Fast forward to 3:14 for the fun. There's this Thomas Sowell quote where he found data that didn't add up so he mailed someone, I think at the department of labor, when he worked there. This was when he was young. He's 91 now, and said _"to this day I patiently await their reply."_ I'm reminded of that here.
You're probably right. I mean the mayor already admitted he wants to buy business property on the cheap to repurpose, so sounds like he's trying to shake down businesses to get them out. I guess the Mafia decided to move into politics.
I don't think they realize this specific small powerless business has a UA-cam channel with almost 1.6 million people subscribed to it, where the owner of said small powerless business will post about the things that happen in and about his business.
Wow, the person who answers the phone at the Dept of Consumer Affairs - the amount of his intelligence and the degree to which he is articulate - is remarkable.
At first, I agreed with your attorney that it's not worth the trouble to fight this, but after this video I'm changing my mind. They seriously have no damn idea what they're doing.
As an individual repair business that rarely ever sells a computer, it is not worth it financially. For the inhabitants of NYC, and for businesses in the long run, it might be worth it. Also as content for the channel.
@@gunnar6674 Ordinarily, Id agree woth you, but I think he should jeep his focus on Right to Repair stuff that affects the whole country, rather than trying to handle both that *and* fighting a lawsuit over the fine. That court case would lose him money, even if he won, and if he won....there is likely no change to the culture that caused the issue.
@@robertellis6853 Yes, there's something to be said for picking your battles. Also he's already paid the fine, so taking it up now would likely be too late anyway. But asking the city to clarify the policy doesn't cost anything but time.
Maybe a better question would be... is there a method to force the Government to comply with its own rules? Can they be sued for wasting everyone's time? Local and state reps should be brought in to help enforce uneven laws. Those reps can rewrite the rules for better clarification (this is exactly what lobbyists do). Granted I truly believe they will not respond, but then they need to be replaced.
You had to tell the man three times what kind of license you had and he sounded like he'd never heard of it before, I definitely wouldn't expect him to be able to answer even a basic question about it.
Yeah, I work in an office and I'll get calls for something tangentially related to my job sometimes, and it's impossible to answer on the spot. This call felt pointless, I don't think anyone expected an answer. It's obvious the dude who issued the fine did it erroneously.
If there is a computer around,he doesnt really need to hear about it and there are probably tons of different licenses for all purposes already so it would be a pain in the ass to learn all of them. So it all comes down how good he uses the system that he has access to. :]
@@pdblouin I definitely felt the guy's pain. I've worked as a calltaker and people will ask questions to which there legitimately is no answer, or the answer is painfully stupid due to idiotic policy that you have no control over.
Governments subject you to a standard they dont want to submit unto. They expect you to know the laws that apply to you, to be able to answer immediately and in situ to a govt representative and treat your statements and answers as binding, but they dont recognize statements of their representatives as binding for them, they will say is unrealistic to expect a such answer from a low bureaucrat, to wait to receive an answer from the legal counsel. Send from the beginning a person capable of giving binding answers then.
This is a classic trick: "Call this number" and the number is a voicemail that is never answered, but is occasionally mass-deleted to keep people thinking it's monitored
I’m glad he has the opportunity to use this platform to show what’s happening, not just to him, but all of us. He has went this far just to get an answer. I’m sure he would pay the penalty if they would have just shown him where he went wrong in the beginning. Real men own the mistakes they made... government obviously don’t.
The stupidity isn't with the value to society, but the potential for getting a target on his back and possible defamation charges filed against him/it being used against him in court while fighting this bull**** It's the right thing to do, but it may end up causing him more harm than the good it gives society I am thankful he did and hope that my fears don't come to pass Edit; just saw the thumbnail for the video anouncing he won, so that's one relief
I worked at a call center for six weeks when I was 17 years old. Anyone who has ever worked at a call center, who has been screamed at as if they personally were responsible for a company's mistakes/policies, is incapable of being the screaming person. They remember their experience. What would being mean to him get me? Treat people the way you want to be treated, it gets you far in life. Even if you are mad you can guarantee screaming and raging will change nothing. This guy didn't personally come up with a system to rip me off. He just wants to pay his rent and food bill.
This is an official office of one of the department of a city and he sounds like a hp support rep who couldnt even tell you why they work there or even what they really do aside from the title of the department. SAD. THATS SAD AND HORRENDOUS. It horrendous they get to bully and rip money from peoples hands but cant even actually legally tell you why they are doing it or by what authority cause their office alone does not act as their authority, no. The authority comes by way of a law permitting them to do so but they cant find said law. They are essentially a scamming shell company. It has all he signs of one.
If you call a government number they damn well better have educated people who know what the hell they are doing. This isn’t tech support bro. There’s no excuse for this.
@@rossmanngroup YES. I also worked in one and same, I go out of my way to be as nice as i can. Chances are high that theyve already dealt with a shitty person or 3 so I dont want to be that next person.
@@ColdFlame53 you're naivete is so adorable. How old are you? It's like this with EVERY government agency no matter the state or location since like forever. Once you get into a government position, you get a good pension/benefits, decent pay (in some cases, not all) and it's VERY difficult to fire you. So, people just don't care how well they do their job. They just collect their paycheck and go.
In general, the parallels between the USA and the USSR are striking. Beginning with The Great Purge led by Joseph McCarthy as the American Vyshinsky, I hope that BLM becomes as indicative as Solidarnosht, and the US crumbles soon. I can't wait for the upcoming American Yeltsin.
And the reason is very simple. You don't have democracy anymore. So ruling class can disregard people. Your Republic became the Galactic Empire. With only 2 parties, the only reasonable expectation is that they ally behind the curtains and only fight for show. And that what's happened long ago.
@@jwhite5008 Two parties and neither one is fun. It's getting to the point where they are tired of putting on the show and soon will just admit to being a single entity. The oppressors.
You can tell the first guy's eyes lit up at the word "recyclables" and that he was so ready to transfer you to the Department of Sanitation to help you out with your problem.
I worked at lowe's home delivery(3p delivery) for 6 weeks when I was 17. I will NEVER forget that experience. But, I also answered the phone at my own business for years when things got busy. It's only in the last 2 months that I haven't. I know exactly what it feels like to be on the other end of a miserable customer service call. I can't do that to other people.
@sp1nrx Agreed. I worked in insurance. A lot of people called passed off and treated me horribly. Others were nice or professional. I always try the carrot first and when someone does a good job I always ask to do the survey or talk to their supervisor so they get the kudos. If the carrot doesn’t work, I have no problem using the stick because sometimes the stick is all the company understands and it can open doors. If it isn’t the individuals fault, I make sure I clarify my issue is with the company or policy and not them personally. Even do it between breaths. Won’t abuse someone, ensure I stick to the issue and facts, no name calling, etc. There’s a way to do it, imo. Unfortunately, it becomes necessary sometimes.
@@sp1nrx Generally I will say "I'm sorry if I come off as angry or rude here but I'm having a hard time *reason for frustration here.* I know it isn't your fault.". It tends to start things off on the right foot and allows me to be a bit more expressive without the person on the other side being bothered by it. Of course I'm not insulting or swearing at them, but I definitely get frustrated and flustered.
"You can't issue a violation then clarify what the rule is." Big Tech does it all the time. You're in violation of our policies. Which ones? We like to keep it vague so we can yeet people whenever we feel like it.
a corrupt government can be just as shit for the ones inside it. dude was probably overworked, underpaid, and probably depressed knowing full well how shit and hated he is. Dude sounded like his soul had been crushed. Hive him a break, the call guy isn't at fault, whoever's in charge is
The only thing I can say is that your conduct on the phone with city employees was incredible. Not because it had a “more flies with honey” approach, but that you were respectful. Paying such respect is a true measure of your character. Keep up the good struggle to establish what is right.
Don't forget that they even if they were to give you an answer, they are not bound by that answer and can come back later and say "whoever said that was wrong. Here's your fine"
If the law / rule is unclear, it will take a new drafting or a court to clear it up. The folks at the sharp end of the stick are just going by their 3 rings
Have you considered finding their office, standing outside in the middle of the day with a boombox playing Peter Gabriel and a sign saying: "Why won't you return my calls?"
@@HelloKittyFanMan. It's a reference to the boombox scene from "Say Anything" and the various spins on it that have been done: ua-cam.com/video/S5Y8tFQ01OY/v-deo.html But yeah, that could also work.
Louis, best advice I ever got for working with the government: "Learn the red tape better than the bureaucrats and then strangle them with it. Then you can get anything done."
The guy he called sounded high as f*ck…. How can we have a demand of professionalism in our engagement in commerce and be subjected to this kind of torture when we simply attempt to stay within their rules….
"YOU SAID RECYCLEABLES??" ...ogod, as someone who's done call centers waaayyy too long, i know when someone's trying to figure out how to dump a call to another department...
The number of non-White voters in America is the real reason we are in the condition we're in. Now even White voters are voting along with this nonsense. We're finished.
And then what? If you can't afford to pay the fines, then it's game over for your business! As a small business owner, you don't get the freedom of ignoring/breaking ridiculous laws without facing absolutely ruinous consequences!
One can only write so many laws until it becomes absurd. Also true for reiterating the "same" in any aspect of reality. I mean damn this is the reason we have Fast and Furious 9. They'll be in space by 11.
I commend Rossmann here for being Really nice, polite, and patient. It matters how we treat people, no matter how they are mistaken or faulty. I, on the other hand, am a terrible customer and I am very condescending and rude. Basically, I am envious of ppl getting paid and not having to work as hard as I do for a living and I let my resentment show. Suggested solution, charge your customers $1.00 deposit for storage of the item for the estimate, which will be considered the sale of the item if not picked up.
1st phone call sounds like you woke up in Idiocracy. Fortunately the 2nd rep was understanding and graciously shuffled you along, with lip service on a bridge to nowhere
Once I called ATT to make a small change in an office switchboard (PBX). The rep said ok I"ll transfer you. Next one said the same. And the next. I counted 18 transfers, winding up with a human who could sort of deal with in an annoyed way. Another time I called about a charge on my ATT bill and got connected to someone in Bombay. Then lastly I called to disconnect service on a home phone and there was no menu option for disconnecting service.
That man may be living his best life. Taking a job as an ineffectual government drone, combined with aspirations of being a mumble rap artist, could be the height of urban achievement.
Listening to the guy you spoke with, it sounds to me like working for the DCA is such a miserable job that the employees have to drink on the job just to get through the day.
If its anything like the government offices I work with and in, they're chronically understaffed, usually undertrained due to the high turnover rate syphoning off people with experience, not paid enough to keep anyone there when they have somewhere else to go, and the work just keep piling up because nothing can be changed without involving politicians and taking the proposals through higher levels of government.
You should start recording your interactions with them when they come in the store. It would have been great to see the video of the inspector trying to write a fine for not having a label and then someone pointing out the label. Cameras make corrupt public officials nervous.
It is pretty weird he has a computer business with that much equipment and didn't record someone lighting a fire outside his store. NYC for christ sake, I'd be wired to the hilt with a monitor up front showing you clearly walking in the front door. My favorite electronics store has a sign on the counter that says 'there are 14 surveillance cameras, can you find them all?"
Don't know how this would play out legally but if you had camera surveillance and knew you had good camera and audio coverage you could try asking what you can do to make this right. It's technically not an offer of a bribe but may be enough for a corrupt official to hint or even flat out ask for a handout to make the "problem" disappear. But do make sure something like that doesn't open you up to an accusation of attempted bribery. Yea, having seen this and read some comments I'm feeling confrontational right now.
@@charlesfranks1902 NY is a one state consent state, so if the phone tree said the call can be monitored or recorded on their end, this recording was legal. If the tree did not say that, this call was illegal. As for surveillance cameras and microphones in your property, and right outside your property, that is legal, and it doesn't have to be posted.
The customer leaving their thing and never coming back to pick it up is pretty common in other industries too. I know a guy who frames paintings and people leave their paintings and never collect it all the time. He started taking prepaid payments to offset the cost of storing the paintings.
This reminds me when I had to call Microsoft for licensing issues nobody knew the answer and I finally figured out the trick as you keep calling them until you find someone who says the answer that you like because nobody understands their legal ramifications for licenses. And record it.
I've asked licensing questions on major forums, like Spiceworks, and gotten concurrent contradictory answers to the exact same post. It's got to intentionally be that much of a mess.
@@laurelsporter in the early years of the internet, I worked in Intel IT department. We had lawyers come in and give a speech about copyright infringement. The whole speech was about how anything you copy off the internet may be considered a copyright infringement. I leaned to my friend and said I wonder if this guy realizes that anytime you open up a web page the image is automatically copied to your hard drive? My friend said yeah you're right anytime we open a page on the internet we're copying images to hard drive. He said I'm going to ask that. I go, no, no, don't ask that. Sure enough he raised his hand in front of all the IT department of Intel. Said exactly what I said that when visit the internet those images are automatically copied to your hard drive. The lawyer had a blank look on his face pause for a while, and asked is that true? The whole Intel IT department answered the resounding "yes that's true". As we watch the blood drain from his face because clearly he did not know that it did, he did the typical lawyer thing, He ignored the facts and went on with his speech. 🤣
@@laurelsporter in 2005 to 2008 I was a MVP for Microsoft if you don't know what that is look it up. But we'd have meetings that were an hour long with Microsoft licensing that they would explain licensing to us and yes it took an hour and my question is always if it takes you an hour to explain it to us, and we don't understand it. do you think a customer's going to want us to take an hour to explain it to them?
In the early days of the PC (early 80's) one license agreement for an OS forbid any copying including into memory. I called them and asked how I was supposed to run it. Their answer was to put it in the drive. I pointed out that the first thing the computer did was load it into memory, violating the license. Eventually I got someone to say the attorneys who wrote that didn't understand how computers work, and to ignore that. The license agreement was changed after that
@@RoadTripRuss 😂 As a IT Tech for 20 years it amazes me on a daily basis that people that make or enforce the rules about technology don't have a clue what technology is.
Perfect world: get a lawyer, take em to court for fining you for a crime you did not commit. Practical world: never sell a used device again, scrap em for parts.
That is an infuriating part of bureaucracy. "Here's a fine" "What's it for" Doesn't matter pay it" *Calls office* "hey I want to know if I'm compliant" "I don't know let me transfer you" "Hey am I compliant?" "I don't know, call this place and send an email" The number of hoops you've had to jump thru to simply get a yes or no answer is ridiculous. I could never live in a place like that (no offense)
This is pretty common. In the UK, most of the telephone operators will be trained to answer the basic stuff like how to apply, how to pay, what licence they'll need. The actual legality of a summons or a fine would normally be required to be in writing to give them a chance to research the relevant laws prior to responding.
Fuck them, how's that any different to tyranny. Threating people with police force and imprisonment if they don't pay a lucid fine that no one knows the law behind
@@msnie3915 well, there used to be a reason to visit, now its just another city completely ruined by democrats. Insane crime rate, insane amount homeless and tons of abandoned businesses
If Anti-corruption is important to you, then I hope you know about the problem with the amount of congressional transparancy (which underpins all of the insane levels of money-in-politics, hugely complex legislation and stagnant government), however, very few are, so I'd urge you to check this video (he has other shorter, more focused videos). It's an issue that's advertised as being pro-electorate (it was introduced to be such), yet it's almost entirely pro-corporation, anti-democracy. ua-cam.com/video/1gEz__sMVaY/v-deo.html
DCA: “Oh no! Louis exposed our stupidity!” *I have accepted that I will never hear from them* Louis: “They will accept that they won’t get a penny from me.”
Exposed their 'stupidity', not really, no. Don't think it's that. Don't know where you guys' political leaning lies, nor Louis', but this seemed to be about/related to Hunter Biden's laptop scandal. The scandal got exposed exactly like this scenario (his laptop was sent to repair, didn't pick it up nor answer the call, Giuliani, iirc, bought the laptop from the repair shop). And I think the phone operators aren't sure how to answer it, even fearful maybe (as I don't think they have the authority nor clearance for it).
@@dano8801 edit: the fine and ticket, I mean. and 'claiming', no. raising suspicion, yes. I edited some part. Hunter Biden's laptop was sold to Gulliani because ownership of the laptop was forfeited to the repairshop. I would assume the repairshop didn't enter in the record for it (which, in their argument, should enter in 'Hunter Biden' as the seller) just like Louis' didn't with his. After the scandal, you could assume they don't want this scenario to happen again, hence a violation issued to similar cases (like Louis' shop). But of course, there doesn't seemed to be a law right now for said violation.
Louis's situation reminds me of Kafka's "The Trial" where the protagonist is prosecuted by a byzantine, anonymous government authority for a crime they refuse to disclose to him.
"Show me the man and I'll show you the crime". -- Stalin, who according to the modern sensibilities of the twitteratti now running the country, was simply "flawed and misunderstood".
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT I THINK LOUIS…. I THINK THAT YOUR AN ABSOLUTE INSPIRATIONAL GUY. The reason you have so many followers is because everybody can see how absolutely Genuine, Passionate, Loyal, Trustworthy, Dedicated, Driven, and extremely Hard-working you are mate, and you deserve every bit of success that comes your way because you have earned it. There needs to be more people like you mate, keep up the great work.
For the love of God, you have to fight this. If for nothing more than principle alone. These people take incompetence to another level, it's physically sickening to me.
what do you think happens when you put stupid people in decision making position? Kinda like the regular workers running the company. Its how things work in Socialism.
I've seen this before. Government officials never want to give a straight answer if they don't know for absolute certain, because anything they say becomes precedent and enforceable. At the very least, he should have taken your information, spoken to his superiors, and then came back with an answer. That's a difference between a functional and non-functional agency
@@CoinRingsUSA Let's not assume everyone working in these positions are dumbasses either. Sometimes plausible deniability is the only thing there is. This isn't one of those cases, however.
I used to work for the City of Dallas as a building inspector. Later I started my own remodeling company. I can't tell you how many times I had inspectors come to my job site and want to write me a citation for something, when I clearly knew it was within code. I literally had to recite the code to them, something they should've already known. If you feel you're in the right don't automatically take the inspector's word for it. Check it out for yourself and then pursue corrective actions!
It was probably “raise funds for the office party day” when they cited you for imaginary breaches! It is much easier to bully rule breakers/criminals than innocents, so like taxation they make the rules so complicated, impossible to follow or made up on the spot that you are bound to break something and that’s their entry point.
I've spent 8 hours over 3 days calling Verizon over and over about a charge that shouldn't be on my bill. They transfer me back to the same dept or put me on hold for 5 minutes then hang up. Dozens of times. It's maddening.
i spent $2,000 on a washer/dryer awhile back at Lowes and ended up having to spend hours getting transferred back and forth between the store/customerservice/delivery service when they missed the delivery date. I got "it's not our responsibility", i'll transfer you to store to get delivery date re-setup, then the store would say "it's not our responsibility", i'll transfer you to the delivery service. After 3/4 times of that I insisted speaking with a manager/supervisor... on both ends... and finally got it resolved.
Call again and ask to speak with a supervisor. Hell, not only ask, insist. By internal policy they must put you in contact with their supervisor if you ask multiple times. The first couple of times they'll try to convince you it's not necessary, but keep pushing. Don't ask me how I know this, kek
“Whatever happened to “Hey, I have some apples, would you like to buy them?” “Yes, thank you!” That's as complicated as it should be to open a business in this country.” Ron Swanson. I know that it can never be that simple but I can't help think of this quote after listening to this video.
As explained in the original video, this law is about tracking the people selling used items to shops so they can't dump stolen goods and get away clean. He specifically *doesn't* buy used computers so he doesn't have to deal with the thieves and "hot" items, but the government ticketed him under that reporting law anyway.
@Music:Zerg They make business owners do the work *for* them, by collecting all the information and putting it in their database. The enforcement of the regulations and licenses is probably completely disconnected from the actual purpose, and appears to be using fines as a revenue source. It's not harassment, it's extortion.
@Music:Zerg Exactly, it's just like when a cop whines about a civilian wasting the cop's time when it was the cop's choice to stop that person for looking "suspicious".
Now its...."would you like to buy some apples?" Before i buy them can i have form T200, R750, the consent from the apple tree to pick the apple. The consent of the apple to be picked. A letter from all animals which would have had interest in the apple by providing fertiliser, carbon dioxide and water towards its growth. A pesticide free certificate. A certificate of compliance with all unknown and non-existent laws and regulations. And a pint of your blood.
Hey Louis, I just donated to your right to repair gofundme. Honestly wish you the best of luck in pushing for it. Also good luck with battling NYC with their draconian regulations.
1. he is reading a script. 2. he's totally gonna transfer you because he doesn't know. 3. I don't think you should be entering anything for abandoned items left in your store. 4. documenting the items as 0 is another gotcha trap. I really love that you're documenting ALL of this. Does this technically make your subscribers witnesses? haha
I’m a retired 30 yr. Teamster. We have a great Local now but a couple decades ago it had its shady years. Anyway, kinda to your point. When I first got hired and became a Union guy I asked for a copy of the contract. Got laughed outta the Union hall. One thing you don’t want is members who know what they’re talking about. You want the huddled masses ignorant. Easier and more lucrative for you. Stay well
@David SNow -I’m strictly talking about my Local. I was a member of the TWU which was a Union reform movement. When the feds took control of the Union a lot of Locals got in trouble for all kinds of criminal shit. We were above it all because our Local President was squeaky clean. He was also one tough mf’r. There were things I didn’t agree with in the Union, and I’d express it at meetings.
This has been happening a lot in blue states, more and more taxation(fines included) and laws aimed at catching you for fines are being made to fund the ever-growing government. California, where I am stuck for now, is the same. In Cali most large businesses are on their way out because of the insanity that is state taxes.
I think you could hold yourself to a standard that doesn’t involve burrowing under the floor for the absolute minimum competence; The first guy seemed drugged.
@@albundy06 uhhhhh no it wouldn't bud. In fact if we had less restrictions placed on the private companies, we suddenly would have a vast plethora of options. They would end up competing value for us, rather us competing value for them.
Thank you for being nice to the first guy. People do the best they can and often get yelled at by people who think they know everything. So it was nice to see you treating that poor guy nicely
I'm working in customer service and I thankfully don't get yelled at often, but everytime it happens, it's intense. Doesn't mean everyone is nice, though. Makes me sad.
This is the actual reason I watch your videos. I don't care to much about tech, let alone fixing it, but to me the "why" of either government or a "boss" giving an order is the most important question to be answered.
I have no real interest in watching electronics repairs, but I really love when you talk about things like this. You're an extremely principled person and I respect that a lot.
We should MAKE them know the answer to this question. They'll probably find out real quick if each of us calls the number in the video and ask the very same question.
I worked for the Federal government as an investigator for a few years. I took pride in my work in actually providing folks with coherent and usable guidance when it came to regulation compliance. It is ridiculous that none of these guys knows this. I mean, as you say, this issue is faced by pretty much every repair shop
@@alexanderofrhodes9622 Luckily, I worked with folks who actually knew what they were doing. That said, the agency I worked for worked directly with the public on an every day basis
"It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare." -Mark Twain I admire your courage sir. You should be held up as a role model that others should seek to emulate.
Louis is one of very few UA-camrs that gives me the impression he is a legitimately good person, and I would be surprised if he ever had a "cancel worthy" scandal. Really seems to live by his principles
I'm not a good person, and you shouldn't assume otherwise. DON'T IDOLIZE ANYONE, you will be HORRIBLY disappointed when you peak behind the curtain - especially with me. I am a guy who records his thoughts/routines and puts it on youtube, nothing more.
@@rossmanngroup Really horrible people think they are great people. Normal people understand that they've done bad things. Good people feel regret about it and try to do better.
You're doing a public service. Your video reached me here in Brisbane, Australia as a non-subscriber, so hopefully it reaches many more people and those who can either clarify the rule or resolve the issue for you! Best of luck!
"I'm from the New York City building code rules enforcement division. It appears that your floor mop handle is not secured to the wall while in the storage area.... $50k fine"
@@handlemonium NY and NYC are in the covid extortion business now. They might add a 50K fine to Louis for not fumigating the sold laptop with UV and bleach.
I had a similar situation with the IRS. I had wrong information on my tax return. Call several times and talked to them in person nobody knew what to do about it. I called one last time and made a suggestion in order to fix it. It worked but they had no idea what to do.
Im an Australian, i have worked in factories full of international workers. I would like to believe i can interpret english from many different accents and levels of English understanding better than most english speakers. I estimate a probability of ~60% of what he said was intelligible, borderline understandable if focusing hard.
I am a stoner, I also operate a forklift in a factory with a many different ethnicities and I couldn't understand a word the first bloke said. It honestly sounded like if he stopped concentrating he would disappear into nothingness
He did graduate from the NYC School system, But with a 3rd grade education - the best they can provide. and still qualified for City Employment as a relative of some other City Employee.
As a brit it incencievable that officials from the city cant string together full sentences. Edit: i live in Germany, and the average Berlin resident speaks better english than the first man you had on the phone.
This is how they get you. Fine you with a bs law so you can not refute it because it’s bs. Make you either pay the fine or hire an attorney to fight it which is much more than the original fine. Give you a number to call to try to clarify the fine. But only hire employees with -10IQ who can barley speak coherent English to take your complaint. Basically forcing you to just pay their bs fine. They’ve thought through every scenario in which you might have an option to not pay the fine and have put up roadblocks.
It’s fucking infuriating; and don’t think all lawyers can help either. I went to law school and guess the fuck what?! I CANT BARELY FIND MY ASS WITH WITH TWO HANDS AND A FLASHLIGHT IN THE WEBERIAN DYSTOPIAN NIGHTMARE WHICH ARE LOCAL/STATE ORDINANCES. It’s just a bunch of complete bullshit - system is beyond broke people - trust and believe.
I wish I could help you out and call the same number with the same question. Imagine running a call campaign just to ask this question, forcing them to finally give someone an answer. I don’t know enough about repair to anticipate any clarifying questions about the issue, though, but I can imagine just peacefully calling and making a miniature movement with this would help bring attention to this issue. Best of luck from a loyal viewer Louis!
It's pointless now. They would give an answer that justifies my violation, because they already issued this violation & they know I posted this video. The idea was to get them to specify what the rule was BEFORE making this public. Anything after the fact is bunk.
@@rossmanngroup Yeah I can see what you’re saying. Just hard not to react to the blatant power move they’re making with the violations. Appreciate the response!
The Courts won't save him. The Democratic controlled Congress has threatened to pack the Supreme Court if they declare the Biden Administration Gun control orders unconstitutional.
I just can say “Wow”....that city is so corrupted and you sir is just scratching the surface...no words for your videos...my respect for your work Louis.
Hello Louis I just wanted to say I’m sorry that your having to deal with such nonsense. I really admire and respect your patients with such a horrible situation, I can totally relate to the frustration you are having to go through. I was in business myself, I had some Computer sales and service stores in the Chicago surrounding suburbs. I was in business for over 25 years repairing all models of desktops and laptops, printers ect. specializing in the repair of laptops and data recovery. I closed my last location in 2010 when I retired, I had some of the same problems that you have with customers dropping off all kinds of repair items oking the estimate, and then never picking up their repaired items. After countless phone calls. Texts and Emails. Despite all of the signs posted on the walls in our stores reminding customers that “ items that are not picked up after 90 days will be handed as we see fit “ We even sent out certified letters but it didn’t do much good. So believe me, I understand what you have to deal with. Funny story, I had a customer come in to pick up his laptop his claim ticket was 3 years old. I had to inform him that we no longer had his item anymore, but I had to ask him “ where have you been the past 3 years “ he said “ oh in jail “ LOL Anyway, I hope you can get things sorted out and I wish you good luck on your court case, the entire thing is crazy and Ludacris. Every word in your videos is spot on accurate and very well written. You made so many great points.
Fast forward to 3:14 for the fun. There's this Thomas Sowell quote where he found data that didn't add up so he mailed someone, I think at the department of labor, when he worked there. This was when he was young. He's 91 now, and said _"to this day I patiently await their reply."_ I'm reminded of that here.
A fellow Sowell enjoyer!
Reminds me of the famous oxymoron, "Government Efficiency".
You need to really get the number and name of these inspectors Louis.
That guy is a legend
These kinda things always remind me of "Asterix and the 12 trials" bureaucracy part.
They don't want you to be in compliance with the law, they want to shake you down; and they're willing to abuse their position of authority to do it.
You're probably right. I mean the mayor already admitted he wants to buy business property on the cheap to repurpose, so sounds like he's trying to shake down businesses to get them out. I guess the Mafia decided to move into politics.
So they're the Mafia
25 CFR § 11.448 - Abuse of office.
Well, yeah. Just look up city/county home equity theft.
I agree.
"You're not supposed to ask questions, you're just supposed to pay the fine like every other powerless small business in NY City.
I don't think they realize this specific small powerless business has a UA-cam channel with almost 1.6 million people subscribed to it, where the owner of said small powerless business will post about the things that happen in and about his business.
"
"
Pay the fine, bigot!
Excuse me--no businesses, no income.
Then where will those bastards go?
"If the rules were for the good of the people, it wouldn't be this hard to get a straight answer on what the rule actually is."
^ THIS
It means their own people can't know the rules either. So their approach is to blindly fine and force people to prove it wrong in court.
Even Clinton is tired of dealing with petty tyrants.
That is bureaucracy for you
@@_PatrickO Or your high-priced lawyers call their lawyers... Assuming you have high-prices lawyers. -_-
It is "for the good of the people", it's keeping the 2 idiots that answered the phone employed lol
Wow, the person who answers the phone at the Dept of Consumer Affairs - the amount of his intelligence and the degree to which he is articulate - is remarkable.
👊
He sounds brown
They didn't even understand that the former owner DIDN'T purchase the item from Louis... (5:52 / 6:25) 🙈
My first thought was it sounds like this guy eats glue
At first, I agreed with your attorney that it's not worth the trouble to fight this, but after this video I'm changing my mind. They seriously have no damn idea what they're doing.
As an individual repair business that rarely ever sells a computer, it is not worth it financially. For the inhabitants of NYC, and for businesses in the long run, it might be worth it. Also as content for the channel.
@@gunnar6674 Ordinarily, Id agree woth you, but I think he should jeep his focus on Right to Repair stuff that affects the whole country, rather than trying to handle both that *and* fighting a lawsuit over the fine. That court case would lose him money, even if he won, and if he won....there is likely no change to the culture that caused the issue.
@@robertellis6853 Yes, there's something to be said for picking your battles. Also he's already paid the fine, so taking it up now would likely be too late anyway. But asking the city to clarify the policy doesn't cost anything but time.
Maybe a better question would be... is there a method to force the Government to comply with its own rules? Can they be sued for wasting everyone's time? Local and state reps should be brought in to help enforce uneven laws. Those reps can rewrite the rules for better clarification (this is exactly what lobbyists do). Granted I truly believe they will not respond, but then they need to be replaced.
"You're under arrest for backtalking an officer, go to your cell and think about what you've done."
You had to tell the man three times what kind of license you had and he sounded like he'd never heard of it before, I definitely wouldn't expect him to be able to answer even a basic question about it.
Yeah, I work in an office and I'll get calls for something tangentially related to my job sometimes, and it's impossible to answer on the spot. This call felt pointless, I don't think anyone expected an answer. It's obvious the dude who issued the fine did it erroneously.
If there is a computer around,he doesnt really need to hear about it and there are probably tons of different licenses for all purposes already so it would be a pain in the ass to learn all of them. So it all comes down how good he uses the system that he has access to. :]
@@pdblouin I definitely felt the guy's pain. I've worked as a calltaker and people will ask questions to which there legitimately is no answer, or the answer is painfully stupid due to idiotic policy that you have no control over.
Governments subject you to a standard they dont want to submit unto. They expect you to know the laws that apply to you, to be able to answer immediately and in situ to a govt representative and treat your statements and answers as binding, but they dont recognize statements of their representatives as binding for them, they will say is unrealistic to expect a such answer from a low bureaucrat, to wait to receive an answer from the legal counsel. Send from the beginning a person capable of giving binding answers then.
He was googling that license.
"You're under arrest for breaking the law."
"Which law? I can't find one that I broke?"
"You're under arrest for backtalking an officer."
"obstruction"
Welcome to america
@@joeyd4079 "STOP RESISTING!"
Oof
They'd arrest you for resisting arrest.
This is a classic trick: "Call this number" and the number is a voicemail that is never answered, but is occasionally mass-deleted to keep people thinking it's monitored
Is some fucking kafkaesk shit
@@sebastianrosenheim6196 *Kafka-esque.
@@JivanPal i Play the i-am-a-german-card
@@sebastianrosenheim6196 , good thing "-esque" is a French suffix then.
"Sorry...they put me here. No one ever calls here. Who are you? Who am i?"
This guy sounds like a winner.
Lol
Poor guy. He was probably told that he was getting the braindead job and genuinely didnt expect to have to handle this
That's job security
LMFAO
Sometimes, I really feel like I'm talking to a low level NPC when I call government offices.
It's absolutely not stupid to upload this video. This is exactly what needs to be done.
I’m glad he has the opportunity to use this platform to show what’s happening, not just to him, but all of us. He has went this far just to get an answer. I’m sure he would pay the penalty if they would have just shown him where he went wrong in the beginning. Real men own the mistakes they made... government obviously don’t.
@@williambixby3785 depends what department of what government under what circumstances. Some are much better or worse than others.
Right on. Keep it up.
The stupidity isn't with the value to society, but the potential for getting a target on his back and possible defamation charges filed against him/it being used against him in court while fighting this bull****
It's the right thing to do, but it may end up causing him more harm than the good it gives society
I am thankful he did and hope that my fears don't come to pass
Edit; just saw the thumbnail for the video anouncing he won, so that's one relief
As a customer service representative, this recorded call makes me cringe out my butt.
I can't figure out if the guy sounds drunk or if he has rocks in his mouth. Is that really what the NYC accent sounds like?
@@SuppaflyZSM no, thats ebonics.
Have to agree
You are so nice to phone operators. It's impossible to get someone who knows what they are talking about everywhere unfortunately.
I worked at a call center for six weeks when I was 17 years old.
Anyone who has ever worked at a call center, who has been screamed at as if they personally were responsible for a company's mistakes/policies, is incapable of being the screaming person. They remember their experience.
What would being mean to him get me? Treat people the way you want to be treated, it gets you far in life. Even if you are mad you can guarantee screaming and raging will change nothing. This guy didn't personally come up with a system to rip me off. He just wants to pay his rent and food bill.
This is an official office of one of the department of a city and he sounds like a hp support rep who couldnt even tell you why they work there or even what they really do aside from the title of the department. SAD. THATS SAD AND HORRENDOUS. It horrendous they get to bully and rip money from peoples hands but cant even actually legally tell you why they are doing it or by what authority cause their office alone does not act as their authority, no. The authority comes by way of a law permitting them to do so but they cant find said law. They are essentially a scamming shell company. It has all he signs of one.
If you call a government number they damn well better have educated people who know what the hell they are doing. This isn’t tech support bro. There’s no excuse for this.
@@rossmanngroup YES. I also worked in one and same, I go out of my way to be as nice as i can. Chances are high that theyve already dealt with a shitty person or 3 so I dont want to be that next person.
@@ColdFlame53 you're naivete is so adorable. How old are you? It's like this with EVERY government agency no matter the state or location since like forever. Once you get into a government position, you get a good pension/benefits, decent pay (in some cases, not all) and it's VERY difficult to fire you. So, people just don't care how well they do their job. They just collect their paycheck and go.
This is not a stupid video. This is a public service. Thank you.
👍
they need to stop there BS
This video gave me more anxiety about calling a call center.
The first guy on the phone is teleworking judging from the background noise, and he’s high as balls.
That is a large portion of call center workers, from my experience. You have to be high to deal with the idiots that call in.
@@chuckybang This time around the worker was an idiot
You can hear the below average IQ
They should make the corrupt enforcers who write their bullshit violations answer the damn phones. Get an answer from the horse's mouth.
@@ArrowRaider Don't you mean a different part of the horse?
Stalin's secret police chief: "Show me the man and I'll show you the crime." NYC: "Show me the business and I'll show you the fine."
In general, the parallels between the USA and the USSR are striking. Beginning with The Great Purge led by Joseph McCarthy as the American Vyshinsky, I hope that BLM becomes as indicative as Solidarnosht, and the US crumbles soon. I can't wait for the upcoming American Yeltsin.
Colonel Sanders: "Bring me chicken and I'll make it finger lickin'"
And the reason is very simple. You don't have democracy anymore.
So ruling class can disregard people. Your Republic became the Galactic Empire.
With only 2 parties, the only reasonable expectation is that they ally behind the curtains and only fight for show. And that what's happened long ago.
@@jwhite5008 Two parties and neither one is fun. It's getting to the point where they are tired of putting on the show and soon will just admit to being a single entity. The oppressors.
NYC buidniz is doing fines
You can tell the first guy's eyes lit up at the word "recyclables" and that he was so ready to transfer you to the Department of Sanitation to help you out with your problem.
He would have passed it on to a diffrent department but he couldn't spell recyclables
Thank you Louis for not beeing a d*ck to people in a call center. We need more people like that.
I worked at lowe's home delivery(3p delivery) for 6 weeks when I was 17.
I will NEVER forget that experience.
But, I also answered the phone at my own business for years when things got busy. It's only in the last 2 months that I haven't. I know exactly what it feels like to be on the other end of a miserable customer service call. I can't do that to other people.
I agree, BUUUUUUT, there are times when being nice isn't going to solve a problem... Becoming an a-hole when it's proper isn't an invalid action.
@sp1nrx
Agreed. I worked in insurance. A lot of people called passed off and treated me horribly. Others were nice or professional. I always try the carrot first and when someone does a good job I always ask to do the survey or talk to their supervisor so they get the kudos. If the carrot doesn’t work, I have no problem using the stick because sometimes the stick is all the company understands and it can open doors. If it isn’t the individuals fault, I make sure I clarify my issue is with the company or policy and not them personally. Even do it between breaths. Won’t abuse someone, ensure I stick to the issue and facts, no name calling, etc. There’s a way to do it, imo. Unfortunately, it becomes necessary sometimes.
@@sp1nrx Generally I will say "I'm sorry if I come off as angry or rude here but I'm having a hard time *reason for frustration here.* I know it isn't your fault.". It tends to start things off on the right foot and allows me to be a bit more expressive without the person on the other side being bothered by it. Of course I'm not insulting or swearing at them, but I definitely get frustrated and flustered.
"You can't issue a violation then clarify what the rule is."
Big Tech does it all the time. You're in violation of our policies. Which ones? We like to keep it vague so we can yeet people whenever we feel like it.
The NYC mob didn't disappear. They just traded in their guns for clipboards.
we don't know our own laws🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Clinton says this is outrageous man how can NYC not know it's own laws?
That was painful to just listen to, I could only imagine being the one trying to actually get an answer.
I think you woke him up. He sounds like his PPbus doesn't deliver more than 0,2 volts
Nice joke.
Reminds me of the sloth dude from Zootopia. :]
Dude thinks the PPBus is one of the many NYC Metro transit authority's vehicles that smell funny!!
man funniest thing ive heard in weeks.
Sounds like a dead short.
That guy sounds like he was broken and defeated long before you called
He's a gubmint drone in a call center cubicle on a line nobody ever calls. His soul shriveled a long time ago
This dude answered the phone and was like, "Fuuuuuuuck. Why did I have to get THIS call?" as soon as he picked up the phone.
🤣 true
And high
a corrupt government can be just as shit for the ones inside it. dude was probably overworked, underpaid, and probably depressed knowing full well how shit and hated he is.
Dude sounded like his soul had been crushed. Hive him a break, the call guy isn't at fault, whoever's in charge is
The only thing I can say is that your conduct on the phone with city employees was incredible. Not because it had a “more flies with honey” approach, but that you were respectful. Paying such respect is a true measure of your character. Keep up the good struggle to establish what is right.
I agree. You were extremely polite and professional. You handled the situation perfectly (even though you hot no answers).
As a New Yorker and small business owner i love every part of this video
Louis is the man
NY and Business are mutually exclusive
Why do you stay?
@@thegeth4293 He lives in the state of denial because the government is everywhere and they suck the money and life out of everyone everywhere.
RIP NYC!!! Death by a million cuts of incompetence and laziness
Don't forget that they even if they were to give you an answer, they are not bound by that answer and can come back later and say "whoever said that was wrong. Here's your fine"
The king's men aren't intended to be held accountable to the peasantry.
If the law / rule is unclear, it will take a new drafting or a court to clear it up. The folks at the sharp end of the stick are just going by their 3 rings
Have you got any mates or regular clients who are law smiths?
However, it does make it much easier to appeal in court.
"The appearance of the law must be upheld, especially when it's being broken!"
- Boss Tweed, Gangs of New York
The more things change, the more they stay the same. New York still living under one big Political Machine...
Fun Fact: practically 0% of government employees actually know the law, and even fewer will actually bother to look anything up.
wait they should know the laws they are being asked to enforce man🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Have you considered finding their office, standing outside in the middle of the day with a boombox playing Peter Gabriel and a sign saying: "Why won't you return my calls?"
$500 fine for a permitless public concert
@@ItsDan123 $10 million dollar lawsuit for violation of 1st amendment rights.
Capped to 40k because state laws.
@@g00gleminus96
Ahh, if only Louis had $10 million to spare...
@@HelloKittyFanMan. It's a reference to the boombox scene from "Say Anything" and the various spins on it that have been done: ua-cam.com/video/S5Y8tFQ01OY/v-deo.html
But yeah, that could also work.
Louis: "Take your time"
Phone operator: looks up "license" in Webster's dictionary.
Honestly this is what happens
kek
Louis, best advice I ever got for working with the government: "Learn the red tape better than the bureaucrats and then strangle them with it. Then you can get anything done."
red tape?
@@orkhepaj Highlight 'red tape', right click and choose ' Search Google...'
@@randomaccessfemale i bet it would have been easier just to write what it is than this kid talk
Ziz zag got high and missed it...everything
I always read laws...its on line
The guy he called sounded high as f*ck…. How can we have a demand of professionalism in our engagement in commerce and be subjected to this kind of torture when we simply attempt to stay within their rules….
high on like 20 types of drugs LOL
Do you want to pay higher taxes to make working in a tax law call center a desirable job that people would choose over a good job?
"YOU SAID RECYCLEABLES??" ...ogod, as someone who's done call centers waaayyy too long, i know when someone's trying to figure out how to dump a call to another department...
When the bureaucracy breaks down, so do the bureaucrats' minds. The only solution at some point is to stop complying with ridiculous laws.
Woah there, careful! That's pretty close to incitement.
The number of non-White voters in America is the real reason we are in the condition we're in. Now even White voters are voting along with this nonsense. We're finished.
And then what? If you can't afford to pay the fines, then it's game over for your business! As a small business owner, you don't get the freedom of ignoring/breaking ridiculous laws without facing absolutely ruinous consequences!
One can only write so many laws until it becomes absurd. Also true for reiterating the "same" in any aspect of reality. I mean damn this is the reason we have Fast and Furious 9. They'll be in space by 11.
The 2 people he talked to sounded very "diverse"
Damn, you had that first dude using both his brain cells for that call.
Sounds asleep
@@KriLL325783 He reminded me of the priest from the princess bride!
It's the final brain cell~
*Off-pitch kazoo solo*
No, one of them was on vacation.
lmmfgdao RUDE! XD
I commend Rossmann here for being Really nice, polite, and patient. It matters how we treat people, no matter how they are mistaken or faulty. I, on the other hand, am a terrible customer and I am very condescending and rude. Basically, I am envious of ppl getting paid and not having to work as hard as I do for a living and I let my resentment show. Suggested solution, charge your customers $1.00 deposit for storage of the item for the estimate, which will be considered the sale of the item if not picked up.
1st phone call sounds like you woke up in Idiocracy. Fortunately the 2nd rep was understanding and graciously shuffled you along, with lip service on a bridge to nowhere
funny movie!, also very similarities to real life
Once I called ATT to make a small change in an office switchboard (PBX). The rep said ok I"ll transfer you. Next one said the same. And the next. I counted 18 transfers, winding up with a human who could sort of deal with in an annoyed way. Another time I called about a charge on my ATT bill and got connected to someone in Bombay. Then lastly I called to disconnect service on a home phone and there was no menu option for disconnecting service.
I'm glad you referenced Idiocracy. Unfortunately this movie is slowly becoming our everyday reality.
Perfect description 👌
He woke up in America lol
Why does the guy he is talking to sound like he is having to concentrate really hard to be alive?
Probably high as hell. That or doesn't give a crap and is simply tired. It's hard to tell sometimes.
@@ashkebora7262 none of those are exclusive of each other...
He's actually having to think at work and it's confusing.
That man may be living his best life. Taking a job as an ineffectual government drone, combined with aspirations of being a mumble rap artist, could be the height of urban achievement.
If I believed in such a thing, that person would be a strong candidate for NPC status.
Listening to the guy you spoke with, it sounds to me like working for the DCA is such a miserable job that the employees have to drink on the job just to get through the day.
If its anything like the government offices I work with and in, they're chronically understaffed, usually undertrained due to the high turnover rate syphoning off people with experience, not paid enough to keep anyone there when they have somewhere else to go, and the work just keep piling up because nothing can be changed without involving politicians and taking the proposals through higher levels of government.
I know right? I thought the first rep sounded like he just woke up from a nap or had a few sips. lol
I’m not a New Yorker, nor an American, nor even live in America, However, I support Louis in this fight.
You should start recording your interactions with them when they come in the store. It would have been great to see the video of the inspector trying to write a fine for not having a label and then someone pointing out the label. Cameras make corrupt public officials nervous.
Exactly.
It is pretty weird he has a computer business with that much equipment and didn't record someone lighting a fire outside his store. NYC for christ sake, I'd be wired to the hilt with a monitor up front showing you clearly walking in the front door. My favorite electronics store has a sign on the counter that says 'there are 14 surveillance cameras, can you find them all?"
Don't know how this would play out legally but if you had camera surveillance and knew you had good camera and audio coverage you could try asking what you can do to make this right. It's technically not an offer of a bribe but may be enough for a corrupt official to hint or even flat out ask for a handout to make the "problem" disappear.
But do make sure something like that doesn't open you up to an accusation of attempted bribery.
Yea, having seen this and read some comments I'm feeling confrontational right now.
@@jcadult101 For my edification, what are the wiretap laws in NYC?
@@charlesfranks1902 NY is a one state consent state, so if the phone tree said the call can be monitored or recorded on their end, this recording was legal. If the tree did not say that, this call was illegal. As for surveillance cameras and microphones in your property, and right outside your property, that is legal, and it doesn't have to be posted.
The customer leaving their thing and never coming back to pick it up is pretty common in other industries too. I know a guy who frames paintings and people leave their paintings and never collect it all the time. He started taking prepaid payments to offset the cost of storing the paintings.
I really don’t get this. Don’t they want their painting back? Well, better question: Who wouldn’t want their painting back?!?
Gee, when I worked at an airplane repair shop, I would have liked it if a customer had forgotten their airplane!
@@bbgun061 me too I would love an airplane ✈🙂
@Daniel R Because he framed them, you know spent money on it? Is framing a painting then tossing it out a good business model?
We get hardware shipped to us for projects that never get started all the time. Project managers start something and move on.
This reminds me when I had to call Microsoft for licensing issues nobody knew the answer and I finally figured out the trick as you keep calling them until you find someone who says the answer that you like because nobody understands their legal ramifications for licenses. And record it.
I've asked licensing questions on major forums, like Spiceworks, and gotten concurrent contradictory answers to the exact same post. It's got to intentionally be that much of a mess.
@@laurelsporter in the early years of the internet, I worked in Intel IT department. We had lawyers come in and give a speech about copyright infringement. The whole speech was about how anything you copy off the internet may be considered a copyright infringement. I leaned to my friend and said I wonder if this guy realizes that anytime you open up a web page the image is automatically copied to your hard drive? My friend said yeah you're right anytime we open a page on the internet we're copying images to hard drive. He said I'm going to ask that. I go, no, no, don't ask that. Sure enough he raised his hand in front of all the IT department of Intel. Said exactly what I said that when visit the internet those images are automatically copied to your hard drive. The lawyer had a blank look on his face pause for a while, and asked is that true? The whole Intel IT department answered the resounding "yes that's true". As we watch the blood drain from his face because clearly he did not know that it did, he did the typical lawyer thing, He ignored the facts and went on with his speech.
🤣
@@laurelsporter in 2005 to 2008 I was a MVP for Microsoft if you don't know what that is look it up. But we'd have meetings that were an hour long with Microsoft licensing that they would explain licensing to us and yes it took an hour and my question is always if it takes you an hour to explain it to us, and we don't understand it. do you think a customer's going to want us to take an hour to explain it to them?
In the early days of the PC (early 80's) one license agreement for an OS forbid any copying including into memory. I called them and asked how I was supposed to run it. Their answer was to put it in the drive. I pointed out that the first thing the computer did was load it into memory, violating the license. Eventually I got someone to say the attorneys who wrote that didn't understand how computers work, and to ignore that. The license agreement was changed after that
@@RoadTripRuss 😂 As a IT Tech for 20 years it amazes me on a daily basis that people that make or enforce the rules about technology don't have a clue what technology is.
Perfect world: get a lawyer, take em to court for fining you for a crime you did not commit.
Practical world: never sell a used device again, scrap em for parts.
That is an infuriating part of bureaucracy. "Here's a fine"
"What's it for"
Doesn't matter pay it"
*Calls office* "hey I want to know if I'm compliant"
"I don't know let me transfer you"
"Hey am I compliant?"
"I don't know, call this place and send an email"
The number of hoops you've had to jump thru to simply get a yes or no answer is ridiculous. I could never live in a place like that (no offense)
This is pretty common. In the UK, most of the telephone operators will be trained to answer the basic stuff like how to apply, how to pay, what licence they'll need. The actual legality of a summons or a fine would normally be required to be in writing to give them a chance to research the relevant laws prior to responding.
I suggested that you just pay the $500 and leave it alone. I knew you wouldn’t do that, and I respect you for it.
Yeah we all pay the shakedowns, most of the time its called taxes. Even if he goes to court and wins he will get to pay court costs.
Fuck them, how's that any different to tyranny. Threating people with police force and imprisonment if they don't pay a lucid fine that no one knows the law behind
I thought the fine was 25000
@@westernbody It was $15k, but they gave him a plea bargain for $500 plus an admission of guilt.
@@andrew8168 Seriously? The winner has to pay court costs in the US (or NYC)? Sounds ridiculous o0
Honestly your videos has completely convinced me to never move to New York.
Like many places.. great to visit, never to live.
New York convinced me to never move to New York 🤣
@Juu Tuub you must be dumb
@@msnie3915 well, there used to be a reason to visit, now its just another city completely ruined by democrats. Insane crime rate, insane amount homeless and tons of abandoned businesses
@Juu Tuub visit Louis Rossmann and give him another Mike Hawk small statue in person
So glad you broke free! Texas > NY
Literally "Sorry I just answered this ringing payphone can I help?" Would be better than this phone call. 😆
Rossmann slowly becoming an anti-corruption activist brings a tear to my eye
Which is why they are slamming him so hard.
@@Marinealver they're making their own enemy.
@@javierpowell4705 Not just making their own enemy, they're empowering their own enemy. Worse for them, better for us.
If Anti-corruption is important to you, then I hope you know about the problem with the amount of congressional transparancy (which underpins all of the insane levels of money-in-politics, hugely complex legislation and stagnant government), however, very few are, so I'd urge you to check this video (he has other shorter, more focused videos). It's an issue that's advertised as being pro-electorate (it was introduced to be such), yet it's almost entirely pro-corporation, anti-democracy. ua-cam.com/video/1gEz__sMVaY/v-deo.html
“I broke him”
Poor guy sounded broken when he first answered
He sounded a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic.
Dude sounds high as fuck
Idiocracy in a nutshell
Pay peanuts, get methheads
@@codygpx14 being high the only way you can make it thru the day at a job like that.
What a nightmare..It's like being at the DMV
Worse, they can give out five figure fines.
I had no idea the famous victim of Channel 4 watched such intellectual content.
I’m Canadian and I understand this reference to the dmv lol
heh
You think this is bad, try living in Romania's bureaucracy hell. (can still be actual hell even after communist regime)
“The only thing that saves us from the bureaucracy is inefficiency.” - Eugene McCarthy
It also gets us punished for issues we are not responsible for and having to fight back unnecessarily to clear our names.
The scariest fact I have ever seen.
DCA: “Oh no! Louis exposed our stupidity!”
*I have accepted that I will never hear from them*
Louis: “They will accept that they won’t get a penny from me.”
@Marcin Berman That would probably get even more eyes on them and I imagine they wouldn't like that.
Exposed their 'stupidity', not really, no. Don't think it's that. Don't know where you guys' political leaning lies, nor Louis', but this seemed to be about/related to Hunter Biden's laptop scandal. The scandal got exposed exactly like this scenario (his laptop was sent to repair, didn't pick it up nor answer the call, Giuliani, iirc, bought the laptop from the repair shop). And I think the phone operators aren't sure how to answer it, even fearful maybe (as I don't think they have the authority nor clearance for it).
@@andrewyp6724 are you claiming that his fine and ticket are related to the Hunter Biden laptop issue, or this video is somehow related to that issue?
@@dano8801
edit: the fine and ticket, I mean. and 'claiming', no. raising suspicion, yes.
I edited some part. Hunter Biden's laptop was sold to Gulliani because ownership of the laptop was forfeited to the repairshop. I would assume the repairshop didn't enter in the record for it (which, in their argument, should enter in 'Hunter Biden' as the seller) just like Louis' didn't with his. After the scandal, you could assume they don't want this scenario to happen again, hence a violation issued to similar cases (like Louis' shop). But of course, there doesn't seemed to be a law right now for said violation.
You are a saint for not calling out how "unhelpful" that first guy was. If you have the patience for that then you got this sh*t
Louis's situation reminds me of Kafka's "The Trial" where the protagonist is prosecuted by a byzantine, anonymous government authority for a crime they refuse to disclose to him.
Julian Assange approves this message.
"Show me the man and I'll show you the crime". -- Stalin, who according to the modern sensibilities of the twitteratti now running the country, was simply "flawed and misunderstood".
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT I THINK LOUIS…. I THINK THAT YOUR AN ABSOLUTE INSPIRATIONAL GUY.
The reason you have so many followers is because everybody can see how absolutely Genuine, Passionate, Loyal, Trustworthy, Dedicated, Driven, and extremely Hard-working you are mate, and you deserve every bit of success that comes your way because you have earned it.
There needs to be more people like you mate, keep up the great work.
For the love of God, you have to fight this. If for nothing more than principle alone. These people take incompetence to another level, it's physically sickening to me.
what do you think happens when you put stupid people in decision making position? Kinda like the regular workers running the company. Its how things work in Socialism.
I've seen this before. Government officials never want to give a straight answer if they don't know for absolute certain, because anything they say becomes precedent and enforceable. At the very least, he should have taken your information, spoken to his superiors, and then came back with an answer. That's a difference between a functional and non-functional agency
Indeed. But I do understand that Mr. Clinton can be intimidating with his meows. 😂
@@CoinRingsUSA Let's not assume everyone working in these positions are dumbasses either. Sometimes plausible deniability is the only thing there is. This isn't one of those cases, however.
I used to work for the City of Dallas as a building inspector. Later I started my own remodeling company. I can't tell you how many times I had inspectors come to my job site and want to write me a citation for something, when I clearly knew it was within code. I literally had to recite the code to them, something they should've already known. If you feel you're in the right don't automatically take the inspector's word for it. Check it out for yourself and then pursue corrective actions!
Lol did you tell them what your former job title was. I can imagine the inspectors surprise when you pulled out a card with your old job title.
It was probably “raise funds for the office party day” when they cited you for imaginary breaches! It is much easier to bully rule breakers/criminals than innocents, so like taxation they make the rules so complicated, impossible to follow or made up on the spot that you are bound to break something and that’s their entry point.
I left NYC ....and took my business out along with it. Best decision I ever made! NYC tax laws and regulations almost ruined my life.
This video seems like it might be relabeled down the road as part of a miniseries, “Why I finally left NYC: Episode 1- The Straw”.
Cant wait for “Why I finally left NYC: Episode 2- The Camel's back”
@@thor97470 de Blasio would walk in asking for directions in that episode.
@@thor97470 Or the finale: "Why I finally left NYC: Episode 3- The Final Nail"
@@railsrust followed by "Episode 4: The final final nail" and "Episode 5: for real this time"... 😂😭🤣
I've spent 8 hours over 3 days calling Verizon over and over about a charge that shouldn't be on my bill. They transfer me back to the same dept or put me on hold for 5 minutes then hang up. Dozens of times. It's maddening.
i spent $2,000 on a washer/dryer awhile back at Lowes and ended up having to spend hours getting transferred back and forth between the store/customerservice/delivery service when they missed the delivery date. I got "it's not our responsibility", i'll transfer you to store to get delivery date re-setup, then the store would say "it's not our responsibility", i'll transfer you to the delivery service. After 3/4 times of that I insisted speaking with a manager/supervisor... on both ends... and finally got it resolved.
Call again and ask to speak with a supervisor. Hell, not only ask, insist.
By internal policy they must put you in contact with their supervisor if you ask multiple times. The first couple of times they'll try to convince you it's not necessary, but keep pushing.
Don't ask me how I know this, kek
Its deliberate. They figure they can just frustrate you into compliance. Its called strategic incompetence.
Challenge the charge on your credit card? If you used a credit card...
Comcast does the same thing.
“Whatever happened to “Hey, I have some apples, would you like to buy them?” “Yes, thank you!” That's as complicated as it should be to open a business in this country.” Ron Swanson. I know that it can never be that simple but I can't help think of this quote after listening to this video.
As explained in the original video, this law is about tracking the people selling used items to shops so they can't dump stolen goods and get away clean. He specifically *doesn't* buy used computers so he doesn't have to deal with the thieves and "hot" items, but the government ticketed him under that reporting law anyway.
@Music:Zerg They make business owners do the work *for* them, by collecting all the information and putting it in their database.
The enforcement of the regulations and licenses is probably completely disconnected from the actual purpose, and appears to be using fines as a revenue source. It's not harassment, it's extortion.
@Music:Zerg Exactly, it's just like when a cop whines about a civilian wasting the cop's time when it was the cop's choice to stop that person for looking "suspicious".
That's a terrible James Winston joke. 🥲
Now its...."would you like to buy some apples?"
Before i buy them can i have form T200, R750, the consent from the apple tree to pick the apple. The consent of the apple to be picked. A letter from all animals which would have had interest in the apple by providing fertiliser, carbon dioxide and water towards its growth. A pesticide free certificate. A certificate of compliance with all unknown and non-existent laws and regulations. And a pint of your blood.
Louis, you are a good man. Thank you for doing the right thing.
Corruption is ruining this country, NYC is ground zero in this regard.
Hey Louis,
I just donated to your right to repair gofundme. Honestly wish you the best of luck in pushing for it.
Also good luck with battling NYC with their draconian regulations.
1. he is reading a script.
2. he's totally gonna transfer you because he doesn't know.
3. I don't think you should be entering anything for abandoned items left in your store.
4. documenting the items as 0 is another gotcha trap.
I really love that you're documenting ALL of this. Does this technically make your subscribers witnesses? haha
I’m a retired 30 yr. Teamster. We have a great Local now but a couple decades ago it had its shady years. Anyway, kinda to your point. When I first got hired and became a Union guy I asked for a copy of the contract. Got laughed outta the Union hall. One thing you don’t want is members who know what they’re talking about. You want the huddled masses ignorant. Easier and more lucrative for you. Stay well
It seems like it should be illegal to make it impossible for you to get a copy of your own contract.
That sounds less like a union and more like an HR department that's been outsourced to dodge employment laws somehow...
@David SNow -I’m strictly talking about my Local. I was a member of the TWU which was a Union reform movement. When the feds took control of the Union a lot of Locals got in trouble for all kinds of criminal shit. We were above it all because our Local President was squeaky clean. He was also one tough mf’r. There were things I didn’t agree with in the Union, and I’d express it at meetings.
I am glad you shared this, not for my sake but as you say, for the sake of others who also run small businesses. It's important! Kudos!!!
Unfortunately this happens all the time. This is why so many laws don't make any sense, but it's an excuse to give someone a fine.
WATCH FIRST AMENDMENT AUDIT--COPS AND CAMERAS ON PUBLIC SIDEWALKS---COPS FULL OF EGO WITH A GLOCK
This has been happening a lot in blue states, more and more taxation(fines included) and laws aimed at catching you for fines are being made to fund the ever-growing government. California, where I am stuck for now, is the same. In Cali most large businesses are on their way out because of the insanity that is state taxes.
Anytime I'm feeling incompetent in my own life, I'll think back to these phone operators and departments and feel better about myself.
These are the type of people that will run your healthcare if you it went single payor or Universal healthcare in the U.S.
@@albundy06 hell no.
I think you could hold yourself to a standard that doesn’t involve burrowing under the floor for the absolute minimum competence; The first guy seemed drugged.
@@albundy06 uhhhhh no it wouldn't bud. In fact if we had less restrictions placed on the private companies, we suddenly would have a vast plethora of options. They would end up competing value for us, rather us competing value for them.
Thank you for being nice to the first guy.
People do the best they can and often get yelled at by people who think they know everything.
So it was nice to see you treating that poor guy nicely
I'm working in customer service and I thankfully don't get yelled at often, but everytime it happens, it's intense.
Doesn't mean everyone is nice, though. Makes me sad.
Yeah no reason to be mean to people. At the same time god knows how that guy got hired for that job, practically impossible to follow
Dealing with people comes with a huge learning turn. You get further if you're nice to an employee than an asshole.
This is the actual reason I watch your videos. I don't care to much about tech, let alone fixing it, but to me the "why" of either government or a "boss" giving an order is the most important question to be answered.
I have no real interest in watching electronics repairs, but I really love when you talk about things like this. You're an extremely principled person and I respect that a lot.
We should MAKE them know the answer to this question. They'll probably find out real quick if each of us calls the number in the video and ask the very same question.
Since the phone is in the video, im sure there will be many calls. Phone number is there for a reason. :D
Enjoy your weekly visits from your friendly neighborhood inspectors for the next little while lol.
IF Louis keeps this up next visit will be from Anderson Cooper🤞
More content 😌
I live in the Yukon and am unlikely to ever darken your door as a customer. Love your stance on this, and your actions on RTR. Keep it up good sir!
I worked for the Federal government as an investigator for a few years. I took pride in my work in actually providing folks with coherent and usable guidance when it came to regulation compliance.
It is ridiculous that none of these guys knows this. I mean, as you say, this issue is faced by pretty much every repair shop
Was it common for your colleagues to be mindless drones like that first guy? That's a terrifying representation of our government
@@alexanderofrhodes9622 Luckily, I worked with folks who actually knew what they were doing. That said, the agency I worked for worked directly with the public on an every day basis
"It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare."
-Mark Twain
I admire your courage sir. You should be held up as a role model that others should seek to emulate.
Louis is one of very few UA-camrs that gives me the impression he is a legitimately good person, and I would be surprised if he ever had a "cancel worthy" scandal. Really seems to live by his principles
If things continue the way they are I'm sure someone will say this phone call is somehow racist.
I'm not a good person, and you shouldn't assume otherwise. DON'T IDOLIZE ANYONE, you will be HORRIBLY disappointed when you peak behind the curtain - especially with me.
I am a guy who records his thoughts/routines and puts it on youtube, nothing more.
@@rossmanngroup Based and anti hero pilled
@@rossmanngroup CANCELLED.
@@rossmanngroup Really horrible people think they are great people. Normal people understand that they've done bad things. Good people feel regret about it and try to do better.
4:55 This guy gives a great answer to your question. "Awwwwhhhhhhhh?" That says about everything you would need to know.
You're doing a public service. Your video reached me here in Brisbane, Australia as a non-subscriber, so hopefully it reaches many more people and those who can either clarify the rule or resolve the issue for you! Best of luck!
"I'm from the New York City building code rules enforcement division. It appears that your floor mop handle is not secured to the wall while in the storage area.... $50k fine"
Bureaucracy and incompetency........best combo ever 👍
@@handlemonium NY and NYC are in the covid extortion business now. They might add a 50K fine to Louis for not fumigating the sold laptop with UV and bleach.
"I don't own a floor mop. We only have carpet"
Bravo, Louis. I admire your composure and calm demeanor while dealing with nonsense.
I had a similar situation with the IRS. I had wrong information on my tax return. Call several times and talked to them in person nobody knew what to do about it.
I called one last time and made a suggestion in order to fix it. It worked but they had no idea what to do.
I’m a stoner and even I can’t understand anything the guy on the phone was saying, all I hear is “mbfayouknolicenpilledthafour”
I'm a stoner and that man was not speaking the Queens English. I'm typing this high and it's still coherent
if a mouth breather had a child with a sloth that's exactly how it would sound like.
Im an Australian, i have worked in factories full of international workers. I would like to believe i can interpret english from many different accents and levels of English understanding better than most english speakers. I estimate a probability of ~60% of what he said was intelligible, borderline understandable if focusing hard.
Biden?
I am a stoner, I also operate a forklift in a factory with a many different ethnicities and I couldn't understand a word the first bloke said.
It honestly sounded like if he stopped concentrating he would disappear into nothingness
That guy you spoke with didn't graduate third grade. He's the perfect city employee!
He did graduate from the NYC School system, But with a 3rd grade education - the best they can provide. and still qualified for City Employment as a relative of some other City Employee.
A friend got him the job and he was never qualified for it
Did you "axe" the agency you question?
I laughed pretty hard at that one.
@@mascot43085 ouch lol
You're a brave man treading water in a rapidly filling sewer. Please don't drown.
Louis, you have far more patients than I deal with that poor of bureaucracy. Cheers, Billy in Canada
I’m not a business owner, not even living in the US… still loving these videos. Keep going Louis! 👍
As a brit it incencievable that officials from the city cant string together full sentences. Edit: i live in Germany, and the average Berlin resident speaks better english than the first man you had on the phone.
Thank youuuu mate I was getting pissed, could not understand wtf he was saying take etiquette classes ffs 🤦🏽
The guy on the phone was likely in a call center not in the US.
@@benloyd1970 no, he is in NYC. He has an American dialect, local to a smaller part of NYC and not standard.
Affirmative Action education and lack of parental attentiveness produces the equivalent of retarded adults.
@@benloyd1970 His accent was New York, and the city can't properly farm out call center support for New York City laws and regulations.
There was a bumper stick in the early 00s: "Question Authority". It needs to be done now more than ever.
You are a true American hero. Please do continue.
This is how they get you. Fine you with a bs law so you can not refute it because it’s bs. Make you either pay the fine or hire an attorney to fight it which is much more than the original fine. Give you a number to call to try to clarify the fine. But only hire employees with -10IQ who can barley speak coherent English to take your complaint. Basically forcing you to just pay their bs fine. They’ve thought through every scenario in which you might have an option to not pay the fine and have put up roadblocks.
That is how the city get money by exploiting powerless people. Just look at NYC debt.
It’s fucking infuriating; and don’t think all lawyers can help either. I went to law school and guess the fuck what?! I CANT BARELY FIND MY ASS WITH WITH TWO HANDS AND A FLASHLIGHT IN THE WEBERIAN DYSTOPIAN NIGHTMARE WHICH ARE LOCAL/STATE ORDINANCES. It’s just a bunch of complete bullshit - system is beyond broke people - trust and believe.
It's the middle of the day and I have nothing better to do than watch the latest video from Louis
Time well spent.
What video? It's mostly blank lol
This man took the quote kill em with kindness to heart, they may not be in a cold grave, but they're just as dead inside.
It's not the fault of the people answering the phones that he got that BS violation. Why not be anything but kind? They are trying their best to help.
Holy shit! That agent actually sounds high af! 😂😂😂
I wish I could help you out and call the same number with the same question. Imagine running a call campaign just to ask this question, forcing them to finally give someone an answer. I don’t know enough about repair to anticipate any clarifying questions about the issue, though, but I can imagine just peacefully calling and making a miniature movement with this would help bring attention to this issue. Best of luck from a loyal viewer Louis!
It's pointless now. They would give an answer that justifies my violation, because they already issued this violation & they know I posted this video.
The idea was to get them to specify what the rule was BEFORE making this public. Anything after the fact is bunk.
@@rossmanngroup Yeah I can see what you’re saying. Just hard not to react to the blatant power move they’re making with the violations. Appreciate the response!
It sounds like you're doing your due diligence and collecting enough evidence to provide in a court challenge
YES TRUST THE CORRUPT COURTS--FINE IDEA
The Courts won't save him.
The Democratic controlled Congress has threatened to pack the Supreme Court if they declare the Biden Administration Gun control orders unconstitutional.
This has nothing to do with gun laws
I just can say “Wow”....that city is so corrupted and you sir is just scratching the surface...no words for your videos...my respect for your work Louis.
Hello Louis
I just wanted to say I’m sorry that your having to deal with such nonsense. I really admire and respect your patients with such a horrible situation, I can totally relate to the frustration you are having to go through.
I was in business myself, I had some Computer sales and service stores in the Chicago surrounding suburbs. I was in business for over 25 years repairing all models of desktops and laptops, printers ect. specializing in the repair of laptops and data recovery. I closed my last location in 2010 when I retired,
I had some of the same problems that you have with customers dropping off all kinds of repair items oking the estimate, and then never picking up their repaired items. After countless phone calls. Texts and Emails. Despite all of the signs posted on the walls in our stores reminding customers that “ items that are not picked up after 90 days will be handed as we see fit “ We even sent out certified letters but it didn’t do much good. So believe me, I understand what you have to deal with.
Funny story, I had a customer come in to pick up his laptop his claim ticket was 3 years old. I had to inform him that we no longer had his item anymore, but I had to ask him “ where have you been the past 3 years “ he said “ oh in jail “ LOL
Anyway, I hope you can get things sorted out and I wish you good luck on your court case, the entire thing is crazy and Ludacris. Every word in your videos is spot on accurate and very well written. You made so many great points.