(WSVN) - She was married to a famous singer. and she is pretty well known herself. But when a woman went to work for her, to auction off some high-priced jewelry and bags, she learned something she didn’t know. It’s why she called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
You probably know his name and have almost certainly heard his music.
Phil Collins and his fame spreads to his friends, family and exes.
Cindy Eisen: “Orianne Collins. She is the ex-wife of Phil Collins. I was like, ‘Oh, that’s pretty cool.'”
Before we get to Orianne Collins, let’s get to Cindy, who arranges silent auctions.
Cindy Eisen: “Well, I like to raise money for nonprofits. I’m very attached to kids and elderly, and homeless and hungry.”
Then Cindy was contacted by a friend who said Orianne Collins was moving and wanted to auction off some belongings to raise money for her charity.
Cindy Eisen: “Designer bags. We’re talking top of the line. You know, high-end designer jewelry.”
Cindy went to meet with Orianne.
Cindy Eisen: “Beautiful house. She was very nice to me.”
The silent auction was only two weeks away.
Cindy Eisen: “And I spent a few hours getting an idea what she wanted, and I had already written up a contract, and she signed it.”
Cindy said she went to the house several times to try to finalize which items would be auctioned off.
Cindy Eisen: “A little bit hectic, and I literally stood in the closet with her, and it ended up being more than 60 items.”
Forty people Collins had invited showed up for the silent auction last August.
Cindy doesn’t know how much money it raised, but she knows how much she got for her work: zero.
Cindy Eisen: “I believe I texted and said, ‘Hey, it’s been a week. What’s up?’ Then they asked me for the invoice yet again, and then two weeks later, a month later, third invoice, no response.”
Cindy was owed $1,762. She says finally she got an answer from Collins.
Cindy Eisen: “‘They froze my account. My lawyer doesn’t want to pay you,’ and I was like, ‘What does that mean?’ And she never responded.”
That was six months ago. Cindy thought she had a binding contract with Orianne Collins.
Cindy Eisen: “She hired me to do something. She signed a contract. I did the work, and then she didn’t pay. It’s just – it’s just wrong.”
Well, Howard. First of all, is the contract binding? And if so, what do you do if someone won’t honor the contract?
Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “Yes, the contract is binding, and Collins has to pay. How do you make that happen? Be persistent, use social media, and if that fails, file in small claims court. A judge will definitely slap a judgment against Collins.”
We contacted Orianne Collins, and it couldn’t have been easier.
After a couple of email exchanges, she wrote, “Sorry, but I am in the middle of a move, so my assistant will surely take care of it on my behalf. Thank you for your patience.”
Cindy Eisen: “I got a text from her assistant asking how much I owed her, and I got paid Friday afternoon.”
One thousand seven hundred sixty-two dollars for her auction work, and she is not silent about Help Me Howard.
Cindy Eisen: “I am so happy I called Help Me Howard. I don’t think I would ever have gotten paid. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Help Me Howard.”
That makes us smile. You’re welcome, Cindy.
Now, if you sign a contract with someone, Cindy says she’s learned her lesson. Make sure the other person reads the contract and get some money up front and collect as you go. Howard couldn’t have said it better.
Need someone to buy in to help with your problem? Don’t be silent. Donate it to us, ’cause you don’t have to sell us on helping you.
With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser, 7News.
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Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
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