I was thrown into working the sound and handling microphones, as I was in bands and have my own PA. This was before I was even babtized.
I remember the very first meeting I ever went to the sound system was all screwed up and making noise. My dad asked if I would fix it, so I looked at it made a few adjustments and the problem was solved. Of course the person "assigned" to work sound was pissed. He said "What do you think your doing? You have no authortiy over me!" I thought that was a strange thing to say, however me being the smart ass I am, I just replied "I'm just doing what you can't do, so shut the f**k up" -This was my very first visit and I didn't want to be there.
A few years later, after being brain washed into the WT, the congragation was in the market for a new microphone system. They asked if I could look into it. I went to the music store i do business with and this guy there was going to get for me, AT COST, Nady brand wireless recievers, and four Shure brand wireless SM58 mics. (these are the top of the line brands) Then this elder said he could get a better brand (Telex) for about $200 less. I said to him, in front of the elder and servent body's "You are wrong as Nady and Shure, are the industry standard, also you wont beat the price." He then asked me "How much are you getting to broker this deal?" I said nothing as I don't work for Nady, Shure, or the store from which I got the prices, while you on the other hand work for the sole distributer of Telex in our city. No this did not win me any friends. They went with the Telex. The $200 less, that was with out the mics, and the the 4 mics he got were $150 each and were made of plastic, had very low signal, and sounded like a tin can. So for $400 more they got crap.
You think that would be the end of it, no not with them. When they got the system they could not figure out how to program th emics, or set up the system, so it became my job. I set it up like a good boy, but when it sounded like crap they wanted to know why. so I told them it is crap. After being told I was not being humble, I said well then get elder so and so, since he sold it to you. This jackass had no idea what to do so in front of everyone I said call in youe Telex rep. He did and a few days later the rep showed up early before a meeting. And in front of the people and elders that were there, the first thing the rep said to the elder who sold the system was "we discontinued this line last year, why did you buy it? So just being me I said "We could have got a Nady system with 4 Shrue SM58s for XXX" He said then why did you buy this, shure and nady are the standards. That just pissed everyone off more-towards me.
But it was one of the few times my dad actually stood up to them for me. He steped in and said "Next time he tells you something you should listen to him."(Before the WT dad and I were close but that changed as he moved up and as I moved out)