admit that I ...
A) borrowed the big screen cleaning kit from LKTV.
__True
__False

B) Returned the kit to us without telling us that he accidentally dropped it, rendering it useless.
__True
__False

C) Tried to hide the evidence of the damage by taping the top of the bottle to the body with a piece of scotch tape.
__True
__False

D) When informed that I had later tried to use this spray bottle to clean a customer of ours big screen and the spray bottle was inoperative said:
__1) what do you expect me to do about it.
__2) did the customer really ask you to have her white carpets cleaned of the drips, which came from this spray bottle?
__3) haven’t you ever been embarrassed before?
__4) all of the above.

Question Two-
I, William Bookbinder, would like to state for the public record that:
__1) I have done wrong to the good people which have been helping me.
__2) I have demonstrated a lack of moral obligation in the resolve of this matter.
__3) my pride has prevented me form admitting that I have done anything wrong.
__4) all of the above.

Question Three-
I, William Bookbinder, state for the public record that:
__1) I have no remorse in regards to this matter.
__2) I think that the people at G&C and LKTV are just pieces of shit.
__3) I think that it is no big deal that I break their property and don’t offer to replace it.
__4) I have such a high regard for money that the replacement of that spray bottle outweighs any moral obligation from me.
__5) I really don’t care what they think, I just want to be able to keep coming over to their shops to borrow parts and schematics so I can make money.
__6) none of the above.

Question Four-
When confronted about this matter of the damaged spray bottle, I, William Bookbinder, have said:
__1) why don’t you get laid.
__2) you need a vacation.
__3) you people bug me too.
__4) I can send dog’s to your shop.
__5 don’t ever come to my shop again.
__6) all of the above.

Question Five-
I, William Bookbinder, would like to state for the public record, that:
__1) I now realize that I have done wrong to the people who were helping me, in spite of the fact that I am undercutting the prices of their repairs.
__2) I should have admitted that I broke that spray bottle when I returned it to LKTV, and thus avoided all of these problems, which I have incurred upon myself.
__3) all of the oceans contents, if it were my tears, would not be enough to contain the remorse that I feel now for what I have done wrong.
__4) I don’t really care about Bob and what he thinks, I just want to be able to come over and copy schematics, borrow parts, and ask for free technical advice so I can continue to undercut the other shops rates and make more money. This whole issue is bullshit, but I will sign this questionnaire so I can continue to get the help I need from these assholes.
__5) one and two.
__6) one, two, and three.
__7) all of the above.
__8) none of the above.

I, William Bookbinder, hereby  state that I have read and filled out this questionnaire truthfully and admit to any and all of the aforementioned sins.

X_______________________________


© 2001 Diversified Teknologies