So for any of you who read Merican Duck Hunters post about our recent trip to Stuttgart, you'll know that it sucked bad. The guide ended up cutting us a deal and we only had to pay $200 on top of our 50% deposit. Now get this...
The owner of the lodge we stayed at told us Saturday night that the owner of the guide always handles her bill to the customer and to just pay him the $200. So Sunday when the guide told us we only owed $200 we figured it was for the lodging and he wasn't gonna charge us for the second terrible trip. Wrong! Now they're calling saying that the guide had no idea about the lodge owner wanting him to handle the bill and we owe her $200. We were kinda caught off guard and started to explain how the money that we gave him sunday was for lodging not for him and he cut us off with "if you don't want to pay that's fine don't talk about it" and hung up on us without letting us finish explaining our situation. He then texted us saying that the lodge owner is going to be contacting her lawyer!! We texted him our explanation and asked him to give the landowner for the lodge our number so we could directly deal with her and he had no response.

Any lawyers or guides or anyone else on here that have any advice? Do we just need to pay them and be done with it or just wait and see. Merican doesn't see them taking us to court over 200 bucks, after coming all the way here and possibly not even winning their case. We really don't think we owe them anything more but we don't want to be THAT client.

That's a tough one to negotiate over the phone especially via txt message... But considering the lodge and guide are separate services and people, and you didn't specify to him the $200 was for lodging, you may just be better off paying the owner of the lodge. I would def try and contact her and explain your story though. I wouldn't doubt that someone has said something about a lawyer either, seems like people will go to court over anything these days! Hope you get it worked out...

it sounds like your contract for lodging was with the guide service not the lodge.

the lodge owner told you that the guide service was in contract with them for your lodging.

I would let it ride, the lodge owner should bill the guide service

Problem is I cant contact her because everything was done through the guide and he wont give me her number.

I've tried to find her online, & on FB, but I haven't had any luck.

put the two mergansers and 1 teal in a box and send it to the DB tell him to have his lawyer contact yours...

after guiding for several years... I know that those hunts happen... BUT when it does its a free hunt in the future or you don't pay. I would call clients on a regular basis and reschedule or cancel and give the deposit back if I didn't have birds or weather was gonna be a problem. most likely what is going on is this operation is closing in on the end of the season and they have not made enough money to pay off the land they leased and its crunch time... that is why you got double booked.

this...

That's all around bad business. If they take you to court it's gonna cost them way more than 200 bucks. They are probably bluffing though. I wouldn't pay them a dime until you here from the lodge owner or her lawyer.

And what gets me is he cancelled every sunday hunt but ours according to the lodge owner on Saturday night. I think he was just trying to take advantage of us because he thinks were some young kids that don't know any better. The whole thing is And the only bird Me or her killed was the 1 teal. The mergs went to the other guys in the group on sat, and the lack of birds aren't what bothered me. Had he been a stand up guy and worked his a$$ off I without a doubt would've been perfectly willing to pay 100%. I guess now I've gotta go shoot a drake GWT to send back to him!

He hung up on you. He's really not worried about the money. And if the lodge owner WAS really worried about it she would contact you directly. Did you sign any paperwork or agree to any payments with the lodge?

If you went through the guide for everything then that's on him. If they have no clear paper trail there's nothing to be worried about.

X2

Its $200 just pay it and chock it off to experience. Its not worth a lawyer or any other BS to prove a point. Guides been breaking it off in OOS gunners in Stuttgart for years. You aren't the first or last.

pay me the $200 and I will fight it for you

Richie Incognito! The tough smart lawyer!!

Yes she did sign a liability form but I don't think it said anything about payment just that we understood that we were going into the woods with guns and they weren't responsible for any injuries.

And that's kinda what I'm leaning towards but they aren't getting a penny until I talk to the lodge owner. How do I know the guide isn't trying to pull another fast one and get more money. If I send it it'll have to be strait to her no more middle man

If they do not have a signed agreement from you no lawyer or collection agency will touch it. He might have a lawyer buddy who will send you a nasty letter but they do not have a leg to stand on. I deal with this in my business every day.

I booked a hunt with Elder a few years ago and we killed a few but didn't come close to a limit. It wasn't his fault. We had a cold snap the day before and it was 12 degrees the morning we hunted. It iced up a lot of the ponds that were producing. Elder said no charge but I insisted and paid anyways. He invited me back for a hunt at no charge and we hammered them. Can't beat that kind of customer service.

I doubt they would sue over $200. It would cost them that much in court fees.

Exactly and that's what I was saying, had he been a stand up guy and worked his butt off it would've been different. The lack of birds never make a hunt a bust for me, that's just not what it's all about, but when you act the way he did and then still hold ur hand out its hard to swallow

I would not give them another penny...

Thats why i only hunt public

In other words you don't use guide services? Because really this isn't a "land owner screwed me on a lease" type situation...

I wouldn't pay anything until I talked to the lodge owner. Tell the clown that you will counter for services not rendered, cost of trip to and from and any other expenses you incured during your trip. That total is over 2 bills and its his job to cover the lodge. There are to many BS people running "Guide Services" trying to pull this crap.

Yeah, I would ignore them from now on. Talking to them can only hurt you. They're taking you for a ride. Verbal "Lawyering up" is just a threat to intimidate you. People who really want to sue other people let them find out via an intention letter. Just contacting a lawyer costs them $200 not to mention this sort of thing gets handled in small claims court in their county and they would have to pay a fee to have you served a subpoena in Texas. Don't let those scammers get another dime of your money.