so called friend

reeree

Just wondering what others think of this so called friend, my mum was friendly with a woman she had known for years in fact she is the daughter of one of her best friends. My mum treated her like another daughter and in fact loved her very much, she did lots for her and gave her money when she was hard up.

Nearly a year ago unbeknown to me she told mum she had got a new job but needed a laptop for this job, l don't know how it came about but mum ended up taking out a store card for her and she was to make payments on it, no sooner had she got it she stopped visiting and stopped making the payments on it, mum got the shock of her life when letters started coming to the house telling her she was in debt with it not only that but she had to make late payment charges on it as well. Mum confided in another friend who sent her an email telling her to do the decent thing.

She then set up a direct debit from her bank and started paying it so all was good except she never paid mum back for the hundred and odd mum had already paid for her, all this upset my mum really bad and it was a good while before she told me about it. In the meantime mum forgave her, l on the other hand didn't as l had never liked her from the start neither did most of mum's other friends.

In august last year mum fell over and broke her wrist and had to be taken to hospital were after doing tests we found out she had terminal cancer, she had it in her liver her lungs and had several tumours in her brain, she was so brave bless her, when the doctor told her she was more concerned for us than for herself. They gave her till November to live and they were right we lost her on the 9th.

Mum left a bit of money not a lot but enough to pay off any outstanding bills and enough for us to get my dad's grave opened and mum's ashes laid to rest and a nice inscription on the headstone. Just after Christmas l got a letter from the store she got the laptop from telling me thankyou for informing us of your mum's death could you please give us a call so we can adjust your mum's account l gave them a ring only to be told she had stopped paying it gave them my name and address told them the name of mum's insurance policy and that l was the executor of mum's estate, so now lm being told lve got hundreds of pounds to pay for this women's laptop. If l do this l won't be able to have mum buried with dad, lm so angry with this woman, it's making g me ill l l wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it, sorry for the long rant.

pimento

You're not responsible for your mum's debts. Tell the store to go away and don't offer to pay it yourself.

neneromanova

Why not sue the so called friend? Have you got receipts and things?

glentoran99

pimento wrote: »

You're not responsible for your mum's debts. Tell the store to go away and don't offer to pay it yourself.

But it has to be paid out of the estate

reeree

neneromanova wrote: »

Why not sue the so called friend? Have you got receipts and things?

No lve just got one statement from them from March, after that statements went to her email address so mum never knew how much was owed

onlyroz

glentoran99 wrote: »

But it has to be paid out of the estate

Sounds like there's nothing left in the estate once funeral costs have been covered. The OP certainly shouldn't be dipping into her own money to cover this debt.

reeree

glentoran99 wrote: »

But it has to be paid out of the estate

That's obviously what's she's banking on l think

AnnieO1234

I suggest you get legal advice. This could be considered to come under elder abuse with respects to your mom's "friend". These guys might be able to help:

elderabuse.org.uk

The way it works with estates is the funeral expenses come first and then the debts so don't worry about what you've paid out on the funeral.

The problem will come if you've paid off creditors A B and C 100% and now creditor D has raised it's head and you've only got what amounts to 50% of their debt. It is possible they will go after the executor for incorrect execution of the estate. This is why you need proper legal advice. Even more so if mom left property.

Did you follow correct procedure and write to all creditors including the catalogue with notice of her death and asking for final accounts? The question is, why did you pay out before all final accounts were in. That's ultimately the problem.

Now you may be able to wield a sword that this is elder abuse, that the company in question (given that they wrote to a third party and that it was a third party who was using the card) was at fault, at the same time they could equally argue that your mom had left them open to fraud.

You really need to get some serious legal advice, particularly if this is for a big amount of money and/or property involved.

xxx

Guest101

pimento wrote: »

You're not responsible for your mum's debts. Tell the store to go away and don't offer to pay it yourself.

The estate is liable though. And as OP said there was some money left

glentoran99

onlyroz wrote: »

Sounds like there's nothing left in the estate once funeral costs have been covered. The OP certainly shouldn't be dipping into her own money to cover this debt.

Would opening another grave and adding to that headstone to bury ashes be included in funeral costs?


She also said her mum left enough to cover outstanding bills, which this one be one, and an insurance policy

reeree

AnnieO1234 wrote: »

I suggest you get legal advice. This could be considered to come under elder abuse with respects to your mom's "friend". These guys might be able to help:

elderabuse.org.uk

The way it works with estates is the funeral expenses come first and then the debts so don't worry about what you've paid out on the funeral.

The problem will come if you've paid off creditors A B and C 100% and now creditor D has raised it's head and you've only got what amounts to 50% of their debt. It is possible they will go after the executor for incorrect execution of the estate. This is why you need proper legal advice. Even more so if mom left property.

Did you follow correct procedure and write to all creditors including the catalogue with notice of her death and asking for final accounts? The question is, why did you pay out before all final accounts were in. That's ultimately the problem.

Now you may be able to wield a sword that this is elder abuse, that the company in question (given that they wrote to a third party and that it was a third party who was using the card) was at fault, at the same time they could equally argue that your mom had left them open to fraud.

You really need to get some serious legal advice, particularly if this is for a big amount of money and/or property involved.

xxx

Yes l did that straight with the bills never thinking for one minute she would stoop so low, l really should have known better but when you get caught up in grief and all you just don't think. I've since learnt from mum's friends that she was taking car parking fines and bailiffs letter for mum to pay, l wish ld know. The elder abuse line sounds good l will check that out, also she works in the caring proffesion so should have known better, my mum had several brain tumours when she died so lm not even sure really knew what was taking on