Debt owe by an ex-friend

[alvinlwh]

Hi all, I have a problem with an ex-friend that owe me a debt of about £500. She had refused to repay the debt or to discuss the matter with me. She changed her number without telling me. I had visited her office twice and she still refused to discuss the matter. The problem is I only have her work address. Can I still file a claim against her via MCOL? I do have some proof (not all) of the amount she owe, and any amount that can be sucessfully recovered will be welcomed.

 

I know the usual advice is to try and sort it out instead of going to court, but I can say that this is a real b***h. She also had one of my mobile phone and an MP3 player, and money owe for a hair dryer and hair straightener, which she also refused to return, until I reported her to the police for theft did she returned the items and money. (I had microdotted some of them :grin: ) Only when the police contacted here did she realised that I mean business.

[toddle2u]

You should be able to get their address from the electoral role (usually available in local library) or can pay for it on a site like 192.com - The Largest UK Directory Enquiry Service. I agree with you sue them they owe you the money which you were good enough to lend in the first place and you should get it back. However, do they have the money to pay you back. If not you may be running extra expense to no avail.

[alvinlwh]

You should be able to get their address from the electoral role (usually available in local library) or can pay for it on a site like 192.com - The Largest UK Directory Enquiry Service. I agree with you sue them they owe you the money which you were good enough to lend in the first place and you should get it back. However, do they have the money to pay you back. If not you may be running extra expense to no avail.

 

I had tried 192, there is a few persons with the same name in it, and I believe that non of it is the correct person. Therefore I am wondering can I sue with just work address. I was willing to work out a installment payment with her, but she told me to 'F**k off' when I went to talk to her about it, which is what p**sed me off. Also the incident with the phone, mp3 etc shows that she did not take me seriously until I gone to the police. What she did not know is I microdotted the items, and the police treated it as theft. When they looked her up, it scared the s**t out of her.

 

Another thing is she had a loan with RBS which she did not pay up. It is still in my address (she used to live at my address, but only as a friend) and RBS threaten all kind of stuff, including sending bailiffs and actions affecting the credit rating of persons living at the same address. I wrote back to them telling them if they dare to do anything to me or affecting me, I will sue their pants off. Why should I be liable for someone who did a runner and is no longer at the address?

 

Thing is she is working, the court can order an amount to be taken out of her wages right?

[lookinforinfo]

How did the Police get hold of her?

You may have to phone the Small Claims Court to ask if you can use her work

address, or even her bank address to make contact.

[alvinlwh]

Like I said, I have her work address, which I gave to the police, and also RBS.

[lookinforinfo]

You could try writing to her at work or via the bank, asking if there is a reason

not to pay the debt. Also, while you would prefer not to, she may leave you

with no alternative than to go to Court.

If she owns a car, you may be able to get her address from DVLA.

[lookinforinfo]

You could try writing to her at work or via the bank, asking if there is a reason

not to pay the debt. Also, while you would prefer not to, she may leave you

with no alternative than to go to Court.

If she owns a car, you may be able to get her address from them.

[alvinlwh]

You could try writing to her at work or via the bank, asking if there is a reason not to pay the debt....If she owns a car, you may be able to get her address from them.

 

Via the bank? Don't think her bank would the bank help to pass on my message? And even if they have her address, they will never release it to me. As for reason, well, she is just being a b***h. She also refused to return the items I listed above until I got the police on her. Therefore the time for writing (I had done that via email) is over. She used all kinds of excuses and reasons to try and get out of paying. She even told me to f**k off from her work place and never go back again. So I did not, in case SHE decided to get me done for harrassment. I get the police onto her instead. So now I think it is time to get the courts onto her too.

 

And no, she don't own a car. Even if she did, how am I supposed to get the address? Through DVLA? I don't think that is possible either.

 

This person used to work in the same office as me, and everyone in the office said the same thing, you will never get anything back from her, what they didn't know is that I am willing to go all the way. They were surprised when I told them I got the police onto her, and impressed that I actually got my items back.

[lookinforinfo]

To send her a letter via the bank- write a letter to her, put it in an envelope,

seal it, put a stamp on it and her name in the place on the envelope where you would normally place the name.

Put that envelope into another one addressed to her bank manager with a covering letter insde the second envelope asking the manager if he would kindly forward the letter to her-[include her bank account number to help

identify her.]

That way, if it does go to Court, you can show that you took all the steps

you could to avoid Court action, and if you show how hard you tried, it

may help with the judge, as personal loans between friends [i assume you have no signature from her?] are not easily resolved in Court.

Also, by getting the letter from you, she may think you now have her address.

[alvinlwh]

Hmmm...interesting, banks are actually willing to do that for me? I guess I will give it a try.

 

I agree that things are hard to prove in court without the signature. I do have some prove of the costs (receipts, bills, etc). While there is no signature, there is also no prove that she had paid me my costs. I believe in a civil court, it is 50-50, and I have to prove it in my direction, which I will plan about if it gets that far.

 

She is not very smart, as proven with the police incident. The police contacted her by phone, she could have just deny any knowledge of the items she took from me and dump them straight away. Even if the police turns up later, they still could find nothing. But she did not. So I believe a letter from the court will scare her just as badly.

 

The truth is at this stage, I no longer care what happens to her. I had helped her in her time of need and she is taking the p**s over me.

[toddle2u]

Do you know what area she lives in? Should be able to narrow it down on 192 if you know the area.

If not just follow her home after work one night.

[alvinlwh]

No I don't. And I believe following her will be stalking, which can get me arrested.

[lookinforinfo]

It's not so much the 50-50 aspect, since one would expect it to show that

you knew you were in the right, while she has to be much more careful what she says.

 

It is more that she may well counterclaim. For instance, she could say that

she bought food, cooked it, and let you stay at her place overnight, and

then gave you breakfast, all as a method of part rerpayment. Without a

contract, it might be difficult to dispute that this was her way of repaying

you.

Sometimes it is better to remember the good times in a relationship and

move on without getting messed up with bitterness or whatever. Just be

grateful perhaps that it was only £500, and not how much Paul McArtney is

probably going to have to shell out.

[alvinlwh]

It is more that she may well counterclaim. For instance, she could say that she bought food, cooked it, and let you stay at her place overnight, and then gave you breakfast, all as a method of part repayment. Without a contract, it might be difficult to dispute that this was her way of repaying you.

 

Will never work that way. Why, well maybe I should let you know a little more about what happened.

 

She used to work in the same company as me, but got herself fired because of poor performance (late, sick, always on the phone, etc...) At the same time she also got thrown out by her boyfriend. So she was broke, jobless and homeless at that time. I felt sorry for her then which is why I let her stay with me, not me with her, since she don't even have a place. Also she is broke, so I am the one lending her money for food and etc, which she did promised to repay me when she got a job (she did have one now).

 

I thrown her out of my place because one of my rules is she is to bring no one here (knowing the dodgy characters she hangs out with, I want no trouble). She broke that rule, brought her SOB brother here, who proceed to trash my place up (including smashing my monitor), attacked her and me. The police have to take him away.

 

Of course that was the last straw, and I forced her out. And when I approached her to get my money back, which she promised to pay, and to recover the things she took from my place, she told me to f**k off.

 

Now I may not have prove for 100% of all she owe me, but I do have some(ie phone bills with numbers called by her, increase in electricity and gas bills, money paid for goods and services in her name, etc). Even if I managed to recover 50% of £500, that will be better than nothing. And like all the people in the office said, I was kind enough to help her out in her time of greatest need, and yet she take the p**s over me, I should show no mercy.

[toddle2u]

I would say from what you have stated that even if you get judgement you have very little chance of getting the money as she has none. I think you may well be throwing good money after bad. IMHO

[alvinlwh]

Although you are totally correct, but since she is currently working, the court can order her employer to pay me a cut of her pay right? Knowing her, the court letter should be enough to scare her into action and entering into a payment plan with me instead of telling me to sod off. She knows she cannot tell the court to sod off. Worst case is she will have to quit from her job to avoid the courts completely. Correct me if I am wrong here, then I can get the courts to enter a judgement, and if in the future I managed to track her down, the court order still can be enforced right?

 

Thing here is (even though it maybe morally wrong) is to show no mercy. Some may think I am wrong in putting so much pressure on her, but after what she had done? Personally I don't think so. She had been unreasonable in breaking my rules and bringing a troublemaker into my house to trash it, if I get a judgement, I can harrass her at work with the court's blessing.