Warning: Gavin Naumoff of Pacific Beach Delivery Does Not Pay His Contractors. After completing work in March 2010, he refuses to pay me.

Gavin Naumoff, owner of Pacific Beach Delivery:

Your refusal to pay me for the “About Us” page I wrote March 3, 2010 and publishing part of it on Yelp (under “Meet the Business Owner”) and pacificbeachdelivery.com (under “About Us”), even after agreeing to pay me a reduced $20, is stealing. Your ignoring my calls, e-mails and texts requesting payment during the last two and a half months is cowardly. This experience, the first time anyone has refused to pay me, has caused me immense grief and hardship and severely damaged my trust in neighbors and strangers.

It is wrong.

As a freelance writer, I am fearful of being victimized again. Consequently, I decline work and struggle even harder to earn a living. Recently, after discussing a project a man requested I do for his business, my sister cautioned, “I hope he’s not a crook.” She expressed my newfound distrust of all with whom I transact.

I am fearful you will scam restaurants and their customers. Some businesses and people may believe they are getting a good deal using your delivery service. They should know these deals result from your not paying me and others.

On November 30, 2009, Brady F. wrote a review on Pacific Beach Delivery’s Yelp page explaining (click on the links below and enter the code provided to view the comments on Yelp):

The owner is a young guy that doesn't know what he is doing. I'd give this business another month before all the restaurants pull out. I worked there for 2 days and never got paid and he won't return my phone calls. Great business Gavin!

On February 9, 2010, Jessica L. wrote:

This business is a total SCAM run by some con artist!! I got a flyer for it and thought it sounded cool, so I called and ordered food one night from Rakadayka. Someone name Gavyn took my order on the phone... and my credit card info. THE FOOD NEVER CAME, but noone answered when I called back half an hour later. Then the next day there was a $20 charge on my credit card for pacific beach delivery!!!! STICK WITH PIZZA if you want delivery in PB!!

I became distressed upon discovering you scammed others, including many who have undoubtedly remained silent. Having demonstrated a habitual willingness to cheat and steal, and then ignore calls when you get caught, the Pacific Beach community should beware of doing business with you because you may scam it and disappear.

The three, one-sentence replies you have sent me since March 3 do not justify your actions. After I sent you an invoice after weeks of your ignoring me, you finally replied on March 30, “THere is no way I am paying you $40.00 for that! i never agreed upon that amount. That is ridiculous!” In an April 1 text message you wrote, “Your asking way too much money for work i can have done for much cheaper.” You neglect to mention that we never agreed on a price because you disappeared and that I also immediately agreed to negotiate a lower price simply to conclude this matter.

These responses contradict what you told me after I rewrote your business letter and composed a promotional speech on March 1 and 2, respectively. In a March 1 e-mail you wrote, “I'd pay you more to transform this [letter] into a business speech!” After I modified the letter into an oral presentation, you requested I compose an “About Us” page, writing in a March 3 e-mail, “I need it ASAP man really! I thought I was going to wake up to it!” After submitting the “About Us” page, you disappeared and ignored my communications.

If you thought my rates were ridiculous, you should have ended our relationship after the first project. You explained one reason you hired me is because I graduated from UC Berkeley. I also graduated with a master’s in journalism from Columbia University. Considering that I spent years earning those degrees and will work many years to pay for my education, my rates are not unreasonable. Given your inability to articulate yourself clearly or professionally, as demonstrated in the original business letter you sent me (see below), you underestimate the difficulty of bringing logic to your writing.

In a March 2 e-mail describing the “About Us” page you wanted, you wrote, “PB delivery is all about helping out the community. We have many community building events planned for this upcoming year!”

How will you repair the damage to our community caused by your cheating, scamming, and stealing? You have sown distrust and fear and committed crimes akin to dining and dashing, to which many Pacific Beach restaurants have fallen victim.

I thought it was admirable a 21-year-old had the initiative to start a business. You have demonstrated, however, you lack maturity, professionalism and, most regrettably, ethics. You are unfit to run a business. To those who toil every day to earn an honest living, you are a criminal.

Keeping silent encourages you to continue victimizing others. Therefore, I will pursue my options in small claims court and notify law enforcement. Righting these crimes outweighs the time and money this involves.

I was not your first victim, but I will be your last.

Gavin Naumoff’s original business letter:

Hi Glenn,

Nice meeting with you on Saturday. I wanted to give you an overview on our discussion of what my business offers. We are an excellent marketer for your establishment aside from the delivery service portion. We received a renewal contract from Taproom solely for marketing due to business they have seen generated through Pacific Beach delivery! On Sunday alone we generated $300.00 in deliveries for Dirty Birds! Dirty Birds is a small establishment on the outskirts of PB. Not even 1/5th the square footage of your establishment. You guys could easily achieve this! You are one of my favorite establishments & believe me I will push this for you. Last thing I want is Ray, Sierra and Lindsey giving me the stink eye during the charger games:) I will make this work for you. I'm serious! Let me know a food item that is a high profit margin for you, give me a coupon for it. Ex: Buy 20 wings get 5 free. I will have them designed for you and 2,500 printed at our cost and distributed as well at our cost for you. This will Work ! trust me! Look what your getting out of this:

Marketing Side:
Hotel exposure for Menu & Logo (this is logo Branding for you) Think of all the tourists that see your logo and menu either order food through us from you or are walking by and recognize your establishment from the book & come in & drop a $100 bar tab. I'll even put on the top of the hotel menus if you'd like ! Pb's Hottest Bar! You know how many Spring break girls & boys you will attract! Alot!

I'll have your Menu in Plum Crazy's Bar & potentially Tavern Bar as their Kitchen source! They don't offer food and but you'll be there food & generating all the cash! That is huge! Your not one food establishment Your two -three now!

We Pass out 10,000 door hangers.

Advertise Your Menu on Website getting over 6,000 hits a month!

You'll be drawing in customers that otherwise may have never came into your establishment via People sitting at home , receiving your door hanger coupon & loving your food. They now take the time to find out where your located to come in & drop bucks on drinks & food and become a frequent customer.

We throw your Menu up on Facebook & Twitter throughout the week! People are viewing this local to PB.

We are generating you delivery customers through establishments that have already spent countless dollars on marketing to get there's up and running. All customer's resort to the same website. Www.PacificBeachdelivery.com. Every establishment is putting PB delivery cards in guest checkbooks and to go orders. These are all busy establishments! Alot of Cards going out, which all resorts back to a page that you are advertised on!!! On Sunday I had our street team. (5 babes) Pass out 1,000 promo cards mentioning all establishments names while passing out throughout PB! This isn't Pacific Magazine Marketing where I print you off one time in an ad for 1,500 tell you I'm distributing 100,000 and putting out maybe 20,000 tops where you can't see whats been generated in from the mag or not and they do nothing else. I am out hustling & pushing this consistently 30days a month for you. I've made this work for everyone else thus far I'm pretty sure I can make it work for an establishment i highly favor (keep that between us) The establishments have re-signed contracts with me after 6months, that has to be reassuring! I am even doing the table tents for you designed printed & placed in Acryllic 4 x 6 displays at my cost for you guys. You can put anything you want in dimensional space provided on them to market at your tables whether its a delivery special or happy hour at your bar! You & Ray talked to me about finding an item to really draw customers in on! You give me that item name & I'll blow it up for you! Taproom quote on quote I'll forward you the email from Kevin-" Your marketing is not half bad Gavin!:) "
Leigh @ Dirty Birds said you'd have to be an idiot to not sign! Lol ! these are real!! As well I'm obviously gonna feel good in regards to us doing business together & frequently having my family and friends in for lunch & dinner. I 100% am telling you Glenn I have no doubt in my mind you will be happy to do business with me! All thats just the marketing side!!! Not to mention the 201 hrs. of delivery service you get!!!