Urgent help required - all is shut at the w/e

brightideer

Hi to all,


I am acting as advocate to a couple who after returning from abroad place their cats into a cattery for quaranteen. After the six months were up they could not afford the bill, and offered to pay the cattery in 4 instalments.

This was rejected buy the cattery, who explained the cats would be returned upon full settlement of bill and in the meantime they would incur full boarding costs every day they stay.

So my clients could not afford to pay up in full initially, and now I feel they are being exploited by having their cats held as ransom and the bill is escalating up and up.

Please can anyone give me some idea of where this is heading? as their is no one available at the weekend and I have some very teary and upset clients.

Thanks in advance,

BRIGHTiDEER

scheming_gypsy

Your clients had 6 months to get the money together to pay the cattery but they didn't. Although I wouldn't say their cats are being held to ransom, they can't afford the bill so the goods are being held until it's paid

shaun_from_Africa

I'm amazed that the cattery didn't require payment on a monthly basis.
A couple of years ago I brought a cat back to the UK from Africa and all of the quarantine catteries I looked at needed paying at the end of each month.

Your friends best bet might be to get a loan of some sort or use a credit card to pay off the bill.
Although this will probably have fairly high interest, it wil probably be less than the costs being incurred by leaving the 2 cats where they are.

Apart from the actual accomodation costs, the cattery will also have paid out a fair sum to a vet for the required innoculations and tests and there is also the fee for the certificate that must be issued before they can be released.

The boarding costs for an animal in quarantine are normally higher than for regular boarding, so has your friend checked to make sure that the cats have been moved out of the quarantine section and are now on the standard boarding rate?

shegirl

brightideer wrote: »

Hi to all,


I am acting as advocate to a couple who after returning from abroad place their cats into a cattery for quaranteen. After the six months were up they could not afford the bill, and offered to pay the cattery in 4 instalments.

This was rejected buy the cattery, who explained the cats would be returned upon full settlement of bill and in the meantime they would incur full boarding costs every day they stay.

So my clients could not afford to pay up in full initially, and now I feel they are being exploited by having their cats held as ransom and the bill is escalating up and up.

Please can anyone give me some idea of where this is heading? as their is no one available at the weekend and I have some very teary and upset clients.

Thanks in advance,

BRIGHTiDEER

How are they being exploited?

Did they honestly expect them to give the cats back before they'd paid?They are bound to request payment for them remaining in their care while they are waiting to receive the full amount,they take up space,require food and water etc etc.

Your friends should have saved the money up in the first place as they knew it would need paying,if something has happened that meant they couldn't (as in couldn't not didn't bother or wasted money elsewhere) then they need to consider their options -pay monthly with extra (perfectly fair from the cattery),or take a loan to get them back

pinkshoes

Given the daily boarding cost of keeping the cats there, surely it'd be cheaper to take out a loan, pay the cattery, and get their cats back immediately??

They haven't paid the bill so they can't have their "goods". I know the cats are their pets, and part of the family, but legally, I don't think they've a leg (paw?) to stand on.

brightideer

Hi to all, many thanks for your replies.

Yes I agree, the bill is required to be paid. And yes, (like a pawn shop) it seems fair that the goods are held. They did intend to pay, but unfortunate events in their life (and it's not spending what they don't have) have thrown up a issue where at the time they were to collect the funds were not there.

My issue is, they want to pay, just couldn't all in one, infact they have now paid over 2k in the last week, however the bill for the extra housing is still outstanding and climbing.

Is it fair (legal) that after declaring to the owner they predicament, they are now on a merrygoround of more debt?
Consider your friendly loan shark, a bank for that matter, or even a car clamper...... "what......can't pay?...... oh well well keep fining / charging you until you can!!!"

Isn't there a safety net?

BTW, they really do want to pay!!!

BRIGHTiDEER

George_Michael

or even a car clamper...... "what......can't pay?...... oh well well keep fining / charging you until you can!!!"

But that is exactly what does happen if your car is legally clamped and towed.
The storage company will keep the car and charge a daily storage fee until the debt is paid.

shegirl

brightideer wrote: »

Hi to all, many thanks for your replies.

Yes I agree, the bill is required to be paid. And yes, (like a pawn shop) it seems fair that the goods are held. They did intend to pay, but unfortunate events in their life (and it's not spending what they don't have) have thrown up a issue where at the time they were to collect the funds were not there.

My issue is, they want to pay, just couldn't all in one, infact they have now paid over 2k in the last week, however the bill for the extra housing is still outstanding and climbing.

Is it fair (legal) that after declaring to the owner they predicament, they are now on a merrygoround of more debt?
Consider your friendly loan shark, a bank for that matter, or even a car clamper...... "what......can't pay?...... oh well well keep fining / charging you until you can!!!"

Isn't there a safety net?

BTW, they really do want to pay!!!

BRIGHTiDEER

How can there be a safety net FGS.I'm not sure you are getting this...while the cats are there they are taking up space,they are being fed,watered and cared for..do you honestly think that should be free?????

piglet25

Just out of interest, if your friends couldn't pay the bill, or wouldn't pay and told the cattery to keep the cats then what would happen to the bill for keeping them after the date they were told they weren't going to be collected?

brightideer

No. it will cost. But it's costing more than the owners can now generate. So what is the logical conclusion to this? Owners have paid the original bill, they can now not afford the rest. So now what? The cattery sell the cats? Destroy them? Then apply to Courts for a small claim?

OK, everyone on here is singing from the same hymn, so it looks like "tuff kitty", but wow, the debtor offered to pay, set up a DD, leave cheques, etc. But now it's "unlucky fried kitten" time. and we all go back to our happy beds at night.

Rant over, i think tere is more to this and on Monday, will chat to...... county council, trading standards, CAB, ....... anyone else?

Cheers for all your suggestions,

it did at least give me a flavour of one possible direction,

and SHEGIRL what is FGS?


BRIGHTiDEER

piglet25

Think it means 'for God's sake'. Maybe they could agree to freeze the charges for a set time to give them the chance to pay the bill? Its not going to help anyone to keep adding to a debt they wont be able to pay, might be worth asking