“I’m Signing a Scam!” — That Time a Transmission Deal Almost Went Off the Rails in a Bank Lobby
In right-of-way, we all have that one story.
You know the kind — where the setting is wild, the landowner is unpredictable, and you’re deep in a place where GPS and common logic stop working.
One of my most memorable transmission line negotiations involved a private gen-tie connection, and let’s just say: it was one for the books.
Deep South. Like, Real Deep.
We’re talking deep-woods, zero bars, kind of place that makes you question your life choices halfway down the dirt road.
I had been chasing a crucial easement for weeks — a key segment in a 15-mile gen-tie connection for a major project. The couple who owned the land had already told me “no” at least five different ways. But I knew it wasn’t really a “no” — it was a “not yet.”
So I kept showing up.
We had long talks, standing in the trees, far from cell service and even farther from Starbucks. But little by little, they opened up.
Finally, we got there: handshake deal, ready to sign.
The Bank Scene I’ll Never Forget
We set the closing up at their local bank branch. I brought the paperwork. They were getting their check. All was smooth…
Until it wasn’t.
Just as I’m politely handing the wife the pen to sign, she blurts out — loud enough to wake the dead:
“I’M SIGNING A SCAM! I’M SIGNING A SCAM!!”
Everyone in the bank lobby froze. I looked up, stunned.
Hands up, pen in one hand like I was trying to defuse a bomb:
“Noooo! I swear it’s legit!” 😂
I had no clue if she was serious or just messing with me — her face gave nothing away.
Thankfully, her husband stepped in like a true ROW hero, calmed things down, and both of them signed. She burst into laughter afterward — she was just messing with me.
(Mostly.)
Moral of the Story?
In ROW, you never know what you’re walking into.
Sometimes it’s a handshake, sometimes it’s a chainsaw.
Sometimes it’s both.
✅ We got the signatures.
✅ We closed the easement.
✅ We locked in 100% of the gen-tie route for the project.
And I walked out of that bank lobby with the weirdest story of my career — and a deeper appreciation for rural landowner personalities.