[thechat] Stiffed :(

[Martin Burns]

On 11 Mar 2008, at 10:04, Fred Jones wrote:

>> Threaten litigation under contract breach.  That's usually enough to
>> make small businesses suddenly respond and answer your emails /  
>> letters
>> / demands for payments.
>
> Well we have no actual contract beyond a verbal one (perhaps a few
> emails as well), not to mention that they're not a business--just a
> married couple, as far as I know. Not to mention the fact that they're
> in another country (England) and so they know any such threat would  
> be a
> bluff. :(


Fine. So make it not a bluff. It's not hard.

Read
http://www.insolvencyhelpline.co.uk/business_advice/sales_marketing/maximise_sales/soga.htm
http://yurel.com/wp57

When you write to them. refer to the Sale of Goods & Services Act of  
1994, and if the polite and nasty emails don't work, threaten them  
with instructing an English solicitor to obtain a County Court  
Judgement against them. Getting one of these is fairly well known as  
having the effect of completely knackering their chances of getting  
any credit from any lender for 3 years.

Even if you have to go through with it[1], it'll cost you less than  
the amount you're out of pocket.

Oh, and next time, remember: if it's not in writing, it's a rumour,  
and we don't work that way ;-)

Cheers
Martin

[1] Actually, there's a lighter weight way of doing this: the Small  
Claims Court. Not sure if this has the same effect as a CCJ
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